Fair outcall charges for extra driving time?

[Mikegaite]

How much to charge for each hour of driving for an outcall? Feel free to answer in percent increases rather than dollars. I want to be fair to both parties, but I am not sure how to fairly price additional driving time. Could be a logarithmic function, not a linear one, but I'm not really sure.

[Kuriousity]

Well, what metro area are we talking about here? Some areas have worse traffic than others.

[+ honcho]

Well, what Mike asked about was a charge "per hour of driving". In those areas which have

worse traffic, it will take more time to drive; conversely possibly by scheduling a midday short appointment

to be back home before rush hour traffic hits, might take less time.

 

And it might even be an exponential function (or at least some kind of super-linear function)

rather than a logarithmic one (which is sub linear) depending on the frustration level . . .

 

I think we all get that time spent sitting in traffic is time not spent with a client.

 

On the other hand, I'm also assuming that quality escorts don't schedule uninterrupted appointments 12 hours a

day*; so I'll put out as a first order approximate minimum, some function like charging half of whatever ever increment

in the fee for the appointment would have been if you counted driving time both ways.

 

[and the reason for that complicated way is that some providers already use a sub-linear scale - a 5 hour

appointment might be less than 5 times the cost for a 1 hour appointment].

 

I was mindful of that when I made my appointment as an incall to visit a certain somebody who lived an hour

driving each way.

 

 

 

*[not withstanding a certain V M who said he could squirt a dozen times a day, and do not mean to impune

at all the the value of of time spent with *him*].

[Guest countryboywny]

I once contacted an escort who I had been wanting to see. He was located about 3 hours driving time away. I inquired about an overnight and his rate for the overnight was $1,200 plus $100. per hour of driving time. The overnight, then, would cost me $1,800. +tip. I politely declined.

[jawjateck]

If it's an hourly appointment, then it's reasonable to bill the client for a multi-hour appointment that includes your travel time. If that's too much for him, then he can get in his car and drive to you. I often arrange for guys to drive to me for an overnight or multi-day appointment. They are usually satisfied to have their travel expense reimbursed.

[+ Truereview]

Mike - imo, the fairest driving charge per hour you can set is whatever makes your time in the car worthwhile. Lead with that charge bc only you can best explain it. None of our rationales or logarithms will matter. Your explanation to the client is what matters - should he question it. However, if you are using this post to get you some food for thought, I say: cost of gas + a fraction of your down time + An approximation on wear & tear on the car. It should be less than your outcall hourly rate. Why? Bc you don't want to send a signal to your client that having your sweet li'l ass in a seat is equally valuable to in-person Gaite time.

[Kuriousity]

I would look at it this way--is the car a 4, 6, or 8 cylinder? If it is a 4, then I personally would not tack on the price of the gas burned. If it was a 6, I might tack on 5%. If it was an 8, then yes I would tack 10% onto the fee. Before anyone goes "Oh how fucking dare you", think about this--dick or ass does not magically appear just because you want some young naked male company. These guys have to travel, and a busy escort in a metro area will rack up more than a few miles on the odometer. Fueling & wear/tear on vehicles need to be attended to, and depending on the amount of time it takes for travel (think LA, DC, or Atlanta), then an escort is well within the bounds of decency to tack on a bit of a fuel charge, because in those sorts of locales, a drive can take more than a bit.

[Alec Andrews]

Hey Handsome Mike -

 

I personally never break down my fee schedule and attribute a value to any particular aspect of the experience the client and I will be having together, it's always only about "Time." A client contacts me, wants X, in this location, and then off that information I tell them my bottom line fee based on the variables. The more complicated the variables, the larger the fee.

 

Like any commodity, your time is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Whether it be drive time, dinner time or sexy time. I personally hate charging clients for any time when I am not intimately engaged with them. For this reason and a few others, I almost exclusively 98% of the time only offer in calls for "hourly" appointments. It "saves" me on travel time, I control the environment and take that particular unknown out of the equation, have all my supplies and then some, it's safer for me, and it allows me to focus solely on my client, not a timetable and traffic. The other great thing is I never have to ask for anything more than my time spent directly with them. I rarely will accept invitations to spend time outside of the hotel room because I don't want to have to ask for a fee, which is just uncomfortable for me. The only time I do accept is when I really want to spend time with them as friends, otherwise I prefer to keep it professional. It's also the reason I make my outcall rate more expensive... A. I really don't want to travel to you for all of the above reasons. B. The travel time is actually the extra cost just "hidden."

