The value of reviews, or "How to educate a client."

[Bit Banger]

From the "How to educate an escort" thread:

A scan down the reviews makes it obvious that Fantastic is by far the most common, followed by Very Good. The rest are Terrible, No Show and Rip Off. Average is almost never used.

Given that half of anything is below average I must not be the only one who only posts the good ones.

Slight digression... (hence the new thread)

...

I think too many post reviews within 20 minutes of their session. There should be a 3-day waiting period. =)

If a lady has all Fantastic reviews then I am fairly certain that she will be somewhere between OK and OMFG great!

I factor in WHO wrote the reviews. If a guy has never written a bad review, then I knock the rating down a notch. If everything is FANTASTIC, then I knock it down two notches - that's his AVERAGE experience.

As others have said, the very presence of a review, regardless of rating, does lend credibility to a provider - it's an indication that she's not LE. Even if she wasn't to the reviewer's tastes, she may tickle some else's fancy. But about that "waiting period"? Should there be time for the recently coined 'WOW factor' to subside, allowing a clearer head for more objective thinking?

ABSO-fucking-LUTELY!

I usually impose a 3-10 day period on my own good reviews, but not for bad reviews. Perhaps I should delay writing No-Shows, allowing the ASP a chance to explain, but for C&D, blatant B&S, etc, I want to get the word out so that others aren't caught in the same trap.

I've written very few FANTASTICs, as most of you around TOB know. I reserve that rating for situations which 'significantly exceeded expectations." But my VERY GOODs are just that - I had a delightful experience during our time together, as expected. AVERAGE could indicate that there were problems (tidiness, tardiness, inaccurate photos, etc.) or it could mean "beige, I think ..." This is why the text portion of a review is so important. "Vidi. Vici. Veni." doesn't cut it.

Doubt the value of reviews? Consider that there seem to be fewer reports of C&D, or even B&S, in the reviews. I attribute this to several factors:

- Clients (at least TOB participants) are getting more careful and doing better research.

- The cockroaches are being exposed to the light of day.

Sure, many of the 411 requests on the discussion boards turn out to be B&S, but that just means the clients are being more careful; fewer are getting caught by the bait of fashion model photos.

One could argue that with a more educated clientele and an escort pool cleansed of miscreants, there should be a preponderance of VERY GOOD reviews. I will confess that my experiences (at least w/in the TOB & P411 communities) are above average when compared to the days of Yellow Pages, news papers, and strip joints.

[Guest hgritstoo]

Bit,

You've been around the block many more times than I, and I admire that you are trying to inject some integrity into the review process. I also believe that you are tilting at windmills.

How I use the reviews:

1) More reviews....especially very good or fantastic....means that the provider is legitimate and somewhat professional. She's going to do her best.

2) When reading someone else's reviews: Very Good = Fantastic. Average or worse = stay the hell away. So.....I really have only two scores: good and bad. When I review, there is a really fine line between VG and F, which deals mainly with how the chemistry was between us. It probably is not fair to rate the ladies on this, but there it is. Others will most likely have a better experience than I.

3) One or two bad reviews out of many Fs or VGs means nothing to me. People can have bad days, and we all know that sometimes clients are bastards. I will see a lady like this if she appeals to me. However, if there is a pretty even mix of average or worse scattered in amongst the higher ratings, I will avoid her. Why? This tells me that she may not be a very good actress.......which is necessary for building and simulating the "passion" required for a good session. Especially for older, less attractive guys like myself. (The acronym YMMV was developed specifically for guys like me.) There is one lady who advertises on EB that is in this situation. The "little head" has been screaming.....loudly.....for a year for me to see her. The "big head" understands that it would probably be a waste of time (for both of us) and money.

That's it, really. The review process is just too subjective....especially when it comes to appearance, weight issues, and of course, chemistry. It is at best a rough guide on who's safe and who's professional

I'm not as hung up on appearance as many are here. But the lady who can make me believe the fantasy for an hour or so....that is what I am searching for and why I use the review system the way I do.

[Bit Banger]

...

I'm not as hung up on appearance as many are here. But the lady who can make me believe the fantasy for an hour or so....that is what I am searching for ...

100% agreed!

And look at it this way - this review system is far better than the previous one (a phone number written on a bathroom wall with 'For a good time call ').

[fork]

I don't really agree that a waiting period would help, but I would like the ability to be able to edit a review. (Yes, yes, I know this has been discussed and that no one is putting any money into the review site.)

There are a few cases where I've regretted my ratings, mainly because a second visit was a bit different from the first, but not different enough to qualify as a "drastic change in service" as they require for doing a second review on the same person in a short time period.

But in general I think I'm more inspired to write a review right away rather than wait 10 days, after which point I'm probably drooling all over some different girl and would forget to review the last one.

[Guest moose]

I take stock in the drop down categories above the comments - Activities(TF or UTF), Accuracy of Pics, Attitude, Smoker?, et al. The objective info has greater value to me than the subjective.

I also don't get hung up on Fantastic vs Very Good - mainly YMMV - but Average or below is a red flag - one may be a fluke but I'll avoid if there are multiple.

[MAG]

I take stock in the drop down categories above the comments - Activities(TF or UTF), Accuracy of Pics, Attitude, Smoker?, et al. The objective info has greater value to me than the subjective.

I also don't get hung up on Fantastic vs Very Good - mainly YMMV - but Average or below is a red flag - one may be a fluke but I'll avoid if there are multiple.

Even the activities are a crap shoot. I've noticed some guys include "Greek" even if all she did was stick a finger up his ass.

