Under which circumstances do you believe it’s reasonable for a provider to require a deposit and are there any exceptions to your no deposit policy?

A provider I've seen several times required a deposit.  It was small.  After the first 3 visits she stopped asking for it, and said she really doesn't want a deposit, but it keeps people from ghosting her, until she feels the client can be trusted to pay a cancelation fee if they have to cancel on short notice, etc.

in this business, I consider asking for deposits to be reasonable, and I pay them but only for gals whom I feel demonstrate a fair sense of legitimacy one way or another.   This is especially true for a visiting provider who has to pay in advance for plane tickets and a hotel deposit.

If I have a special request, like an outfit she must purchase, I'd pay in advance.
If she only did outcalls, I'd pay in advance for her to secure an incall.
I typically book 1-2 hour sessions. If I wanted to monopolize her time keeping her from other clients (like for an all-day or longer excursion, or i asked her to travel to me) I'd pay in advance.

Most women really would prefer to not charge a deposit as it’s more admin work for themselves and an extra hoop to jump through for the client. That said, many providers have been cancelled on last minute and have lost tons of money and wasted hours of their time prepping, getting to the incall/outcall etc so many refer to them as a necessary evil and I get it why they demand them.
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I think offering clients as many options as possible and giving the client the choice seems to be the way most women handle this. A choice of Venmo (or similar), crypto or a gift card paid for in person and a pic of it emailed to you seems to cover all the preferred choices by gents. Most women are very open to these alternatives provided the guys approach is respectful and her verification demands are met 100%.  
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Just my thoughts Lucy. No one likes paying them but I understand why women have more and more moved to demanding them.

I’m not a big fan but there are certainly circumstances. FMTY, DMTY, and longer bookings I completely get. These aren’t my bag because I cannot fathom spending thousands on a single meet up. But for those who do, absolutely a deposit.

Since 2010, a 50% deposit has been required to secure all bookings.

...on half my booking so far, ranging from 50 to 200 and have had no issue. All have been legit and well-reviewed on here.

Saw for years a sensual massage provider (diy) who was dependable and one of the two best massages encountered over the years .
As trusted as any I ever met. Offered a pay for four and fifth free. Assembled the money and tried to schedule my first of the five and leave the payment .
Ghosted - never lost money or found out what I did - such is the hobby.  
She was still in business and would even after that would recommend her .

That was the first time we were to meet. I certainly felt very comfortable sending you a deposit and when you cancelled you immediately asked me how I wanted the refund and I had it within minutes. You certainly set an example for all ladies. I will also point out that in addition to sending a deposit for subsequent appointments, I've gone ahead and remitted the full amount prior to appointment day.  

A lot of justifications for deposits are reasonable.

It’s your business do what you want. I’ll just see someone who doesn’t require it. You’re happy and I’m happy. ✌️

And only as a nice gesture. Never to someone I never met.  Not even if I met this person for a couple of times.

If your time is valued at $1500 and up an hour i can see why a depost would be requested. When i see well reviewed porn stars i expect to put a deposit and i comply.  

I have 2 major problems with deposits:  using services like cash app Venmo and PayPal leaves a digital record that cash does not have. And it will always be ripe for scams.  

It is your business and you can do whatever you think is reasonable if you think you need to protect yourself.

When virtually every provider I want to see requires it. Which is to say, as long as there's a good variety of reputable ladies who don't, I'll see them.

I have been a semi-regular with a local gal who hosts in her apartment withing 3 miles of where I live. She has a full time job as a nurse and just escorts on the side.  

if it is more than four hours, an overnight, or a weekend, I'm willing to pay a deposit because the girl may have to turn down other business in order to take the longer booking with me.  I believe it's unfair to have her assume all of the risk of an overnight booking, so a deposit gives her some assurance that I will show up or she keeps the deposit.  If a provider blocks out a weekend without a deposit, she may not have enough time to fill that weekend with other bookings, so the deposit cuts SOME of her risk, but not all of it, whereas a deposit cuts SOME of the risk for ME that she is not going to cancel at the last minute in order to take a different booking. Longe engagements are my only exceptions to paying a deposit, and I don't do them that often anymore.  

where do you find providers like that? civilian women who need some extra cash on the side?

