It's the "game-playing" which is exhausting and
frustrating when it often occurs between both
perspective Clients and some Providers.
Your hard-earned money is at stake here and I
sympathize with those whom really don't see
that this is a pretty straight-forward transaction.
Not a bit like the transaction of purchasing a car....
However, we all want a "Sports Car Convertible",
with all amenities included with a sleek exterior,
a smooth, tight-gripping ride,
a skilled stick "shift- (er)",
and a guaranteed warranty!
It's not "Rocket Science", nor should it be, however
there's standard protocol which each reputable
well-reviewed Provider requires in their scheduling
procedure.
Thus, a Personal Website is procured to answer specific or vague
questions, as an addendum to the many said Provider's Reviews (YMMV)
posted here on TER, and on other Ad Board/Review Sites.
Thereafter, research/Google is your "best friend", at this point, if you still have
hesitation in your decision-making.
Hence, why not be very specific in posing your "Question", so as not to play the
frustratingly "cat & mouse game"?
"I'm interested in POSSIBLY seeing you, however, "x, y, z"? 0r "if you can't answer,
then, I'm not interested in booking".
If we dodge the "Query", then perhaps you've posed it in a most inappropriate
manner.....
It's a delicate dance...
I choose to be more "Business-Like initially and have a pre-printed
auto-response generated on my email due to the voluminous
inquiries, fully well-knowing that 99.9% of them are baseless queries,
and nothing more.
If I had one flimsy dollar for every "serious inquiry", I'd be a "Trillionaire"!
However, I digress.....