Should escorts charge a minimal fee for failed encounters?

[Guest BBBeyond]

I'm a novice at this profession and just got the shock of my life last night when the client declined the encounter. It was not much due to the ego-deflating "you're-not-my-type" brush-off that annoyed me, but the manner by which this client led me on.

 

We have been exchanging e-mails for a week, getting into specific details, then he cancelled, then changed his mind and then the climactic dismissal last night. I had to re-schedule other appointments just to accommodate him, had to make myself presentable and had to go to his place (the good thing was his place was not that far from mine).

 

And another thing that bothered me was that he even had the audacity to tell me I "misrepresented" myself (and he was the one who looked hideous). My photos in the website were only torso shots (and I did not take off my clothes at his apartment). He did not see my facial shots (other clients say I'm very attractive). So I felt that he was making up excuses to dismiss me -- conjuring up lame excuses that the vibes were wrong, it won't click, etc. And now I'm afraid he'll place a bad review simply because I was not his type.

 

My main question is this: Should we charge a minimal cancellation fee for these types of encounter? I think the client should at least offer some kind of compensation, taking into account the time and effort we put into these encounters (e.g. $20 for cancellation plus trip expense). Or is this standard practice that I'm not aware of like how the hotel industry handles it?

 

What do you all think? I'd appreciate any input you may have.

[Guest Kenny]

"Should we charge a minimal cancellation fee for these types of encounter? I think the client should at least offer some kind of compensation, taking into account the time and effort we put into these encounters (e.g. $20 for cancellation plus trip expense).

 

To put it simply, "YES"

 

At the very least, no matter why the appointment is cancelled, your transportation costs should be covered. As to any other compensation, that's open but certainly something is in order. I would think $25 is fair. In any case, at LEAST transportation costs.

[Guest cp8036]

Sorry that you had a bad night. The guy does sound like he jerked you around a bit. Perhaps is his twisted revenge.

 

However, since you didn't have a face pix for him to see, he didn't have a lot to go on. It is very possible you weren't what he was looking for. You both took a chance meeting with some unknowns out there. He was paying a fair amount of money, so should get what he wants. If he had a face shot of you before, then he cannot say he didn't know what you looked like. Torso shots really don't show a lot of a person.

 

You can always charge for whatever you like, but the client may not pay. Even if there were some standard, there is not a way to enforce.

 

Seems that you did not misrepresent yourself, just that he wasn't interested, in that case it would be fair for him to pay $20-40 for travel costs (though that may be hard to collect considering you lived nearby). If an escort misrepresents himself -- uses a 10 year old pix, claims certain build but clearly not, then I don't think he is not entitled to a thing.

 

As many escorts want to be treated as professional in business, they must also accept the unpleasant parts of business. You are selling something, and that will not work for everyone. Many businesses will spend time and money in their attempts to sell a product or service, but will not gain the sale in the end. It's called the cost of sale. Most of the time you win, and hopefully a small percentage of the time you loose. Good luck.

[Guest 7Zach]

There was a long thread on this maybe 6 months ago.

If they show up and just not what I'm looking for, I pay them for an hour and "take a pass". I am the one that didn't want to go through with it, but it's not their fault. If they didn't give a face pic, that's my risk cuz I ordered up room service.

Depending on the situation, I might try to get out of it for just $100, but if they're nice, pay them cuz they need it.

If the agency misrepresented, I pay the escort $50 and tell the agency, and that I want the next one minus the agency fee. Premiere has allowed this once or twice, and Campus did once, but it was more of a hassle.

Never did see DC's big one...

[Guest cuddleboy76]

Boy is this one a iffy subject. I have been escorting for about 4 years and have had tons of guys either flake or cancel because of very serious things. In your case I would definetly say you where intitled to some amount of money. I on the other hand have never really had the courage to tell these guys there's a cancellation fee. I think if you where right there in front of them alot would laugh,, cause like the guys before me said, there is no way of enforcing it. But its worth a shot and you take alot of risk in this, so good on ya if you do it, and I would too if I where you. Hope that helps.

 

Nate

[Guest happyguy]

From time to time some guy appears at my hotel room door who I really don't care for, just looking at him. The rare number of times this happens, almost always leads to him being a real rip-off artist anyway. Other times, its just not a good match. In any case, I never say anything, just do whatever minimal action I can to complete the deal and pay him and get if over with. It is as if I am too embarrassed to say anything. If ever I did get up the courage to say something, I believe it only fair that I pay some minimal amount to cover time and transportation. Certainly twenty or thirty dollars, depending on what went into getting to me.

[Guest married_but_using1]

Most escorts that I have dealt with usually discuss with you at the beginning what 1) your expectations are 2) what their individual rules are regarding cancellations the day of or after they have arrived.

 

Truly I feel and I express to the escort in our first conversation that if he does not match the description of his looks, his picture, and what he promised than like any other business I'll pass on his services and take my buisness elsewhere.

