Guys - we know it and love it - am I right?
Gals - a very ymmv option that can lead to confusion, but clearly can help with customer retention as well.

This is a topic that has long fascinated me because it brings together two very different things - a viable business model and intimate personal feelings.  Since I'm always interested in seeing both sides of a story - let me know your thoughts about it.

On the business side I would argue no other trade or service supports grandfathering - why would they?  It makes little economic sense.  If my favorite farm to table restaurant has to pay more for fresh produce, they will pass that cost along to me as a customer.

Within reason, of course.  If my 30$ meal suddenly becomes a 60$ meal then I will definitely reconsider them as a budget friendly restaurant.  Hence, the second part of the argument... customer loyalty.

Some would argue that this particular restaurant might not want my business anymore with the new pricing model.  That seems silly, however personal feelings creep into the equation.  The sentiment that "I've been a regular customer for 6 years and now they raise their prices so much I can rarely afford to eat there anymore."  But the concept of grandfathering doesn't really exist in the real world, does it?  We live in a free market economy.  As in we are "free" to patronize any business we wish.  Whenever prices go up in the real world, the recourse we have is to re-evaluate what the competition offers and possibly support a new business.

But in the hobby world, the concept of long-term regular customers pricing getting "locked in" at some point as prices continue to rise is unique.  And sometimes problematic for both parties.  So on the topic of grandfathering...

Gents - how important is it to you?  If your girl were to significantly raise her donation, what is your expectation?  Pay it without question, or ask her about it?  It's a touchy subject isn't it?

Ladies - when you raise rates (as is inevitable at some point) what do you do?  How do you clearly (and gently) bring up the issue with your clients?  And remember, ladies - that regulars are used to bringing that same amount in the envelope every time.  We may not even be aware that your rates have increased.  And an uncomfortable discussion is looming on the horizon.  With a valuable client.  Once again - touchy subject isn't it?

Anyway - just wanting to hear both sides and hopefully some interesting discussion on the matter.

e

-- Modified on 7/29/2017 9:28:00 AM

I'm looking forward to reading the provider responses, so ladies please chime in here ..

I know personally there is a lady I have seen several times who raised her rates after she got established and her reviews reflected how awesome she truly is...I mentioned the increase to her and she told me not to let it concern me, knowing how great she is and appreciative of her generosity (she didn't have to gfather me) I tipped her a little more than half the difference..I have seen her several times and there has never been a "drop" in the quality of service and in fact it has only gotten better. I do have a little difficulty scheduling, as she is very popular even though she never advertises...So given the reduction in rate vs. what she could be getting, I could be taking a raincheck or flying standby, although I have never felt that was the case.

Good post - that's similar to one of my experiences.

I recall the pricing/grandfathering thing happening at least 4 times to me (did I mention I was old?).  

Once the lady raised her rate significantly, and she mentioned it after our date (after looking at the donation I left).  I apologized profusely and told her that I'd make it up to her on the next date - which I did.  I had tipped her at her previous donation amount, but even so - her new rate was more than my total donation.  I didn't see her after the makeup date, it wasn't really anything personal - just that she no longer fell into my comfortable hobbying budget.

In her defense, I had only seen her twice prior to the rate increase so it would be a stretch for me to be considered a regular.

Twice ladies have raised their rates and mentioned it to me, but added that it didn't apply to me as I was a "regular friend."  In both of those cases my old donation plus the tip I left was equal to their new rate, so I wasn't in any shortage condition.  Thankfully.  Both ladies I continued to see and increased my tip a bit to show my appreciation.

And in one case a regular of mine never mentioned her increased donation at all until I was looking at her new ad months later and noticed the new rate.  When I brought it up she said "don't worry, that doesn't apply to you."  Again, the amount I left her as a tip covered her new donation anyway.  And I increased the tip subsequently to show my appreciation in return.  Appreciation works both ways.

Speaking of... that same lady quit the business shortly after,  but I continued to see her for another 2 years in a sort of SD/SB relationship since she was so cool.  And we got along amazingly well.

