I have been using TER to reconfirm what I have learned in
over 26 years of being a hobbyist. If you agree with the basic
premises that
(a) a bad provider experience is much worse than a great
provider experience is great (in terms of lasting memories)
and
(b) a hobbyist's perception of whether a session was good
or not becomes more critical as the price he paid goes up
and
(c) a main reason we are members of TER is not to check
which providers are good but rather to avoid the providers
who are rip-offs (as per the "take one for the team" contest

then, this info is gold to you:

Just using a simple search of the VIP search form yields
the following:

Conclusion 1:
56.3% of reviews in which the hobbyist paid $400 or more
were performance rated at 4 (she just laid there) or LESS
(499 out of 887)

Just 1.5% of reviews in which the hobbyist paid $400 or less were performance rated at 4 (she just laid there) or LESS
(57 out of 3789)

--this confirms that in this hobby, you don't always get what
you pay for and your perception of being cheated increases
with the price you paid. It is smarter to pay less (within limits) in this hobby. When looking at provider websites
that have ridiculous rates ($1000+ per hour), you must remember that even if you have the time of your life- you
paid $1000 and therefore were ripped off. A Lexus costs
$40K. Pay $60K for a Lexus and you were ripped off even though you got the Lexus. Capeesh?

Conclusion #2:
-10.3% of all incall experiences were rated at performance 4 or less (304 of 2951) whereas double this (18.3%- 223 of
1216) of outcall experiences were rated as performance 4 or less.

--this confirms that using an outcall service makes you more open to poor peformance, usually due to bait and switch on the part of the providers. The incall situation allows you to leave immediately. Outcall, however, requires
you throwing someone out of your home, hotel, etc and they
can get quit noisy and embarassing in the process. Even if they don't you're afraid they will and you will shove money at
them to get rid of them- further increasing the rip-off.
Comprendez-vous, mes amis?

Conclusion #3:

44.6% of all "driver" services were performance-rated at
4 or less. (45 of 101) whereas 16.5% of all agency services
were performance rates at 4 or less (209 of 1269).
The big news is that  9.3% of independents (250 of 2699)
were performance-rated at 4 or less.

---this confirms why some local hardware stores flourish even after Home Depot opens up. Why Houlihan's or
Friday's will never replace the local bar--- this is a service
business. Some providers realize this and perform accordingly. Those providers working through an agency
or driver system (which is usually an agency) will not be
in this business next week, have no perception of building
a brand, and don't care. They are the McDonald's of
this hobby. Minna-san wakarimasuka?

General Conclusions:
The $20 a month it costs to join this site is more than paid
for every time you avoid a poor provider because you checked here first.
Your best percentages for avoiding a performance 4 or less
experience is to patronize an independent, incall, for $400 or less (8.9% are 4 or less rated)
If you are more masochistic, and enjoy disappointment,
you should stick with outcall agencies for more than $400

Good luck to all & keep reporting

Etellier






--this confirms

I found what you said about the $400 plus providers so surprising that I just had to do a little check of my own to find out if I'd simply been inbelievably lucky.

I'm in the L.A. area, I limited my own search to there & also conducted it under escort without limiting either time or bad websites.  I found that there were 244 gals listed...only 22 had an average performance rating of less than 5--& approximately 2/3 (163) averaged at least 7.

Conclusion...Maybe the L.A. area has better value in this price bracket???  I wouldn't have speculated about it at all before, but perhaps that's the case.  Makes me wonder where those areas are that have such piss-poor return on the dollar.

Mathesar has been doing a monthly detailed statistical study of the LA market for some time and also found some interesting corellations.

Satisfaction is definitely a relative concept in this, and other businesses, and price paid shapes perceptions greatly.  The performance expectation (in the client's mind) for a $4-500+ escort could easily exceed the ability of anyone to realistically deliver- especially if the fee paid is a bit of a stretch for the client.  

Also, your conclusions about independants and incall are very interesting, but not surprising.  They only confirm that personal commitment and accountability are still the best ways to make satisfied customers.

-- Modified on 10/21/2001 3:02:32 PM

Interesting points. I don't disagree. I do know that my experience has been, that the top of the top are mostly stuck up bitches whose self-important attitude unfortunately translates to the level of service that they provide. So you get hit with a double-whammy. But figuring out where the line is, between paying enough that you get supreme service, as opposed to paying so much that you get someone whose attitude is that she should raise her rates "because she can" with no concomitant increase in service, is a tough line to draw.

Where I live, in Tampa, it seems the line is somewhere around $300 or $350 per hour. Anyone who wants more money, gives less than the money might otherwise dictate. At least, in my experience, and reading the reviews on various internet resources. Best experiences have all been in the $200 to $275 range, with no increase in service up to $350 and then a reduction in service from a price of $350 on upwards. People will try to suggest that they like "class" and "style," but really what the guys are getting off on, is the experience of spending money for nothing. "Class" and "style" are given more often in greater quantity, at least in my experience, with lower-cost providers.

There's one more point that I find interesting. Given (this is a presumption) that incall and other "last minute" arrangements are the location that beginners go to ... and the independent outcalls are something that supposedly "experienced" clients will patronize ... doesn't it seem (slightly) to follow that the more experienced you are in being a client, the more likely you'll patronize a LOW-probability provider; while the less experienced you are, the more likely you'll get your satisfaction for a fair rate?

I know, it shouldn't add up, but it seems to. Hmm ...

Bonjour-
Thanks very much to you and Grey Wolf & G2 for your
responses. Having thoughtful co-hobbyists such as yourselves is the second greatest pleasure this hobby
can provide. (I think we agree on the greatest)

I am not so sure about your point that less-experienced
hobbyist would use independent incall and thus experience
less disappointment while more-experienced enthusiast
would set him self up for disappointment with outcall
independents.

I agree inexperienced hobbyists (and/or those under
commuting time pressures) will utlize the near drive-through
impersonality of Korean or other massage parlors (technically incalls, but not independents). I think, however,
that truly independent incalls are used by more seasoned
hobbyists as they can occasionally develop into long-lasting
regular relationships (which lower cost per visit). In my
own experience, I was able to align a few incall independents (their apartments in Manhattan) and, by
simply patronizing the situation 1X or 2X per month, I was
eventually entitled to buy-backs; free second providers; and
was never denied a last-minute appointment. These all
greatly lowered my CPF (a topic I hope to expound on later)
to well below market rate for those years, location and services provided.

I think outcall works the second or third try, when you have
surgically extracted a provider from the agency which initially
sent her, made direct arrangements, and know who is coming. The very high risk with outcall, especially agency
outcall, is the bait and switch. Here in NYC it is epidemic.

In any event, all of your comments are well thought out,
enjoyable, and I would only ask that you keep them coming

Etellier in NY