 

I do think that ypour encounter was based on a lack of communication between you and your client. Perhaps if you emailed to him a face or body shot prior to your encounter the situation could have been avoided, but you are new and you have learned. Good luck and don't get discouraged.

 

Will

[Bilbo]

One thing important in this business is discretion, and that works both ways. I think that there ought to be a standard $20 fee for an intown cancellation at the door, either door - the client's or the escort's. If it is the client's door, it includes transportation costs. If it is at the escort's door, it includes having penetrated his security shield, learning exactly who he is, where he lives, etc. And either way it makes up for lost time. (I know that several here have said more than $20, and I can maybe see up to $40 or 50, but $100?! Excuse me, my Scots side is calling.)

[Guest omnicoax]

we must not forget that the penal code has charges for "fake" advs. i will go it toooo far and say that in such case the escort should pay the client.

 

at the other hand we have a cancellation, that has also a price.

 

what i want to say here is that ok about the cancellation fee but in reasonable limits.

 

---

(sorry BBBeyond this was not a direct answer to you, just a contribution to the thread)

[+ deej]

I had an odd situation just last night with an escort who has several positive reviews here.

 

Our encounter was scheduled well in advance, and confirmed the day before. I'm always extremely explicit about what I expect so that there are no surprises. I showed up at his place and he was everything I'd hoped for and then some -- an absolute knockout!

 

We started out chatting on the sofa, and doing some cuddling. He was down to just shorts and some sexy little g-string undies. He felt more awesome than I could have imagined.

 

About 10 minutes in, he said "I hope you don't mind if I call this off. Can we just cuddle as friends?"

 

HUH?

 

I told him "sure, but if we're not doing anything I'm not paying" thinking he may have been kidding, but he wasn't.

 

We continued cuddling "as friends" for a few minutes and as I was putting on my shoes & socks getting ready to leave he even offered me a ride home.

 

He didn't get a cent.

 

I went from his place to a strip club down the street and spent a large chunk of his money tipping the cute twink dancers and collecting phone numbers. }>

 

In a way, I'm sorta glad it worked out this way. He lives so close he'd cost me a fortune if he'd been good.

[Guest alanm]

Did he give you any indication why he "just wanted to cuddle?" It would have been difficult for me to accept that situation without some explanation. As to client cancellation fees, I think the escort would make a mistake to ask for any money. Asking for a payment of $20-$25 would likely lead to an argument; it's just not worth the trouble. :-(

[phage]

You’re a finer man than I am Deej. There is no way that I could NOT take that personally. Of course I would stop the session, but I would be out of there so fast his “knockout” head would be spinning. You should post a review. Whatever his flaky reasons were, and no matter how much he tried to couch it in a “let’s be friends” soft sell, he didn’t live up to what he promised. People should know that the guy might change his mind midway through the session. Flaky behavior at best.

[+ deej]

<<Did he give you any indication why he "just wanted to cuddle?" It would have been difficult for me to accept that situation without some explanation. >>

 

To be honest, I didn't want an explanation. At that point, I didn't care.

 

>You’re a finer man than I am Deej. There is no way that I

>could NOT take that personally.

 

The boys at the strip club did a LOT to assuage my bruised ego. }>

 

>You should post a review.

 

According to HooBoy, the review will be in tomorrow's uploads.

[Guest IM_Moore]

> You should post a review. Whatever

>his flaky reasons were, and no matter how much he tried to

>couch it in a “let’s be friends” soft sell, he didn’t live

>up to what he promised. People should know that the guy

>might change his mind midway through the session. Flaky

>behavior at best.

deej will never post a review on a established escort that might be negative. that would be too honest for him and the review section of this site.}>

[Guest IM_Moore]

a very simple answer, NO!

[Guest Kevin 2]

<About 10 minutes in, he said "I hope you don't mind if I call this off. Can we just cuddle as friends?">

Hum..DeeJ, reckon it might be your size?? I know you have stated (as well as others confirmed) that you are hung like a horse. I was wondering did you scare the poor boy? }>

[Guest regulation]

Seems simple to me. A contract includes only the terms that both parties have agreed to. At some point before you meet, you are going to tell the client about your fees. If you expect to charge the client a cancellation fee in the event he elects not to proceed after seeing you, you need to tell him that up front so he can consider that in making the decision whether to hire you. If you tell him about the cancellation fee and he decides to hire you, it's reasonable for you to expect him to pay if he then cancels when you show up. If you don't tell him, you shouldn't expect him to pay.

 

Many escorts and agencies specifically state in their ads that there will be no fee if the client is not satisfied with the escort's appearance upon his arrival. That's the policy I prefer, and I would not hire an escort who told me that I would still have to pay a fee even if I was not satisfied with his appearance.

[Guest 7Zach]

Occasionally, the guys will tell you that if you don't like me, then this is the fee (meaning when they show up and you decide). But heh, even if horny, if I don't want to sleep with them, figure it out. I mean, I am not going to pay for sex AND feel like it's work. That would make 2 of us...

