Why dont more new clients avail themselves of the review process?

[Michael Wayne]

Now I dont mean why dont clients review. That has been asked and answered here a hundred times. I mean why dont guys who are newbies or inexperienced use Daddys or other review sites in order to make an informed and safe and satisfying choice. I ask this because over the last month I have met four wonderful new clients each of whom had a real HORROR story to tell me about recent experiences. I do not feel comfortable sharing the details for reasons of discretion however let me say that there are SCAM ARTISTS among us who circle as wolves to scheme money out of the nice yet NAIVE new clients. None of the four escorts in question have as much as one positive review and two have very negative reviews. All four of these situations could have been avoided. Thousands of dollars were wasted as well as dozens of hours and in one case my clients safgety was in danger. Is there a way to get the word out about the existence of the review sites? http://www.rentmen.com/mikeyusatop

[Michael Wayne]

i meant to type, "safety." One more thought to ad to my op: The reviews are INVALUABLE because I can tell someone all day how hot I am or how big I am or how good I am but when a new client reads it forom a third party it usually seals the deal. However.... lately a new thing is occuring and I dont know how to answer it other than to promise a full guarantee of my appearance. A potential client contacts me and says that he is convinced my pics are air brushed or altered in some way. So I refer him to my reviews and offer a guarantee (no obligation if not 100% satisfied) I even joke that he can bring a RULER! LOL! Yet they still show skepticism.... I think it is because of all these scam and con artists out there. Those of us who are legit and actually give a dman about our clients are lumped in with these con artists and stereotyped. I will close with a funny story that happened just sunday night: I was going to see a regular who has a new non-sexual roomate who happened to be home when I arrived. The roomate said , "Oh, hi Mikey, I have seen your ads before. Thought you were a fake. You are really cute in person and I am surprised cause most escorts dont match their pics. But Mikey I am convinced that your dick pics are altered or air brushed which is why I have not hired you." So I answered. "glad u think i am so cute. you dont believe my reviews?" He says, " I never read the reviews. those reviews are all lies and fraudulent." So all I could do at that point was take off my jeans and show him my cock . I asked him to stroke it and blow me. Needless to say I now have a NEW client! LOL.........but seriously how do we counteract all these myths and stories and lies. I have a new talking point that I use on the skeptics. I say that I did not get to the TOP of the biz by lying about ther size of my cock. They laugh and then i offer the on site guarantee but often even that cant convince the doubters. any thoughts guys? http://www.rentmen.com/mikeyusatop

[JT Brooklyn]

Working Guys have rarely gotten more than 10% of their BIZ from Daddys Readers.

 

Some "donot" like being Reviewed for different reasons. Some just donot like the "Piece of Meat" Review they may get.

 

"Popularity" of Daddys for some could be a curse rather than a Bonanza!

[Decatur Guy]

I think a lot of it is a simple matter of people not stumbling across it in their search engine quests. I had probably hired three or four times before I stumbled across HooBoy. Then shortly afterward, it disappeared and it took me awhile to find the new iteration of Daddy's Reviews.

 

My first few outings weren't great, but thankfully weren't bad either.

[corndog]

I think that people mistrust reviews because of the practices of other sites like m4rn and the massage sites... those reviews are, indeed, highly suspect. People largely aren't aware of this site, or the vetting process that is used to reduce fraudulent reviews. (And, I think most of us believe that some suspicious reviews sneak through, even here.)

 

Mikey, I think that one of the best things you can do to help is to link to your daddysreviews.com reviews in your ads, which I think you do. This helps you, but it also helps clients become aware that this site is available as a resource.

[socalboy2283]

Not to be blunt, but I think the fact that you are older creates a lot of skepticism with your clients, as even outside of this niche of the gay intenet men constnatly post pictures of themselves that show what they looked like a number of years ago rather than circa recent times.

 

Also, you can put your profile link in your signature instead of at the end of every text post.

[bigvalboy]

That's a good question Mikey. For me at least it was just a matter of knowing about this site. Someone asked me the other day, how it was I came to log on to Daddy's, and for the life of me I just can't remember why or what circumstance it was that ultimately had me find my way here. I guess that once here, I just assumed that everyone else in the escorting world was aware of it also, but you would be shocked to find out how many escorts and masseurs that I have told at the end of a hire that I would write them a nice review on Daddy's, and they have absolutely no idea what I was talking about.

 

I've talked with friends who hire and they have no idea what Daddy's is either. I think one of the problems also is all the new 'hook up' sites like Grindr, Backpage, and CL. It is my opinion that more and more people are accessing sites like that and simply don't care about a review.

 

I get emails from friends all the time that will send me links to some guy they are about to hook up with on CL or BP and ask me what I think, but that is the extent of the research that they are interested in.