[nairobi09]

I think the waiting period is a good idea since it cannot hurt much if you are

wanting to be as objective as possible.

From my personal experience I have been more concerned about whether to wait for a few visits until I write a review. Sad to say, sometimes I see an entirely different woman as time goes along. I think the reasons for that are immaterial as far as writing a review are

concerned.

I have no problem summarizing several visits in one review. If a guy is seeing an escort for more than one visit it is distorting if he only write about the first time, which is almost always the best time.

[engineer]

I dont see reviews as the main factor. I usually go on 1) Is she legit? 2) Cost, 3) looks, 4) the providers attitude, 5) activities offered, and 6) reviews, in that order.

1) Legit?

This is the single biggest thing I get from a review. If i see 27 reviews on a girl, I know shes the real deal. If i see 0 or 1, im not so sure. This is not only my biggest factor, its the biggest reason I use reviews.

2) Cost

It might not be on everyones list, but its actually the single most important factor. Im NOT saying I like "cheap" girls. Im saying I have to find the right girl to meet my budget. Ive wanted to see several girls for a LONG time, but they are in the $300+ per hour category...unfortunately for me, I cant afford $300 often. Shopping within my budget is one of the most important parts of finding a girl.

I'd love to say #3, Looks, is THE most important factor...and it is, for me, on a "preference" level. But, in the end, price is THE most important factor for me.

However, reviews are unimportant as the girl typically advertises her rates/tells them to you before the session.

2) Looks

If she's THAT hot, I'll overlook a lot. She has a hard time showing up? Well, is she smokin hot? She has a dirty incall? Well, is she REALLY hot? She doesnt do UTF? Well, is she REALLY REALLY hot?? She wants HOW much per hour...well...is she insanely HOT?!

Your reviews are important here, because I need to know if those pics are real or not. If you tell me in a reveiw that her pics are 20+ years old and shes got a massive gut and looks a grandma, NOT the playmate in the pics...then im going to learn a lot from your review.

3) Attitude

So, I use a combo of the actual ad itself (not a lot of stock in that), my interaction with her (is she nice on text/phone/email, does she flirt and come across as sexy? Did she send me an extra photo to set the mood?), and the reviews I find. If I read over and over that "this girl loves her job" and "she smiled" and "she wore what I asked her to" then I figure she's got the atttiude im looking for. If not...well...is she REALLY REALLY freakin hot??

Reviews are important for gauging the providers atttitude. "Clock watcher" is a bad sign, "this girl loves her job" is a good sign.

4) Activities Offered

UTF or TF? This is a HUGE one, as I typically prefer UTF unless, of course, SHES OVER THE TOP AMAZINGLY hot. If not, her attitude and her offered activites might put her over the top. DFK or LFK or none at all? Greek? Does she have some "speciality" thats worth experiencing such as a russian/french combo or some crazy position? Again, im using the reviews to help me figure out what activities DOES she offer.

Again, reviews are very important...so be sure to put up all the acronyms! Ive NOT seen a woman because I wanted some russian that day, but not a SINGLE review said russian.

5) Reviews

So we finally get to reviews. I dont actually care about your session review. To me its nothing more than Penthouse Letters. What im interested in from your review is getting the data i need to answer the above 4 or 5 questions.

Is she REAL? How much? Is she hot? How was her attitude? What activities does she offer?

I, unlike Bit Banger, seem to be able to get all this information from reviews. Sure, lots of guys say "fantastic". But if you read the review, you definitely will find if she's legit, the cost, if she's hot, her attitude, and her activities.

[MrReindeer-9515]

Even the activities are a crap shoot. I've noticed some guys include "Greek" even if all she did was stick a finger up his ass.

Haven't you ever heard the expression: "it's Greek to me!"

All kidding aside, and to address the OP:

Even with the small sample, I find it interesting that an Average review has been mentioned several times as a rating to be avoided. Obviously it's a gents prerogative, but seems to me, if the ratings were even close to being representative, there would be a preponderance of Average.

Now to qualify it: I rarely read, write, or use the reviews for anything...but it just seems odd that an Average would be a badge of shame.

Edited December 17, 2013 by MrReindeer
Science! And removed italics(I over use em' sometimes).

[Bit Banger]

... if the ratings were even close to being representative, there would be a preponderance of Average.

Now to qualify it: I rarely read, write, or use the reviews for anything...but it just seems odd that an Average would be a badge of shame.

I totally agree with these remarks.

For me an AVERAGE session was still a good time/value, but there was room for improvement. I might even repeat with that ASP if her attitude was not the problem.

So no, it should not be a "badge of shame."

[Guest hgritstoo]

..but it just seems odd that an Average would be a badge of shame.

It's like the dreaded "meets expectations" on your performance evaluation.

[fork]

Is she REAL? How much? Is she hot? How was her attitude? What activities does she offer?

+1

That sums it up. And I agree that you can get this information even from "flawed" reviews.

[pfunk]

Is she REAL? How much? Is she hot? How was her attitude? What activities does she offer?

+1

That sums it up. And I agree that you can get this information even from "flawed" reviews.

I agree with both of you, and will add that waiting a few days probably won't make much difference. Fantastic, or terrible, are simply thumbs up, or thumbs down, to me.

The TOB reviews are not perfect, but better than TER (who encourages fake reviews).

[Crazy Horse]

It's like the dreaded "meets expectations" on your performance evaluation.

Yep...no pay for performance raise for you again this year...LOL:p

...Happy Hobbying...

...Crazy Horse...

[Bit Banger]

It's like the dreaded "meets expectations" on your performance evaluation.

Yeah - that's the ticket. You might not get that raise, but you do get to keep your job.