Your Deposit, Your Provider, and You

We take deposits for the same reason your catering company, mechanic, or lawyer requires deposits. In each case they are providing their time, services, and commitments to you. The deposit is an agreement to hold that time and space for you, and for you alone. The squares on your calendar are valuable, and we want to confirm that we will honor your time by honoring our time, too. 

Maybe you’ve been burned before. I have sympathy for anyone who’s ever been scammed out of a deposit. But here’s the thing — you were scammed by a scammer, not a provider. A provider would have actually followed through with meeting you.

So how do you protect yourself and find a professional provider?
You verify your provider.

Verifying a provider means investigating their internet footprint. They may have a website, ads across multiple advertising platforms, and/or profiles on review boards.
They may have relationships with other providers; check out their social media content, or if they have a “friends” page on their website. You will be able to view a selection of photo shoots and posts that cement their credibility over a period of time.

There is usually some social media associated with their name: Twitter/X, Instagram, Tik-Tok, or even a blog on their own website (hello!) that lets you know they’ve put time into developing their business.

Business people do not want to fuck up their reputation by taking advantage of the goodwill of clients.

Here at Charli&Margeaux, we pride ourselves on our robust selection of photos, posts, and entries over a variety of platforms. Check out our Twitter/X accounts ( here and here), our Instagram, and Tryst ads: here, here, and here.

There’s the What, so here’s the How:

We take deposits through all major payment processors, and are able to take deposits directly via credit card through a discreet business name. For a truly paperless option, we accept money orders via registered mail.

The remaining balance is best received in cash upon our meeting. Please enclose the amount within a greeting card, gift bag, or your favorite book, and place it down nearby when we meet. If we’re meeting in public, please present the card, bag, or book to us within moments of meeting. If we’re meeting in private, please indicate its location as soon as we’re together.

You and I both want to feel secure when meeting for the first time. Do your research first, so you feel confident in furnishing a deposit, and know that your time will be respected.