[tyro]

For me, finding the reviews is all due to my discovering David-SF (well, Palm Springs now, but you all know who he is.) Fleshbot featured one of his vids and one of the comments asked, "Hey...is this that escort in San Francisco?" Further research led me to his site, which links directly to Daddy's Reviews. If I hadn't found that video, my whole life may be different now -- and probably not better.

T

[Electra 225]

I was referred to the original HooBoy site by Aaron Lawrence (an early hire from long ago and I found Aaron through one of the printed publications that is no more). I think that he knew HooBoy. After HooBoy passed away, I "transferred" to Daddysreviews and have been here ever since. When I hire, I always post a review, even if it is for the same person that I have seen numerous times. I also always refer first to Daddysreviews when making a local hire or when making a hire while travelling. Due to the high "turnover" in the industry, there are a number of times when I just "take the plunge" and see how it goes.

[raife]

www.rentmen.com/mikeyusatop[/url]

 

Newbies come upon these review sites and are often blown away by the price tags. I've introduced guys to daddys and they see the $250-300+/hr rates of many frequently reviewed escorts. They compare those to the guys on Backpage, CL and other local listing sites offering sessions for half those rates and less. In that regard I can't argue with them, I partake of the amateur sites myself, I just emphasize that new hires from those sources are inherently riskier and they need to pay great attention to their intuition, "think with the big head not the little head", (we covered warning signs pretty extensively in a very recent thread).

 

The big gotcha: until a client gets ripped off a time or two, they lack sufficient respect for the safety factor.

 

Your rate is a happy middle ground but many cities don't have affordable pro choices so we're left to go on the hunt for willing amateurs. Besides, the thrill of the hunt can be its own erotic excitement, not that different from hooking up on Grindr. Too bad that more happy BP/CL escort customers don't write glowing daddys reviews of their hires. I guess given the ephemeral nature of those type listings, there's nothing to tie the review back to.

[rossthebosssf]

I rarely surf Backpage as there's so many scammers, however, I frequently go fishing on Craigslist for newbies and non-pros. It's exciting and since the price points are much lower ($50-$150) I feel that if it turns out to be not-so-great, I really didn't spend much. I still only engage well reviewed escorts for longer term engagements or if I don't have extra time to spare.

[rossthebosssf]

As far as newbies go, I think very few clients do that much research in the beginning. They just pick the guy that appeals to them and they go for it. I think research and reviews are secondary until they get a bit more introduced to this lifestyle.

[BaronArtz]

It's an excellent question. I think that hiring an escort very often is an 'impulse' buy. He looks hot in his pics, he's my type, he's available NOW and I can afford it ... let's DO it. I bet that's a good 80% of the business, if not more.

[raife]

[...] I still only engage well reviewed escorts for longer term engagements or if I don't have extra time to spare.

 

 

For the longer sessions, I often just rehire the gems I've found on BP/CL/... Many of them will jump at the chance to do a multi-hour date sex+dinner+outing+sex for $300 or so, even here in LA. My "little black book" runneth over and since initial hires are inherently stressful, a new guy every month or two is more than enough.

 

 

I really don't want a longer date with a hire until I've checked out our conversational chemistry in a shorter session.

 

 

[...] I think that hiring an escort very often is an 'impulse' buy. He looks hot in his pics, he's my type, he's available NOW and I can afford it ... let's DO it. I bet that's a good 80% of the business, if not more.

 

 

An impulse buy if you're well-to-do, as with travel, some of us have to save for our hobby excursions.

[+ FreshFluff]

I've seen several posters here that say things like, "I know that I should only hire well reviewed escorts but..." I think there are a few reasons guys may hire non-reviewed escorts. They may like the hunt for a diamond in the rough; they want to pay less than what well-reviewed escorts charge; or they just like to live on the edge.

 

Not to be blunt, but I think the fact that you are older creates a lot of skepticism with your clients, as even outside of this niche of the gay intenet men constnatly post pictures of themselves that show what they looked like a number of years ago rather than circa recent times.

 

That can easily be solved by changing pics frequently or holding up a newspaper in photos. It would have to be done in an ironic way to avoid making you look like a hostage though.

[Epigonos]

I have always had an obsessive compulsive anal retentive personality. In many ways I don’t have a spontaneous bone in my body. Thus after retiring, when I decided to look for an “escort” to hire, I spent about three months doing research on the internet. During that period I accidently ran onto Hooboy’s site. It was a revelation. The point of this background is that I’m sure many new clients seeking escorts are far more spontaneous than I and don’t want to “waste” time researching the internet and therefore don’t find this site. If one isn’t referred to this site by a friend it definitely takes time and effort to find.

