MRK

A NOT BEFORE DISCUSSED REASON TO SAY NO TO DEPOSITS:
Hi all again.
Many men on this thread on the debate of deposit/no deposit have read the unfortunate tales of victimization that some of our community members have described when they provided a deposit in the past- the escort took their deposit money and ran.  Its a horrible experience to be a victim. 
Consider this:
There ARE criminals out there.  And they seek out vulnerable and seemingly weak victims.  And many people in society think gay/bi men are weak.  Even if you disagree we are a weak people, many others will disagree with you. 
Many of us were victimized in our youth by a society that despised gay men or any boy with seemingly weaker attributes.  Tragically, being bullied and harmed is not a rare event for many gay men in their past history.
Yet, when you provide a deposit, this actually creates more gay/bi victims.
And these victims are your brothers. 
Why? You know when you travel out of the country and go to that wonderful "tourist" spot?  The part of the city where its charming & quaint, full of history and beauty?  Sad to say, but they often are full of pick-pockets and criminals.  Why?  Because tourists are easy prey.  They come in "vacation" mode: not paying attention, drinking too much, ignoring clues around them, looking very "touristy".  If Americans only worked on not acting so, well, touristy in these areas, the crime might go down!
When criminals think of gay and bi men, they may think we are weak and easy prey.  Then they hear from here and there how easy it is to put up a Rentmen profile & advertise escort services.  Then when approached online by one of us, they demand a deposit.   We give in because their effort seems well meaning, they seem well spoken, and promises you he just needs "reassurance" with a deposit.  You send the deposit but he runs.  Another victim. 
And that criminal is bragging and laughing about his exploits to his shady friends.  ("OMG, that stupid idiot actually sent me $100 online....!!!!").  Birds of feather flock together- these are crooks. 
And the more the escorting community for gay men is full of guys who WILL pay a deposit, the escorting pool attracts more and more shady criminals who want to steal from and victimize us.  Sure, there are escorts who are genuine and provide their services with a deposit with no problem!  But word of mouth/advertising of deposits make our hiring community like a tourist hot spot in a beautiful country: a place for criminals to go to target easy prey.   Ruins everything. 
So don't think just because you paid a deposit and your particular escort is honest that that choice alone does not add to the problem.  It does.  It makes all of us who hire more at risk for others to victimize and harm us, just like acting like a tourist in touristy areas makes those areas less safe.  Escorts who take deposits and run inevitably provide (if they show up) bad service to us.   They are not going to do all the things you want them to do.  They will be horrible providers.  They only want our cash.  We dont want to encourage them to advertise escort services. 
Protect not only yourself (NO DEPOSITS!) but protect your brothers and this wonderful hiring community-  no deposits!!
You want a safer place for gay/bi men?  Help create a community that is not making itself a target.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world"  Mahatma Gandhi
Love to all
Josh
 
PS:  to all escorts- many of you are genuine, good at what you do, and oh-so-much-fun.  You would never harm any one of us.  And you dont demand deposits!  Dont ever change.  You are beautiful. 
 

This is beginning to sound like the experience I shared above with skyler in New Orleans. His attitude is “I deserve it, you have it, therefore it’s mine to keep.”   Or young RM name “Kaiden_Foxx” who ghosted me days before a weeklong trip to NYC (that was expensive!). Or “Tyler P,” the Northeastern Grad Student who texted me and then blocked me as I was driving to pick him up at the airport saying he wasn’t on the plane and was getting off RM for good (that was an $800 plane ticket I didn’t get back)   What about my means justifies their actions?  The aggregate loss on those three examples is nearly $6K.
Your Instacart example is ridiculous.  They deliver the goods before they’re paid.   If there’s a problem, I make a call and get a refund.
You have an odd and entitled perspective that I suspect bleeds into your interactions with clients.   I encourage you to stick only to the profile you seek and stop complaining about the rest. 
 
 
I figured out the mitigation on the plane tickets - first time encounters are booked with miles.   Then, if it’s cancelled, the credit comes back to me in miles and not eCredit to the ticket holder…but there are still other costs at risk like hotels, dinner reservations, show tickets, etc.  But the moment I start making reservations, I have much more at risk than a provider deposit.  

