How a booking works

Step by step

1. The request

A request usually carries a name, a phone number, an email address, a date or date range, a time, a duration and a location. Anyone with a particular profile in mind names it; anyone without can ask the agency to suggest someone.

2. The agency replies

The agency checks availability and comes back with a confirmation or an alternative. That reply should state the total including travel costs, which is the moment to ask what is not included.

3. The conversation beforehand

For a first appointment, and almost always for a couple booking, a short conversation follows. Ten minutes covers what is and is not intended. Agencies that skip it make things harder for everyone.

4. Confirmation

Who, where, what time, how long and for what amount. For a home visit the agency asks for an address, which exists for the safety of both sides.

5. The appointment

Payment is generally settled at the start, in cash or by prior transfer. Extending during the appointment is possible at most agencies, at the hourly rate from the profile.

6. Afterwards

A careful agency asks how it went. That is how agencies learn who suits which kind of request.

Changing and cancelling

Cancellation terms differ by agency and appear in the general conditions. Cancelling well in advance rarely costs anything. Cancelling at short notice usually means part of the amount remains due, because the evening was held open.

Warning signs

• An amount that only turns out to be complete on the evening itself.
• A travel charge nobody mentioned beforehand.
• Pressure to decide quickly, or to pay in advance through an irreversible method.
• No reachable phone number on the day of the appointment.