[Guest jeffOH]

>Seems simple to me. A contract includes only the terms that

>both parties have agreed to. At some point before you meet,

>you are going to tell the client about your fees. If you

>expect to charge the client a cancellation fee in the event

>he elects not to proceed after seeing you, you need to tell

>him that up front so he can consider that in making the

>decision whether to hire you. If you tell him about the

>cancellation fee and he decides to hire you, it's reasonable

>for you to expect him to pay if he then cancels when you

>show up. If you don't tell him, you shouldn't expect him to

>pay.

>

>Many escorts and agencies specifically state in their ads

>that there will be no fee if the client is not satisfied

>with the escort's appearance upon his arrival. That's the

>policy I prefer, and I would not hire an escort who told me

>that I would still have to pay a fee even if I was not

>satisfied with his appearance.

 

Yes, if these conditions are agreed to in advance by the client and the escort, that's great. But, my experience with clients who ask what I charge if I get there and they don't like me has been that they are mostly flakes anyway. I am not going to shower/shave, take

some Viagra and drive across town for a look-over. I tell them that they had better be sure that they want to do this and if they are hesitant in the least, I will tell them I think they will be better served calling up someone else. I don't need the hassle. I describe myself accurately and send numerous pics to clients. It's not like you're laying out thousands of dollars for a car or some other major purchase. Some clients just want an OUT in case they lose their nerve.

 

Jeff4hire@aol.com

[+ deej]

>Hum..DeeJ, reckon it might be your size?? I know you have

>stated (as well as others confirmed) that you are hung like

>a horse. I was wondering did you scare the poor boy? }>

 

Two thoughts here: 1) he was warned. I'm brutally frank when setting up a first encounter (right Steph? right Joey? right Matt?) and 2) he never saw it.

 

I honestly think he may be doing the escort thing just to meet guys. If the guy doesn't suit his taste, well, all bets are off.

 

That is just an opinion, though.

[Bilbo]

When you consider that a lot of our calling in the escort business is working with closeted people and trying to help them out of their shells (Ooh, mixed metaphor!), doesn't it make sense to let the guy have an easy out if he panics when face to face with what he really wants. Then he has a chance to calm down and analyze his behavior and hopefully the next time he calls you (or more likely someone else because of the embarassment factor) he will be able to go for it. And since, IMHO, our main lesson is that "you can be gay and happy at the same time", then we need to be as happy as we can, as well as gentle, as we leave. But this is, yet again, another service that we are providing him and another reason for a turnaway fee to be standard. Silly me, I had thought that it basically was, since the days of Risky Business, where Tom Cruise had to pay a turnaway fee.

[+ deej]

<<doesn't it make sense to let the guy have an easy out if he panics when face to face with what he really wants>>

 

Yeah. But it's also reasonable to ask for an explanation.

 

I just got off the phone with a popular Chicago escort who told me an interesting story. He got a call to go to a hotel in one of the distant suburbs. He got there (a little late because this hotel isn't easy to find) and was turned away. He got his travel fee and a nuisance fee, but he was still out the time.

 

The client's only explanation was "you're not what I expected".

 

Now, this client had seen a dozen or so pictures. They're good pics and they're recent. I know. I scanned them and showed him how to e-mail them.

 

Doesn't he deserve a better explanation than "you're not what I expected"???? What were you expecting? Taller? Shorter? Fatter? Thinner? More muscles? Less muscles? What?

 

Giving a client an easy out is one thing, and a kind thing to do. But at least tell him why he's being turned away.

 

It's sorta the opposite situation from what I posted earlier in this thread.

[Guest BBBeyond]

RE: Should escorts charge... Thank You!

 

Thank you to all those who gave their valuable input on this topic. I realize that it is the client who has the final word in the "hiring" process, as he is, after all, paying for the service. Yet, one can also argue that, as an income-generating source, we should protect our "profession" with certain guidelines.

 

The bottom line is that this is a "service-oriented" business and, like any other industry, customer satisfaction is paramount. However, I must be quick to point out that there are guidelines set, where a client may not be able to return a certain merchandise after using it, opening it, or after agreeing to certain conditions imposed prior to such sale. In addition, the hotel industry imposes a cancellation fee should the client decide to cancel or shorten his stay at the establishment. But then again, clients have also the right to examine the package, and if unsatisfied, is free to return it, no questions asked.

 

So my point is that although I am against imposing a "failed encounter fee," I suggest that the clientele should also take into account certain preparations that went into this encounter. Without even my asking, I have been given hefty tips by satisfied clients. I hope that this generosity also applies to encounters that have not been realized. The amount should be up to the client, and I think the escort should not impose a specific value to it. I reiterate the point that since the client is the one paying, he should be the one to gauge whether or not the escort needs to be compensated for his "efforts" despite a failed encounter, and not the escort demanding a certain cancellation fee. Most clients I have talked to generally agree that they would somehow provide travel expense and a small fee for a failed encounter. They realize that it is the right thing to do (bless their heart).

 

To this end, I think it is a risk that we all have to take. Nothing personal; just business. Again, thank you to all those who gave their input.

 

:9