You pull that stunt with me, I'm on to the next one.

1. (And I request this as well) is if we are requested to drive 2 plus hours for an extended appt (ie an overnight)
2. It's a traveling provider that got burned last time she came here (ie she pre-booked 8 apptments and half cancelled)

It take $$ to travel to work (on commission) airfare up front, hotel, food and taxi costs. I admit it's a "gamble", and prob why I have never done it. I have enough friends here. If I travel, it's to sight see, relax, and decompress

She prob figure $25 wasn't that big of a deal, and was just trying to cover her expenses if a bunch of you guys flaked.

Xoxo
VC

Re: Ever had a provider try to charge you a "reservation fee"?...

my 2 cents - No problem if  the " reservation fee " is  applied as part of the donation  .. eom

It's not like she's asking you for a huge deposit, $25 in this biz is chump change and as long as it comes off the total donation, it shouldn't be a big deal. However, asking for a PayPal transfer would be a big deal, it's traceable to both parties, exactly what we shouldn't be doing. In this case, it sounds like she's talking about Greendot or some other transfer mechanism that doesn't require identifying information (at least not on the hobbyist side) so make sure you understand exactly what type of card she's using before agreeing to any type of wire transfer.



-- Modified on 9/16/2012 4:39:31 PM

I Am The Provider In Question....

And, I just need to clarify a few things.  

1.  The reservation fee is simply a small deposit to signal the seriousness of a gent's intent to keep his appointment with me.  It's payable in an ENTIRELY anonymous way, and I provide an email receipt of balance owed.  The amount is deducted from what's to be paid when we meet.

2.  I did NOT say that if you really wanted to see me, you would not cancel over $25.  My exact words were:

"If your feeling toward me has changed over $25, then it definitely wasn't meant to be.  The purpose of the small amount is to shield me from NCNS and last-minute BS cancellations.  It's worked so far, and  I won't lose any sleep over it.  No need to respond."

3.  No matter how much I like someone, no matter that we are friends on Twitter, no matter how many times I've seen them, my policy for touring is that I request the $25 be paid.  It is not an insult; it is simply part of the way I run my business.  I have NO interest in the fact that no other lady has ever asked you to pay one, as each lady manages her affairs differently.  This is MY policy that works for me, and is outlined on the "Tour Details" page of my site.  Asking for $25 to secure a $900 appointment is such a small, small thing.

4.  Just because you disagree with my policy, doesn't make it part of any bizarro Twilight Zone world.  Many service providers, in this industry and others, request deposits to insulate themselves from cancellations, and this is no different.

I find it pathetically amusing that you felt the need to come here and marshal support for your position.  You showed a complete disrespect for me with your subtly disparaging comments to me by email, and I'm glad that you showed your true colors before I had the misfortune of being alone with you.

Good luck to you,

Rani

3 times in 12 years I have paid a deposit. Those were each very special cases. One of those ladies was a famous porn star, and another wouldn't come to Chicago at all without at least one deposit to cover her hotel for that day. The other woman, I had seen many times and the fee was small and to be used for gas money as she was coming from Michigan. The porn star was the only one of the three touring here regardless if I saw her or not.

Out of the 3, the porn star was the only one who required a deposit regularly. The money wasn't as much of a problem as the system used to deliver the deposit. Going in to Western Union was a hassle, that required my time as well as money. So I can understand some guys wanting to avoid that type of situation. Providers should get reloadable cards for that, and make it as easy as possible on the hobbyists. Paypal is not desireable, as was previously noted.

One last thing about hobbyists, especially here in Chicago, drama on the boards is remembered and universally avoided. Whether any one of us is the whipping boy, or we just observe the occurance, we tend to remember that for years. It's bad for business. JMHO

If a girl is gonna skip out on $25, then no big deal.

Personally, however, I think if you are gonna ask for a deposit, don't even bother asking if it's such a small amount.  Make the amount something that is a little more substantial, because no guy is gonna worry about canceling over $25 (no one I know, anyway).  The amount is so small it's almost petty and unbelievable that $25 is going to help defray your costs if you cancel.

Let's say your room costs you $200 in Chicago and you have four guys booked.  I understand that if all four of them pull out, you have $100 against your $200 bill, but if you are so strapped that you can't afford to take a $100 loss (again, we are talking four appointments scheduled in a day here), then I have to wonder why you are touring at all.  Everything has risk, and part of your screening should be your own due diligence as to whether the guy is serious or not.

I also agree this should be stated upfront in your ad or website.  Having this pulled at the time of booking is bad form.

This thread jogged my memory about what I have heard from a few providers.
Let me give a couple of examples: One lady from traveling from AZ said, " Chicago is the cancellation capital."
Another lady from MI, " I get a lot of last minute cancellations. Though it's not NCNS it is equally bad." The MI lady has not come to Chicago in a long time.

If Chicago is viewed in this light by traveling ladies I would understand a deposit request.

I would not pay a deposit. And, in light of the subsequent post attacking you for raising the issue, I will definitely never see this provider or her friend.  Too many fish in the sea to deal with nonsense.

Now I know which providers to avoid. Hobbyists get just as many blowoffs and last minute cancellations as providers do. And calling someone out who specifically did not share your name out of respect is just shitty.

Thanks to those who provided unemotional and reasoned responses.  Not surprisingly, this fell along party lines mostly.  Really, I had never seen this before and I thought things might have changed during what has mostly been a sabbatical.  However, today I booked a traveling hottie for this week and no deposit was mentioned, so I guess my historic experience still exists.  I have no animosity toward Rani or her passionate advocate (I wish I had a friend like that).  I did get to know Rani over the past few months and she is a fine person.  I don't doubt she will have a very successful visit in our great city.

Namaste.

P.S.  To those who PMed me, I am not VIP.