Here's a question for all hobbyists (and providers) that are familiar with the Portland scene:
In reading and researching information on Portland providers, more than once I have come across several postings that refer to Portland as "having more than their share of scammers and rip-off artists". I'd like to know what providers these claims are based on; I have searched through the Rip-Offs board, the Bad Web Site board, the Seattle board (closest to PDX), yet I haven't come across any specific negative incidents posted involving Portland providers.
Another time I saw a posting warning readers that magazines like Portland's "Exotic" and (now-defunct) "T&A Times" as being full of ads for scammers. If true, how come I've never read any bad reviews of scammer/providers? I'm curious, because Exotic magazine is filled with many interesting and exciting provider ads, yet hardly any of them (PDXBrandy being the exception) are reviewed on TER. Conversely, I see few provider reviews that I can successfully match to an ad in these local magazines.
Last, the Portland page of Exotics International site, where, by the way, TER has a very prominent ad ("Will she?") displayed in the center of the page, has listings and photos for several very hot-looking providers. Whether these women are rip-off artists or a One In A Million experience, why aren't we hearing (and seeing reviews) about them??
Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. To date, I haven't met with any provider listed in Exotic mag or the Portland Exotics page, because I've been afraid of rip-offs -- I have little desire to "take one for the team"! But, my curiosity is becoming too much to bear...
Dear Just Curious,
Most weeklies and adult magazines are full of scammers, doesn't matter where you are. In Seattle it's no different. It's not uncommon to see a ton of provider ads in the back of the weeklies, and almost all the numbers route back to the same place, some throne job or dance-n-dash game. Sure, there might be a legit provider in the bunch, but your odds are very poor compared to online review boards.
The reason you rarely see the scams posted online is simple. The hobbyists that use internet resources don't use the weeklies anymore. They aren't answering those ads, or seeing those providers, they are using the online review boards to find action. In a large market city, with one or two robust review boards, once a hobbyist finds them, he'll never open a weeklie again. Unless he just wants to take a trip down memory lane remembering how tough it was back in the day. In a large market, the offline and online worlds have become distinct, they rarely even touch each other. Totally different group of providers, totally different group of hobbyists.
Unfortunately, it's the offline guys and/or smaller market guys who are stuck getting ripped off the most, and having no way of letting anyone else know. There just aren't many good info boards for smaller cities, not enough traffic, not as many providers. In these situations, the yellow pages or the weeklies may be the only option for poon. Poor odds to be sure. If you're offline altogether, whether in a big or small city, you're stuck, it's the weeklies, yellow pages, "exxxotics" ads, or a big jar of KY and a stack of Hustlers, the odds on each option? "Pick em". LOL
As far as PDX goes, that's a town that is sort of mid-market, there are no dominant review boards that I know of, it's more fragmented. So yes, right now, guys in PDX are forced to work in both worlds, guessing at who provides and who doesn't from the weekly rags. If the guy is online, he'll try to cross-reference them with the Internet, but with inconsistent results.
I'm sure in PDX, since the internet scene isn't as mature, a higher percentage of "legit" providers are still advertising in the weeklies as well, muddling matters more. Until PDX gets a strong review board and online scene, the scams and poor odds are likely to continue. TER is shrewd to advertise in these markets, to try to fill this void.
Yes, the occasional TOFTT appears online about weeklies ripoffs, typically they are these huge sighs of relief, like, "Boy am I glad I found these boards, and to think I've been trolling the weeklies for so long, getting ripped off left and right." Unfortunately, these TOFTTs are never gonna reach the poor offline souls who need them the most. Let's all join hands and have a moment of silence for them...
Amen to the internet,
iceman
I have also been warned about the magazine advertised escorts, and I did the exact same homework. I think part of the problem is that the most all of the advertisers in Exotic don't have websites, which is a prerequisite for getting a review, at least on this board. The other part of the problem is that the reviews of those that I could find were marginal at best. The few that I have noticed that both dvertise in the magazines and have websites are:
Breana: Reviewed on TER once as a total rip off.
Adara Nicole: Reviewed Twice to mediocre 3/4 reviews... not fs.
Julianne: Not reviewed on this board, but apparently offers only full body massage. Very pretty though.
McKenzie Navah: Very informative website, great sounding personality, great body, very expensive, and does not allow reviews... so who knows? Pay and find out, I guess.
Kat (the ex NBA cheerleader): Reviewed on TER, dance only.
Marissa: WINNER! Great reviews, good GFE experience apparently.
Monique: A good B2B rubdown, and pretty, but that's it.
Orchid: Again, looks great, massage only.
I was really hoping to see if Shaylee had a website... her ad in the zines looks terrific, but given what I saw from the other reviewers, I suspect massage only, but she has no website and so wouldn't be reviewed here.
So... it depends on what you would consider a rip off. Of the eight TER reviewable escorts, only one of them for sure is fs. If you're looking for a massage and dance only, it might be a great deal for you.
Also, before I ever found this board... or local Portland board hottietottie... most of the information on the web seemed to indicate that some of the magazine listings for agency escorts would do a show up, take your money, and run while the big driver dude provides get-away back up. Certainly scared me off from using the ads as a guideline, no matter how hot the picture. It appears that there are 20 or so really solid choices in this area, and you might as well stick with known quantities. I would take it as a bad sign that they aren't reviewed here, given the track record listed above.