Taking Control of Escort Rates

[LovesYng]

"RIGHT ON," That's the BIG reason I switched to the independent escort and stop using the agencies. I learn my lesson on the high prices:7

 

When in doubt I whip it out:+

[LovesYng]

"RIGHT ON," That's the BIG reason I switched to the independent escort and stop using the agencies. I learn my lesson on the high prices:7

 

When in doubt I whip it out:+

[Guest Tristan]

Good for you, Utopia. Glad it seems to be working out. I agree that the rates have gotten out of control. There is no justification for this. Escort rates have also been going up much faster than most people's salaries. (Of course, I also believe that the rates for professional athletes are obscene. But that's a whole other subject.)

[Guest houseboy]

Hmmm, I want to say that I agree somewhat with Utopia's assessment of the hike in escort rates, even though I am pretty much shooting myself into my own foot. Nevertheless, knowing some of those people who offer their "services" on craigslist (not to bash the site, but seeing how many guys offer themselves for free on there, why pay anything?), there is definitely something to be said for quality coming with higher rates. Obviously, you can always go for the bargain sushi if you don't feel like spending more money for the really fresh stuff.

 

While I cannot fathom paying $400 an hour for an escort who may or may not turn out to be challenged when it comes to manners and common courtesy, I think once I am entering the employer side of the escorting business (can't wait!), I don't think I would want to jump into bed with someone who charges $100 or less (I would at least like him to be making enough to be able to afford a regular supply of soap and dental floss).

 

Maybe I am too idealistic for this grim, jaded world, but all the fun of having sex with large numbers of guys aside, as an escort, you are still basically selling yourself, so to me - at least - my regular rate of $200 an hour in some ways reflects (to myself as well as to my clients) a certain amount of pride in myself and in my services.

 

 

Sean Lespagnol

Chicago, IL

http://www.seanlespagnol.com

 

"If you want a friend, tame me"

[Guest Utopia]

Sean with all respect I really haven't noticed a difference in quality between the guy who charges me $250. and the guy who charges me $150 in bed. I do note if I wanted to take someone out for the evening (dinner, movie or play ...)then the guys I meet from men4rentnow.com or rentboy or craigslist in most cases would not compare to some of the well reviewed or respected escorts found on this site.

 

With that said I rarely hire for companionship, maybe one or twice a year. Most of my hiring is strictly for enjoyable session in bed , if I'm lucky.

 

Regarding all the free guys on craigslist like in other parts in my life I don't always have time to filter through the flakes. Hiring fits my needs at the moment. Though I have hooked up with one or two nice guys for free from there as well.

[Guest man2man4u40]

Hmmm...maybe Priceline.com can add escorts to their category of wares. ;-) ;-)

 

 

Jack in SF

415-303-0221

[email protected]

http://www.gaydar.co.uk/man2man4u40

[Guest alanm]

I don't know where OP lives. Rates are certainly too high in places like NY. I agree that $200-$250 per hour has become standard

everywhere, following NY's lead where $300 is standard.

 

Having said that, with escorts, like most other rentals or purchases,

you tend to get what you pay for. I have paid high rates for escorts like Tony Cummings, Kristian, Billy Brandt, Gabe from St. Louis (retired) et al. and felt that I got more than my money's worth.

 

OP: You might want to junk the negotiations if a very special escort is visiting your City.

[Boston Guy]

I've been on record here for a long time -- and roundly criticized, too -- for advocating negotiations with escorts. I decided quite a while ago not to pay more than $200. With rare exceptions, I've stuck to that, happily and successfully, in NYC, LA, elsewhere in the US, Canada and Europe.

 

If someone charges more, I simply tell them what I'm willing to pay. If they want to accept that, I'm happy to get together. If not, I'm generally just as happy to go off and do something or someone else.

 

I've long been amused by escorts who are offended by a negotiation for their services. Such an attitude reveals little experience in the world of business (or even the world in general), where negotiation is common for services of all kinds.

 

Negotiating a price for something you want to buy and someone else wants to sell shouldn't be complicated, emotional or demeaning to either party. The escorts who act offended forget that someone is affirming the worth of what they have to sell when they make an offer to purchase those services.

 

If an escort were to price his services at $10,000 per hour, he would most likely have few takers. If he priced his services at $1.00 per hour, he'd likely be busy (unless people were suspicious enough of the low price to stay away). Someplace in between is a realistic price for an escort to price his services.

