The insanity of Men4RentNow

[Rick Munroe]

We have had an ad on there for years. We have always labeled our photos with the word "Rick" or "Derek" to differentiate who's who in each photo. I changed a bunch of photos last night, and now those geniuses have deleted all of our photos and sent the following email:

 

all photos denied - text is not allowed on photos. You must have at least 1 photo for your ad to be approved and show online.

 

I'm not going to bother arguing the issue with them because previous attempts to discuss things logically were futile since they don't speak English and are robot-like in their replies. For example, they once deleted the words "Whether you prefer" from the sentence in our ad which began "Whether you prefer 2 tops, 2 bottoms or 2 versatile guys," (leaving the ad to confusingly read: "2 tops, 2 bottoms or 2 versatile guys...") and the email they sent was:

 

ad text denied - explicit content not allowed

 

When I wrote back repeatedly asking how the words "Whether you prefer" were considered "explicit," while the words "top, bottom and versatile" weren't, they just kept repeating "explicit content not allowed."

 

Now I'm trying to decide whether or not to cancel the ad. Do you clients mostly use rentboy or is this annoying site equally popular?

[Guest greatness]

I don't use men4rentnow

 

I don't use it. How can everybody get 5 stars all the time? Fake reviews and other things I don't want to bother to talk about stopped me going there. There are a lot of escorts with good computer skills and etc. Why doesn't someone start a new website and charge less.

 

 

We have had an ad on there for years. We have always labeled our photos with the word "Rick" or "Derek" to differentiate who's who in each photo. I changed a bunch of photos last night, and now those geniuses have deleted all of our photos and sent the following email:

 

 

 

I'm not going to bother arguing the issue with them because previous attempts to discuss things logically were futile since they don't speak English and are robot-like in their replies. For example, they once deleted the words "Whether you prefer" from the sentence in our ad which began "Whether you prefer 2 tops, 2 bottoms or 2 versatile guys," (leaving the ad to confusingly read: "2 tops, 2 bottoms or 2 versatile guys...") and the email they sent was:

 

 

 

When I wrote back repeatedly asking how the words "Whether you prefer" were considered "explicit," while the words "top, bottom and versatile" weren't, they just kept repeating "explicit content not allowed."

 

Now I'm trying to decide whether or not to cancel the ad. Do you clients mostly use rentboy or is this annoying site equally popular?

[mansniffing]

I don't use it. How can everybody get 5 stars all the time? Fake reviews and other things I don't want to bother to talk about stopped me going there. There are a lot of escorts with good computer skills and etc. Why don't someone start a new website and charge less.

 

 

Thanks Greatness for keeping it simple.

It's just just a storm-in-a-tea-kettle.

[Rick Munroe]

It's just just a storm-in-a-tea-kettle.

 

The sniffer is so right. How silly of me to bring up an issue involving an escorting website on a message board devoted to escorting.

[whipped guy]

...How silly of me...

Well that's because you are and always will be just a silly guy...

 

...and for the record I find men4rentnow too confusing.

[geoffk]

m4r

 

well for me this site has more guys available in more places than other sites.

 

as for reviews its always up to the customer to determine what his own needs or

feelings about the time together are.

 

i would guess the vendors must be getting dates from this site or else they wouldnt

be advertising here.

 

your story reminds me of my listings on ebay/half.com they deleted one of my listings

and all you get from them is a form as to what their policies are, they explain to you what

your errow was, so how do you know what was wrong with it?

 

gk

[Epigonos]

I use rentboy and all other escort sites only to check out new guys in my local area or to check to see who is available in a city to which I plan to travel. If I find an ad that interests me I note the escort’s name and then check this site. If the guy doesn’t have a review here I am not likely to hire him. Frankly this is my site of choice for selecting and hiring escorts.

[Rick Munroe]

as for reviews its always up to the customer to determine what his own needs or

feelings about the time together are.

 

Yeah, I always assumed that clients looked at those other sites just for the pics and then came to Daddy's for reviews. Anyway, thanks for your input. I was mostly amused by this situation! Whipped guy has me pegged.

 

your story reminds me of my listings on ebay/half.com they deleted one of my listings

and all you get from them is a form as to what their policies are, they explain to you what

your errow was, so how do you know what was wrong with it?

 

You meant to say they don't explain what your error was, right? Yeah, I've had that same issue on ebay/half when they removed a listing with no explanation. I just relisted and it didn't get removed the second time.

 

UPDATE: They just wrote back to inform me: "Unfortunately due to the climate in the industry, we have been advised by our legal council to discontinue allowing text on photos." I wonder what legal problems could arise for them if our photos are labeled "Rick" and "Derek." Or by "climate," are they referring to global warming?

