I have been advertising as a masseur on MasseurFinder (MF) for five and a half years. My name is Wally.
On a very busy client day, a fellow masseur in GA, who also advertised on MF, messaged me asking if I had trouble logging onto MF. When I got his message, it was in between client appointments on a sold out day. Quickly, I logged on and saw a very intimidating message from MF that required me to log in through Facebook and also requesting that I give MF access to the contacts on my Facebook page and other permissions. I thought the site had been hacked. I continued reading, (paraphrasing) '...in order to rid MF of fake profiles you are required to have a Facebook page so that we know you are a real person...'. I was convinced they'd been hacked. After all, MF has a copy of my drivers license and my credit card...of course, I'm a real person and I have a real profile; after all, the second review in a month was just posted.
I replied to my buddy that I thought MF had been hacked. He sent me a link to this post. I emailed support at MF. They are always very good at responding to issues. And, they confirmed what I read on this post, and, what I saw on my screen when I tried to log in.
This 'Facebook' requirement was a surprise for me and for my buddy in GA. There was no warning that all advertisers must have a Facebook account. Thinking I had missed something, I poured through my emails - no mention of any Facebook requirement. Many of my massage clients do not have Facebook accounts either, and, therefore, cannot leave reviews. "If you don't sign in through Facebook, we will gladly refund the unused portion of your monthly fee" wrote Ben at MF. What the frickity frack!
I feel a little kicked in the balls by MF. I could have created a Facebook account and started gathering friends to meet the requirements. My income is based on new clients who find me there. And, after paying $100 plus for five and half years, it leaves a very bitter tasted in my mouth because I was given ZERO notice.
Most of my clients comment on all of the gear that I bring for them: fragrance free soap & shampoo, table, table heater, household cleaning products; crock pot (to heat the oil), two dozen sanitized coconut oil bottles, sheets, water, Gold Bond powder for my clients (because some of them really need to learn about that tool for the tool box), lavender-smelling hand sanitizer, etc, etc. I stay in nice rooms so clients feel comfortable walking in and I work my fucking ass off. I feel like I put more into my work than most. And, when I am blind sided with, yet, another strict requirement, it makes this job harder to navigate, and, me very fucking frustrated.
I have been smoldering advertising ideas during my sessions today and have been exploring other avenues. During a client session today, I literally blurted out a "(GASP) THAT'S what I could do!" The client looked up..."What was that?!?!"