Like you airmantroy - I sometimes wonder if not paying "full fare" puts you on the standby list (good term lol) compared to other gents paying the full amount.  But I figure if I ever start having consistent problems scheduling with a lady then I will either switch to full fare or explore new talent.  I'm not in the grandfather club at the moment, so it's nothing I have to worry about now.  I just thought it would be an interesting discussion.

Ginger,

Thank you for your post.  I absolutely understand what you are saying.  Your words are insightful as always.

I'm very appreciative of the ladies that offer it.  I think it's sweet and a good business move... IMHO.  It keeps us regulars regular and it stretches that hobby budget just a bit further.  Which I'm sure all gents can appreciate.  Greatly.

That said, I can only imagine the complexity of logistics and mental bookkeeping around it.  And the time and awkwardness it consumes to answer questions on the issue.  And clearly - a ladies safety and comfort is of utmost importance, so discussing donations is a sticking point.  You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't.

And maybe there isn't a perfect way to handle it either.  If you discuss it and make your partner uncomfortable, that's no good.  And if a gent misses the mark with his donation not knowing his girl's donation increased - well that's uncomfortable as well.

Money, it is the root of all evil.  Too bad you can have so much fun with it!

In my next life I will strive to have more money than sense.

Well, at least I'm halfway there.

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It really depends on your connection is my feelings. If you both really enjoy spending time together I would position it as can you work with me with the old rates and if not then I'm OK and I would pay the new rate.  It is a supply and demand question.  If she stays really busy and wants to slow down than raising her rates is 100% logical.  I think it's up to her as to which of her clients she would choose to grandfather.  It's also completely up to her to set whatever price she is comfortable with.

Another viewpoint is there have been several ladies I would have really liked to see but did not because their rates went above the point that I was willing to proceed.  Since early this year I have focused on having a small group of people I see on a regular basis and that has been working out excellent.

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Good that you found a system that works for you.  And I agree with your points.  I think chemistry does factor in, but I assume it's primarily based on how often clients visit.  Or possibly "seniority."

Like I said - I'm not in the grandfather club now, I just think it's a thought provoking question.  Funny thing about being on hiatus for a while - it resets the "eligibility for being a regular" clock.

Which is an interesting question in itself - when does a regular stop being considered a regular?  I would think regulars are expected to be seen at least once a month, but who knows?  I don't know if there is a universally accepted definition of what a "regular" is.

....do all they can to lure new customers in, but rarely do they show appreciation to the ones who stay after the promotion expires.

As for me, I would rather show my old friends that they are appreciated as much, if not more than the new ones. Of course, this would be approached on a case-by-case basis. I think that length of friendship as well as, shall we say, frequency of friendship would affect each individual case differently

xoxo
Caylee

Very well said Caylee.

And yet another reason the gents love you.

Asking to be grandfathered prior to a first date...
Now that's thinking out of the box.

And speaking of box, they aren't getting any.

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A lot *usually* goes into the decision to raise your rates. Some of it can just be, I want to make more revenue. More often (I hope), it's about overhead expenses, tenure, experience, and providing a better experience.  

When I decided I was definitely going to increase my rates, I started messaging the change in my newsletter and on my website. Things went a little differently for me because I took about 6 weeks off.  

I decided against grandfathering for a multitude of reasons, the main one being that most of my business is incall and the overhead of hosting was literally making it hard for me to accommodate clients at my volume- particularly in my home city of DC. I also tour a lot because I like to travel (and travel for my day job a lot), so it was hard to incentivize touring because I wasn't bringing in much to make it worthwhile.  

I published my new rates in late July and a message on my website noting that I wasn't grandfathering (I term it legacy rates- as the background to the term "grandfather" is not exactly a good one). Every client who contacts me, new or regular, I make a point to note about my new rates to.  

I don't find many discussions to be uncomfortable, including the rate discussion. I got over that "ooh so awkward to talk about the donation" a long time ago. It's only uncomfortable if someone makes it- and why would my regular make it that way? Further, when we agree to meet, part of the terms we agree to are the time-date-duration-location. The donation is directly tied to that. If you show up with the wrong donation  the agreement is no longer being upheld. Nothing should be awkward about pointing that out between two adults.

Thank you for the thoughtful, well worded post.
It always interests me to hear both sides of the story.