Connecticut
In Connecticut a kept deposit holds when the loss from a missed appointment was uncertain or hard to prove, both sides meant the deposit to settle that loss in advance, and the amount is not greatly out of proportion to the loss they could foresee. The state Supreme Court has also upheld a finding that a car rental speeding fee was an illegal penalty and an unfair trade practice regardless of notice, so charging a deposit that works as a penalty can be one too. So a deposit that tracks the shop’s real loss, such as the held time and the drawing work, is on firmer ground; disclosure alone does not save an outsized one.
Does a non-refundable deposit hold up in Connecticut?
In American Car Rental v. Commissioner of Consumer Protection (2005), the Connecticut Supreme Court restated the test: the expected damage must have been uncertain or hard to prove, the parties must have meant to settle damages in advance, and the amount must not be greatly disproportionate to the loss they foresaw. It upheld the finding that a car rental company’s $150 speeding fee was an illegal penalty and an unfair trade practice, regardless of notice. In Vines v. Orchard Hills (1980), buyers who defaulted and wanted their down payment back carried the burden, and an appropriately limited amount was presumed reasonable, a presumption that evidence can overcome.
“(1) The damage which was to be expected ... was uncertain in amount or difficult to prove; (2) there was an intent on the part of the parties to liquidate damages in advance; and (3) the amount stipulated was reasonable ... not greatly disproportionate to the amount of the damage” American Car Rental, Inc. v. Commissioner of Consumer Protection, 273 Conn. 296 (2005) · Vines v. Orchard Hills, Inc., 181 Conn. 501 (1980)
Showing your refund policy
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 42-110aa, as rewritten in 2024, has a business disclose its refund or exchange policy, including whether it gives refunds and any fee on a refund: posted on its premises for in-person sales of goods, on its website for online sales of goods, and aloud for verbal sales of goods. A seller that gives no refunds and fails to disclose it must refund a good returned within 7 days, and a violation is an unfair trade practice. Its opening names any person in trade or commerce, but all 3 ways of disclosing speak of goods, such as a piercing shop’s jewelry and aftercare. Its text does not settle whether it reaches a deposit for a service.
“Any person engaged in trade or commerce in this state shall disclose such person's refund or exchange policy ... (A) Post such policy on such person's premises if such person conducts in-person sales of goods; (B) display such policy on such person's Internet web site if such person conducts online sales of goods” Conn. Gen. Stat. § 42-110aa
Body-art rules and money
Nothing about deposits or refunds in the tattoo technician licensing and shop inspection law (Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 20-266n to 20-266s); its only money is license, renewal and temporary permit fees. The piercing statute, § 19a-92g, on a parent’s permission for a minor, is silent on money.
Read: Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 20-266n to 20-266s · Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-92g
What reaches your deposit page
A price shown must include every fee the client has to pay
Since July 1, 2026, a business that offers a good or service may not advertise, display or offer it at a price that leaves out a fee the person has to pay to receive it, or make the person pay a fee that is intentionally obscured, unclear or misrepresented. A violation is an unfair or deceptive trade practice.
“(A) Advertise, display or otherwise offer such good or service to any person at a price that excludes any fee, charge or cost that such person is required to pay in order to purchase, lease or otherwise receive such good or service” Conn. Public Act 25-44, § 1
- You can pay the $3.99 fee yourself: it is one switch in Set-up, the second tab of Deposits in your dashboard. Then your client pays exactly the deposit and sees no fee anywhere, so every amount on your deposit page is exactly what your client pays. When your client pays the fee instead, the pay screen lists the deposit, the fee and the total, and the Pay button says the total, but the buttons on your deposit page show the deposit alone.
This page summarizes public law in plain language, with the source each point comes from, read at the source on 2026-09-23. It is not legal advice.