carlyerin wrote:
Ok. So this IS NOT a thread about flakey anybodies. BUT. . . in all the flakey everybody threads I hear a number of photogs/models offer the advice to get a deposit and or cancellation fee.

How exactly do you go about putting that out there and not putting off 90% of the people who want to book you?

And how do you go about chasing down a cancellation fee from a flake?


Let's not start a thread about the effectiveness, or lack thereof of PayPal. I"m talking ethics here.

Cancellation fees probably are not the best way to do it, unless you have a merchant number and you can get their credit card number and their authorization in writing to hold certain amount as deposit. (say, like booking hotel accommodations with 24 hour cancellation policy otherwise you charge their account?)

I'd go with cash deposit if you really want to go down this road

(Just my opinion)

carlyerin wrote:
How exactly do you go about putting that out there and not putting off 90% of the people who want to book you? And how do you go about chasing down a cancellation fee from a flake?

The reality is that you'll never see a dime of a "cancellation fee" from a no-show model.

But rather than trying to punish wannabe flakes, I'm trying to screen them out before they ever end up on my calendar. That is the purpose of a refundable deposit.

As for the 90%, remember that some obscene percentage of them (YMMV) are the very flakes we are all trying to avoid.

To avoid putting off the serious models who don't like to be treated like they are being lumped in with miss-camera-phone-senior-portrait or mr-one-shoot-since-signup-wonder: I only require a deposit in lieu of excellent references from photographers.

Richard Tallent wrote:
To avoid putting off the serious models who don't like to be treated like they are being lumped in with miss-camera-phone-senior-portrait or mr-one-shoot-since-signup-wonder: I only require a deposit in lieu of excellent references from photographers.

I could feel my blood starting to boil, until I reached that line...! 

THANK you for not lumping us all together.

: )