Why are some clients saying “I only pay in cash”, when…

[mike carey]

At the risk of keeping this thread off topic - remember, the question is about why clients want to pay only in cash, not a general Lounge appropriate discussion about whether cash still has a role - in this country cash is a fading payment method but, unlike cheques is not dead. Cash is legal tender but that doesn't mean you are always entitled to use it. A contract trumps the right to use cash and can specify how you have to pay. A sign in a shop saying 'No cash' is part of your contract to buy something there. You can always decide not to patronise them, but if they only lose say 1% of their business they may not care. Some politicians chasing publicity have caused a momentary fuss (that usually lasts for about a New York minute) but Parliament usually only passes things the one of the major parties want it to.

[Vin Marco]

On 11/7/2024 at 1:08 PM, Simon Suraci said:

Cash is king.

What Simon says! 👆🏽 💵 👑 

Edited November 8, 2024 by Vin Marco

[mike carey]

That said, I'm happy to pay any way the provider prefers, I have cash ready but am more than happy to use PayID (bank-run direct payment) or credit/debit card (never happened). In the US card or cash would be my only options.

[Luv2play]

3 hours ago, marylander1940 said:

You can just deposit the money in your account and pay your credit card with it. 

Why is this even an issue to worry about?

That is exactly right. I had a recent overnight and on the way to breakfast, my provider took the cash I had given him and deposited it in an ATM of a bank he uses. 
He explained later that the deposit to his credit card, which was maxed out, would enable him to extend his stay at the hotel he was in.
 

[Luv2play]

2 hours ago, Trick said:

With me, you won’t have to do that.  I always ask guys to count the money as I hand it to them in an envelope.  To Latinos, I endearingly say, “Cuentalo, por favor”

I’m just the opposite. I always have the cash in an envelope which I hand to my provider as we are wrapping up. I of course would not feel aggrieved if he opened it to count the bills but in the vast number of times (I can only remember once) he has put the envelope unopened in his pocket, backpack or whatever. 
It must be my honest face! 

[+ ApexNomad]

6 minutes ago, Luv2play said:

I’m just the opposite. I always have the cash in an envelope which I hand to my provider as we are wrapping up. I of course would not feel aggrieved if he opened it to count the bills but in the vast number of times (I can only remember once) he has put the envelope unopened in his pocket, backpack or whatever. 
It must be my honest face! 

I honestly can’t remember if a provider has ever counted the cash in front of me—I don’t think one ever has. Personally, I wouldn’t mind if they did (it might feel a bit awkward if they did at the beginning, but I’d adjust). I always leave the cash in an envelope on a table where they can see it as they walk in. This approach helps avoid any initial conversation about it. Most of the men I see are regulars, so this has become a kind of shorthand. But when I meet someone new, I never hand the money directly to them. 

[Vin Marco]

4 minutes ago, ApexNomad said:

I honestly can’t remember if a provider has ever counted the cash in front of me—I don’t think one ever has.

It's in poor taste ( in my opinion; it can imply that you don't trust someone and or that they can't count ) I will count it when folks insist I count it though. My two cents no pun intended 😜

[Luv2play]

I don’t mind handing the envelope with the cash inside directly to the provider. It’s always as we are about to part or leave the hotel room if we are going to breakfast. They invariably graciously accept it and thank me. 

While I recognize our date has been a transactional one, I like to think of it as a boyfriend experience, and I tell them that in setting things up beforehand. Giving them something that helps pay the rent or the car payment makes me feel good. 
 

Life has been good to me and I like to share the riches. Not that I’m a rich guy, I’m not. But  as a retiree I don’t have to worry about making a living. These providers we engage do and I appreciate where they are coming from. 

[+ ApexNomad]

34 minutes ago, Vin Marco said:

It's in poor taste ( in my opinion; it can imply that you don't trust someone and or that they can't count ) I will count it when folks insist I count it though. My two cents no pun intended 😜

Agreed. However, I will go out of my way not to let that affect the mood. Our time together is finite. 