You have probably seen them yourself. A surprisingly large number are this way, but very few talk about it. And, those who talk about it, often don't talk about it to all of their clients. I know a very well reviewed provider on here who travels a lot for work. She will often take 1-2 appointments in a city that fit around her work schedule. She presents herself to her coworkers as an introvert who prefers not doing the social stuff. Meanwhile, she's banging clients for extra money. Another lady I saw owns a business in another country. Twice a year she tours the US for 3-4 weeks to raise money for her business. Another lady I saw is an adjunct professor. She only goes to work on teaching days, and they are often for a couple of hours to teach her class. So, she has availability, and adjunct money isn't a lot. I'm sure there are others who didn't even tell me.

I didn't know all of that until I got to know her very well. She has a website and ads but actually sees very few clients because of her medical career.

My general rule is no deposits, and more than a few times I have worked every angle possible to avoid giving a deposit only to pass on a session due to an unreasonable deposit request! However, all rules are made to be broken! A few years ago, I was eyeing a well-reviewed provider who would book incall sessions in LA and come up from OC for those sessions. Her deposit was $100 to cover the room. I reached out by PM to a couple of experienced reviewers with many reviews who had seen this girl, and I asked about the deposit. They all confirmed no risk of loss, so I went for it! The session was great, and I suffered no loss of deposit! I have not done it since, but under the right circumstance I could be persuaded again!

Pornstars aren’t more valuable than run of the mill escorts. Neither are providers who charge $1k+. Do you even see those girls on a regular basis??

Asking for a deposit the first time is like Storting down at a restaurant and the server wants a tip before the meal is served.  Why would anybody give a tip before you get served?

Deposits go towards the price. You do not have to tip. While not many, some higher end restaurants do require deposits and it goes towards the meal. I have seen this more often when it's a special even type of meal, like Easter or Mother's Day brunches that tend to fill up. But I have also seen it with some restaurants no matter the time.

deposits aren’t tips. the deposits i receive go toward the incall cost, my uber/lyft to and from the incall, and the time i spend getting ready for a date. i often keep very little, if any, of the deposit. such is the case for many other providers as well.

I screen, ask fot deposits, and for references (I  screen them as well). but if it's their first time then I dig deep and conduct my own professional check. Do I save anyone's information? Never but most are my regulars and the trust is there. Once I decided to give someone the benefit of the doubt as they were long-time members (10+ yrs) of a platform and were cleared, I got burned bad. As I was walking in, I saw 4 other women standing on different sides corners around the lobby which I could tell were providers I contacted the guy to meet me by the elevator, but there was no answer. Then 5 minutes later I saw a guy matching his description come down the elevator and walked around the lobby (big hotel) acting "casual" and was just checking out the girls. I always dress professional, to avoid running into anyone I know so I blend in; I watched him without being obvious and I cried for the first time, as I was so mad.  

The only deposit a whore should be getting, is if she does BBBJ, and that is the only deposit a whoremonger should give.

I will never pay a deposit but have no issue with providers who want one.  That is their choice.  

No-shows are a risk taken for ladies in this industry, and should be considered when constructing an annual budget, just as in any other industry/business. I don't send deposits at all. Of course, that may limit whom I can see, but I'm more than good with that. These days I just stick to my two UTR ladies anyway. The one time I sent a deposit, the lady canceled citing her time of month and then proceeded to get pissed when I asked her to return it. She actually asked why she couldn't keep it until the next week when she could come see me......because I don't work on YOUR schedule dumb ass! I gave up, but after 6 days she returned it. Deposits? I'm not buying a house/car or any other tangible item.

I’ve been in this industry since the early 2000s, and for a very long time I didn’t require deposits pre covid. That simply wasn’t the norm in my experience, and I built my business on trust and consistency.

Do deposits help clients create accountability for providers who cancel last minute?

