This OP was prompted by Samantha Sommer's thoughtful responses to my "whiny hobbyist" op below.

I guess I'm stating the obvious, that the value of TER is that it largely prevents the unpleasant possibilities of hobbyists & providers
hooking up with LE, psychos & assorted rip off artists.

For me, invaluable, because I certainly don't want any LE encounters, which is why I don't take the risks of having "dates" with "casino girls" I was arrested once 25 years ago on a DUI
chaarge; experience was SO shitty, that I vowed to never get arrested again & TER has helped me with that pledge ( so far----LOL ! ).

2nd reason is that in my long hobbying "career" I've been ripped off twice; With TER's assistance
it has NOT happened to me a third time.

As for the TER LV top 100 provider list, I think there are some benefits to be had from it. Good shorthand tool for those hobbyists seeking providers with high appearance/performance scores. I'm aware that there are abuses within the reviewing system & no evaluation system is foolproof, but, IMO ,I've found the general aggregate of hobbyist reviews to be fairly reliable. I did find an exception , however. Sometime back, I contacted someone within the top
40 of the top 100 section. This particular provider took an inordinate amount of time to respond to me, which led me to book with someone else in the interim. Because of that time lapse I decided to never contact that provider again. I guess this makes me sound like a bit of a hardass, but, it just goes to show that there are imperfections within the Top 100 list.

I think Samantha makes a good point about "newer providers" on the top 100 list; perhaps a lady should amass at least a page of reviews before making that list.

To be fair, maybe TER should create a "Top 100 LV
Hobbyists list"------LOL !

Thoughts on all of this ?

Well, I suppose I've been in this business a lot longer than you because I've been ripped off and/or experienced attempted rip-offs on more than one occasion from providers listed on TER.  Bait and switch, up selling, different girl shows up, stealing money and stealing time.  Others have also told me of providers stealing money, valuables, and even outing them.  

This business is built on lies. The guys here will say anything to get laid, the providers will say anything to make the guy think they actually like him, and in the end it's only about the money.

And before you think I'm a bottom fisher, note that I tend to see only those providers with the higher ratings!  Some of the provders "guilty" of the bad behavior I listed are active on the boards today and even popular.  I blame at least part of these experiences on hobbyist reviews that were total bullshit.  

As as for LE.  Well yes, your chance of a problem may be less here but it's certainly not zero.  Just look around the country and you'll see what I mean.

That's correct, once a lady hits 5 reviews she is eligible to make the top 100 list.  Personally I think the minimum should be doubled to be considered a top provider.   I also think if a lady has gone a year without a review her name should be dropped from the list until she is active again.  It would appear there is more than one lady on the LV list that isn't currently active but they stay on the list.

for a provider to get on the top 100 list. That's the equivalent of 1 page of reviews.

I disagree about the minimum of 10 reviews because some girls are low volume or do not see many reviewers and should not be penalized if they provide a good service.
Perhaps the best way is to eliminate the list altogether..

las vegas legends will be low on the list if only 1 page is required. providers that have been in vegas providing for years and are 'famous' providers will be low on the list only because they have a lot of reviews. not fair for them. punished for having too many great reviews? bullocks. 4 pages of reviews minimum shows consistent good service.

I agree, 5 reviews isn't enough. Not sure what the # should be. Ten sounds pretty good. As someone who hobbies in a number of cities, I use the top 100 as a starting point in a search.  I aslo link it to my responses to 411's by guys who have no reviews.

If it's one, then anybody can game the system.  If it's 100, not enough are included in the list.  Anyway you cut it someone will bitch.  Instead of getting rid of it because people can't agree on the math, why don't people look at it as another tool in the shed?  Anybody that uses it as the only means to pick a date is a fool.