Choosing an agency

What should be on the site

• A reachable phone number or email address, not only a form.
• A disclaimer stating what is mediated and what is not.
• Rates on the profiles rather than on request alone.
• General conditions covering cancellation.
• An answer to the question of what data is kept.

What should happen in first contact

• The total including travel costs is named before anything is fixed.
• Duration and location are asked about, and a name is suggested.
• There is no hurry and no pressure to decide.
• No advance payment is requested through irreversible methods.

The two questions that reveal most

What is the total including travel, and who is reachable on the day of the appointment. Nearly every complaint in this market comes back to one of those two.

Large or small

Agencies with high volume can work on a smaller margin and keep rates lower. Small operations are more personal but less predictable in reachability. Both exist and neither is better by definition.

Agency or independent

Going directly to someone advertising independently usually costs less. In exchange there is no party to address when something does not go as agreed, and no diary or screening behind it.