Poll - Thoughts on Cuddle Pros Charging for 10-20 min Intro Virtual Zoom Meeting

NicoSnuggs

A few cuddler’s and I on here, both Pros and enthusiasts, have been discussing between ourselves our thoughts on cuddle Pros charging money for a very basic 10-20 minute Intro Virtual Zoom or Skype Meeting to get to know each other before meeting in person and before a paid in-person cuddle session.

My personal experiences this year with Intro Virtual Meetings have been mixed, with some Pros whom I have messaged with back and forth messages a few times in the CC messenger stating that they will only do an Intro Virtual Meeting with me if I accept a charge, such as the $40 minimum cost/charge for a virtual cuddle session.

While other Pros have been happy to virtually chat with me on a 10-20 minute Intro Virtual Meeting for free at no cost to me, as long as we were both actively making plans to meet in person in the coming months for a paid in-person cuddle session.

Now note that I am aware that cuddle Pros can charge whatever fee they want to for whatever service or time they want to within the boundaries of the CuddleComfort website Terms of Service and Rules which we all agree to when joining here; If a Pro wants to charge any amount for an Intro Virtual Meeting and will not hold an Intro Virtual Meet for free, then that is their prerogative to do so, and cuddle enthusiast like myself can either accept that those are their terms, or not accept and just meet in-person someday, or not meet at all.

But I want to hear your thoughts community. Would you be willing to pay a cuddle Pro for a 10-20 minute Intro Virtual Meeting or not? And why do you feel that way?

Ahmedali999

What's the point of virtual zoom with out physical contact 🤔?
I pro from America offered me and i was confused.

desi_babe

For a Pro's perspective: I receive a lot of these requests, and I used to do them for free. However it was usually people trying to get off the site so they could make inappropriate requests, lowball me, or people who had no interest in meeting in person. So it wasn't worth the time investment for me. Using it as a deposit on a future session made much more sense, however only 20% of people take me up on that, which indicates to me that the other 80% were unlikely to book an in-person session anyways.

NicoSnuggs

@desi_babe - Great points, and I appreciate you sharing your input as a Pro from what you experience from the Pro side of things in communicating with enthusiasts and those interested in you and the services you offer.

Mare_Bear

I knew someone was going to say that they had to implement this policy because of time wasters, thanks for clarifying, desi_babe. If there were not so many cuddlers taking up so much time of pros with no intention at all to book this would not be an issue.

Nickoli

I wouldn't mind if the fee was applied to the actual session. What it sounds like is that some are expecting to charge for the intro and again for the session. No thanks. I've done phone calls beforehand and never was I asked to pay for this, thankfully.

cuddles_ndream

If I was to try & book, & it was with a pro, but she would like to do a virtual intro to build trust & rapport & to see if we’re a good fit, but would be needing to charge for the 10 minute intro , I personally wouldn’t do it, although she has the right to do so, and in this case it would be up to the client to deem this fine or not.

Sideon

Another consideration is that charging for video intros is needed for those without friends or karma to weed out the time wasters, the not serious, and the scammers.

AnnJ

I do not charge for a meet and greet. I actually like have a quick virtual meet with a client before meeting in person so:
1.I know who i am looking for
2. it gives gives us a chance to see if we click
But i can understand why some Pros would charge, I think it is more up to the pro. Each to their own.

CuddleWho

If the pro is requiring the virtual meeting, I feel it is basically absurd for her to attempt to charge. You're requesting that I take extra time out of my day, you're not providing the service I'm trying to hire you for, and you're still going to try to charge me for it? Completely ridiculous.

If the client is the one requesting the virtual meeting, I feel it's not quite as silly to charge.

That said, either way, note that in fields with actual standards of professionalism (such as law, therapy, or even things like plumbing or electrical work), it is 100% normal and accepted to do a brief call or even in-person meeting, free of charge, before both sides agree to a professional relationship. No reason in the world why cuddling should be different than every other field.

Spud424

I think this is an outstanding idea. Safety for our pros is paramount. Just as a business needs a letter of credit before purchasing a large item, or an applicant for a loan or a credit card has to be creditworthy, I think this is a good way to pre-screen. One suggestion: Perhaps they could charge a nominal fee, but then apply it towards the cost of the upcoming session?

SoftHairForDays

I do have to say that when I've done intro calls, they have generally lasted longer than expected. I still don't charge for them and no one has offered to pay me for them either. I want the client to feel comfortable, and I want to feel comfortable, too. As pros, I feel like we need to invest some time getting to know clients to be sure it's a good fit, even if we aren't getting paid for it. After all, I would want to see (in a video call) if someone is sending red flags so I don't meet them in person - for my own peace of mind.

CuddleDuncan

If the cost is modest and offsettable against the session cost then I don't see a problem. If the professional decides not to proceed, then the fee can be refunded.

Time-wasters are famously reluctant to put their hand in their pocket.

It might be interesting to experiment with advertising that there is modest offsettable fee, but not actually collecting it.

