Hi bunny (nice site btw!)...
I am not sure who suggesetd 2-4 hours for a return email it seems 2-4 days was the expectation.
Either way...I have decided for my own sake that if two emails (again, well posed) go unanswered in a weeks time the provider is off the list. It's still a business no matter how personal we make it and my money goes to the attentive.
I do believe a Provider that knows someone well will respond more quickly and if you are new...you are more suspect. But just like my job, you have to keep putting new prospects in the funnel because good, ole' customers can and will go away at some point.
JMHO - it's a Providers business to run as they choose.
What do you gals consider a reasonable response time to an email from a hobbyist (new and known) that is well crafted, appropriate and polite?
Hobbyists - what's your normal time to hear back from a new Provider?
I am wrestling with 'what I consider' to be some pretty slow feedback, especially considering the date I am looking for is 2-4 hours.
Trying to set my own expectations AND not cross well reviewed Providers off my list!
Thanks!
I just filled out a booking form 24 hours ago and still havent heard back from the provider yet. How long should I wait especially when I really want to see her..
I try to respong within 24 hours. But if I havent seen someone there needs to be time to verify.If I seen you before you have my number so you can call on short notice. The other thing is I am a low volume provider . I only see one client a day, so for me the more time someone gives me the better the chance I will be free.
Kiss
Dawn
I don't mind waiting a week or two if it's just an "icebreaker" email. If it's an appointment request, I ask that they get back to me with a "Yeah or Nay" within 24 hours of the requested appointment time so I can make arrangements to be MIA. Usually I try to schedule a week in advance, so this gives the lady plenty of time to get back to me.
What you might trying doing if you suddenly have block of free time and don't want to be stuck without a response: send "tentative" appointment requests to two or more ladies, asking them up front "are you free at this time?" and let them know that you're doing that. That way you're asking, but not committing. Then you can go with the first one who responds "Yes". Be sure you reply to any others that respond though and let them know that something came up -- you don't want to leave them hanging either.
Good replies all - thank you. I guess 3-4 days works but am hard pressed to wait 2 weeks for a provider to acknowledge my business/inquiry/interest. Afterall, looking forward to a date is part of the pleasure.
I do like Lex's suggestion and will try that - thanks. Makes sense.
I would hope however that a provider who does receive a genuine request for time and is NOT interested (for some reason) or too busy would send at least an auto reply.
I'd bet a percentage of no-shows and last minute cancellations are born from substandard provider response time conditioning - the victims often being Providers who do respond well.
To be fair - probably visa versa also. 
The good ones get back to you quick, I emailed my ATF around 5:00PM this afternoon and logged on just now to find her response its about 10:00PM.
I think it just depends on the provider. What if she's busy the next 2-4 hours? Did you check and see that she'll even see anyone without advanced booking? 2-4 hours sounds unreasonable to me for any professional, but then again, so do same day appointments.
Hi bunny (nice site btw!)...
I am not sure who suggesetd 2-4 hours for a return email it seems 2-4 days was the expectation.
Either way...I have decided for my own sake that if two emails (again, well posed) go unanswered in a weeks time the provider is off the list. It's still a business no matter how personal we make it and my money goes to the attentive.
I do believe a Provider that knows someone well will respond more quickly and if you are new...you are more suspect. But just like my job, you have to keep putting new prospects in the funnel because good, ole' customers can and will go away at some point.
JMHO - it's a Providers business to run as they choose.
if you don't get a reply within 4 days, right again, politely, put something notable in the subject line such as "I'd like to meet you on Date/Time"
And as always, the emails with the most initial information that a girl can use to verify who you are are going to get the attention.
A guy sends an email that says " Hey, saw your pic, I'd love to hook up"
Doesn't get much attention at all from me.. may not even get a polite response.
A gentleman that sends time, day, place, and verification information as well as a good time to contact him via phone is going to catch my attention.
xoxo
Elise
-but always give the provider the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she is visiting family or has a long engagement. Maybe she accidently threw it out as SPAM. I recently emailed a provider up in Boston and had no response. I emailed again and politely asked her if she recieved my previous email and if the time in question was ok and if she needed more info from me to check my references. She immediately got back to me, with a quick apology and we moved on from there. I may have spooked her at first or gave just the right signal as an unknown client that was ok in my second email. Who knows? I try not to think about these things too much. But if she doesn't respond, and you want to see her, it never hurts to simply try again. She either will continue not to respond or finally answer. This said, I would let at least 2 days go by before writing again. The funny thing about the Boston provider is that the times did not work out at the end, but we had about 5-6 emails in which she recommended restaurants and was pretty chatty! I will try to see her one day...she sounded lovely in cyberspace.
An email asking for a same day appointment is unlikely to get a timely response, and I would forget about 2-4 hours ahead! I suggest to clients who contact me at the last minute for the appointment to definitely call and leave a message me also, if possible. I check my email twice a day at least, more if I can, but I don't always have time to do that. By checking twice a day, emails receive a response the same day or the following day. Hope this helps!
kisses
Suzanne in San Diego
-- Modified on 3/15/2005 3:32:07 PM