My bad. I didn't realize we were supposed to exchange 1040s before figuring out who should take the risk. Wait. I guess that won't work, as I expect the vast majority of escorts aren't paying income tax on it.
And no, the financial risk isn't equal. The one sending the deposit is assuming the risk. If a provider is working from home, or a hotel he's staying at for multiple clients, he is already assuming expenses. 
If the client is paying for a hotel already, he isn't out additional funds either. But if the client is paying for a room just for this,  he even has more financial risk, so I guess you would be willing to assume an equal share?
And ehat you spend on a profile is not per client. Its spread across an entire months' worth, so you're talking about a few dollars each if you have multiple clients a month. Tell me you're actually kidding with the cost of placing your ad as the justification for a deposit.

Sorry, but no. No deposits. Sure escorts flake. Clients flake. Should clients ask for a refundable deposit if they get a hotel room or cancel other plans in order to meet the escort? You know,  just in case they no show or have to cancel at the last minute?
No? I didn't think so. All the reasons an escort would want a deposit apply in that case, but I'll bet you would never send a client a deposit if he was getting a room for your meet-up.
Face it. Everyone's time is valuable and trust is a two way street.  
No depsoits.

https://rent.men/Anthonysmithh
 
Looks really cute but got a bit of a scam vibe from him. Whenever they say "book" an appointment and deposit those seem like red flags among other things.

This was all I needed to hear "I'm very glad I did.  He's a really nice guy and the massage was great and it included head" 😉

Hi JB_Studio38/ Mocha/Jarrod_uncut (and all the other names you have had on this platform in the past- there have been many)
No. I, and my fellow client colleagues,  are not willing to be "on call" with money for you when escorting is not working out financially for you. Although I do NOT wish you or any other escort financial harm, we are not responsible for your solvency.  But to you and all escorts in the world: I'm hopeful you prosper.  You provide a wonderful service to the community.  
 
Ah, you are not satisfied with my advice? Allow me to elaborate.  You and I are both business men. Similar fields, albeit with a few differences. I'm a physician.  You are an escort.   We are both seek to ...heal our clients (or patients). As a physician I have high overhead costs in maintaining my office: support staff salaries, my office rent, my exorbitant malpractice premiums, to name a few, costs which rise yearly which is alarming & frustrating.  And just like you, before I take home one dollar, ALL my overhead MUST be paid first. Heck, I was hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical school debt before I even got paid to see my first patient! Yes, I genuinely understand your predicament.  I live it daily.  But when a business informs the client this is my fee, BUT then says, "oh, I also need a deposit", um, yah, no. Or the escort says, "Oh, I need you to pay my Uber". Also a big Nope. See, all of my overhead AND my own salary AND (this is the critical point I fear you dont understand) the cost of the lost revenue is wrapped up in the fee I charge for that office visit.  You think patients call, make an appointment to see me and don't show up? It happens DAILY. Every physician has no-shows. You think patients get a bill (after I provide them medical services) from me and always send a payment? Nope. I get patients who stiff me ALL.THE.TIME.  But that loss is factored IN to my fees.  That's Business.  I don't charge multiple fees.   I have protocols that attempt to minimize loss. For example:  two no-shows and my staff informs the patient they are discharged from the practice.  You think you are the only businessman who takes risks and experiences financial loss?  Think again.   I don't come to this platform and bitch & whine & come across as a lunatic because my patients stiff me.    Rather, I focus on my wonderful patients who stay, pay, and make it all worth while.
To all escorts: keep providing your excellent services. Stay professional.  Continue to hone your craft. Keep detailed reports of what's not working. For what's not working focus on strategies to minimize loss and maximize profit. You are an escort to make MONEY - there is nothing wrong with that! So am I.  But demanding fees (deposits or Ubers) will ultimately turn away good clients & make you seem unprofessional.   Good clients (like me) stay away from escorts like that. Including staying away from JB_Studio38/ Mocha/Jarrod_uncut. Asking for a fee makes you look sketchy.  Its a bad look. 
Love to all,
Josh
 
