Was reading a pretty popular West Coast provider's reviews, and she had several that were out of this world with various critics in between accusing her of ruthless upselling.

Happy hobbyists expressed they'd pay more for the experience while the happy cited they'd barely got a HJ for a release.

Reviewers don't necessarily describe what they might do wrong (i.e., bad breath, BO or act rude), only what they don't like about a provider's behavior should the encounter be a disappointment.

What are good rule of thumbs to help avoid upselling?

make a point of not upselling, so those would be a good start.

I have seldom met a provider who tried to upsell.  In one instance, they did offer, but I could not afford it, so I demurred.
They ended up giving me the works anyways because they believed me to be sincere.

Lesson is:  You never know.

Yuck, apd4041,
that sounds nasty! As to the rules of thumb: try to meet with providers who offer "escort only" as a category. It can get dicey when they state escort/massage/etc. The ones who charge $500 and above per hour never upsell, they don't need it. Also, if you see 10-15 pages of solid reviews and a healthy 8. something average, then she's probably not upselling.

As to ladies who start in with the extremely unprofessional behavior of bargaining with their bodies...eek..just think with your big head and LEAVE. I see it as a lack of self-respect to go on offering body parts and specific acts as if they were taken from a menu in a restaurant. An encounter should be a wholistic experience and not some kind of disjointed physical gymnastics.

So stick with well-reviewed "escort only" types with a minimum of 8 in the average appearance/performance department, a minimum of 7-10 pages of reviews and you should do fine. You may have to pay more, but at least that ugly haggling procedure is being deleted from the system.

Hobby on, my friend,
the Love Goddess

I'm not sure if you've ever provided, and in most of your posts I would say it's irrelevent whether you have or not, but in this instance it is relevent.

I do not upsell, I have an average of about a 9 in both performance and looks but I have only 4 pages of reviews. And frankly, I think 4 is probably 3 too many. I spend time with gentlemen who believe in discretion and privacy and who prefer not to write about his escapades with an escort..or anyone else for that matter.

It's very, very easy to avoid an upselling provider. You have to do your homework. At least you have that option. The only homework a provider can do is to check references of ladies who may, or may not give you accurate references. For instance, as a test, I sent a reference request to every lady on Phoenix411.net in my area with detailed information about a personal friend of mine who doesn't see escorts. About 7 returned with a, "Oh yes, he's a wonderful client. We had a fantastic time, you'll have fun! He's clean and respectful." So, as you might imagine, if a gentleman uses one of those 7 ladies as a reference, I will not accept them because they are UNSAFE and UNRELIABLE.

I don't get to check reviews of gentlemen or speak to other reviewers who have seen them. And thank goodness. But the patrons of my business DO have that opportunity and should utilize it. Reviews are not the be-all-end-all of fact and are very much fiction, bloated for the reviewers sake and to the detriment of the lady. But you can see a pattern with many reviews.

So, how to avoid an upsell? Easy. Stick with well-reviewed providers who post on message boards as I do, so you may get a feel for her personality. Read her reviews, whether it's one page or 20 and look for consistency, stick with ladies who have an average or above-average price because they don't need to auction off greek or uncovered services, and yes, many, many escorts will provide uncovered if it will garner them an extra $200 bucks. Sad but true. And it happens a lot more than you think. If it's an agency, search your local board, ask how other men have been treated, check reviews of the girls who work for the agency and ask around.

But I respectfully disagree that a lady must have a minimum of 7-10 pages of reviews to be legitimate. Some of us see men who aren't even aware of boards like this, some of us see celebrities (I have), some of us see businessmen who don't have time for these boards and some of us see men who still believe that what goes on behind closed doors is and should be sacred. I'd be disgusted if I had 7-10 pages of reviews because I wouldn't want that out in the public, especially considering each page holds 10. Do the math. Do you really want to know for a fact that you are the 101'st guy she's been with? I wouldn't. I hate kind of that I have upwards of 40 reviews for public consumption. And sure, we all know the ladies see a fairly large influx of men....but who wants proof?

That said, I am low volume. I have a day job and work as a writer, this is my dating because I'm single and I enjoy it immensely and I actually request gentlemen don't write reviews. I see, on a busy week, MAYBE 3-5 clients. I like it that way, it gives me time to recharge and it allows me to truly function as a feeling, emotional, caring, loving woman with my visitors instead of as a robot or a piece of meat.

So, guys, that's the long and short of how you avoid an upsell. And if you wind up in the presence of one, don't be afraid to have a backbone and state, "I'm sorry, but I will not spend my hard earned money on a woman who doesn't respect me enough to be honest up front with me. Good luck to you, but I will spend my hard earned money on a woman who DOESN'T view me as a walking wallet. Have a great evening." and DO NOT feel obligated to leave $100 for her time. She's suckered PLENTY of men into the upsell, she has more than enough money and doesn't need nor does she deserve yours.

Love,

Andi

That's good advice, thanks TLG!

Plenty of providers do this (or at least try). Even at Upscale agencies. They get greedy and if they get away with it they will keep trying. It's a shady business. I girl I once worked with (at an agency) was known for this. She would brag how much she got after the session. If a provider does this, don't fall for it.

Very good points,Andi
but I don't confuse legitimacy with upselling. Providers can be "legitimate" and still upsell. As to the minimum pages of reviews, it's a personal choice. The poster asked to be absolutely sure. Pages upon pages with 8s, 9s, and 10s and no mention of upselling would "guarantee" that fact. As to the various working methods of providers and their level of comfort vis-a-vis hobbyists, I would imagine it's all in the eyes of the beholder. Some hobbyists feel disgusted with so many reviews, others find it great.

Enjoy your work and be merry,
Love Goddess

One thing I watch for is their rates in their ads.  If it says, "Donations start at...", that provider's automatically off the list.

Another "red flag" is when they list a price range for their time, like 1 hr 300-450 on their website. I have noticed a few who practice this form of upsell. I suppose you could just contact them and attempt to discover just what the different prices include; if they're willing to discuss the financials via email or telecon.

how about a few words with the provider, after she's sure you aren't LE, about 1) what is the quoted price; 2) what she'll do for the quoted price; and 3) and what will cost extra and how much extra?  If you can't gewt on the same page with her, leave a tip and leave.