When you offer an visiting service, how far do you include as part of your rate and what rate would you charge for travelling.
What about pre-payment, has anyone experienced a nobody at home of fake address, how do you check them out?
Sarah
landline number and if its in the same area i just charge my normal outcall 180 if its going to take a hour to get there its fuel plus extra for travel and i want a deposit
i have shown up too 1 or 2 house's to find its fake and hotels too
now i am a bit more , i must have info b4 i leave
£20 is added to my incall rate to cover cabs. If it's going to cost more I let them know and have an agreement that they will pay.
If it's too far out, normally I'd ask them to come to me.
I always get a room number or landline number and call before going anywhere.
If it's a long way away, they pay train travel and the cost of the outcall covers travel time, as they are normally overnight bookings.
For local outcalls it's my normal outcall rate £150 for an hour, if it's over 15 miles then the rate increases. Like this...
*Note: Fuel costs are wavered with 2+ hour out calls - These only apply if less than 2 hours.
No extra charge for outcalls under 14 miles from Worcester city centre (one way)
£5 fuel charge for 15 to 20 miles (one way)
£10 fuel charge for 21 to 35 miles (one way)
£15 fuel charge for 36 to 45 miles (one way)
I can't help but feel that if you looked at the mileage costs of a certain taxi driver who is promonent on another site you may find you are being very generous there Kate!
I don't use taxis (especially red ones). I have vroom vroom of my own and it is on top of the additional £10 account rate too.
I do not charge any more for out calls but will only travel up to 25 miles and even then it depends on how I feel and how easy a run it is.
I had a message from a Twonk on AW asking if I could visit him in Kent, it would take me an hour to drive there, so told him that it would be £120 travelling costs and £120 for an hour visit, so £240 for 3 hours of my time. He then rang me and asked me where I was and if I was up north, do they not read profiles these guys? I also told him he would have to travel to Slough to pay me a deposit in cash.
I used to work visiting covering a 50 mile radius and often did 600+ miles a week. this was pre internet and used to rely on 192 to check addresses against phone numbers, now so many people use mobiles, I will still usually ask to call to confirm on a land line.
I have had a few fake addresses or people just do not answer the door. I even had one guy who drove up his road as I drove in, his neighbour was in the garden and told me I had just missed him. thinking he may have gone to the bank, I waited, he did not return and another booking came in.
I think I have been fairly lucky over the years and not had too many problems, but you do get a sense when the person is not genuine and then I do not take the booking. I have sometimes taken a chance on something and it has actually worked to my surprise. I did arrange a booking to suit a time when I was passing that way and so would not have lost out much. The guy has since become a regular / ish.
In this business, if it does not sound right or you do not feel happy about something, don't do it
when i first started i offered only outcalls was very naive, got fucked around alot especially from 2 guys in edinburgh who run a pub & hotel putting in fake bookings which i didnt know at the time
now i rarely offer, doubled my fee to try stop people asking but of course it doesnt
I dont drive so what bookings I can do is limted by this. I judge it on location and booking. Some places might be far from me but only one train ride, somewhere closer could still end up being 2 trains, 2 taxis etc I'll travel further for longer bookings. I add £30 to any booking that starts after 10pm so i can just get a taxi straight from mine too city centre. My rates are fairly low so I feel this is reasonable enough
the other thing when i do outcalls its only from 11pm onwards so there hardly any annoying other drivers on the road that will irritate me before the booking