A deposit isn't about distrust. It's about both sides actually being committed before materials get ordered.
Ordering materials, blocking out a week in the diary, turning away other work - all of that happens before a job even starts, based on nothing more than a customer's word. Most of the time that's fine. Occasionally it isn't, and a deposit is the difference between a minor inconvenience and a genuinely costly no-show.
Why deposits get skipped anyway
Chasing a deposit manually - bank details over text, waiting to see if it arrives, chasing again if it doesn't - is enough friction that a lot of businesses just don't bother, and quietly absorb the risk instead.
Making it a normal, frictionless step
A configured deposit collected directly through the quote acceptance link, paid the moment the customer agrees, removes the awkwardness entirely - no separate bank transfer conversation, no chasing, no ambiguity about whether the booking is actually confirmed. It's built into how quotes work rather than being a separate, easily-forgotten step.
The verdict
A deposit isn't a sign you don't trust the customer. It's a sign the booking is real, for both of you, before anyone's committed materials or time to it.