Pro Cuddlers Need Internal Tools For Vetting

flcuddlerflcuddler
edited August 2022 in Pro Cuddling

So I've been on this site for a few years now, and I've been pretty quiet and don't ever really post on here, but I felt like I needed to speak up as I feel this might be a possible issue.

Apparently there are rules for pro cuddlers that they are not allowed to give personal contact information prior to booking a session or it can lead to a ban. I can on some level understand this as it can lead to behavior where the pro could negotiate different pricing/hours outside of the site and thereby skirting what they owe the site. After all, the site needs their cut, which is totally understandable. A cuddler which I've had a session in the past was recently banned because of repeatedly giving out her number in order to setup a call/video session prior to booking to vet them out. I had reached out to her and she had appealed but has not heard back yet on their decision.

Now I know what she did was technically against the rules, but to punish pros for wanting to vet out their clients prior to booking a session (per the rules you have to have a booked session before giving out your contact info?) and thereby protecting themselves from potential clients who may want more than just a platonic session or nefarious intentions, seems rather harsh. I obviously only know her side of the story, so I may be speaking without the full context of the situation, but I feel that if the site wants to enforce the rule, they should probably provide tools to do this sort of vetting internally. A video chat feature would be extremely beneficial, not to mention just a basic live chat (cause I'll be honest with you, the current messaging system is really horrid if you are trying to do a live conversation). I am extremely grateful for the mods who do keep this site running smooth and on the straight and narrow, so this is in no way an attack on them.

Comments

  • CuddleWhoCuddleWho

    AFAIK the site has exactly one developer, and I’m not even sure how much time he spends working on the site. A video chat feature would be a very large undertaking for a site like this, not just in terms of initial development but also in ongoing maintenance.

    Fortunately it’s completely unnecessary, because there’s an easy solution to this conundrum. Bookings aren’t etched in stone. There is absolutely nothing stopping people from making a booking, exchanging info, and then if after some vetting or other communication either the client or pro doesn’t want to move forward with the appointment, they can just cancel the booking.

  • flcuddlerflcuddler

    If that's the case, what is the point of banning Pros for giving out contact information prior to a booking if you can just cancel the booking after giving said contact information. Just seems like an arbitrary rule that can be easily circumvented by the method you just described.

  • CuddleWhoCuddleWho

    Well of course it can be circumvented. But having the rule in place makes it slightly harder to do off-site bookings, and it also means the admins/moderators have a little more visibility into what's going on.

  • RezzRezz

    We are allowed to book a proposal and cancel it later. Only then are you allowed to exchange contact information. If the client proves to be a dud go we can cancel the proposal without repercussions.

    The mods will serve a warning before they outright ban you. Sounds like she didn't heed the warming and kept exchanging information without a proposal in place to earn her a ban.

    I made this mistake once while I was juggling multiple clients and was given a friendly warning.

  • MelancholyMelancholy

    Rezz is right. There is no reason you can't just vett someone after booking and cancel if something about them feels off.

  • cde123cde123

    I like the idea of onsite video chats, but I think it would place a heavy burden on mods, assuming the chats are recorded and can be reported. Reviewing written text is so much faster.

    If we're talking site improvements, maybe they add something to help pros sort through/deal with their hundreds of unread messages? Just having a mini profile pic and text of a message is barely enough for a judgement call, when there could be karma badges etc. In my experience pros don't have time to check profiles until they actually have a booking confirmed.

  • CuddleDuncanCuddleDuncan Mod

    Onsite video calls isn't going to happen. Far too much work for something that isn't going to bring in any extra revenue to the site.

    The site is entirely in favour of professionals and enthusiasts vetting prospective cuddle partners. They also don't like to ban professionals unless it's absolutely necessary. It is possible that they have made a mistake, but it's more likely there is more to this story than meets the eye.

  • SideonSideon

    Accepted booking proposal, then exchange contact info. It's like a handshake. Pros can fully vet their clients as they choose. @Rezz has some of the best non-nonsense vetting methods - I'm a mighty big fan - and I wish more Pros enforced, practiced, and demanded their clients follow the rules and stay within platonic boundaries. At the beginning of a cuddle session, client's should pay in full and proceed with the cuddle. I also wish more Pros would clearly say no to inappropriate behavior and terminate the session - thanks, but they forfeited their time, and no they're not getting any refund.

  • BabichevBabichev
    edited August 2022

    @flcuddler - you assume what the pro told you was true and the whole story. Don’t. More than once someone has messaged me to appeal for a pro who was banned. Sometimes it’s a client, sometimes it’s another pro. In every case they were not told the whole story.

    Pros are warned, usually more than once, about taking communication off site before they are banned. They have to be really egregious about it. If they led you to believe they did it once or twice and got banned they are not telling the truth. Either they did it a lot and had more than one warning or there were other infractions on top of it.

    All the successful pros here manage to conduct their business and abide by their contract. If a new pro can’t figure out how to do it, they can ask other pros. They are more than willing to help.

    Pros are aware of the terms of their contract and sign it of their own free will. They are expected to abide by it. They could work through another site but those sites take at least twice the commission that this one does AND in many cases the client must pay through the site so there’s no circumventing the site’s booking system.

    Any pro that does not like the terms here is free to go elsewhere but those who choose to get clients through this site are expected to abide by the contract to which they agreed.

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