I wish flying out to meet clients wasn't so stressful!

[Mocha]

...And it has nothing to do with the client. Notice how I said flying, rather than driving.

 

I recently was able to meet a client in another state that we'd planned some time ago. He politely gave me the fee for airfare and a part of my rate deposited into my bank account about 2-3 weeks ago. I booked my flight and scheduled my departure. So far, so good.

 

However, I am somewhat upset with myself because in addition to the trip...I was in the midst of relocating to a new place, so I spent the day before moving items into a storage while I was gone. In the process, I overpacked and ran into issues with the security gate...having them throw away several items and me having to argue with one of the prick TSA agents for trying to toss out bottles of expensive cologne that were slightly over the size limits. Yet a few minutes earlier 2 TSA agents said they were perfrectly fine! The men are always pricks

 

It also didn't help that I didn't get the tickets right away, so I ended up having to be out of town for 3 days (mind you, in the process of me trying to move). I wanted to leave the next day, but instead I have to spend additional dollars on hotels in 1 of the worst, conservative, places to do business and that lacks any clientele for my type...Houston. when I could be back home making steady income. And I'm even more annoyed that I don't have a car which means I'm confined to the limits of the hotel the places nearby...which are all expensive as hell. I can have an emotional meltdown within days of not having my own transportation, but since I know its just temporary and there's plenty of things nearby, I don't think its going to happen.

 

This is relatively mild in comparison to my last flight to a client last year to Charlotte...in which I had to taxi $40 each way to a hotel I had to pay for during a basketball tournament and then, I had to pay for my flight back home because he cheaped out on me last minute by only booking 2 hours instead of our planned overnight. I had just BARELY made it back home and made next to no profit

 

I'm getting to the point where I feel that unless I'm getting $800-1,000 plus airfare to travel to a client, I'm not flying. I rather drive a few hours to a client than to fly for the same amount. Because for one, I wouldn't even drive anyplace unless I know I had business lined up. Both times I flew to meet a client, I could not generate business in the city they were in and it ended up being a failure because they weren't paying me $1,000 so I could offset the lost time in home city, baggage fees/transportation/hotel and food fees...and everything else involved with getting on a plane.

[Epigonos]

Mocha you might want to consider the entire escapade a good lesson. I, on occasion, fly escorts to me. When I do so I NEVER consider asking the guy to come for less than an overnight or more likely still 24 hours or a weekend. To my way of thinking it is gutsy beyond belief for a client to expect an escort to fly to him for an hour or two. By the time the escorts pays for transportation to and parking at his local airport and other costs the entire episode becomes a losing proposition financially.

[JoeBlow]

Hi Mocha. Unless there's more to this story that what meets the eye, I think the client was downright wrong and unethical to switch from an overnight appointment to a two-hour session after your arrival. He should have paid you for an overnight session and covered your travel expenses if, in fact, that is what you had agreed upon before you boarded the flight to Houston.

[Epigonos]

Moca I just realized that my response wasn't complete. I always fly TO an out of town escort before I consider flying him to me. Thus the escorts knows me and trusts me to fulfill the agreement we have arranged. In the future if I were being flown to visit a first time client I would insist on the airfare and at least 50% of my fee being paid up front. When I arrived I would then insist on being paid the balance of my fee immediately. If the client attempted to change arrangement at that time I would leave.

[leigh.bess.toad]

I completely agree with Epigonos. It would never occur to me to fly an escort to visit me if it wasn't for at least an overnight and I paid for all travel expenses, including either cab fare to the airport at their home town or parking there, either pick them up at my home airport or pay for the cab and any other miscellaneous expenses. I also think Epigonos is right -- for a first hire I would always go to them. Mocha, I'm sorry you had problems. There really is no excuse for that type of behavior. None.

[Mark450]

What a jerk your client is/was. And you are correct about Houston.

[Mocha]

Hi Mocha. Unless there's more to this story that what meets the eye, I think the client was downright wrong and unethical to switch from an overnight appointment to a two-hour session after your arrival.

 

Actually, that was a different a client who flew me in last year to Charlotte...who is now blacklisted after he pulled a disappearing act earlier this month.

 

Mocha you might want to consider the entire escapade a good lesson. I, on occasion, fly escorts to me. When I do so I NEVER consider asking the guy to come for less than an overnight or more likely still 24 hours or a weekend.

 

I have certainly taken this into consideration. Again, it's not so much the client was "bad" as our 1st encounter was an overnight. However, this go around he was only wanting to pay for an evening instead of an overnight which is less than half the cost of my overnight travel rate. I ended up underestimating the costs of everything. Its more work for me to fly than actually seeing the client. I was even wanting to ask for an extra $200 so I wouldn't lose a single penny...but I didn't want to seem like I was trying to hustle him out of more money after we already planned on the rate. I was given a decent tip for incidentals though.

 

So, the new rule for 2011 is...unless someone is going to pay minimum $800-1,000 plus round-trip airfare AND transportation for evening or overnight, I'm not flying. It's not even worth the hassle and frustration of going thru all the bull crap involved when I could just stay home, go about my regular routine and make equal or more.