Sheena123

I’m used to only doing physical meets right before the cuddle but I do those for free so it would only make sense that if my cuddler wants to do a video chat after our session is booked, I don’t see an issue. My meet and greet is about a half hour at a cafe and i figure it’s beneficial for both of us so I would never charge for that. I don’t get any that want to video chat as opposed to a physical meet before the cuddle, so I don’t have much experience for that. I charge for an hour Skype session but for a quick meet and greet, I wouldn’t charge. If they end up being gross, I would probably be reporting them mid call

Melancholy

There are many jobs out there where you spend time advertising and getting to know a prospective client before making the sale...so no one charges the client for that. That seems really strange to me. I would not be interested in paying for that. I understand some clients waste pro cuddler's time, but I shouldn't be penalized for that. Its not my fault other clients are wasting their time. Maybe just get better at recognizing time wasters.

Ahmedali999

It's up the pros and clients.
☝️ you need to advertise your business for not charging virtual session it's bad impression for some clients I'm 1 of them. That's makes clients run away but maybe some clients who are rich don't mind paying.
Soon they will be charge on checking some pros profiles .
@Melancholy there're clients waste time but that's part of life and the business. You can't always win in business sometimes expect loss .

NicoSnuggs

@Spud424, @CuddleDuncan, and @Nickoli — I agree with all three of you that if the initial fee was applied toward the actual in-person session to come, perhaps by pre-paying 20% to 30% of the cost of the actual session to come through a virtual exchange app like Ca$h, Venmo, or Zelle during the time of the Intro Call, then that would be reasonable to me too.

My only concern with that is that if you don’t know the exact date of when you can get off from work for the cuddle session with the Pro, but you still pay the Pro virtually through one of those apps for the Intro Virtual Call, and then the Pro goes and deletes their account from CC.

Now you are out 20% to 30% with no opportunity for an in-person cuddle because the Pro deleted their account and ghosted; Basically took the money and ran. That is concerning to me.

I agree with the fee going toward the session and if no session is scheduled there's no return on the fee but it shouldn't be the same cost as the session.

CreativeCuddles

I don’t charge for video chat, texting or phone calls prior to a cuddle. If it is what someone needs to feel comfortable to cuddle with me, then I accommodate. This not only gives them time to get to know me, but me to get to know and feel comfortable with them.

ernesto_2

For me: if an activity is required in order to secure booking, then that cost should be credited towards the final payment. Just my $.02

There seems to be a total
disconnect about this on the “pro’s” end. One Pro, for example, deduces illogically and incorrectly that 80% of the people who met virtually were not serious about meeting because they did not follow through on booking and have the money applied as a deposit. The whole purpose of speaking directly with any provider in ANY business is to determine compatibility, energy, discuss preferences, expectations, etc.
So she does not account for the people who may simply have decided that she was not a good match. It is absurd to pay for anything prior to discussion. This is part of running a business and if you’re calling yourself a professional, that is what this is.
Now, spending a very long time is obviously not a reasonable expectation.
But five to ten minutes on a phone call to get to know someone a bit and discuss important things before you spend an hour with a total
stranger? This is somehow asking a lot?
I would never pay to find out basic things regarding interaction and safety and protocol.
Clients should make a decision not to do this.
This practice is commonly done in other online industries(adult-oriented). I know this because it is all over social media.
If this is all platonic, why on earth would someone pay such an exorbitant fee just to see if they will hire someone. My lawyer used to say, if a lawyer charges you just to sit with him or her and decide if you want to hire them, run the other way.

Edited. No need to call out specific Pros, @Brandosees . [-Sid]

JoyfulHeart

While I don't relish the idea of paying someone for a mutual assessment, I believe that is the sort of thing that the market itself is apt to regulate.

While it would cause me to look elsewhere, others may not be bothered by it. If this is the case, that is between the people engaged in that conversation. I don't believe it's my place to weigh in on the arrangement with my moral assessment.

This discussion seems to be similar to the ones about rates. If they really are too high, people won't pay them. If not, my applause to anyone who is successful in maintaining a client base.

Regarding my opening comment, if I don't like someone's rate or fee structure, I simply don't pursue them as a provider.

I have an idea of how I would run my business if I was a pro. Since I'm not, I don't think that there is any weight to my opinions on the matter of how someone else runs their business.

ThomSSI

A pre-session intro call, whether voice or video, is a great idea and is normal and customary. Nearly all of the pros I’ve met have suggested it, and I’ve made the suggestion to the few who did not. It is not something I’d expect to pay for, unlike a virtual session, which is a substitute for an in-person meeting.

Caveat emptor.

Quodcumque forum portabit ad valorem.

That intoned, let me get this right…

You want me to pay you to decide if I can then pay you to pretend to be my friend?

That’s impressive.

Ahmedali999

@JoyfulHeart I said the same thing. Also sorry for been rude 🤗 it will show me bad impression and the person is greedy. I don't like greed people like my landlord doesn't fix anything. This is before I met☝️ in my mind if I met her she will count every minute or give me less minutes which makes me uncomfortable. Also maybe she will charge service charges if you want a cup of water
/tea,napkins
☝️ if I was a pro I will make good deal to attract customers, not make them run away. Charging for everything.
Zero coke was given away for free for 1 ☝️ week now I'm trapped and become regular buyer.
But it's upto the pro who charge and Clients whi willing to pay.