Hi everybody!

I have no doubt this question is redundant, but I couldn't find it so I really appreciate the patience you people always display.

When browsing the forums, is there a way to tell if a poster is VIP or not? I suspect not, because I often see seasoned users say things like if you don't have VIP, you should get it, etc. I just want to make sure.

If you decide to respond to a post by PM, only to get that annoying screen that says "oops something went wrong", is this TER's weird way of saying that user doesn't have VIP and can't get PM's?  

Is it possible there's a different problem?

I'm thinking I'm probably wrong because it makes absolutely no sense to me that the system would allow you to click on a user's name, automatically opening a new PM, complete with subject line and addressed to a user who cannot receive it. What am I missing?

Thank you for any help.

...because my VIP just expired and I still have new PM's coming in, so obviously those people who sent them had no idea that I'm not VIP and I can't read them (yet). They were delivered successfully, so there is no warning that you are about to send a PM to someone who can't read it.

Sounds like you might have run into a hiccup of some type.

So, if you're a basic member, PM's do get delivered and saved for later reading should you become VIP. Did not know that. That does make a lot more sense than what I was thinking.

I tried it a couple times, I always save something before hitting send. I'll try later.  

Is there a size limit? It did get kinda wordy lol.

Thanks again Miss Lopaw.

...technical difficulties message. There is no way to know if someone has VIP membership and therefore can read a PM sent to them.  
Well there is one exception: if the poster is using an alias (no envelope/posting name in black font) their VIP is active. It stands to reason they would be able to read PM's sent to them.

Though many don't know it you can PM an alias. (There was a time it was not possible but TER changed that some years ago. Only VIP members can use an alias. Simply click on the alias and the PM window will open

END OF MESSAGE

Right on.
Glad I saved a copy. I'll just try later.
Thanks for the good info.

... but it's kinda iffy. (I say "full VIP" because I assume you know that a provider who has a profile linked to her handle has limited VIP which includes PMing.)

This involves looking at the poster's review history. If they have just two reviews but they're within the past month, they probably have VIP from the 30 free days they got for their first two reviews. If they have more than two reviews but at least one is recent, e.g. the date is April 12 and the review says "April", then they are probably VIP from the 15 days from the review... but maybe not, because the new review might have replaced a prior review for the same provider and thus no free VIP days (or soup) for YOU!  

This is probably a lot more than you wanted to know on this subject, am I right?  

...but more than I needed to know since, unfortunately, it's all stuff I had figured out before. Lol. But thanks for trying! Someone who didn't know already will see it here.

Got quite the education in profile-handle linking as well as basic vs limited provider vs full, back when I asked a provider who said she never looks at her reviews to whitelist me. When she tried to and got a message saying you must be vip to whitelist, she got fairly upset cuz she didn't know about the free provider vip. I sort of gave up getting her sorted out but learned quite a bit along the way about how things work on their end. (Tip of the iceberg, I know.)

Reviews based VIP, that's the only way I got it, so I know about that😄 The person I tried to PM has absolutely no mathematical possibility of having free VIP, unless aliases came into play of course. That's why I was jumping to the conclusion that basic membership was the culprit. The big thing I learned today was that mail is still delivered to basic members, they just can't read it yet.

But thanks again though. Always good to have pertinent info re-upped on here.

Good point about VIP members

I'm still confused!! Black font? Blue font? Envelope no reviews? Envelope with reviews? Seasoned guys with no reviews? Alias'? Wtf over!?!?
So my question is, how do we figure ALL OF THIS out?

I can't seem to figure out why a seasoned vet wouldn't want us to see his reviews? Can someone explain that?

I consider myself above average when it comes to computers but this TER needs some splainen Lucy!

#justsayin

Check the link below to see the acceptable reasons for using an alias. A person using an alias (thus keeping their reviews/review number from being revealed) could be doing so for any of the 9 reasons. The 7th one speaks specifically to not wanting someone to see his reviews.

When a poster uses his/her alias the alias is in black font, there is no envelope under the posters name, and we can't see how many reviews the poster has. This is how you know the poster is using an alias.  
Surely you have noticed that? (Only VIP members can use an alias.)

Many mongering members seasoned or not choose not to write reviews. Do some reading you will see that mentioned.

Any TER member's handle will be in teal (blue according to you) font in the upper left corner of their post. It will have an envelope under it. Click the envelope and send them a PM. If they are not VIP members they will get the PM but won't be able to read it.  

If there is no number of reviews under the envelope it means the person hasn't written any.  (or at least none that have been approved and posted.)

How do you figure this out? Read the Newbie Board and ask questions here as you have done. Use the site map and read the sections there especially the various FAQ's. Read the Self-Help Center. Last but not least Pay Attention. It's not that hard. Don't be that guy. You know the one. He goes to a pool party immediately jumps in the deep end and then discovers he has no clue what he's doing. Swim! What's that?!

Understanding TER isn't about being above average in computers it's about learning the site. I admit it doesn't always make sense but it's not that hard.

writing reviews is not the only way to get free VIP, filing problem reports is a way that many members keep their VIP, you get two free VIP days for each problem report that is approved. It doesn't sound like much, but I got bored one day and went on a binge that resulted in about a thousand free VIP days, so I am good for the next three years.

There's no way for anyone else to know you're VIP because of getting free days from filing problem reports.  Unless you brag... er, tell us about it, as you just did.  

Did you know you can gift days to other members, including providers (of course)?  In case you're looking for something to give the woman who has everything (except full VIP).  

And that's not even slightly a criticism.

I didn't review the first provider I saw when I became single. I didn't have a TER account at that point. But I did know about TER. So, I was able to read the general details of many reviews, and decided to take a risk on her YMMV aspects. Overall, it was a good experience. Most of the risk seemed to be related to her horrible incall. Not a problem for me, since I meeting her at the outcall of my choosing. Her personality vastly exceeded my expectations, her appearance was nice, and her approach to making a fast friend happy was on the mark. But her hygiene was less than awesome, she was late & she left on time (not a good thing in the circumstance), but there was not enough bad for me to not want her to have a chance to make it all right. But it turns out she's a World Class Flake, so that didn't happen.

So I move on to other TER-reviewed gals (again, with only general details available). Two reviews posted gave me VIP, and I ate it up, and based the next several months of mongering on the enhanced research I was able to do. Didn't use PMs. I'd get 15 days of full VIP here & there, blah, blah, blah.

So anyway, one of the first 2 gals I reviewed tried to PM me a couple of times when I lacked VIP, and they showed up when I clicked on 'Mail' but not when I logged in. She was just saying 'hi' (prospecting for business, like any good marketer should). She needn't have bothered, as she is my ATF & I see her repeatedly, and she told me about them before I was ever actually aware of them (note to TER administration - if you really want to maximize paid VIP, show those 'unworthy of your receiving' PMs as messages received when somebody logs in).

I had a good month - a really good month, and reviews were going to keep me VIP for a good while, and more reviews just enhanced that, but I made the decision to take the plunge & pony up for VIP. It's a liberating feeling. Considering how much I actually spend on the hobby, the cost of VIP becomes (not quite) infinitissemal - not worthy of worrying about.

So that was my shill for paid VIP. Shrouded in a story about how I got PMs while not VIP, but wasn't able to read them.

...but in my 7 years here I think it has. You are given a notice you have a PM every time you log in. It flashes "1 message" (or however many you have) on the upper right in the box that says "Welcome, DreiHoden TER member since xxxx" just under the green banner which says Basic Member or the yellow (gold?) banner which says VIP member depending on your status.