 

The only exception to my rule are Overnights when I prefer to go to my clients place, and the evening is completely free to be whatever the client wants it to be. I never charge extra for travel time because my OvN fee is super high to begin with and that travel time is already factored in. I personally HATE being nickel and dimed in life whether it be airlines or spas or restaurants. I get infuriated. I just want to know the bottom line fee is. Upfront, no nonsense, professional.

 

I also think having a bottom line fee also protects both the client and I from miscommunication. I most recently had sad, unnecessary and upsetting email experience with a client I really liked and had seen before, kind of over a similar topic to this. He wanted to see me for an OvN during one of my recent trips, however, he was between an hour and two hours away, depending on traffic, from where I was actually staying. It meant that I had to rent a car to go see him, spend the time in the traffic (i.e. less time to work in my original city (lost income), lose money on a pre-paid hotel night stay and change my airline ticket to depart from a different city. All of these factors added up to more "cost" for me as the escort but I was unwilling to pass these costs on because I don't like being that guy, plus once again my OvN rate kind of mitigates those minor costs, a few hundred bucks.. big deal... What ultimately did us in and cancelled the experience all together was not the costs, but the amount of time expected did not match what I was willing to offer for the rate I quoted. He wanted me to show up a couple hours earlier than what I was willing to. He felt I was gipping him on time because of the amount of the fee, and I felt I was being taken advantage of because all this extra costs added up to hurt my bottom line and was tons of extra work on my part. It was stupid that we both missed out on a fun evening because of a small difference in 2-3hours of time... which is ultimately what this thread is about... how much is our "time" worth... whether is be driving or sexy time?

 

xoxoxo - Alec

[+ honcho]

Even the university I recently (mostly) retired from allows a bit more than 50 cents a mile

(consistent with Government auditing requirements) when getting reimbursed for travel by

personal car.

[jimboivyo]

my only advice is don't under sell yourself

 

if you want to be a premium product, you don't charge wal mart prices

[MikeyGMin]

. B. The travel time is actually the extra cost just "hidden

 

I always thought this is EXACTLY why an outcall was generally more expensive. To cover the cost and time traveling to the client. I understand that would be for a general service area, but as a client I would be turned off to an uplift unless it was getting close to an hour of travel time. And then I would expect a charge way less than the outcall rate.

[Guest MikeThomas]

If they're looking for a dom / sub fabtasy (you the dom), I would make him wash your car when you get there.

[JamahlBrandon]

my only advice is don't under sell yourself

 

if you want to be a premium product, you don't charge wal mart prices

 

But who's parking lots are always full? (No pun intended)

[JamahlBrandon]

Hey Handsome Mike -

 

I personally never break down my fee schedule and attribute a value to any particular aspect of the experience the client and I will be having together, it's always only about "Time." A client contacts me, wants X, in this location, and then off that information I tell them my bottom line fee based on the variables. The more complicated the variables, the larger the fee.

 

Like any commodity, your time is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Whether it be drive time, dinner time or sexy time. I personally hate charging clients for any time when I am not intimately engaged with them. For this reason and a few others, I almost exclusively 98% of the time only offer in calls for "hourly" appointments. It "saves" me on travel time, I control the environment and take that particular unknown out of the equation, have all my supplies and then some, it's safer for me, and it allows me to focus solely on my client, not a timetable and traffic. The other great thing is I never have to ask for anything more than my time spent directly with them. I rarely will accept invitations to spend time outside of the hotel room because I don't want to have to ask for a fee, which is just uncomfortable for me. The only time I do accept is when I really want to spend time with them as friends, otherwise I prefer to keep it professional. It's also the reason I make my outcall rate more expensive... A. I really don't want to travel to you for all of the above reasons. B. The travel time is actually the extra cost just "hidden."

 

The only exception to my rule are Overnights when I prefer to go to my clients place, and the evening is completely free to be whatever the client wants it to be. I never charge extra for travel time because my OvN fee is super high to begin with and that travel time is already factored in. I personally HATE being nickel and dimed in life whether it be airlines or spas or restaurants. I get infuriated. I just want to know the bottom line fee is. Upfront, no nonsense, professional.

