Woman Sparks Heated Online Debate After Suggesting Men Should Have To Pay A 'First Date Deposit'

Dating is a brutal game at the best of times, but one woman's idea to start charging a 'first date deposit' has caused quite a stir on the internet. 30-year-old Maddy Carty came up with the idea as a way to stop men from ghosting her at the last minute.

After being stood up a number of times and wasting a countless amount of money on makeup and new outfits, Maddy decided it was time to take a stand. She proposed that men should have to pay a deposit to schedule a date with a woman so that they would be less likely to ditch her.

Maddy came up with the notion after several failed dates with men she met via dating apps. "If someone cancels a date within 24 hours, you should be able to charge a cancellation fee," she said on her 'Mads World' podcast.

However, people weren't impressed with Maddy's controversial idea. "And they wonder why relationships fail, great start indeed," wrote one person on TikTok.

"If you want to know why blokes are canceling on you, then just re-watch your own TikTok," another commented. "If we wanted the drama and the pageantry, we'd all just head to the Miss World contest."

But Maddy refused to back down. "I said what I said, and I stand by it," she responded to the backlash.

She shared a story about a man she had been speaking to online for a few weeks before scheduling a date and being stood up with less than half an hour's notice. "We'd locked in a time and place for Friday night, I tanned the night before," Maddy said.

"I went into work that day when I could have worked from home. I did my makeup. I styled my hair. I dressed up. I had a pre-drink with my workmates at the bar... and then got a text half an hour before we were meant to meet up," she recalled.

Maddy says it's become an all-too-common occurrence in recent times. "It probably happens one out of two times," she said.

Maddy says the fee would be more than fair compensation for her lost time and money. "You can't get back the time you invest in getting ready, getting excited," she said.