synoches

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Posts posted by synoches

  1. Posted

    I'm extremely hesitant to even add a reply here.  I rarely check this site anymore but, well, this thread caught my attention as I thought I'd take a peak in here.  I learned a long time ago that clients here are not really welcome to have an opinion unless it's one that no provider could possibly object to at any level.  Our job is to pay and not ask.

    Rates have gone up a great deal over the past 5 years or so.  I still suspect that the loss of Backpage as a central hub of competition has a lot to do with that alongside the overall economic situation.  The biggest hobby-wide rate hike I saw came shortly after Backpage went down.  Economically, everything has gone up but, for many of us working stiffs (especially in jobs considered "high paying"), salaries haven't.  I'm sure it'll equal out eventually but it does make for a rough patch until then.

    If vetting a new client uses up a lot of time, then repeat clients getting a discount of some sort sounds pretty reasonable to me.  As a client, being a repeat visitor offers a lot of assurances against the usual fears of being scammed, robbed, arrested or just plain disappointed.  A "regulars rate" sounds mutually beneficial.

    I think we have to wonder how awesome the "us agains them" attitude here really is.  Hell, here's a thread by a provider and clients can't answer the question asked without taking some heat over it.  I certainly have never felt terribly welcome here or like I have to proceed with caution and walk on eggshells.  I don't expect many to agree with that because I imagine clients who feel the same way have already left.  I'd question hostility as a good business practice but...a provider's business is none of my business.  I get it.

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  2. Posted

    I have largely checked out but I still check in once in a while to see how this particular economy is doing.  My pay has increased over time but not anywhere near the rate of inflation and there definitely is a "special" economy in some sectors that buck trends everywhere else.  This just happens to be among them.  I did notice  a larger overall change in trends when Backpage was seized.  I'm guessing that it provided a low barrier of entry for many girls towards internet-based advertising.  I often wonder if anything will ever truly replace that sort of outlet short of legalization.

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  4. Posted

    The weird stuff she said that I referred to earlier was that she said gift cards are the only way to be sure I wasn't LE as they would never use that method of payment.  I mentioned TOB and P411 and she said these sites were infiltrated by LE and using them is a surefire way to end up in trouble.  I rolled my eyes and took a pass as well.

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  6. Posted

    I have rarely ever bothered with QV myself but there were a few times when I was very short on time but still wanted “something”.  Honestly, I think that was only ever 2-3 times.  Still, I don’t see it as a “problem”.  If there are guys that want that and providers that provide it, how is it wrong?  If guys are insisting you provide something you don’t, well that’s always wrong but if someone is asking if that’s an option, I don’t see the issue unless they push it past a “no”.  They should just move on to someone who does offer that.

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  7. Posted · Edited by synoches

    It's not a perfect system but I put a bit more trust in reviews written by reviewers who have been around for a while and have written a fair number.  For the most part, while I can't guarantee I'll get what I want out of the experience, it adds some comfort that I'm *probably* not walking into a sting or a robbery.  No guarantees in this hobby, of course.  We just take all the assurances we can get and decide if the risk level is where we will accept it.

    I will add, though, tying into those threads about pre-screening and sharing your real life information such as workplace, home address, etc. that could be potentially damning against you:  If I found myself in that scenario, you can be sure that I would absolutely NOT write a bad review.  The leverage is there to ensure more than just a TOB rebuttal.  Luckily, I haven't yet found myself in that situation.

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  8. Posted

    On 11/7/2019 at 8:02 AM, Hunter VanDyke said:

    FEAR 😂😂😂

    I’ve gotten some pretty crazy backlash over a negative review and a so-so review before so, honestly, this may not be that far from the truth.

    Another one could be pity.  I’ve really been torn before about leaving a less-than-positive review.

    The most likely one in a lot of cases is just experience.  I was more accepting in my earlier reviews simply because I didn’t have a good frame of reference for what a truly great experience was at the time.  However, if he can share with you the negatives now, that’s probably not the case.

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  10. Posted · Edited by synoches

    6 minutes ago, Hunter VanDyke said:

    That's funny

    You know there are clients who will only see ladies like this. 

    Okay I’m going to say the sort of thing that has gotten me in heated arguments here before but oh well...

