I sometimes cruise the pages of backpage and ocassionally see a link to TER.  In many cases it appears that the provider does not even go to TER.  The reviews are nothing to write home about.  They must feel that being on TER gives them some credibility of being a real live person.

For the less than steller providers, they know the game quite well.  In some areas of the country, TER is completely unknown.

Soooooo, slap a pretty emblem on the ad or a hyperlink to reviews, and the low-brow doh-doh thinks he's got some class to go see.  Not only that--the guys probably don't have VIP access to read the details.

CityVibe has been "beefing" up their ads a little with automatic links to TER-reviewed providers.

By the way, I'm liking the new TER banners for websites--very sexy!