 

I also think having a bottom line fee also protects both the client and I from miscommunication. I most recently had sad, unnecessary and upsetting email experience with a client I really liked and had seen before, kind of over a similar topic to this. He wanted to see me for an OvN during one of my recent trips, however, he was between an hour and two hours away, depending on traffic, from where I was actually staying. It meant that I had to rent a car to go see him, spend the time in the traffic (i.e. less time to work in my original city (lost income), lose money on a pre-paid hotel night stay and change my airline ticket to depart from a different city. All of these factors added up to more "cost" for me as the escort but I was unwilling to pass these costs on because I don't like being that guy, plus once again my OvN rate kind of mitigates those minor costs, a few hundred bucks.. big deal... What ultimately did us in and cancelled the experience all together was not the costs, but the amount of time expected did not match what I was willing to offer for the rate I quoted. He wanted me to show up a couple hours earlier than what I was willing to. He felt I was gipping him on time because of the amount of the fee, and I felt I was being taken advantage of because all this extra costs added up to hurt my bottom line and was tons of extra work on my part. It was stupid that we both missed out on a fun evening because of a small difference in 2-3hours of time... which is ultimately what this thread is about... how much is our "time" worth... whether is be driving or sexy time?

 

xoxoxo - Alec

 

Sorry about what happened. It can be frustrating when things seem to be a good idea initially, but ends up not working out later.

 

So in this case, when you say pre-paid hotel, do you mean in the initial city you went to? Or the client's city? If he was two hours away, how much time overall would you have missed at the original travel city? What if just rented the car for a day (if feasible as I know rentals can vary anywhere from $90/day, cray to 90/week, super cheap lol) and then just drive back to city A and drop off car at airport? What metropolis was this? Some rental places you don't have to pay a deposit on top of your rental.

 

I particularly like driving long ways to clients, as it gives an opportunity and a reason to see new places. But in those cases, if I can't just turn it into an included destination, it's customary to suggest an extra $100-200

[jimboivyo]

But who's parking lots are always full? (No pun intended)

 

if you sell yourself short, you have to work twice as hard and see a level of customer that's unsavory- Just like a wal mart experience.

[+ purplekow]

This is a difficult question. I used to do house calls. I had a house call fee and the fee was the same no matter the location of the home. I was not being paid to get to work, I was being paid to be at work. Since you set your own charge, decide what you charge will be including travel and set it. The client can then accept or decline.

I once had an impoverished looking elderly woman come to my office. I had just opened the office and so was inexperienced with the concept that my time was worth financial recompense. I spent a long time speaking with her and after the encounter, she asked for the fee. Considering her appearance, her age and the area in which she lived, I tried to give away the service. When she insisted, I decided to charge her a minimal fee, $20.

She dug into her purse and pulled out a huge roll of bills and then asked if I had change because she only had #100 bills. Now this may have been her life savings or it may have been her day of shopping money and there is no way to know. One thing is sure, she had the money to pay the full fee, she was willing to pay the full, it was my reluctance to ask for my usual fee that ultimately determined the bargain price. She never return and I believe that if I had charged her the usual fee, she would have returned. Many people believe you get what you pay for and we as service providers need to keep that in mind.

[LADoug1]

Even the university I recently (mostly) retired from allows a bit more than 50 cents a mile

(consistent with Government auditing requirements) when getting reimbursed for travel by

personal car.

This 50 cent rule applies to wear and tear on the automobile. It doesn't apply to an escort's time to travel.

[+ Truereview]

@Kurtis Wolfe brings up an important point: whatever travel charge you add beyond your rate should be paid in advance. This not only protects your wasting time & money should the client cancel at the last minute, but it also creates a psychological commitment for the client to keep the appointment. As much as I hate deposits, in this circumstance, I totally see the business need for it. I could see you waiving the advance if the client was a trustworthy regular.

[borgerback]

I tipped an 'outcall only' semi-regular of mine in LA a fair bit more than normal, because to come down from LA to the hotel I arranged in the OC took him way over two hours, on a particularly bad traffic day. He didn't expect it, but was glad to receive it.

[+ honcho]

This 50 cent rule applies to wear and tear on the automobile. It doesn't apply to an escort's time to travel.

 

I understood that and meant to endorse Alec's post that there are legitimate *outright expenses* in traveling

in addition to opportunity costs.

 

Mike G had asked for some kind of formula, which I interpreted loosely as compensation for loss

of ability to earn. That the government allows an employee to be compensated for 50 cents (roughly,

it might 51 or 52) per mile, is completely independent of some notion of sharing with the client

the second.

 

So I shot from the hip and suggested splitting evenly the lost time. More experienced providers

seem to be suggesting flat rates or building into the price structure. (I'm only a very , very, very

ocassional consumer).