    Typically, those sorts of experiences tend to come with lower rates.  Not always, but often enough.  That could be one reason for some clients looking for that.

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  11. Posted

    25 minutes ago, Vassago said:

    I have met a few ladies from Texas that construe GFE as BBFS. That's why they put "NO GFE/BB" in their ads. To me, it has always been code slang for more of what Hunter is describing. Nowadays though there is so much blurring of the acronym, who fucking knows what it really means anymore? For the sake of reviews though, the acronym should be used to impart information, in my opinion, not to describe how you felt about a particular girl, emotionally. No offense to the gentlemen who do this, but their emotional state serves me no practical purpose. I'm guilty of putting emotional context in my own past reviews, but I also understand it's more of an embellishment to the information than anything tangibly useful.

    I’ve never thought about that (GFE representing an emotional state).  I guess I can kinda see it as far the more intangible aspects of GFE goes.  I’d add that besides the technical things that happen, GFE providers at least put on the facade of romantic behavior if not actual romance.

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  12. Posted · Edited by synoches

    1 hour ago, Hunter VanDyke said:

    Does no GFE mean cbj, no daty, no fiv, and no kissing? 🤷‍♀️

    Yes, that’s how I’ve always taken it along with minimal cuddling and caressing, before or after.  FIV possibly the more gray area of those things.

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  13. Posted

    Funny thing is, there are still a lot of girls out there who’s idea of screening is asking you via text message if you are affiliated with law enforcement.  I mean, if you are, you have to tell them, right? :)  Screening done.  I honestly wonder...was there ever a time in our history when that was true?  Hasn’t everyone seen Breaking Bad by now?

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  14. Posted

    Obviously, I’ve used the term in my reviews for long enough that I have my own idea.  While I’m not sure I have a concrete definition, myself, has anyone else noticed that it’s becoming more popular in other places (namely, STG but probably not limited to that) for providers to assume this means bareback?  I mean listings with things like “No GFE/BB!!!”.  Has GFE ever meant that?

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  16. Posted

    9 minutes ago, Hunter VanDyke said:

    I don't define agencies as pimps. More like nail salons or hair studios where there is a set price and an aggreed upon split. 60/40, 50/50. Like all other regular businesses are able to do.

    I think they're out dated in this day and age in all states but Nevada where at least it is legal and regulated. I'll take legal with the protection of law enforcement anyday over pimp protection or lack there of. My personal preference is for legalization for independent providers.

    So no I wouldn't consider Gina a pimp. 

    We obviously have our he/she's a nice pimp crowd going on here. If they're so nice and great, they don't need to take the provider's hard earned money. If they really want to be so helpful and selfless and giving, let them do that without taking their money. Better yet, let them pop up an ad up, screen, suck and fuck for themselves. Then they won't need to take provider money, they'll have their own. 

    I also don’t follow the pimp = agency definition.  

    So I’ve never met a textbook definition “pimp” as far as I’m aware of.  Most of my experience had been with one particular girl I saw years ago, pretty regularly.  Booking went through someone else and it was always the same person (another female).  This girl that I’d see flatly said that she preferred the arrangement since calls could be answered while she was working and she didn’t have to deal with things like leases, juggling time slots and making sure the condo unit was stocked with various supplies (shampoo, bottled water, etc. etc.) and so on.  Her agent (the term she used) handled the decorating, of which I joked about the framed video game posters.  She laughed and said her agent thought it would be good for the DTC tech-nerd demographic.  She had told me that she had a kid at home and the setup worked well for her as a single mom with time constraints.  Unless there was something I wasn’t seeing, it all seemed no different than any other business/service arrangement and this agent was actually working and providing value. 

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  17. Posted

    2 hours ago, Bit Banger said:

    The “who works for who?” argument does not hold much weight for me.  I’ve worked as a contractor, with an agency & without.  I’ve also worked as an employee in a number of jobs. I think the key is “Am I free to find other employment?”

    That sums up what I’m saying too.  “Control” in the definition provided earlier can mean a lot of things and the traditional, negative, view of pimps is that they still have control over even the “Am I free to find other employment?” scenario.  Back before the internet, the popular notion was that a girl couldn’t walk a certain street that the pimp “owned” so there’d be a threat from the pimp even if she wasn’t in his employ.  Maybe that’s all Hollywood, though.