 

Reminiscent of price is right, I wanted to make a similar question posed by @Rudynate
 

 
But I feel this way about the industry at times. Namely the few things that really get to me are:
1) Same day appointments: I understand being horny and sometimes it can be helpful. But majority of the time, same day appointments do not work. How can 2 men who don’t know nothing about each others schedule, location or availability get in the same room? I understand if it’s a regular who is accustomed to each other’s time schedule, but so many new clients try to book a same day visits. I usually have to wrap up plans to attend.
Ironically, those same clients are rarely ever available same day themselves…when I initiate it. So it’s usually better to not do them at all.
 
2) Hotels: I just spent over $200 in the last couple days on a hotel…and although the money was set aside for it already, I haven’t quite earned it back. People often ask me to host, but the days I set aside to host, people don’t always show up. 
 
3) Dismissive/annoying men: similar to the same day request brigade, it almost seems every other day/week…there’s some prick waiting to push a button. If you’re strong willed and use templates/auto reply on rentmen messenger etc, it’s a bit easier. But overall, I hate how some random can find their way onto my phone and act like a total ass: and kill my vibe. And it’s not always Timewasters either. Sometimes it’s clients too. Check yourself and make sure your tone isn’t cock, condescending or belittling towards escorts. 
 
4) Dead Cities/States: I’ve seen many cities that used to be good 10-15 years ago, now aren’t hitting much. Having RentMen as a main male escort site is not conducive. And it’s so many guys per city advertising. Some cities, I’m hardly even getting hits from RentMen at all. Even the cities with less ads aren’t always guaranteed to be busy, and like I said in #2: a DECENT non-motel 6 hotel in many areas are $100 a night minimum. I can’t wait around for 3-4 days paying that amount with nothing confirmed. And that’s why I ask for…
5) Deposits: I rarely book without them. Some clients expect us to magically pull money out of thin air (aka our own accounts/pockets) for lodging, hotels, commute, and all that’s involved: with no money upfront. That’s unfair and just not sensible in my view. It’s one thing if a guy is just like “come over to my studio/home”, but even when I used to offer that 24/7, a good portion still wouldn’t show up as anticipated. 
 
6) Hookup apps: I feel they continue to ruin the industry. I don’t feel they compete with clients, but it’s created a culture where people are expecting bare minimum. People are willing to hook up for free and with no phone number, it’s become super trashy 🚮, and it’s unsafe. If someone harms you on a hookup app and you have no phone number, good luck being found. The fact people are doing this, is reckless at best. 
 
All that said, is it worth it? I’d say it can be…but some days it doesn’t always feel like it. 
 

He recently changed his screen name from Kevinnthomas. His old thread didn't have much information on it.
Those pics are hot, though.

Similarly curious and similarly circumspect.

That added information speaks volumes!
So here we have a provider who has one review from one client who just so happened to join RentMen a month ago and who, after submitting a review on Kevinnthomas (shown as Baltimore, Maryland), was studious enough to notice that Kevinnthomas changed his name and, voila, that client who joined RentMen a month ago with a premium membership costing all of $9.95 for a month, resubmits an identical review applicable for the new screen name right after the screen name is changed!  Now that is one more studious “client!”
I’ve seen this movie before with a provider from Dallas, and the story line goes the “client” does not renew the RM premium membership after that initial month and just never seems to ever reactivate the premium aspect of the membership for purposes of reviewing any other provider.  We can see if this movie has a different finale, but my money says it’s a rerun of the script written by a Dallas provider (but perhaps aired by other providers), where the brand new RM reviewer “client” just paid $9.95, issued a review (like here, the provider’s first one) then went cold silent and never renewed his RM premium subscription 😃.

The overwhelming majority of people on rentmasseur did not go to massage school, are not licensed and have no training. You are paying for something other than a massage (what they'll do, how they look). If you want a real massage go to a legitimate massage therapist. 
 

This was all I needed to hear "I'm very glad I did.  He's a really nice guy and the massage was great and it included head" 😉

Perceptions of things being “dirty” are highly subjective. And culturally based as well. Muslims often find domestic dogs are “dirty” and won’t allow them in their houses. 