[Guest DuchessIvanaKizznhugg]

Just a thought....

 

UPDATE:[/color] They just wrote back to inform me: "Unfortunately due to the climate in the industry, we have been advised by our legal council to discontinue allowing text on photos." I wonder what legal problems could arise for them if our photos are labeled "Rick" and "Derek." Or by "climate," are they referring to global warming?

What if you labelled them #1 and #2?

Does that count as text?

[Mark Gordon]

M4rn

 

M4RN is trying to play things safe on the legal front, but their application of this policy is uneven and without clear sensible guidelines. I have had text approved once and then removed the next time. Your comparison with eBay is apt. They have become a successful key player in the market, but they’re an impersonal entity who do not, and probably will not, focus on customer service. I think you just have to accept them for what they are and decide for yourself whether dealing with them brings in enough business to make it worth the expense and hassle. For me, it currently does.

[Boston Guy]

If I am traveling to an area that is well-served by Rentboy, I'll probably check it. But there have been many, many occasions in the last year when Rentboy was simply unavailable at all or where response time was so bad that I gave up the attempt.

 

I will always check M4RN. It's easy to identify the ads that are no longer current by the lack of contact information. I find that while some escorts advertise on both sites, the greatest number seem to be on one or the other, rather than both. Many of the freshest faces are to be found on M4RN and I have had good luck with guys that I have hired from that site over the years.

 

The only time I will check a review here is if someone mentions something here in the message center that causes me to go look at a review so I can understand the poster's post.

 

To each his own.

 

BG

[mansniffing]

I think you just have to accept them for what they are and decide for yourself whether dealing with them brings in enough business to make it worth the expense and hassle.

 

Another way of saying it is

The Serenity Prayer

 

God grant me the

SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change;

COURAGE to change the things I can;

and WISDOM to know the difference.

[operalover21]

The sniffer is so right. How silly of me to bring up an issue involving an escorting website on a message board devoted to escorting.

 

Can't take it but can dish it out?

[Rick Munroe]

Another way of saying it is

The Serenity Prayer

 

I don't think prayer has any effect on M4RN's policies.

[devonhunter]

I abandoned M4RN months ago. If a client is going to no-show/waste time/be complicated/disappear/become psychotic/complain about fee/insert irregularity here the likelihood goes way up if he contacted me through M4RN as opposed to Rentboy. I don't know why this should be, but I have found very consistently that the quality of interaction is, in all ways, better with Rentboy.

[+ g56whiz]

I don't think prayer has any effect on M4RN's policies.

 

Quite true Rick. M4RN's policies speak for themselves. But I think the Snifter, quoted that serenity prayer as an admonition for you. Take a deep breath and move on. The marketplace will take care of M4RN soon enough.

[seeker630]

Who has the power?

 

Quite true Rick. M4RN's policies speak for themselves. But I think the Snifter, quoted that serenity prayer as an admonition for you. Take a deep breath and move on. The marketplace will take care of M4RN soon enough.

 

As long as more escorts advertise on M4RN than on Rentboy - or RentMen - potential clinets are likely to continue going there. For all the problems...they must be doing *something right.

 

The number of inactive ads is something I hate - but I know how to identify them, so it's really just an annoyance.

[Mark Gordon]

The Marketplace

 

The marketplace will take care of M4RN soon enough.

 

When I lived in London, I forked over thousands every year for ads in Gay Times, Boyz and QX. They all had terrible customer service, screwing up ads in every way imaginable, or forgetting to place them altogether, and treating their escort advertisers with contempt. As time went on and the internet took over, I was getting fewer calls through them and started placing only occasional print ads, then none at all. Now, as gay men look increasingly to the web not only for escorts, but for news and listings, the gay press is really struggling and some magazines have gone under. I have no sympathy. The marketplace does take care of things in the end.

[Kevin Slater]

The marketplace will take care of M4RN soon enough.

 

Wish it were so. My suspicion is that it and the cockroaches (and perhaps Cher) will survive the next world war.

 

Kevin Slater

[+ g56whiz]

As long as more escorts advertise on M4RN than on Rentboy - or RentMen - potential clinets are likely to continue going there. For all the problems...they must be doing *something right.

 

The number of inactive ads is something I hate - but I know how to identify them, so it's really just an annoyance.

 

Interesting but I suspect that if you cull all the inactive ads from M4RN, Rentboy would have the greater number of listings in the US at least. I rather like the Rentmen site with its features like video interviews and "who saw you", but RentBoy is still king. I had to deal with the RentBoy staff on behalf of an Escort friend of mine with limited English. I actually visitied their office on 14th Street (yes and sat in the seat that countless fabulous asses must have sat in [sigh!]) and they were both courteous and professional in resolving the matter promptly.