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  18. Posted · Edited by synoches

    12 hours ago, Hunter VanDyke said:

    Discussions and opinions are hardly obsessions.

    These statements surprise me too along with the “none of your business” arguments.  I mean if we’re talking about a specific person and that person’s situation, sure, that isn’t our business (unless that person is the one bringing up the subject).  The sensitivity about talking about some general topics and hypothetical situations seems weird to me.

    I still don’t get the agencies are pimps thing.  I used to be a consultant for a large consulting agency.  If you take the definition provided earlier and replace “prostitute” with “consultant”, it sounds pretty much the same as my employment scenario.  I think it’s the nature of the “control” keyword.  I mean, sure I was controlled.  I didn’t get to choose my clients, the firm sent me there to work for them and the client decided what hours I would work.  If I didn’t, I could go find another job.

    I don’t see how it matters about licensing either but all we can do here is provide our own perceived definitions anyway.  I guess I see pimps as someone who exerts some level of manipulation over a provider.  If that’s emotional manipulation, it’s still manipulation.  Nonetheless, I do agree with others saying that if the provider is happy with it, well, then I say live and let live.

    What I see (again, my definition) as an agent/agency is it’s a business agreement between two parties.  It’s not truly a “who works for who” scenario but a mutual agreement scenario.  If an agent agrees up front to provide a set of services and a provider agrees up front to working within those constraints and the financial aspects of the arrangement (and can leave any time), then that’s just an agency, not a pimp.  If a provider leaves the agreement, she loses the services, makes her own appointments with who she wants and keeps all of the money.  No other retaliation fears (emotional or physical).  The only way that scenario differs from plumbers working for a plumbing company or software engineers (like myself) working for a consulting firm instead of being independent contractors is the sexual aspect of the job.

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  19. Posted

    Write reviews of your experiences with newbie-friendly providers.  Over time, as your TOB profile ages and you have reviews chronicling your history here, many providers will simply accept a message from you on TOB (to prove this is your account) as verification enough.  In fact, it’s been a very long time since I’ve been asked for a reference.

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  20. Posted

    I see a lot of the confusion here just stemming from black and white definitions versus shades of gray.  Personally, I see a lot of different shades.  The traditional definition of “pimp” has largely been someone who pretty much owns the provider at almost a master/slave level.  An agent would be someone who entirely is employed by the provider.

    I don’t think those are the only scenarios, though.  An agency (whether it’s a single person or a group organized as a company) that a provider may even technically be employed by might provide the website, ads and marketing, appointments, whatever.  If the provider is happy with the arrangement overall and can leave any time she wants, I think it’s a far cry from calling that a “pimp” scenario.  It’s no different than any consultant working for a firm like Cap Gemini or Accenture.

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  21. Posted · Edited by synoches

    There’s a lot of gray area there.  I saw a girl not long ago where she was slightly thicker than her photos but it wasn’t way off.  There’s “gained 8 lbs since the photos were taken 3 months ago” inaccurate but the photos are obviously her.  Then there’s photos from 3 kids ago.  Then there’s photos of someone else entirely.

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  23. Posted

    I’ve been guilty of not writing negative reviews when I probably should have and I’m generally pretty good about always writing a review.  Typically, I’ll only write a negative review if I truly felt let down by the experience.  There have been times where it’s a bit more gray area.  I’m not saying my reasoning is good but there have been cases where the provider is a very nice and well-meaning person.  The pics were from a MUCH more flattering time in her life.  Also, we are prohibited from mentioning exchanges and amounts in reviews.  What if I felt like the service advertised at the rate demanded didn’t line up with the actual service?  Well, I know how powerful reviews can be and I’m also aware that the more reviews an author has written, the more seriously his reviews are taken.  I put more weight on reviews written by similar other authors.  Maybe I’m guilty of being a bit of a softy in this way.

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  24. Posted

    We also should keep in mind that our context here is from a 411 standpoint where we look at a given prospect from a critical eye.  I posted the ad to get a sense of community reaction to it, like we all do in this forum.  I even suggested this one from a standpoint of “it might be a scam”.  Looking at things in this angle, I see nothing wrong with reacting to the ad in whatever way makes sense.  I’ve seen 411 postings here where guys have responded very negatively because of how the provider looks in her photos but nobody ever blinks an eye there.

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