Here is where you are wrong. You get the same thing from a provider when she cancels as you do at home — “A Promise”

A promise of what?

In one case — promise —- “I will make it up to you “  
In the other a promise that sounded real until was too tired or had a headache.

Gee, what a classy statement.

A promise.  

A reputable provider should return the deposit if they have to cancel last minute. If she cancels and doesn't return the deposit, write a bad review and warn others. Problem solved.  

I'm so sorry that happened to you and I'm very upset at the defensive responses. The fact that some clients think losing a couple hundred dollars to a scammy provider is equal to an escort losing money due to no shows and last minute cancellations is WILD. Do they not know that many sex workers are doing this to survive and need this money to feed their children, stay off the streets, etc. ?? In what world is a six figure earning professional/retired millionaire losing a little bit of money in a non-essential hobby the same as someone doing this work to stay afloat being scammed, mistreated, and losing money over negligent, narcissistic, selfish, and inconsiderate clients?

So what compensation are you giving clients when you cancel on them?

A returned deposit. Most respectable providers do this.

Even classier: he left the same comment four years ago. Sad

If anything, he's consistent and a misogynist.  

He doesnt even pretend to like and/or admire p4p women. What would this world be like for us if it wasnt for SWs? They enhance our lives and make our fantasies come to fruition. I know you feel the same George.

Providers are able to screen for "Assholitis".
As for me, I'm with RR--I've had a life enriched by the amazing women I've met here. I'm thankful every day.

Getting your deposit back is NOT compensation. That's just getting your collateral back for sale that never happened.

Not only that he lost his time the same as a provider would have if he had flaked .
So he is compensated for by getting this money back and provider when situation is reversed get to keep his money for her time being wasted .
She keeps his money he gets his back.

In the rare event that I have to cancel, especially if it's last-minute, I'll usually offer a modicum of additional free time on the rebooked date. Do I have to do this? No. Does it make good personal and business sense? Yes, I think it does. My clients are busy people with rich lives. If I have to cancel, I want them to appreciate that I didn't do so lightly -- that I respect their time.

I think it's a mutual respect for people's time, so I appreciate my friends and don't mind sharing free time.

What you and Pandora are expressing is what has been decreasing  in the last 10 plus years- “ Mutual Respect”

If every provider did what you and Pandora do it would be nice. Also, more clients would feel better about deposits and cancellation fees if they knew it was a two way street. Keeping deposits, black listing, and posting angry Tweets about a client who had to cancel while feeling just returning a deposit is good enough when the provider has to cancel is a one way street way of thinking. It suggests a providers time is more important and more valuable than a clients. And as much as anyone wants to speculate, we never truly know what a client may have given up or sacrificed to make that time work. A simple apology and offer to make it up in some capacity goes a long way. Kudos to you two and others who understand this.

Priority booking, a discount on a future session, or even extra time for a future session all sound like great ideas and I think most providers would be open to them. The only issue is that when you give some clients an inch, they take a mile. I could see a lot of clients coming expecting to pay the discounted rate every time and asking for prolonged session because they got it that one time she had to cancel.

I completely understand why a provider would prefer a deposit due to no shows but it’s a hard no for me with general ads due to the number of scammers out there that are posting just to grab the deposits.  

Never.  

Weird, seems like providers have same issues. For example, when I try to hit once and bounce, there is a certain provider on this board who said I need to care about the providers business and repeat.  

You were canceled on by the same person you were regularly seeing?! Or other people? I am sorry some lady have no integrity in this business but rather treat it like a way to get quick cash.

Lol do you not know your own industry?  

I require $100 deposit for 1st time meetings, after I have met a gentleman the chance of them canceling are very slim and if they do the compensate me accordingly.
If u haven’t met u then im just another ad on the internet so no real insensitive to respect my time.

Yeah it’s not needed. So many high class high end girls don’t require it.

I give the deposit back....why would I keep it!!!!! Zero reason to ,keep it....

He's talking about compensation for the last-minute cancellation.