When STOP to a promo also stops her appointment reminder

A customer gets one promo text too many from her dentist's office. She replies STOP. Three weeks later she forgets her cleaning. No reminder came. She feels a little embarrassed, and next time she books somewhere else.

She never meant to stop the reminders. She just wanted fewer ads.

What is changing

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has a rule that, once it takes effect, lets one STOP reply end all of a business's automated texts and calls, not only the kind the customer answered. The FCC has delayed it more than once. The current date is January 31, 2027, and the rule may still be narrowed before then. Which messages count, and what you may still send, is a question for your lawyer or your texting vendor.

Why owners miss it

Promos and reminders often go out from the same number, sometimes from two different tools. From the inside, they feel like separate things. To the customer's phone, they come from one sender. And when a reminder doesn't go out, nothing on your side looks broken. You just see a no-show.

A short check

• Write down every tool that sends texts for you: booking system, marketing app, payment reminders.
• Check which phone number each one sends from. Note any number that sends both promos and reminders.
• From a personal phone, reply STOP to one of your own promo texts, then book a test appointment. See whether the reminder still arrives.
• Ask your texting vendor how they will handle a STOP after January 31, and whether customers will be able to choose which messages to stop.
• At booking, tell customers how reminders will reach them, and offer a call or email as a backup.

Customers who get the reminders they want, and only those, keep showing up.

Sources: FCC order delaying the TCPA consent-revocation rule to January 31, 2027, as reported by Burr & Forman and CompliancePoint (January 2026).