 

However, that doesn't mean that the same price will be the right price for every client. Taking a "this is my price, take it or leave it" approach is simple but probably not the best approach for the average escort, for it can easily prevent the kinds of discussions that might well lead to situations that are satisfying to both the client and escort.

 

Not too long ago, I was in LA and called a particular guy. He said that his price was $250 for an hour. I told him that was higher than I wanted to pay and that I pretty much stuck to $200 per hour. He was reasonably arrogant and quite unpleasant in his response. The result: he got none of my money. It's entirely possible that other clients were willing to pay his stated rate, but that was of no concern to me.

 

I called a second escort, who also charged $250. After some discussion, he said, "I'm not sure about $200 for an hour. But how about $300 for two hours?" I readily accepted and we had a great time. He told me later that he was a little short on rent money and the $300 was just in time. So he gained, because he made a bit more than he would have, at a cost of an extra hour of socializing. I gained because I felt the time spent was more than fair for the money spent. And we both gained, because we established a new relationship that continues to this day and I see him on a reasonably regular basis.

 

Not once has he ever indicated to me that he felt taken advantage of; on the contrary, he is always enthusiastic about getting together and urging me to call again when I'm back in his city.

 

Utopia, as you've already seen, many escorts will glady accept a reasonable offer reasonably stated. Others will not, but that's ok, too, so long as the conversation stays amiable.

 

Finally, in my experience, higher-priced escorts are, on average, less fun and less satisfying than lower-priced escorts. I think the guys at the higher end of the price range just end up becoming too convinced of their own self-worth to actually be fun to be with.

 

BG

[VaHawk]

WOW! I'm sure your self-confidence and opinion of yourself is more than justified by your posts here and your glowing reviews. Unfortunately, not every escort deserves nor merits your

accolades.

 

IMO, that doesn't make them inferior in quality, just because they

charge less per hour.

 

As such, I take exception with some of your points.

 

1. Since when does a higher price mean higher quality?? I have had

more than one less than satisfying, even highly disappointing

sessions with $200+/hr escorts, some with good reviews on this

site. On the other hand, I've had many satisfying encounters

with lower priced/non-reviewed escorts and even bar/street

hustlers for less than $100/encounter.

Using a non-sexual example: If I buy a flawless 2 carat

diamond ring at Tiffany's at a 600% retail markup for

$5000 and find an identical ring in Chinatown for

$2500, is the latter of lesser quality?

 

2. Don't you think your comment about an escort who charges $100

an hour or less is just a teeny bit condescending? Just

because they do so, is no need to imply that they are lesser

quality or less hygenic and can't afford soap/dental floss.

 

In conclustion, imo, price never has anything to do with quality and one has to exert no more effort to validate that than to read the reviews on this very site.

 

In case no one has noticed, the economy sucks right now and expenditures on luxury items (and escorts are a luxury, not a necessity) are thusly being curbed. As such, imo, the supply is starting to exceed the demand, and basic economics shows in that situation that prices for the product decline. Since price never, imo, guarantees quality, why not risk only $150/hr rather than $300/hr?

[jackhammer91406]

Cutting back on Luxuries

 

A case can be made for being more aware of budget constraints in today's economy. And I agree that some escorts are priced way too high for my wallet. But I would guess there are plenty of guys who have more disposable income than I , and for them, price is probably not a consideration.

 

I suspect that a reasonable person could also make a case for quality versus quantity. Given X amount of dollars to spend, one has to decide whether to get more *bang * for the buck by booking more guys at lower fees, or booking fewer guys at higher fees.

 

In my limited experience, when price has been a factor, the event seldom lived up to the price. But not in all cases.

 

In any case, I am hiring much less these days, and more likely to spend time and money on a guy I know either from experience or referral. As for price, it's likely I will not go above $200 until the economy or my salary improves.

[kjun]

Have to say I agree with Utopia that escort rates are rising faster than reasonable. They will continue to do so as long as we continue to pay what they ask. Even if I can afford it I do not want to go as high as rates are going.

 

the Cajun

[Guest lighthouse]

It is kind of hard to reconcile the seeming consensus on this thread with the regular paens to one particular escort in the Deli section who has moved from being an escort who advertised an hourly rate for 1 hour apointments but who has become a "personal companion" who must be scheduled months in advance, does not do hourly appointments and who posts no rates on his site. Are we living by double standards or do we just suffer from a multiple personality disorder?

