Customer No-Answer Door Policy for Techs
A simple no-answer door policy that protects your schedule, cuts disputes, and keeps your day moving.
March 28, 2026 · 7 min read · LightWork Team
You drive to the job. Nobody is home. You call. No answer. You knock. Nothing. Now what?
Without a clear policy, you either wait indefinitely (losing your next job), leave and get a bad review, or get into a dispute about whether you showed up at all. Here is how to handle it every time.
The Core Answer
Call once. Text once. Wait 10 minutes. Leave.
The text should say: "Hey, I am here for your [service] appointment. I will wait 10 minutes and then I will need to reschedule."
Take a photo of your truck in front of the address with a timestamp. Note it in your job record. Move on. You have other jobs to get to.
When It Gets More Complicated
1. The customer wants you to come back the same day. If you can, charge a return trip fee. Your time and gas for the first trip were wasted. A $50-75 return charge is not unreasonable and prevents it from happening again.
2. The customer has no-showed more than once. Flag them. Add a note to their record. Before you book them again, get a confirmation text the morning of the appointment: "Just confirming your appointment today at [time]. Reply to confirm." If they do not confirm, do not dispatch.
3. You are afraid of the bad review. This is the biggest trap. Eating no-shows to avoid reviews trains customers to do it again. A clear policy, communicated upfront, protects you and sets expectations. Most customers understand. The ones who do not were going to be problems anyway.
How to Actually Do It
1. Write your no-show policy now. Something like: "If we arrive and no one is home, we will call and text once. After 10 minutes we will need to reschedule. A trip fee of $75 applies to any rescheduled appointment following a no-show."
2. Add this policy to your booking confirmation. Every customer sees it before the appointment.
3. On the day of the appointment, send a reminder text in the morning: "Reminder: we have you scheduled for [time] today at [address]. Reply if anything has changed."
4. When you arrive and no one is there, follow the policy exactly. Call once, text once, wait 10 minutes, take a timestamp photo, leave.
5. When rescheduling a no-show, collect the trip fee upfront or add it to the next invoice. Put it in writing.
FAQ
What do I do when a customer is not home for a scheduled appointment?
Call once, text once, wait 10 minutes, take a photo showing you were there, and leave. Do not wait 45 minutes for free. Document everything so you have proof if they claim you never showed up.
Can I charge a no-show fee as a contractor?
Yes. Put it in your booking confirmation and on your estimate. "A trip fee of $X applies to missed appointments." When you communicate it upfront, it is easy to enforce. When you spring it on a customer after the fact, it causes a fight. Set the expectation before the appointment.
How do I handle repeat no-shows?
Require a confirmation text the morning of any rescheduled appointment. If they do not confirm, do not dispatch. After two no-shows with the same customer, require a deposit before booking a third appointment. Some customers are just not worth the drive.