Dear TER Staff and Readers,

Recently, we have had much hand-wringing in Seattle over the issue of no-shows.  Since they are not technically rip-offs, nor can a review be posted, often they go unreported.  If they are reported on a discussion board, they are often made in the heat of moment by a disgruntled reviewer, thus unfairly biased and lacking real info.  Or they are challenged or discredited by the equally biased provider, who is naturally defensive.  It becomes a "he said/she said" argument, with no satisfactory conclusion.

Since TER provides an excellent resource for objective review data, how about offering "no-show" history on providers?  This could be included in the Profile section the provider, and hobbiests could submit "no-show reports" in a standardized form similar to reviews.

Items to include in the form might be:
1. Month of no-show
2. No show was for an Incall, Outcall Hotel, Outcall Residence, or Outcall Spa appointment?
3. Initial contact was via: (email, phone, voicemail, email correspondence/several emails exchanged)
4. How far in advance of the session was inital contact made (x hours, x days)
5. How quickly did she respond to initial contact? (x hours, x days, no response)
6. Was a follow up confirmation of appointment made?: (Yes/no) How far in advance? (x hours, x days)
7. Was the follow up confirmation of the appointment via: (left email, she picked picked up, left voicemail)
8. Was an attempt made to contact the provider after the no-show? (Yes/No) Via? (Phone--she picked up, left email, left voicemail)
9. Did she respond? (x hours, x days, did not respond)
10. Comment Section: The comment section could include details, including whether the poster thought she made a good faith effort to correct the situation, reschedule promptly, etc.

Having a standard way for members to post the facts of their no-show would help us understand the risks in booking with a provider, and create a more objective, level-headed outlet for the dissapointed hobbyist.    

I realize that like a false review, there is a risk that some hobbyists, or other providers, might maliciously post false no-show reports.  However, like reviews, it is easy to quickly check the reviewer's history.  If he has no reviews, and only the no-show report, it can be taken with a large grain of salt.  Or, perhaps other checks could be put in place, such as only hobbyists who have written x number of reviews could post no-show reports.  

Personally, I don't feel that no-show reports are that damaging to business or reputation, they are more of an expectations check.  It's still the reviews that make or break business.  Frankly, if the provider is hot (Ashley of Spokane being the primetime example) she can bail on tons of men with last minute changes, cancellations and no-shows, and even those who swear publicly never to see her again, cum crawling back. LMFAO.  Never forget the golden rule of hobbying, the little head always wins.    The no-show data would really be more like an FYI.  

I think this feature would be most helpful for those out-of-town travelers who are visiting a city and want to book a local independent, or for anyone who likes to book well in advance of a session.  It seems that the largest frustration with no-shows is from hobbyists who book far in advance, plan their schedules around a date, work up a huge yen for that one special woman, and then get shafted last minute.   The no-show history could provide a much needed reality-check for these tunnel vision types.

Have fun, stay safe, and leave the lights ON!!
Iceman