PS, I love your buns. I mean, puns. 😘

[Trick]

1 hour ago, Vin Marco said:

It's in poor taste ( in my opinion; it can imply that you don't trust someone and or that they can't count ) I will count it when folks insist I count it though. My two cents no pun intended 😜

I don’t trust myself. I often lose focus on details, like how much I put in the envelope.  I also see guys awkwardly trying to eyeball the money so telling them to count it takes away the awkwardness.

When I was just starting to hire, I did not like them counting it as if I could not be trusted.  Telling them to count it puts me on top of my annoyance. 😀

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

3 hours ago, DrownedBoy said:

That should be against the law, and in some places it might be.

As far as I know, the state of New York is the only place that has enacted laws requiring all businesses to accept cash.

[+ mds1]

I would highly recommend asking them to count the cash. Recently I handed a provider the envelope of cash and he didn’t count it. About 5 min after leaving, he texts to tell me I was $180 short. Now I know I wasn’t short (maybe I missed a $20 but not that much!!). But he was at my place and came back to my door demanding more. I had to pay him more to prevent him causing a scene. It was my first and last time hiring him. It was too bad too because it was a good session and I would’ve considered making him a regular. 

[Trick]

2 hours ago, mds1 said:

I would highly recommend asking them to count the cash. Recently I handed a provider the envelope of cash and he didn’t count it. About 5 min after leaving, he texts to tell me I was $180 short. Now I know I wasn’t short (maybe I missed a $20 but not that much!!). But he was at my place and came back to my door demanding more. I had to pay him more to prevent him causing a scene. It was my first and last time hiring him. It was too bad too because it was a good session and I would’ve considered making him a regular. 

This has happened to me too and I was at fault.  I was 100 short.  Wrong math. 

[marylander1940]

3 hours ago, mds1 said:

I would highly recommend asking them to count the cash. Recently I handed a provider the envelope of cash and he didn’t count it. About 5 min after leaving, he texts to tell me I was $180 short. Now I know I wasn’t short (maybe I missed a $20 but not that much!!). But he was at my place and came back to my door demanding more. I had to pay him more to prevent him causing a scene. It was my first and last time hiring him. It was too bad too because it was a good session and I would’ve considered making him a regular. 

I remember an old thread that I can't seem to find called "The case of the missing money".

[HockeyMan]

I prefer cash for the sake of confidentiality.

This thread reminds me of that joke from the roast of Jerry Springer: "You paid a hooker with a check. That's as stupid as... paying a hooker with a check."

[+ ApexNomad]

5 minutes ago, HockeyMan said:

I prefer cash for the sake of confidentiality.

This thread reminds me of that joke from the roast of Jerry Springer: "You paid a hooker with a check. That's as stupid as... paying a hooker with a check."

This sums it up for me!! From Adventures in Babysitting:

Brenda: Uh, those are hot dogs, right?

Hot Dog Vendor: Yeah, want one?

Brenda: Mmm, yeah I'd love one.

Hot Dog Vendor: That'll be two bucks.

Hot Dog Vendor: [Brenda hands him a check, he stares incredulously] A check?

Brenda: Yeah, but it's a good check. See, Chris' mom wrote it to Chris 'cause Chris bought her something, I can't remember what. Then I bought Chris some press-on nails, I gave Chris the difference, and she wrote the check over to me. So I'll write the check over to you, you keep the difference, and I'll take the hot dog. So, you got a pen?

Hot Dog Vendor: Get outta here!

Brenda: Wait! I'm starving, you'd rather throw it away than give it to me?

Hot Dog Vendor: I work on a cash-only basis.

Brenda: But it's a perfectly good check!

Hot Dog Vendor: No! I'll make it very clear. You slip me the cash, and I'll slip you the weiner.

Brenda: But I don't have any cash!

Hot Dog Vendor: Then I don't have a weiner!

[jeezifonly]

I’m on the fence about this. 
I’ve always paid with cash. 
I tip generously. 
Never paid a deposit. 

But since the OP is such a customer-service-oriented pro, with arguments so convincingly made, I may have to rethink my approach.

 

[mike carey]

1 minute ago, jeezifonly said:

I’m on the fence about this. 
I’ve always paid with cash. 
I tip generously. 
Never paid a deposit. 

But since the OP is such a customer-service-oriented pro, with arguments so convincingly made, I may have to rethink my approach.

 

Are you sure that wasn't three manhattans ago?