What are your thoughts on reviews?  I've met providers that love them.  I've met providers that hate them. I've met providers that don't care one way or the other.

For me, I'd NEVER see a provider that did not have at least a few reviews.  And the reviews must be from reviewers I'm familiar with and have posted multiple reviews.  I guess this is my way of checking references.  

I don't care so much about the scores (in fact I hate the numbered scores for appearance and performance). I'm more interested in the actual description of the experience (provided the reviewer can write halfway decent and has good grammar and punctuation).

-- Modified on 7/30/2016 11:49:14 PM

Yes, I think reviews are helpful to the hobby community.

Obviously...  Otherwise I wouldn't waste my time doing them.

I believe most guys think they are an important factor to consider when deciding to book a date with a lady.

And I think most girls understand that they're a necessary evil.  Good reviews bring in business.  Period.  It's as simple as that.  And much like Yelp! reviews for restaurants, TER reviews for providers are a good quality control advertising and feedback mechanism.

Reviews keep providers honest.  I don't mean that literally, as the overwhelming number of ladies I've met in my hobby career have been honest, hardworking, and sweet.  I mean it is a way of keeping tabs on a provider's service level - both in relation to herself (consistency is important) and also her "competitors."

I don't see girls without good, recent reviews.  Or ones that have a no review policy - that is a red flag for me.  Well, except for UTR situations.  Those are different... and complicated...  but sometimes awesome...  Aw hell...  See, I can't even honor my own rules.  Why are you listening to me anyway?  Lol

Anyway, back to my Yelp! analogy.  It's important to give clients a venue for feedback on their experience - to other potential clients and to the business owner's themselves.  And business owners seem to have a love/hate relationship with it.  I am good friends with some chefs and they love the 98% of their customers that provide great reviews on their awesome culinary skills.  But it seems there will always be that other 2% that just doesn't like the color of the tablecloths.  Or size of the salt shakers.  And that 2% is the most vocal and well social media connected contingent on the planet.  Unfortunately.  C'est la vie.

But like Yelp!, knowledgeable TER users should be able to sort through who's who and what's what.  Like an Olympic judge I throw out the high and low scores and look at where the majority sit.  That's usually where reality (and sanity) resides.  TER is a tool, once you understand how it works it can save you a TON of time and money.

I didn't write reviews on TER until relatively recently (although I was a contributor on another long defunct site for many years).  But I wanted to help the community and do my part (as one very sweet provider put it to me once).  If you consider any of my reviews helpful that is...  Hopefully they will help someone.

But the whole numbering scheme as it stands now is whacked.  And don't even get me started on the insanity of the whole "once in a lifetime thing."  But I suppose folks always have some innate desire to be quantified and ranked... "come see me, I'm one of Atlanta's top 10 providers!"  And stuff like that.  It should be obvious that can be manipulated.  But to be fair - anything can.

Performance numbers are important to me, appearance not nearly so much.  I'll be my own judge of who's beautiful.  But performance numbers don't make a whole lot of sense the way TER does them.  They should be grouped by service level.  So you can compare apples to apples.  Now we are comparing apples to kumquats.  Has anybody ever eaten a kumquat anway?  Kumquat is a funny word, isn't it? I'm digressing again, aren't I?  Back to my point (and I assure you I have one) - for example I've known girls that would be a perfect 10 in performance except they don't do greek or like other girls or don't shave their armpits.  Whatever.   Sigh...

I would have a different ranking system,  including a rating for attitude.  To me it's the most important thing to rate that isn't even rated.  When I leave a date I always ask myself "was there anything she could have done to make it a better experience?"  If the answer is "no", then she's an automatic 10 for me (in attitude anyway).  And those are the types of girls I see on a regular basis.  Technical skill is a very different thing than attitude.  And attitude is king.  Or queen in this case.  Whatever - you get my point.

Often technical skill can be taught, but attitude can't.

Ah, the world would be such a better place if only I were allowed to run it.

