A deposit shows you have skin in the game. Imagine you're a provider and 10 people a day try to get you to come to a hotel or location, let's say half get cold feet, are pranking you etc. You wouldn't do that job for very long. There are serious clients who can't send money due to privacy concerns. I understand that. And a 250+ deposit would be for an overnight and a $500 deposit would be for a weekend.
You want someone to agree to meet you, fulfill your wishes, set time aside for you, be mentally and physically ready to see you and be able to focus on providing you a service and you expect them to just trust the word of a complete stranger? When you book an Uber, it charges your card before you get the Uber. Ever been to a chiropractor? They charge a deposit. Fly on an airline? You pay before you fly. Its that way because it keeps things running smoother.
Imagine you were an electrician and some assholes wanted to play games with you and make you drive all over town to fuck with you. A deposit would stop that. Its out of respect for the provider. That goes along way. These guys deal with mental abuse on a daily basis. Its a stressful gig.
All this time spend discussing something that should be a given.
And the fact of when I joined, I don't know why that would matter. Im not saying I'm right about everything. Im offering something from my perspective. Take everything you hear with a grain of salt. Follow your heart.