Agencies tend to cost more since they have more overhead. Lots of up selling that isn't necessary or detracts from the overall experience.
I have a couple of questions about agency girls. It appears that the independents (or at least some) have a bias against agency girls. Or they at least say they will not except references from them. Is this a "Red Sox, Yankees" kind of thing or is there more to it?
Also I have seen some ex-agency girls post about the expected tipping and upselling they are expected to do. Is this the norm or are these simple bad agencys?
There are agencys on here that post pictures of very attractive women that work for them.
If you dig through the boards you'll find a loootttt of discussion on agencies, pros and cons, people who love em and people who avoid them like the plague.
Some of the more pertinent points:
A lot of independents don't accept agency referrals, because they feel that a lot of agency girls can't be "truthful". Many agencies have strict guidelines on what their girls can do, what they can say, etc, and it's possible they'll tell their girls to give positive references no matter what in order to please clients/get more clients.
It comes to this: Agency girls for the vast majority can't pick n choose their clients. The agency handles all the requests, bookings, screenings etc. The girls pretty much show up/welcome whoever the agency sends to them. In a lot (NOT ALL!) of the cases this means the girls are often forced to see guys they would have rejected on their own. Thus, independents wouldn't rely on their "referral".
As for tipping/upselling, again, this varies greatly from agency to agency. ALL agencies take a cut from the girl's fee, and that can be quite a high percentage (over half) for a lot of agencies. For many the business model is no matter how much the client ends up paying, the agency takes a flat cut, and the girl keeps anything she can get in upsells/tips. So for example, say advertised rate is 200/hr. The agency could take as much as 150-160 of that. It's then up to the girl to upsell/get a tip to make more than the 40-50 base she's getting. However, the better agencies will take a flat fee and leave enough for the girl to be satisfied with the rest of the flat rate, with absolutely no upselling. Keep in mind though that tips are always a good idea regardless of agency/independent if you want to repeat/get better service next time!
Also, beware of the pictures agencies post, especially if it's an agency with a lot of girls. Many lower end ones use stock fake photos, or photoshop photos heavily. Again, research, research, research!
...because they can't contact the provider you saw. The only contact is with the agency representative. However, many independents will take a reference from an agency because they have some relationship with the agency whether having worked with them or knowing them some how.
I have seen ads that say the provider won't accept agency references and I've seen the reverse but it isn't a given. In my area there are agencies and indies that cooperate in regard to references.
Your second question: not all agencies operate by upselling and pushing tipping the provider. You have to research agencies just like indies. Use TER to check their ads. Read your TER regional board for any discussion regarding agencies in your area. PM reviewers who have seen providers from the agency and ask about the pros and cons of that particular agency.
I read some comments here by a former agency provider now independent saying the agency she left did expect her to upsell and "tips" were required for services. It's often discussed as something disreputable agencies do but it's rare to have someone who experienced it tell it. (I've read it only once or twice in 6 years.)
There are several agencies in my area that are reputable and do well. You're correct they have some very attractive ladies.
Avoid the agencies and support the independent providers!
Agencies are juicier targets and garner more headlines when LE decides to take them down, especially when they claim to be combating trafficking.
Agencies tend to cost more since they have more overhead. Lots of up selling that isn't necessary or detracts from the overall experience.
...I use don't cost more. They cost the same as independents in my area for the most part. They don't upsell at all. Greek is extra but that's stated up front no up sell there. I've heard about agencies that do up sell but I've never had that experience. As I stated to the OP you have to research your agencies just like indies. There are advantages to agencies. Everyone has to decide what's acceptable to them as one poster considers agencies a greater risk LE wise but to simply state agencies (as in all agencies) are more expensive and up sell so stay away is inaccurate.
Location matters possibly there are no reputable agencies in your area but you can't assume the same is true of the OP's area. An agency can be a good way to get started for a newbie.
Thanks for the input everyone.
For the most part I was simply curious based on some of the things I have read. We have lots of great independents to chose from in my area. Although there are also a lot of great looking girls working for the agencies. From what I have seen the agencies in my area seem to be a bit better priced than the independents going solely on looks. I have not done any research into the agencies or the performance of the girls.