Why Do Some Enthusiasts Attempt to Charge/

The recent thread regarding female enthusiasts charging for cuddling has been locked. I am initiating this thread, not to go around the lock, but to discuss a related subject.

In the past 15 months, I have had four female enthusiasts request payment for having a cuddle session. All four of them were very new members. Rather than **Immediately **report them, I very politely informed them that only pros are permitted to charge, and I pointed them to the process for submitting a pro application.

Three of the four stated that they were unaware of the rule. They promptly submitted an application, and were approved as pros. The fourth did not apply, got reported, and had her account deleted.

The point that I want to make, is that that rule is very easy for a newcomer to miss. As a matter of fact, all of the rules are easy to miss. The "Terms & Conditions" appear at the bottom of the home page, half way down the second column, printed in dark gray against a light gray background. Is it any wonder that many people miss them?

Furthermore, I never pointed any of those women to any rule that specifically states that non-pros are prohibited from charging, because I have been unable to find such a rule. I vaguely recall reading a rule to that effect, but it may be my imagination. If that rule does exist, it seems to be well hidden.

I would suggest that all would benefit if the lint to the "Terms & Conditions" were at least a little bit more prominent. Also, if a specific rule were easy to find in the T&C, fewer people would miss it

Comments

  • I agree, and IMO it's not just about the rules, but about giving people a reasonable introduction to the site. When signing up for a new account, the verbiage one sees barely mentions the existence of pro cuddlers at all. It's almost all about cuddles between enthusiasts. Given that, as far as I can tell, the large majority of cuddles that happen on this site are between pro and client, it honestly seems like it's giving a misleading impression of what the site is like for most users.

    I think it also contributes to the disappointment commonly expressed by men on the site. Men come to the site expecting to easily meet other enthusiasts for cuddles. The description the site gives as they sign up reenforces that perception. Then they find that enthusiasts won't even reply to their messages, and the only way they can find cuddles is to pay, which can be very disheartening. If the site gave them a more accurate impression of what they were in for, it may not be so bad.

    All that said, some people are just inattentive and oblivious. No matter what wording appears on the site, some people just won't read it and will barrel through the process.

  • edited February 2023

    @GreatHornedOwl One place that it is answered is in the Frequently Asked Questions forum post under Searching and Messaging. This post is listed under the Community Advice section on the home page for anyone that is curious where it can be accessed from.

    Direct Link:
    https://www.cuddlecomfort.com/forum/discussion/comment/35090/#Comment_35090

  • The site is first and foremost for cuddle enthusiasts as that's how it started out. Yes, the majority of women who join ultimately opt to charge and over the last 6-8 months a significant increase in men are attempting to charge as well.

    Because of the growing number of untagged Pros we're getting reports of as well as those who have applied to be a Pro yet are still pending approval yet still trying to charge, I have recommended to Mark and Gary about having new site members, when creating an account, have options for either making an Enthusiast/Non-Pro account or a Professional account. Each could have a short description so people could know which they planned to use the site as before entering in any info to sign up. Also those who sign up as a Non-Pro would still have the application process available should they later decide they want to be a Pro and charge.

    In addition, those who have applied to be a Pro but haven't been approved yet and are still trying to charge while sharing personal contact info, I'd recommended once an account applied to become a Pro, either from the start or when going from an Enthusiast to a Pro, their account should be suspended until approved or denied. They could still navigate the site, but be unable to send/receive messages to prevent attempting to charge before being approved.

    I did make a few more suggestion details along with it to Mark and Gary on this matter, but you are not alone in seeing a growing trend in untagged Pros trying to charge and I see the frustration it causes those not looking to hire a Pro. Also lately, there have been several Pros who opted to no longer be a Pro yet they didn't update their bio to reflect they no longer charge and so they get reported as an untagged Pro. Along side that, in some cases those former Pros still try to secretly charge at which point I end up just banning them as unsuitable.

  • @Charlie_Bear - Thank you. That's where I must have seen it. I wonder how many people (especially new members) read the FAQs.

    @netrunner - That sounds like a great idea. You might also add a statement to indicate that they can always change their mind. Hmm, is there a way for a pro to revert to enthusiast status?

  • @netrunner

    The site is first and foremost for cuddle enthusiasts as that's how it started out.

    That's great in principle, but it might be nice to make a few more concessions to the reality of the situation. In my region, there are 63 active female pros in my region and 19 active female non-pros. (And, it's a little tangential, but there are 403 active male non-pros.) All those words when one signs up describing how to use the site as an enthusiast - whose experience does that reflect? Maybe 10% of users of the site? Maybe less?

    That said, thanks for the info about the recommendations you made; they sound great.

  • @GreatHornedOwl of course! And I am not sure how many read through it but there is a ton of useful information in there.

  • @GreatHornedOwl
    Yes, we've had several Pros who decided after being approved they no longer wanted to be a Pro and their account was reverted back to an Enthusiast. Some do it for personal reasons and some because they blatantly discriminate age, gender or religious reasons. Some of those who go back to not being a Pro secretly attempt to charge by quickly taking communication off site though luckily enough people here will still report them when they try to charge.

  • @netrunner I'm very much with you on your suggestions to the management. The account creation/getting started process is definitely due for a revamp.

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