 

I am also aware that some escorts DO NOT want reviews posted here and I’ve never understood why. If they’re good at what they do this site can be a gold mine. I know several escorts who once they found this site gave up advertising elsewhere and depend on this site totally for their business. They tell me that the clients from here are generally honest, clean, reliable, knowledgeable and understand how the escort scene works.

[bigvalboy]

Not to be blunt, but I think the fact that you are older creates a lot of skepticism with your clients, as even outside of this niche of the gay intenet men constnatly post pictures of themselves that show what they looked like a number of years ago rather than circa recent times.

 

Also, you can put your profile link in your signature instead of at the end of every text post.

 

If you are referring to Mikey, I think he is one of the few escorts that are constantly changing his pics. I never got the impression that he was posting older pics or trying in anyway to deceive his clients.....at one point he even posted a video of himself for everyone to watch. Not sure if it is still up somewhere, but it was very informative, interesting, and allowed many of us to hear his voice and see his mannerisms.

 

 

And..... posting his link after his posts is good advertising. He used to post his links more extensively and it seemed to bother a lot of the members, not sure why, but he has toned it down. This is a business for Mikey, and advertising is part of that business.

[Frequentflier]

I get emails from friends all the time that will send me links to some guy they are about to hook up with on CL or BP and ask me what I think, but that is the extent of the research that they are interested in.

 

That's nice of you to help them out. I best most of us don't have anyone we can get input from, except by openly using this site and most of the hires I've made didn't have reviews on this site. Hmmm....we sort of need an "advance man" who will "take the plunge first"....not that I'm suggesting anyone Maybe there should be a membership fee that the aforementioned advance man uses to travel, test and review Wonder how many who read this will look for the "apply online" button.

 

By the way, the drink picture next to your screen name on this site always make me thirsty...

[bigvalboy]

That's nice of you to help them out. I best most of us don't have anyone we can get input from, except by openly using this site and most of the hires I've made didn't have reviews on this site. Hmmm....we sort of need an "advance man" who will "take the plunge first"....not that I'm suggesting anyone Maybe there should be a membership fee that the aforementioned advance man uses to travel, test and review Wonder how many who read this will look for the "apply online" button.

 

 

It is interesting, because you always hear about the horror stories about hiring from Backpage or CL, but my friends, all in their 50's do really well, in fact a couple of them have found guys in their 20's which now are fairly constant companions. I just don't have the stomach for that sort of thing, and play it safer when I do my hiring. For them I think that there is a certain thrill of the unknown, and the excitement of always finding that 'diamond in the rough'

 

 

By the way, the drink picture next to your screen name on this site always make me thirsty...

 

Thanks, it's a margarita, and it was in the 90's that day. We were at a pool party at a resort in Fort Lauderdale....it was "Rainin Men"

[whipped guy]

Late to this party... but when I first stumbled on the original Hoboy review site many years ago it was what gave me the confidence to be able to research escorts in a rational and systematic manner. I think it was about three months of research before I took the plunge. At that time I also lurked here in the forums and used the advanced search feature to do additional research. It all paid off splendidly as I made the perfect decision. It was only years later that I decided to officially join here... and when I did so many guys were helpful in helping me to locate that perfect guy. In fact one poster would often hire a guy and then give me a heads up as to yea or no way. I have always been willing to return the favor... as have many of the posters here often do as well by sharing their wisdom and knowledge. Yet interestingly many escorts don't even know about the message center. Indeed one guy who knew about the review site had no clue that he could get some free advertising by posting his travel itinerary in the forums... and he is a well reviewed guy who has been working it since the last century!!! So not even some workers are totally aware of all the resources available under the Daddy's umbrella... much less first time clients!!!!!

[+ Axiom2001]

That's a good question Mikey. For me at least it was just a matter of knowing about this site. Someone asked me the other day, how it was I came to log on to Daddy's, and for the life of me I just can't remember why or what circumstance it was that ultimately had me find my way here. I guess that once here, I just assumed that everyone else in the escorting world was aware of it also, but you would be shocked to find out how many escorts and masseurs that I have told at the end of a hire that I would write them a nice review on Daddy's, and they have absolutely no idea what I was talking about.

 

I've talked with friends who hire and they have no idea what Daddy's is either. I think one of the problems also is all the new 'hook up' sites like Grindr, Backpage, and CL. It is my opinion that more and more people are accessing sites like that and simply don't care about a review.

 

I get emails from friends all the time that will send me links to some guy they are about to hook up with on CL or BP and ask me what I think, but that is the extent of the research that they are interested in.

 

 

BigValboy, I echo precisely what you wrote in your first paragraph. My experiences have definitely been similar to yours.