 

Like I said, this is still relatively mild in comparison. The time I went to Charlotte was a disaster. He paid to fly me out, gave me $300...but, I had to pay hotel, taxi AND...get this, AND pay to fly my way back home (here's the kicker) THE VERY NEXT DAY! I got back into town with about $40. I'm not the type to cry, and it takes a lot to actually do so...but that was the one time I cried last year. Never again! Of course he didn't seem to have a car in the world when I asked him to reimburse me for the flight back as I couldn't find ANY hotels in the area. It was a basketball tournament and all flights to the northeast was snowed in that same weekend. I had no choice but to fly home or end up stuck in the airport.

 

I'm sure I'm not the only way to have made a couple of mistakes flying out to clients, being this was only my 2nd time. I guess I just have to not accept any and every request I get. So what if I lose 4 or 500 bucks. It'll be a shallow victory because there won't be much left even if I do end up agreeing to it.

 

What a jerk your client is/was. And you are correct about Houston.

 

I've just threw in the towel on this place. I have 1 massage client for tonight...and then after that I'm subjecting myself to 10 airport hours in hopes of getting out super early before the storm and hoping the snow isn't too bad back home.

 

The only times I've had good experience with anything related to Houston 'callers' is when I've been hundreds or thousands of miles away and they were visiting, or if I come here specifically for meeting a client. Any other time, this being no exception...nobody calls, nobody follows thru, they get on my last nerve, waste my time...it tries to give off a ritzy, multi-everything type of place when in actuality it's just a musky armpit filled with a bunch of backwards conservative hicks and one of the most inconsiderate clients (excuse me, 'callers'...they don't have money) I've had the displeasure of coming across. I would never waste 1 penny here unless I specifically had reservations with a client. I've had better days in Sarasota Florida and places that are equal-distance to the middle of no where than this mess...

[Mocha]

As the saying goes: "All good things come to end"...there's also a reverse of it, "all bad things come to an end too".

 

After tallying everything I guess the trip wasn't a complete waste. I'm satisfied with what I'm going home with. The issue with Houston is there is an unbalanced amount of time-wasters to clients which can give off the perception that going there is futile. Fortunately, it hosts a large international clientele which makes up for all the idiots. With a little patience, one can have a good time. But, that doesn't change the new rule for 2011...and I'd rather devote all time to a client and know I'm not losing out rather than meet a client and then hope to meet new clients on top of that.

 

One thing I did enjoy was the Galleria mall. That place has enough stores to make anyone broke. I can give it credit as being the best mall I've ever been to...but it's just insanely expensive which kind of loses points. It's fucking January and I did not see a single sale that was worth going for. Yet everywhere else, everything is on sale. I had to go to the bank this morning as it was the closest to the hotel...and there were as many people in there as a weekend. I'm like, damn...do these people work? Maybe they're on vacation

[cany10011]

Mocha,

 

Business travel is not as glamorous as it seems. Sorry that you had the negative experience. Give yourself plenty of time when you go to the airport, travel light, and don't let the little things stress you. I always consider myself a "civilized refugee" whenver i travel as i feel dishelved, harried, and sometimes a sherpa....

Good thing you've decided on a travel fee (remember to include the time you leave your home to the airport to the client's and return in the total cost your guy should be paying you).

[Gar1eth]

Just my 2 cents. If I've flown a guy to me, I've paid for a round trip airfare. And unless something unusual has happened, I've picked him up at the airport. So there are 2 less things Mocha wouldn't have to worry about with me ( by the way, who is Mocha? Does he have an ad out? He didn't include a link with his posts, so I have no idea who he is. ). Also if I've flown an escort to me, it's for a weekend or overnight-- and I'm paying most of the expenses. Obviously if the escort decides to buy a new wardrobe-- that's on him. As for Epigonos' suggestion of paying 50% of the fee upfront-- I'm against that. I am already showing good faith by paying what can be a roundtrip ticket of $ 500 or more. I've never stiffed a guy who has visited me for a weekend. And as I am hiring lots of times never having met the escort before, I have to trust that they are as they represent themselves in their ad. So I am at risk too.

 

Gman

[+ sam.fitzpatrick]

If I've flown a guy to me, I've paid for a round trip airfare. And unless something unusual has happened, I've picked him up at the airport. ....As for Epigonos' suggestion of paying 50% of the fee upfront-- I'm against that. I am already showing good faith by paying what can be a roundtrip ticket of $ 500 or more. .... And as I am hiring lots of times never having met the escort before, I have to trust that they are as they represent themselves in their ad. So I am at risk too.

 

Gman said it all. To the escort asking for an upfront payment - - NEXT!

[Toulouse]

I'll never again pay anything in advance other than the out-of-town-escort's airfare...especially after reading about the Noah Driver drama, where clients were left waiting at their respective airports empty-handed (and no doubt with blue balls) after he was a no-show despite the clients having paid his expensive up-front fee: http://www.companyofmen.org/showthread.php?76447-Mini-Driver-up-front-amp-broken-nose&highlight=noah+driver.