Policies | Best Kept Secretary

Reservation policy

Reserved with intention.

The Dinner requires a 10% reservation retainer; the client arranges and pays the venue directly.
The Escape requires a 30% reservation retainer to cover the advance commitment for the private setting.
The Arrangement does not require a deposit; the first scheduled installment must clear before reserved time begins.
Travel reservations and other approved third-party expenses must be funded before they are booked.
A screenshot of the transaction receipt is required to begin confirmation.
A date is confirmed only after the applicable retainer has cleared and the details have been accepted in writing.

Deposit options

Cancellations & no-shows

Unexpected circumstances happen. These practices protect the time and preparation reserved for each engagement.

Reservation retainers are nonrefundable because they remove time from the calendar and may cover advance commitments. When eligible, a retainer may be applied to a future booking as a rescheduling credit.
Cancellations made at least four days before the booking may qualify for an IOU.
Nonrecoverable venue, property, and travel costs are not refundable.
A no-show or cancellation with less than 24 hours’ notice counts as used reserved time and forfeits the amount allocated to that date.
After a no-show, any outstanding balance and a new retainer must be paid before another date can be considered.

Refunds

Reservation retainers are nonrefundable.
In exceptional circumstances, a refund may be approved depending on the situation.
Approved refunds are issued on the first business day of the month following the cancellation date.

IOUs

A reservation retainer becomes a rescheduling credit only when the reschedule requirements are met.
IOUs remain valid for three months from the cancellation or reschedule date.
Only one additional reschedule is permitted on an IOU.

Arrangement payments

The written Arrangement agreement controls the selected plan, schedule, exclusivity, locations, travel, and included meetings.

Monthly fees are paid in advance in two installments due on the 1st and 15th.
No deposit is required. The first scheduled installment must clear before reserved time begins.
If an installment is not received by its due date, future meetings, dinners, travel planning, and preferred-location holds pause automatically until payment clears.
A payment more than three calendar days late releases unconfirmed reserved dates. Reinstatement is subject to availability and payment of the outstanding balance.
A missed meeting or cancellation with less than 24 hours’ notice counts toward that week’s included allotment.

Ending an arrangement

Either party may end an Arrangement with seven days’ written notice. No explanation is required.
During the notice period, confirmed plans remain in place only while all scheduled installments are current.
Earned fees, completed meetings, late cancellations, and nonrecoverable third-party costs remain payable.
Any prepaid amount covering time after the termination date will be refunded on a prorated basis after applicable earned fees and committed expenses are deducted.
Any prorated refund and itemized accounting will be issued within ten business days.
Either party may end the Arrangement immediately for safety concerns, harassment, illegal conduct, material misrepresentation, or a serious boundary violation. Unused prepaid amounts remain subject to the same fair accounting.