[Nvr2Thick]

Now I dont mean why dont clients review. That has been asked and answered here a hundred times. I mean why dont guys who are newbies or inexperienced use Daddys or other review sites in order to make an informed and safe and satisfying choice. I ask this because over the last month I have met four wonderful new clients each of whom had a real HORROR story to tell me about recent experiences. I do not feel comfortable sharing the details for reasons of discretion however let me say that there are SCAM ARTISTS among us who circle as wolves to scheme money out of the nice yet NAIVE new clients. None of the four escorts in question have as much as one positive review and two have very negative reviews. All four of these situations could have been avoided. Thousands of dollars were wasted as well as dozens of hours and in one case my clients safgety was in danger. Is there a way to get the word out about the existence of the review sites? http://www.rentmen.com/mikeyusatop

 

Even if a newbie knows of this site he may not be able to find any helpful reviews. Not that I'm a newbie, but even if I go to a city such as Chicago I may not find any reviews for any currently active men who are my type. If I do find a positive review for an escort I'm interested in, the review may not interest me. If the reviewer's writing style doesn't provide the information I require, or if the review it makes it clear that the reviewer has different sexual interests the review may become a deterrent. If, for example, I'm looking for an aggressive, insistent, rough but affectionate top and the review describes a versatile or kink scene the review might leave me with (to my mind) negative information to overcome.

 

There are also the personal love letter reviews. Some reviews read as if the reviewer is a sugardaddy or a wannabe sugardaddy. The reviewer suggests that he developed a personal bond with the escort. That leaves me thinking that either the reviewer is exaggerating to endear himself to the escort, or the reviewer has established a closeness over the course of several for-pay interactions. Either way, these reviews would not suggest the type of treatment that a first time client would receive.

 

I tend to believe most negative reviews. Quite a few, however, read like some vindictive queen did not achieve the desired special relationship I've described above.

 

In short, as useful as this site can be, there's a lot of information that is either suspect or not relevant to a specific potential client.

 

Both this thread and the one regarding avoiding police stings emphasize depending on multiple positive reviews. Our community does need its pioneers though. Someone's got to take the plunge (or receive the plunge) and do some homework, ask the right questions, take on risk of disappointment or worse so that we have some reviews on which we can depend.

[whipped guy]

 

I tend to believe most negative reviews. Quite a few, however, read like some vindictive queen did not achieve the desired special relationship I've described above.

 

In short, as useful as this site can be, there's a lot of information that is either suspect or not relevant to a specific potential client.

 

Both this thread and the one regarding avoiding police stings emphasize depending on multiple positive reviews. Our community does need its pioneers though. Someone's got to take the plunge (or receive the plunge) and do some homework, ask the right questions, take on risk of disappointment or worse so that we have some reviews on which we can depend.

All the above is true for any aspect of life that is subject to review. As a person who has written a number of reviews for this site, I have written many more for Amazon.com... and the same caveats apply there as well. I am not sure how helpful my reviews have been here, but at Amazon I have a 96% helpful rating. I would like to think that is the same for this site... And speaking of reviews, I actually think that the YOU section at the conclusion is actually the most important part... and ironically that is what is often ignored. If you tell about your wants, needs, desires, age, frame of mind, hopes, fears, where you have been, where you want to go, etc. it makes the review so much more meaningful and helpful.

[JT Brooklyn]

All the above is true for any aspect of life that is subject to review. As a person who has written a number of reviews for this site, I have written many more for Amazon.com... and the same caveats apply there as well. I am not sure how helpful my reviews have been here, but at Amazon I have a 96% helpful rating. I would like to think that is the same for this site... And speaking of reviews, I actually think that the YOU section at the conclusion is actually the most important part... and ironically that is what is often ignored. If you tell about your wants, needs, desires, age, frame of mind, hopes, fears, where you have been, where you want to go, etc. it makes the review so much more meaningful and helpful.

 

I Reviewed a Fish Tank Purchase once on Amazon...the difference being the "Fish Tank" could be returned..no problem!

 

Unfortunately that ain't gonna work with the "Working Guy"!

[seeker630]

All the above is true for any aspect of life that is subject to review. As a person who has written a number of reviews for this site, I have written many more for Amazon.com... and the same caveats apply there as well. I am not sure how helpful my reviews have been here, but at Amazon I have a 96% helpful rating. I would like to think that is the same for this site... And speaking of reviews, I actually think that the YOU section at the conclusion is actually the most important part... and ironically that is what is often ignored. If you tell about your wants, needs, desires, age, frame of mind, hopes, fears, where you have been, where you want to go, etc. it makes the review so much more meaningful and helpful.

 

 

Totally agree about the YOU section: a review is much more relevant to me if the reviewer is similar to me in attributes, temperament or expectations. And those characteristics can sometimes offer insight into why the review is a rave or a rant.