I definitely understand the convenience of deposits, especially with the influx of guys that expect to be booked with no screening. It just makes things easier but 50% is a huge ask we usually do $50 just to avoid wasting time because so many guys will text for hrs to even days straight then go ghost when its time to book. I know its alot of deposit scams out there Maybe more guys should report on the trustworthy providers that don't scam instead of complaining and saying everyone is a scam it could make the community alot safer
The only time I've asked for a deposit is when I'm traveling cross country. In my experience most cancellations happen within the first 48 hours for me. For this reason I keep the deposit refundable for 48 hours after I receive it. After that, I confirm our meeting with him then I use the deposit to book my travel. Confirming gives him an opportunity to cancel before I book travel. After doing so its no longer refundable. I've also worked with gentlemen that had to cancel but their deposit was no longer refundable. Some compromises I've come up with were seeing the gentleman when I visit the city he's in or returning to him what I did not use to book travel or what I was able to get a refund from. That wasn't the full deposit but was close. Another time I met him at his place while on a road trip. Another time I hooked him up with a great provider I personally know that was visiting his city, they had a great time.
I'm picky about who I see and screen well so I don't have a lot of issues with cancellations of NCNS. If I did begin to deal with that I would first look at what I'm doing, check myself to be sure I'm not slipping in any areas. Personal responsibility can fix a lot of issues. After I'm good, I would consider asking for deposits if it came to that.
I personally very seldom ask for deposits.
I had a long reply but for PC purposes i deleted it