I had no idea about the scamming reputation. That’s very unfortunate and selfish of them as they ruin the market for other touring companions.
Me, too, I had no idea of the bad reputation of the French Canadian SWs they are referring to, here, on Perb. When I visit Mtl, I hobby with their local SWs, most of them are French Canadians and have been very professional and doing their job really well.
I will verify who are the French Canadian SWs they are referring to (save for two ladies I know they did complain about in the past here on Perb and who I will write a bit about, see my notes below) as I doubt they are the same good /reputable French Canadian SWs I met in Montreal.
That said, without mentioning their names (there is no need for that), I know 2 SWs from Montreal who had issues with some folks I know in Vancouver and Toronto (and that was mentioned here and there on either Perb or Terb, I can't remember
where exactly):
the first one seemed to have been rude in her email replies, but she is known, even in Mtl, to be straightforward / bold in a way that some people may find "rough on the edges", especially if you ask her questions that she has already answered on her web site (via her online FAQ), or ask her too many questions at prebooking (one close friend who likes asking too many questions did contact her and she was curt with him). Therefore I was not surprised by the opinions on Perb/Terb about her. I personally get along really well with her, actually, but that is because I apply myself to (1) not "stop myself" at that kind of things (2) I have been doing this since a long time therefore I know what can make some of the ladies impatient, what to ask, what not to ask, etc. (3)
and I also know there is also some " language barrier'' issue that is involved in all of that...she can speak English but because English is not her mother tongue, there's still some language barrier issue with her when it comes to communicating in English.
the other one is not really 100% French Canadian, but I think some hobbyists do sometimes consider her as French Canadian (either here on Perb or Terb):
in her case, it is already known in Mtl, since a very long time, that her service is highly ymmw. To some, she can be cold. To others, it is the total opposite, etc.
With her, too, I have zero problem (I book her regularly): because I already knew her reputation, I knew how to navigate that /deal with that , consequently we get along really well.
In her case, though, because of the high $$ she charges, people expect a lot from her, which is also understandable.
In both cases, some searches on Merb (the review board of the original location of the aforementioned two SWs ) would have saved our fellow hobbyists from the frustration they ran into. I highly recommend that people always read the reviews of the ladies who are touring (I do sometimes book ladies who are touring and I never had any issue because I read the reviews first. If the lady is reputable, chances that she will be a disappointment are virtually Non-existent).
As for you LC18, I never met you but I know people who met you and had just good words to say about you and you already have a good reputation in Mtl, therefore I would not worry at all about that, If I were you.