[Kevin Slater]

I abandoned M4RN months ago. If a client is going to no-show/waste time/be complicated/disappear/become psychotic/complain about fee/insert irregularity here the likelihood goes way up if he contacted me through M4RN as opposed to Rentboy. I don't know why this should be, but I have found very consistently that the quality of interaction is, in all ways, better with Rentboy.

 

See Bart's post on the other current M4RN thread ( http://www.companyofmen.org/showthread.php?t=72546&page=2 ) about how folk who use M4RN get to that site (short of payback for unmentionable atrocities they must have committed in previous lives). I think that may explain this phenomenon; clients in the know will use rentboy, google searchers end up on M4RN.

 

Kevin Slater

[Romann]

Walk-ins work too but...

 

...and they were both courteous and professional in resolving the matter promptly.

 

I'm happy to hear that the issue was resolved in a respectful way but that doesn't help those of us who don't live in NY to visit with them personally. That's when the tech support is essential and when that is poorly run, questions not answered, emails not returned and jokers working for RB giving you attitude instead of resolution then that leaves many escorts out in the dark. While it's great that one can step into the offices to get assistance, it shouldn't be the main vehicle for resolving problems.

[rvwnsd]

I look at M4RN, but usually rely on rentboy and rentmen. You should cancel M4RN and move to rentmen. They could use the listings and seem to be more responsive than either rentboy or M4RN. For example, I noticed the phrase "save only" as a turn on on rentmen profiles. I contacted them, stating that I thought they meant "safe only." the webmaster replied within a few hours and the error was corrected within a day or two. I wish they had more listings. Rentboy, on the other hand, is a little buggy. the search feature is not great, but at least the majority of their ads are from escorts who actually escort, unlike M4RN.

[Rick Munroe]

I look at M4RN, but usually rely on rentboy and rentmen. You should cancel M4RN and move to rentmen.

 

Thanks for your (and others' above) feedback! The thing is, we've met some great guys through M4RN, which is why I hesitate to drop the ad. I will say that they were a little more communicative than usual in subsequent emails today, so I'll give them credit for that. I think rentmen is really more for escorts with videos. Anyway, I truly appreciate the feedback & advice! I'll be sure to give you a great review on the new "Client Review" section of M4RN (just kidding).

[Boston Guy]

See Bart's post on the other current M4RN thread ( http://www.companyofmen.org/showthread.php?t=72546&page=2 ) about how folk who use M4RN get to that site (short of payback for unmentionable atrocities they must have committed in previous lives). I think that may explain this phenomenon; clients in the know will use rentboy, google searchers end up on M4RN.

 

Kevin Slater

 

I suppose, then, that after 12 years of happily hiring hundreds of escorts I must not yet be a "client in the know". One is forced to wonder just when that magical epiphany occurs: is it after escort number 750? Or perhaps escort number 1,000?

 

Despite your own feelings about M4RN or the feelings of other escorts, I assure you that many escorts and clients are able to use M4RN happily and successfully. As I have previously noted, I choose to use various sites depending on mood, location, timing, etc. There are times when, even if were a "client in the know", Rentboy would be unlikely to provide much help.

 

For example, suppose I were traveling to Dayton, OH. That's not so far-fetched: I've actually been to Dayton on business trips several times. Were I, a "client in the know", to turn to my trusty Rentboy, I'd find a grand total of one ad. The ad is for "Porn Star Jason Sparks", who happens to be visiting for two days. Beyond that, Rentboy strikes out. Turning to M4RN, I find seven ads. There are two ads for escorts local to Dayton, three for Cincinnati escorts who are willing to travel to Dayton, one for a Columbus escort who is willing to travel to Dayton and one more for a plucky young escort from Charlotte, NC who is also willing to travel to Dayton. I'd be surprised if the last young man didn't originally grow up in Dayton and still have family there.

 

One can easily find many examples exactly like this throughout the US. Even though some big-city escorts have always considered themselves the only real game in town, it's been my experience that there many pleasant, interesting and delightful young men all across the country who are happy to get together for some fun. These young men will almost never be found on Rentboy. They generally aren't jaded or cynical and they're often local university students. It's been my great pleasure to meet a fair number of them over the years.

 

Rentboy has its purpose, of course, and it's not hard to find both clients and escorts who will claim that "real" escorts are on Rentboy and escorts advertising on other sites are somehow less worthy. But it's long been my experience that M4RN is at least as useful a tool for finding delightful escorts as Rentboy.

 

BG