Deposit system/scheme?

There's a niche in the market here for someone business minded.

A third party deposit app. Would work for all sorts not just punting. You have a transaction, one side wants a deposit, the other side worries it's a scam. So you send the money to a third party, with clear terms about the agreement. The money is locked there (for a small fee) and unlocked when both parties confirm the deal is good.

So for a WG you send the deposit money to the app. She sees it's there. You turn up, you confirm you're there and it's all good, money is unlocked for her. Of course if she's a scammer, she never gets the money cos there was never a meet. Likewise if the punter is a time waster he isn't gonna send a deposit anyway.

That would stop all the deposit scammers, and actually make asking for a deposit something legit.

Isn't that called escrow?
I believe it already exists

Decent idea but I suspect anyone looking to hold people's funds is going to be regulated up the ting-yang

It is an excellent idea, it would reduce of fraud that exist today.

So who pays the deposit fee, the WG or the punter?

Yeh, I bought a watch from a private seller in France that way recently. Worked well.

As others have said, escrow exists.

It's a financial service, so is regulated. And it costs money - nobody will do that for free. And it doesn't actually work for punting, because nobody is even a little bit verifiably trustworthy or reliable or even identifiable, and nobody wants a third party adjudicating a dispute.

For example, you make the deposit, then decide not to go, but you report her as not turning up, so you can get your money back. Who can tell whether you were telling the truth or not? Maybe you really did go, and she didn't turn up, and she's lying and trying to run away with your money. Or maybe she did turn up but you gave the wrong address and she got lost and is out a cab fare. What if you did turn up, met her, but decided you didn't like the look of her, and then said she didn't turn up. Or maybe it was a bait and switch, and the girl didn't know she wasn't who you expected because the pimp didn't tell her. Or maybe she came, but when she arrived, you told her you wanted a service she didn't provide, so she said no, and you reported her as not turning up.

Who decides what happened?

For normal escrow services, the escrow provider can get involved and adjudicate, for example whether the watch you bought on ebay was really faulty, and if you say you didn't receive it but did, they'll get police involved (they have your address and identity). A bit hard with punting, unless you want to start offering proof of your location, identity and activity...

Nah, if you don't like paying deposits, don't. There are always girls who offer service without deposits, so choose one of them.

If you do, make sure you're aware that scams are common, and only do it with providers you have a reason to trust - but don't be surprised if you lose the money anyway. Sometimes you'll get what you want, but sometimes you will pay for nothing. Make the report so other punters can make an informed decision.

And if you're a service provider, know that if you ask for a deposit, you'll lose quite a bit of business that way - you'll have to decide if it's worth it.

Cant see authentic escorts liking this. What happens when punters turn up then refuse to accept the transfer? Most want cash up front for a reason. As others have said NEVER PAY A DEPOSIT. They are all scammers anyway.

cant see it working myself

neither can I