He partially answered your email maybe he didn't like what you said and he didn't want to see you as a client. I get tons of messages per day and if a client says something I don't like I don't bother wasting oxygen in a response. 
Maybe you and him are not a good match hopefully you find somebody that matches with you better.
Side note just because I'm showing up in a city doesn't mean I'm actively taking clients unless it says available now... 
I'm currently in San Francisco getting messages at 2 am to 5am.. I don't respond because I don't work late.. should I be attacked because I don't respond to clients when I'm sleeping or not available? 

Your bias is showing since you failed to deal with the actual facts.
He ran his ad in New York, which says to the world that he's saying he's available.
He partially answered one of my emails and one of my texts with information about a session but then said nothing more in response to follow-up inquiries.  He could have easily simply said instead "not available" but didn't.   Instead he started a conversation about meeting and then abandoned it.  That's just bad client relations.

OK, even if the guy you hire isn't completely faking it he's still doing it just for the money. He might be a really nice guy he might think you're a nice guy but it's a transaction. You should not develop feelings for a provider. If you do you need to realize that they are one way only and when the money stops the relationship is over. If what you really want is a boyfriend with real feelings you need to find that in other places. Go on dating apps or meet somebody in real life and do the work.
You say that you are not emotionally intelligent, but you're clearly stating what you're feeling and what happens. If you get jealous and angry when a provider is with someone else you're just setting yourself up for a really big disappointment and unnecessary heartache. A lot of guys want the emotional part of a relationship just as much or more than the physical part of a relationship. If you need and want that you are never really going to get it from a provider. You can get the illusion of that but it's not the real thing.
Providers are real people and once in a while they might have real feelings with a client but most of the time they are just performing and even if they like you they're gonna be with lots of other people and do the same thing. When you stop giving them money the performance is over. Someone who has real feelings for you will not need to be paid.

This was all I needed to hear "I'm very glad I did.  He's a really nice guy and the massage was great and it included head" 😉

I think it’s always a good practice to ask for rates up front, regardless if it’s posted on rent masseur or not. Many masseurs charge extra for escort services, or have different fees for erotic level of massage. And rentmen doesn’t list pricing publicly. I don’t see how this is wasting someone’s time. You want to be paid correctly right?

I had someone text me tonight asking me what my rate is. The rates are listed on my rentmasseur page. I would think that the rate would be one of the first things they look for on the ad. Why do they ask for information that is right there on the page?

I think it's because they want to know if there's any specials going on, and sometimes we don't change our rates when we change our rates, and we forget to change them. I don't mind clients asking that .   I prefer clients asking that because you could have a special going on.   I honestly don't mind clients asking anything at all.  You simply don't know unless you ask 😃

Actually, in my experience as a client, there have been providers who change (or have attempted to) their rates after booking, claiming that they "forgot to update my profile". Happened to me twice with masseurs. Considering that, it might be annoying to those who maintain their rates up-to-date, but to me as a client is a valid question. However, I don't ask "what is your rate", I make a statement like: "just to verify, it is $XXX for X amount of time, correct?". That shows that I am aware of what the profile says.
The reality is that this type of work is prone to "misleading" information, so confirming everything is how I protect myself and my money.
May I ask, is that a big bother to you and if so, why?

I think you've misunderstood what this is about. It's not about haggling, it's just about being on the same page. As others have said, the rate a provider lists is usually a price for one specific service. If the client is requesting other services, the rate will change and it benefits both the client and the provider to be on the same page about what is being requested/supplied and for how much. This prevents confusion and miscommunications, which are annoyances for both the client and the provider. It's just the correct way to do business, of any kind.

I have seen a couple of providers posting different rates for the same services on different sites - probably posted at different times.  I don’t feel that the question is unreasonable or asked out of stupidity. They may be asking to reduce the chance of a misunderstanding at the time of the encounter. 

The overwhelming majority of people on rentmasseur did not go to massage school, are not licensed and have no training. You are paying for something other than a massage (what they'll do, how they look). If you want a real massage go to a legitimate massage therapist.