[Guest DickHo]

"following NY's lead where $300 is standard"

 

Not in my NY. I will not pay $300 an hour for anyone...and I have no shortage of quality guys to call--most charge $200, some $250.

 

Like others, I have found that the higher the fee, the less the escort is willing to do.

 

Dick

[JamesK840]

Reasonable rates, expectations...

 

First let me say I live in Los Angeles, don't know much about the markets elsewhere. I've been a major proponent of Craig's List in the message center, mostly because for $80-$150 you often get a passionate guy looking to have fun *and* earn some money. It is rarely his full-time job, it's supplemental or something to tide him over between jobs.

 

I have not had a single problem with anyone I've hired in that price range (over the internet) not being 'able to afford dental floss and deodorant', I too found that comment rather insulting. I have had a lot of fun times, though I've noticed after a couple repeats I start to look like an ATM, so I try out somebody else...

 

No, none of the 'full service' guys look like the *cream of the crop on here* (several of whom I still eagerly want to try, but even they don't charge $300+), but some of the massage-only types do (there's a great black 'former Chippendale dancer' (I believe it) in Hollywood with a perfect body, wasn't very erotic, but I may try again...), what they are usually is eager and passionate. Sometimes you don't get that from somebody who's been doing this as their main source of income for several years. I've tried 5 or so reviewed escorts, half were absolutely memorable in their own right, the other half were memorable only in how much I had to pay for such an average experience.

 

I'm not sure about counter-offering, though I do sometimes try to agree *beforehand* to stretch the time to make a high price a little more reasonable (say, to 90 minutes). I don't think actually haggling is a good idea though. Maybe we need to start being tougher in our reviews, especially as comes to value... $300+ is a good chunk of money, we should ask ourselves did he seem passionate, to enjoy the session, was he eager to please, and please again, etc... I know the first review or two I wrote were overly glowing, and I didn't review a session with a well known escort on here that was memorable only for how much he talked, bounced off the walls, and begged me to write a review...

 

Just my 2¢

[woodlawn]

>It is kind of hard to reconcile the seeming consensus on this

>thread with the regular paens to one particular escort in the

>Deli section

 

I don't know who you are talking about, but I see no need to reconcile anything. Whether you are talking about escorts, hair stylists, clothes designers, restaurants or many other purveyors of goods and services, you will always find people who are convinced that the higher the price demanded the better the quality must be, the harder it is to get a reservation or appointment the more desirable the result must be when one finally gets in.

 

Like several other posters in this thread I have found no real relationship between the price escorts charge and the quality of service they provide. One of the best escorts I've ever hired is someone I found before this site came into existence. In those days his price was considerably less than now, when he has a plethora of glowing reviews here and has also done a number of videos. Obviously he's the same person now as he was then -- the only thing about him that has changed is the price he charges.

 

Boston Guy's advice on this issue is sound in my opinion. Follow his method and you won't go wrong.

[+ deej]

RE: Reasonable rates, expectations...

 

Another voice from LA here, although I've lived & hired in Chicago, NYC, and DC. They're pretty much the same.

 

I've hired in the pricey range and paid full rate. Sometimes the guy is so good I feel like I got a bargain, other times less so. But I can say the same thing about the $80/hr Craigs List guys.

 

There's no one-size-fits-all here. We're still dealing with ordinarly, fallible human beings on both sides of the business deal. If the chemistry is right, the experience will be magical at any price. When it's wrong, there is no such thing as a bargain.

 

Personally, I avoid haggling but that's just me. I always wonder if I'll get less than 100% if I'm paying less than 100%. If I can't afford a guy's rate I'll just pass him by. But if haggling is working for you, rock on.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Alrighty... This is just silly~

 

I'm pretty sure that this 'Deli' refference was to me & the way i've chosen to handle my dealings while in escorting. If you're going to knowingly start shit here in the MC, at least have the gaul to use names. I'm not one for beating around the bush by any means...

 

Those who came to my defense in The Deli weren't being two-faced here by advocating lower rates for escorts. They were simply lending a hand to someone they consider a friend. It's not business. It's personal. Being attacked publically isn't fun, but i truly appreciated those guys (Hawk, HB, Chuck, OneFin, etc) posting something positive and turning the scope of things around.

 

This particular thread was started simply about the hourly price of escorts relating to the possible quality of their services. Your ploy to bring 'personal companion,' advance scheduling & lack of hourly services was not smoothly introduced. It came from left-field.

