For the total Newbies and also those who are still getting their feet wet.....

I'm a provider new to the industry (5 months in) and about two months ago I texted a very well known and high class escort to ask for some advice on.. well... how to be a good escort. I was really surprised when I got a message back from her assistant. I didn't know that was even a thing. Mind you I knew nothing about the industry before I started. But I thought the same thing. I figured guys would be offput if I were a guy wanting to book

Most don't mind, but others do want that personal touch of communicating directly with the lady they wish to meet.    

I'd settle for an email back! I'm very new (account opened less than 10 days ago), have an out of town deal coming up and have tried contacting 3-4 providers. So if an assistant were to contact me I'd be Ok with it, and pre-screen etc with them. I'd rather not do a 411 screen, and do a verbal type thing.   I know this narrows my choices down.  I couldn't even post to this discussion board until they fixed it this morning, so I'm very frustrated.   I did receive one response that they're out of town on those dates. Is there a better way to search for who's available and in what areas for said dates?  All the calendars I see are not that far out (second week of August I'm looking for). Thanks in advance for the help.

No problemo here. This way the provider can concentrate on providing and the assistant concentrates on screening and scheduling.
I`m still a semi Newbie (1 year, 12 trysts) who just recently encountered a booking agent and the whole gig was totally seamless.
A couple of my regular girls have told me that doing it themselves gets very time consuming at times and eats into their down time.

Most assistants are fine to deal with and cut down on response time so that is a good thing.  

I am so new to all this that the paint is still wet, only joined TER and P411 in preparation for a trip to Vegas at the end of September. I wouldn't have any problems dealing with a booking assistant as long as they made it clear that it wasn't the provider I was talking to, anything that makes communication quick and easy is a good thing. At some point before the actual meet communicating with the actual provider if possible would help newbies like myself to feel more at ease, The personal touch before the personal touch lol

I will just be honest, Not dealing with an assistant or agency period. Too many beautiful truly independent ladies for that craziness.

ahead more than a few weeks. The reason most often given is hobbyists who schedule that far ahead tend to cancel, have other scheduling issues [change time, change day, etc.] or be a NCNS.

And have an assistant.  She isn't an agency, she doesn't get a cut: I pay her a flat salary and she works for me.

I am getting frustrated by attempts at appointments where I don't get a reply for days -- sometimes never.  That's a crappy way to run a business.  Though I suspect these ladies probably are the ones who couldn't afford a scheduler.

I wouldn't care for it. I'm speaking from less-than-a-month's experience here, so take it for what it's worth. We're already nervous and unsure about the whole experience--how to initiate contact, what the screening process is like (every provider has her own way of doing it), whether we'll get a reply, what to wear, what to bring, etc. Now you're bringing a second stranger into the chaos and expecting me to work with him/her. That makes me even more nervous, and raises questions like: Is this person trustworthy? What does the assistant know about me? What work are they actually doing?
Why do I have to deal with yet another unknown factor?

Ok, I shall remain patient! It's just that, it's my first meet up and I want it to be out of town at least for my first meeting. Small window (5 days) I'm trying to hit. Thanks for heads up.

Its the best way to have a booker, is to have her answer emails and texts as you, and avoid all the issues. A good booker will give you all the info you need ot know about a client before the appointment, do you don't have to read through emails. And you simply keep up the charade during the appt.

I don't mind at all working with a booker, or assistant, or an agency, but I want to know that I am working with a third party. I think an assistant pretending to be the provider is totally dishonest and these situations have caused problems in the past.

and it certainly is NOT sound advice here.

I have never (knowingly) dealt with a booker/assistant. I wouldn't say that I'd be unwilling to, but I'd like to know. I suppose theoretically, if someone said "hey you didn't tell me I was talking to an assistant", you could say "well you didn't ask", and get away with it. But it seems dishonest. Especially if you say on your site that all info is for your eyes only and you handle everything yourself. Obviously I don't know if you say that on your site or not, but a lot of women do.

meh, its unfortunate, but screening advertising email monitoring can be a full time job, for ladies who are students or mothers or have a full time or just don't like it, its stressful. but because of stigmas about bookers or because guys "have to talk to the lady to form a "connection" (hah!)" many ladies turn to bookers and can work in peace. What I'm saying is already happening, you can discourage it all you like but it won't stop the tide.

quite the contrary, you just went on the record plain as day, "encouraging" these women to lie and to instruct their "assistants" to lie as well.  Review manipulation is also a fact of life, but that doesn't mean we are supposed to encourage it.

I have no intentions of discouraging it. I was talking about you. I have every intention of making sure ladies in this business can make the amount of money they want

I don't know why but they make me nervous... I have only ran into one once so far and haven't booked with her yet... The fact that she has a booker throws me... granted I am a newb and paranoid a bit .. not sure why xactly it unnerves me... Maybe because it's one step close to an agency and those are LE targets?  
I may have to get over it because I am dying to book this particular lady