Just my 2 cents (actually $47.95 since my accountant suggested I start charging by the word now).  Feel free to leave me a great Yelp! review if you were entertained, enthralled, enamored, and/or enchanted by this thread @electronisalongwindedblowhard.

PS:  All that before coffee.  Let the counting of the typos commence.

I try to write my reviews in that style - so that the personality and attitude of the lady comes through along with the physical attributes.  Just like us, each of them is a unique individual - and that uniqueness should be recognized and cherished, not reduced to a numeric score and a recitation of alphabetically coded acts/positions.  That's what a good review is for!  Fortunately, there are enough reviewers that share that opinion that I find the reviews very informative to browse before seeing a new lady.

Can't speak about the providers' perspective, never been there.  However, it would seem to me that a client who relies exclusively on Eros ads, for example, would be different in some ways from one who researches reviews on TER. The former much more visually focused and the latter more cerebral.  Since both the ladies and clients like to experience making a "connection," it would seem that the review users would be better informed to make selections likely to accomplish that.  Just my thoughts.

I agree that there are reviewers whose opinions I value highly, and others of whom I have some knowledge from their board postings.  That's why I'm puzzled why you seem always (I assume always - no way to know) to use an alias in your postings.  It's especially ironic that you would use the alias in this one.  Your post is thoughtful, and I wish I could read a few of your reviews.

Reviews are important and the most providers and clients live by them.     If a woman has consistent good numbers in her reviews more than likely she is going to be a lot of fun.    I ask about a bad review if I see them.        The ladies often have a good reason why they gave poor service and got a bad review.     If you have poor hygiene , act like a jerk, and try to change the contract expect poor service.    The clients retaliate with a bad number when sometimes it was their own fault.   A provider with consistent low numbers and your most likely to be disappointed with a date.    The provider can have  problems or not really care about the job she does   Clients often write in some clues to warn other clients when providers are fake and give poor service.   It's a 2 way street.     Any system has it problems but most important factor is it works and keeps us all safe and happy.

Thanks for your response.  

As for my alias, it's a personal decision to only post on the boards using my alias.  I've actually never posted on the boards using my main screen name.  My main screen name is only used for reviews and is only shared with the ladies I have seen or plan to see.  I do have over 40 posted reviews and 21 whitelists referrals, but like I said, I prefer to keep my main screen name and my alias personalities separated on TER

It would be better if there were some other way of doing this.  A lovely young provider who's on my "wanna see her in the next few months sometime list" publicly swore off TER in her social media feed and blog with the point that the "review culture" is just not healthy.  And she had great reviews from my point of view.    But she's right.  Reducing our experience together to a number and then comparing that number in a "ranking" is just absurd, demeaning and objectifying.  

BUT>>>>

I agree with your point in the OP.  Do those things (especially the critical reading part...) and it works - or at least it has for me so far.  And it won't work if we stop writing reviews... and if the providers delist themselves....

As Ginger said above - if you work it, it works.  So ... providers - please just put up with it... and clients - keep those reviews coming...  

 

 

 


-- Modified on 7/31/2016 10:55:13 PM

Never going to be a perfect system yet I think overall reviews when one has the capacity to account for many aspects such as perspective, number of reviews, and the consistency then they are clearly helpful for the prospective clients and the providers. I appreciate having insight to a new gents likes and dislikes by reading his reviews prior to meeting. If a provider doesn't have the ability to be comfortable in her own skin and accept not being everything to everyone then they could easily get hung up and even hurt in the review process. I appreciate my reviews and generally feel adored and blessed. Kisses to those who appreciate what I offer.💋

That's a great perspective Lydia.

You brought up a good point.

I've always appreciated ladies that do their homework by trying to get to know me a bit before a date.  Either by reading some of my reviews or chatting by pm/text.  Or even just asking my wardrobe/refreshment/music preferences.  It's a nice personal touch.

And helps put me at ease.

Since I'm so shy and all.