 

As for not doing hourlies anymore... Bullshit. When i am in San Antonio for an extended amount of time, i am MORE than open to seeing guys on an hourly basis. You obviously have never taken the time to personally email me and find this out. Again, another case of making assumptions and not really doing the followup to make sure they're correct.

 

Surely Jessica Fletcher wouldn't make the same mistake?

 

So, 'Personal Companion' doesn't suit you? Read my reviews. You'll see that that label suits me best. I will always strive to give the total package experience, which IMO is EXACTLY who & what i'd like to be. Period. As for needing to schedule 'months in advance:' I'm thankful for the schedule i have & still continue to give 100% of myself to all of my guys. I have no reason to apologize for it because my full schedule speaks for itself. If i was doing something wrong, you'd think things would be otherwise...

 

It was obvious that your motive in posting was simply to stir up trouble. Whether you're another MC'er in disguise or just someone looking to make life miserable, it really doesn't matter because you're the reason i will work harder to keep success within my reach. Thanks for the motivation

 

Oh, and BTW: Happy 10th posting.

 

 

Warmest Always,

 

 

 

Benjamin Nicholas

[Guest msclonly]

RE: Reasonable rates, expectations...

 

Wen you consider it is CASH and Tax-Free, anything over $150.00 is good money for the time spent. Will bet that many of them are earning more per month, then the Hosts and often drive better cars!

 

[Guest lighthouse]

I don't understand why you react so defensively to any hint of criticism. I don't doubt you are a great escort, although as others have pointed out on this thread there is often not much of a correlation between price/hype and performance in this industry. I could swear that in an earlier iteration of your web site in your transition from escort to personal companion you explained why you gave up hourly appointments. You appear to have taken that down. That's good news. The problem Ben is that escorts who don't state their hourly/daily rates or give any indication of the types of appointments that they undertake (except for noting the months long waiting list)publicly are almost a sure bet to inflate their rates. Most of us here would probably agree that a yellow flag goes up when an escort won't state his rates. Funny isn't it that you had no hesitation of putting your horly rate on your site when you burst onto the seen here as a fresh-faced twink, but now as you have matured, transparency seems to bother you so much. I still can't figure out how Vahawk's boycott does not apply to you.

[Guest trueblue]

Benjamin certainly doesn't need me to stand up for him (he's done a great job by himself), but I feel compelled to add my 2 cents...

 

Unless you've actually spent time with Benjamin, it makes no sense to judge him. I spent an overnight with Benjamin - and he was upfront about his schedule and rates from the first moment I contacted him.

 

Yes, I did have to schedule a few weeks in advance, but after meeting with Benjamin, I realized that it was worth the wait.

 

And let's be perfectly honest, shall we:

 

Those who have spent time with Benjamin will concur, no doubt, that his rate is definitely not inflated. In fact, I honestly believe that it's way, way, way under what it should be.

 

Okay, so I'm a big fan. But I've spent time with Benjamin - and, from what I gather, you haven't. So I find it odd that you negatively judge Benjamin (or anyone here, for that matter), before contacting him, getting together, and seeing what an all-around great guy he is.

 

Anyway, I think if you want to debate rates, that's one thing. But taking cheap potshots at Benjamin is another.

 

J.

[+ Axiom2001]

RE: Reasonable rates, expectations...

 

>When you consider it is CASH and Tax-Free, anything over

>$150.00 is good money for the time spent. Will bet that many

>of them are earning more per month, then the Hosts and often

>drive better cars!

>

>

 

 

Right on! ...very well put! I personally could go broke it I continued to put out $200 to $250 plus for a "great" romp in the sack! :)

[Guest lighthouse]

I am not questioning your experience with Ben, or that you might think him to be worth his rate. However, I fail to undertstand why you would deny my right or that of anyone else to note either that: (1) from experience an escort who does not disclose his rate publicly is often a sign of an escort charging above market rates (which since you ask, having comunicated with Ben I do believe to be the case); (2) there is often no relationship between escort price and performance; or (3) many of the same people complaining about exorbitant escort prices here are ones who defend this one particular high-pices personal companion. None of this is to suggest that Ben or any other high-priced escort is not a great guy or even a great escort. The question is whether as consumers we should take control of their rates by exercising self-control.

[+ Lucky]

RE: Reasonable rates, expectations...

 

Checking out Rentboy LA, I saw several guys asking $350...but, given the LA habit of not showing up for appointments, you are better off getting stood up and saving $350 than $250!

