Just venting some frustration here so I will apologize in advance for my rant. It seems to me that there is an ever increasing trend with providers not responding to e-mails or phone calls in a timely fashion. There is nothing more frustrating than attempting to make contact with someone and then waiting days and days before perhaps hearing something back and it is becoming more often the case that you don't hear anything back at all. If you are successful in finally making contact at some point, you often hear things like  "your earlier e-mail never got to me" or "there wasn't a message on my phone".  Come on now, I can accept that perhaps something like that might have occurred but I find it interesting that I don't seem to have those problems when contacting family, friends or business associates. I know, I know, providers have busy lives in both their business and personal worlds. Well so does everybody else but the majority of us seem to be able to keep up with it all. I obviously don't "walk in a provider's shoes" so I don't know just what their e-mail or cell phone message boxes look like but I can't accept that they are NOT manageable. There are, after all, a number of well known and exceedingly busy providers who seem to keep up with things. Advice has been offered here by a number of guys that if a provider is touring or on vacation, taking time off, etc.,  then leave a message to that effect on your phone or have your e-mail do an auto send. That would be very helpful I think and avoid much of this frustration. For those who are just not answering for whatever other reason, (assuming that the contact language was appropriate and mature), then I think that is just plain rude.

I agree Muffyman, it is rude when it happens. It's happened to me before too... but don't take it personally. Just move on.  Getting frustrated about it won't help matters, and there is no way to second guess what's going on.

Remember, the ladies are in control... have been ever since Eve.  Just go with the flow!

and are these first time contacts? Mabe you're being a bit to explicit in your e-mails or phone calls.  Even though the ladies are running a business they're under no mandate to answer pushy, rude or explicit communications.
  Another factor is sometimes "Shit do happen"

     YKSA.

What you describe does happen.  I'm sure it accounts for at least 10% of the total non responses.  I think I've established a record on the boards as being a provider-friendly hobbyist, but these "the customer is always wrong" posts are starting to get old.

It is up to the provider to decide whether or not she will return your email/phone calls.  Not yours...If a provider has a habit of not returning a email or two, then I'm sure she is drumming up enough business to where she can pick and choose the people she sees...Move on.  There are plenty of other providers who are more than willing to take your money.  

I would bet the ranch that the yast majority of providers don't realize TER even exists and if they do, they are reading their reviews and not the discussion boards.

WE sould be thankful for the ones who do participate in the boards but here you are preaching to the choir.

My .02

I am so sure I get some people very upset with me for the same reason..I have now hired a helper to keep me totally organized and up on all my emails..i try..really try..but when you open your email and its over 100 emails..its very hard to get it done..and if you miss a day..forget it...so I apoligize for all the calls i probably missed..but i never expected to be this busy...I have been doing about 20-25 apts a week..I am about to cut down and be more organized....

"Honey I wont even see that many in a month.. holy majolie !!!!

OWWWWW "

Perhaps you shouldn't have put a link at the end of this, seems you are waaaay to busy all ready.  Come to think of it, you might want to use an alias when admitting to doing that many guys a week judging from the comments above.

Think I'll use an alias here too...

you really should have read it first.  I wasn't talking about the providers, I was referring to the guys among you who defend this behavior as acceptable business practice.  Of course now that I think about it a drawback to answering an alias is that you don't know who you're talking to.  Maybe I am talking to providers.

I know what you mean about rude providers, but what about clients? Some of the things we, providers, have to put up with are rude too. Those things can be just as upsetting to us as they are to our clients.

I haven't had many clients who are inconsiderate (thank goodness), but there have been those few who make appointments, want you to get in contact with them immediately (no matter what you're doing) and then not use the same courtesy you extended to them. Perhaps we've booked an overnighter or a two-dayer and cannot return your phone call as quickly as we would like to return it. I have had some clients that I've screened, talked to extensively over the telephone and communicated through emails two weeks in advance of a scheduled appointment only to be ditched.  I mean:  I spend an hour showering, shaving, drying my hair and doing my nails. Then, another hour curling my hair, putting on my makeup (if I have that time alloted me), getting dressed up and calling them to confirm our appointment only to be stood up.  Okay, so now I've wasted my valuable time looking hot when I could have stayed in sweatpants and relaxed with family or friends and also lost time with other clients and money. Talk about rude! Hey, I understand that sometimes things happen at the last minute and emergencies do occur, but guys please . . . try to let us know in advance when possible.  I feel your pain.

Hugs,
Ciara

Why should she worry about treating you in a professional manner when she has a bunch of other johns (walking ATM's) ready to put up with her unprofessional manner and begging her to take their money.  Consider yourself lucky with an attitude like that how good can she really be despite whatever her reviews say.

I don't care how busy a provider is, if I potential client contacts her and is polite the least he deserves is a brief, polite return email/call if the provider can't see him.

Having said that, email is certainly not the most reliable form of communication and some do go astray.  I've felt very bad lately because I've not replied to some emails for very genuine reasons.  

Firstly, I couldn't get any emails through to AOL accounts, they just kept bouncing straight back.  In the end I realised the problem was at my end so I opened another account to reply to AOL enquires.  Secondly, I recently changed web hosts, it certainly didn't go as smoothly as I would have hoped and I lost several days worth of emails (including some of the AOL ones so I couldn't even contact them after their time in London to apologise).

So, to anybody reading this who has tried to contact me in the last few weeks and not received a reply, my sincere apologies

I didn't get into this profession because of my excellent organizational and bookkeeping skills hon... hate to break it to you.

Now of course I do my best, but organization is NOT my strong point. I have many others though, that will make any delay in receiving an email response worthwhile in the long run!

Best,
Tamara