Canadians split on 'no-show' fees at restaurants, poll finds

A sign indicating a table is reserved is shown in this stock photo. (Credit: Shutterstock)

No one likes being charged for missing an appointment – but some "no-show" fees are apparently easier to swallow than others.

A new survey has found Canadians are less likely to support such fees at restaurants than at doctor's offices, dental clinics, barbershops, or even pet groomers.

Just 44 per cent of respondents in the Research Co. poll said "no-show" fees are justified for a missed restaurant reservation, while 48 per cent said the fees are unjustified in that context.

But a majority of respondents supported the fees for missed dental appointments (59 per cent), doctor's appointments (57 per cent), hair appointments (53 per cent) and pet grooming appointments (51 per cent).

Few Canadians are actually being dinged for their non-attendance, however – just 15 per cent of respondents said they had been charged a "no-show" fee over the past year.

That's despite many missed obligations, particularly among younger people.

Research Co. found 43 per cent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 had failed to show up as scheduled at one of those five clinics or businesses, compared to 27 per cent of respondents between the ages of 35 and 54.

Among respondents age 55 and older, just nine per cent had failed to turn up for a reservation or appointment.

Doctors saw the highest number of missed visits (15 per cent), followed by dentists (11 per cent), restaurants (nine per cent), and hair salons (eight per cent).

Only three per cent of respondents said they had missed an appointment with a pet groomer over the past year.

And what was behind those missed obligations? Excuses ranged from "personal issues" (40 per cent) to "work-related issues" (25 per cent) to "weather issues" (21 per cent).

The Research Co. survey was conducted online between July 5 and 7 among 1,001 adults in Canada. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.