Seeing a consultation you were expecting marked Cancelled is never nice — but if you'd paid for it, you'll have been refunded in full. There are only three reasons a consultation gets cancelled, and all of them are covered here.
Jump to:
- Reason 1: the vet declined the booking
- Reason 2: the vet didn't accept in time
- Reason 3: you cancelled it
Reason 1: the vet declined the booking
Vets accept or decline the bookings they're sent. If yours declined, your payment is refunded in full straight away and the meeting link is removed. You're free to book again with a different vet or a different time.
Reason 2: the vet didn't accept in time
If a paid booking still hasn't been accepted by the time its scheduled start passes, Ask A Vet cancels it automatically and refunds you in full. You'll have received the notification: "Your appointment was cancelled — refund issued / {vet name} did not accept it before the scheduled time. A full refund has been issued."
Reason 3: you cancelled it
Cancelling from the app refunds a paid consultation in full. A Confirmed booking has to be cancelled more than 2 hours before the start time; one that's still Awaiting vet can be cancelled at any point.
Where to find the reason
Please note: the appointment screen currently shows a general "This appointment was cancelled." message rather than naming the reason. The notification and email you received about the cancellation carry the specific reason — check those first.
About the refund
In all three cases where money had already been taken, the refund is a full refund to the card you paid with. You'll get a notification and an email: "Your refund has been issued / The refund for your appointment with {vet name} is on the way."
The app's wording says refunds typically arrive within 5–10 business days, but the exact timing depends on your bank or card issuer and is outside our control. [CONFIRM: the official refund timing wording the team wants published.]
What if the status says "Expired" instead?
Expired is different — it means checkout was never completed, so no charge was taken and there's nothing to refund. See "My booking says 'Reservation expired' — was I charged?".
When to contact support
Get in touch if a consultation was cancelled but you can't see the refund after 10 business days, or if you were expecting a call and can't work out what happened. Have the pet's name and the original date and time to hand. [CONFIRM: support contact channel — email address or in-app route.]
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