I had a pro ask me to speak with her and her partner before scheduling the session. They had concerns regarding the coronavirus and wanted to review my COVID protocols. I was asked ahead of time if we could have this phone call and didn’t have an issue with it at all.
I don't know anything about deposits in the cuddle world. But I do happen to know that in general a deposit only has to be small to be effective. It's the principle of the thing. A small deposit (£10) will not put off very many good clients, but it will weed out virtually all of the timewasters.
For a small deposit the 'loss' rate of good customers will be affected more by the ease/difficulty of paying it, and its terms, than by the amount. In other words, it doesn't matter whether it's £5 or £10 or even £15, but it must be easy to pay and easy to get back if the professional has to cancel.
A large depost (25% - 50%) will likely hurt bookings a little. Over 50% isn't a deposit.
If you are going to charge a deposit, not mentioning it on your profile is dishonest and almost certainly illegal.
@CuddleDuncan I did mention it on my profile. So far the deposit requirement has been working for me. I think I have enough karma now that new clients feel comfortable. I personally chose to go with 50% because I get hurt less financially when a client cancels last minute. I would be concerned that a low deposit like $10 might not be a big enough deterrent And it doesn’t leave me with much if they do cancel. You have to remember I already put in the time of messaging this person and doing a video chat with them. If they cancel last minute it’s highly unlikely I can replace their session and it can seriously cut into my income if cancellations happen on a regular basis. There are cuddlers who require the full session to be paid for at least 24 hours in advance, many spas will also take credit card information and charge the client if they cancel last minute. I really just think it’s the only way to do business in this field. For example if I book five clients a week and one cancels every week on average, I am losing out on 20% of my income.
@xandriarain sorry yes, I knew you had mentioned it in your profile. I was just trying to make some general points about deposits, but on re-reading it now I see how it could be taken to imply that you had not: apologies for my clumsy wording.
The exact numbers vary from industry to industry and product to product, and often you need to experiment a little to find the sweet spot. If 50% is working for you then hooray, don't monkey with it.