If I am having my clients meet me in a public place before I agree to be the host, should I charge them a small fee for that short meeting?
I don’t. Unless I have to travel almost an hour to see them. Most of my cuddlers meet close to my home. I buy my own drink and spend about a half hour or so with them. I don’t like to charge during that time because meeting them before the session is beneficial enough. If they offer to buy your drink then by all means. I like to get there early and buy my own and hold a spot for them. Just a nice ice breaker ☺️
As a client, I would probably decline if a pro cuddler suggested I pay for that short amount of time. That short public meeting is for the pro cuddler's benefit more than the client. Its so the pro feels safe and can make a judgement call about the client...
@Sheena123 you’re pretty awesome!
And I agree with @soloforever , I haven’t met too many pros but the ones I met just went ahead with the session without a public meeting first. Now if the client is the one requesting the meeting then an argument could be made for charging a fee for it.
@cuddlefiish In my opinion it should depend on who wants or suggest the initial meet & greet and how much travel time if any is involved for either party. And also how far in advance of potential cuddle date you wanted to do it. If you're suggesting the meet & greet and the client has to travel to you or somewhere close to you for the drink then no I do not think it fair of you to charge.
I also don't charge for initial meet and greets, on average I expect to spend about 1-3 hours of unpaid time screening the client or consulting with them... but you can do whatever you like. The only time I might charge is if I have to do this meet and greet in a neighbouring town or city which I'm not already staying in, gas is heckin' expensive. In that situation, a travel fee could be appropriate. The service itself is also heckin' expensive, so clients do love when you can cut the corners for them a little bit.
@Catloaf does it help if the client treats you to Tim Horton's ? I think that should be counted in their favor.
@hugonehugall That all depends on the professional. Personally, I rarely drink coffee. If a potential client offers to buy me coffee or anything else at the venue, I will more than likely politely decline. The only time I'd charge anything is if I had to travel a significant distance to get to you (50+ kilometres), and that's not even on an hourly basis. I charge for the amount of fuel it took, not for the time traveled.
My thoughts are if there's an appt scheduled and you are meeting beforehand , or if a pro ks screening a potential client , no , no cost . However if a potential client is wanting to meet up without the anticipation of an appt I can see a nominal fee at the pros discretion based on the circumstance. I recall a member posting on the forum a while back that he was contacting multiple pros for meet and greets to guage whether to book with them . Many people concluded that he was not being respectful of their time and in a sense it seemed as though he was wanting to hang out without booking .
@Catloaf good to know ... But it was actually joke lol ... Tim Horton's and the whole Canada thing ...
Lol. I apologise, I'm often allergic to jokes. They fly over my head quite frequently unless they're of the super duper dry variety.
Its raining here so I don't know how dry they'll be.