I posted yesterday about backup plans after an NCNS.  Several posers suggested calling an agency.  I have avoided agencies due to a concern (unfounded?) that they are higher risk since they represent a higher value target for LE.  So my policy has been independents only.

When you deal with an agency, what personal information do they require?  P411 is working well for me with Independents.  I had to provide personal info to my first few providers to get established.  I don't want to deal with an agency if it means providing any personal information that could ever out me in a bust.  And the probability of a bust is irrelevant to me.  If I could use them without providing personal information, then I might use them in a situation like yesterday.

I wouldn't give my personal info to an agency either.
However many agencies do accept provider references, and some agencies are P411 members.

You still need to research agencies. There are good ones and bad ones. Always do your homework.

Yea, a lot of agencies have accounts on p411, I haven’t tried contacting any of them yet, so I am not sure how they respond, but I do have information relevant to this general topic. I didn’t see your original post in time.  I started using p411 a couple of years ago, and for grins I started keeping records of how long it takes to get an appointment.  

When I send an request from p411, I get a reply 80% of the time. The average time to respond is 32 hours. I actually end up in a room with that provider 60% of the time. 50% of providers responded in one hour or less. I get much quicker responses on weekdays from 9am to 5pm. The main reason for a slow response seems to be that some independents will band together and use an assistant, who doesn’t work off hours, or she is by herself, and she turns her phone off on nights and weekends.  After I collected this information a created a protocol for getting appointments on p411:

I start on a weekday, at least six days in advance. I send a request # 1 and wait 24 hours. If I don't get a reply, I send request # 2 (to that same provider), and wait an additional 12 hours.  If I don't get a reply, I move on to the next provider. I stop when I get a confirmed appointment. If she cancels, and I still have 24 hours, I start from the beginning. This time I look for providers that have logged in very recently. This helps a lot, if it's a weekday between 9-5, and she has logged in within the last few days, the chances of getting a quick reply is very high. I confirm all appointments at least 24 hours in advance on a weekday at 9am. I wait 6 hours, or so, for a reply to that final confirmation. This gives me a good opportunity to get another appointment.  

Some other notes:  

Early on, I had a provider pull a total NCNS on me, i.e. I had an appointment, I tried confirming the morning before, per her request, but she never replied. This was the event that caused me to start keeping track. If it would have happened now, I would have confirmed the day before at 9am, and then moved on with new appointment requests at around 3 pm. I probably would have had enough time to get another appointment.

I have only starting using my “protocol" recently, so I think my averages will start going up. I don't send requests late at night or on weekends anymore, and I avoid Sunday appointments entirely.

If a guy does not have that, they usually want your name and the hotel room so they can cross reference the two, but that is only if you're not willing to provide refs. You really can't have it both ways. You want quick, and at your door at the drop of a hat, but you don't want to have to wait on them to get in touch with your references who might take forever to respond. Which is it?

I would like 10 candidates standing in the hallway, awaiting my selection when I check into the hotel.  All without me revealing anything.  Then I would like them to be on standby for the precise moment I am ready to go.

Seriously, I don't get the confrontational tone, and never implied anything quick or drop of the hat. I also never said I would not provide references.  I book my appointments days or more in advance and have never cancelled.  I work to a plan and don't expect anyone to see me on short notice.

I am simply trying to determine whether what I am up against if I want to consider using an agency if I need a backup plan in the future.  My only point is that if agencies need my personal information, I am not giving it out and will choose to not meet anyone instead.  

If P411 works, then that could be the way to go.  Thanks for pointing that out.

Your post implied that if you were NCNS, you would in fact be in a hurry to fill that time, hence the reason for my questions. For an agency to screen you fast, they usually want your name and hotel room which you said you are not wiling to provide. So, I then suggested using the P411 aspect because if you are only going the "here are my refs" route, it will take TIME to contact those women, and get back to you...you've been canceled on and want someone there pretty soon right? Again, that was the gist of your post, and I replied in line with that.