[Guest trueblue]

Maybe I just haven't become jaded enough to see it as okay to negotiate an escort down in price over his services.

 

My thinking is that if you can't afford $300 a hour, find a $150 an hour guy. If $300 an hour honestly is too high for you - and that escort isn't getting any takers, the price will drop.

 

But having said that, there are also people in this business who will remain, I believe, impervious to those on here who either negotiate rates with an escort - or simply refuse to hire higher-rate escorts.

 

Benjamin, is one of them.

 

There will always be us wealthy individuals who really want to spend some quality time with a companion - and we're more than happy to pay whatever rate is specified. (And, in many cases, more.)

 

Your comments about Benjamin sound like "sour grapes" - from someone who would like to spend some time with him - but either can't afford it - or refuses to.

 

The question raised on this forum is certainly valid - and has been interesting. I just find your "poke" at Benj a little more personal than necessary.

 

So do your worst. Haggle for $150 hourlies. But don't expect to see Benjamin.

 

Best,

J

[Guest DevonSFescort]

I'm surprised that some posters seem to think there's a trend in rising escort rates at this time. Where? I'm a $200 for the first hour / $100 for the second hour escort (hat tip to Boston Guy -- though we get into what I consider and intend to be respectful quarrels from time to time, I enjoy and learn from his posts, and it was a post he made praising this kind of rate structure that prompted me to adapt it). When I visited the east coast, especially NYC, I used to joke in my travel post that I was bringing "rate relief." I don't anymore because my perception is that there are a lot more escorts charging $200 there these days -- some even less. $300 is much more difficult to get away with in San Francisco these days and one reason I travel so much is that whereas my rates used to be middle of the road, now they're actually kind of "high end" by SF standards. Your new hiring policies, from my vantage point, appear to have been in fairly wide practice for at least the last year and a half. The economy has shifted ground; the escort's market described in Aaron Lawrence's how to book has shifted to a client's market. I swear I mean no cattiness by this observation, but does anybody seriously think he could get away with charging $350 in 2004?

 

As for price vis-a-vis quality, I've never believed there was a particularly strong correlation, with the caveat that going below a certain minimum (and I'm not even sure what that number is) is starting to get a little dicey unless you're just lucky enough to hit on someone who doesn't know yet what he can charge.

 

I enjoyed meeting our James, our resident "Craig's List" maven, in LA recently at a mini-Hoo brunch. I told him how much I enjoyed reading his tales of his finds on the message center because they brought back part of the "magic" about hiring escorts -- the sense of riskiness and fun. They also raise the bar for those of us who have gotten used to charging more and want to keep it that way. Which isn't so bad because it keeps the job challenging; I don't feel like I have the luxury of slipping into a rut. I try what are for me new things -- Do a porn movie! Wax your balls (they're like silk, now, baby -- are your $100 Craig's List boy's? I didn't think so)! Stop trying to get bigger and just rip up (can you do your laundry on your $100 Craig's List boy's abs? I didn't think so)! Visit markets you haven't tried! Soon I'm probably going to do a redesign of the website, experimenting with the look and content to freshen things up and spark new interest (of course saving the current pages in case it bombs). So the "fact" (at least as I perceive it) that clients are driving the market, while in some ways inconvenient and more nerveracking, is in many ways a good thing because, out of necessity, it keeps things interesting.

 

All that said, notwithstanding Boston Guy's experiences in happy and harmonious negotiation, in my case, anyway, you DO get what you pay for. Without intending to come off sounding like a prima donna, I really, really do want at least $200 for an hour of my time. That's why I'm charging it. And it's a floor, not a ceiling -- LOL. That's the "equalizing" price at which all comers are welcome. Now I believe Boston Guy himself has implied in the past that he presents himself as a youngish (early 40's I believe), fit, easy-going guy, which means he is at least offering to bring something to the table besides his desire not to pay as much as the escort wants to charge. Looking back on my escorting career I'm pretty sure the only times I've agreed to negotiate have been when the potential client impressed me by "putting up" something -- like sending a pic or enticing me with a description that so piqued my curiosity I just had to agree. I have never been the kind of escort who asks for a pic, but that's the $200 me. Unfortunately the cheaper me isn't as much of a Will Rogers as the $200 me. The cheaper me HAS met men he didn't want to go to bad with. That's the sense in which, in my case at least, you get what you pay for. With me, $200 is the tint in the sunglasses that make everyone look like a VIP BEFORE I've met them. If I were a client who was attracted to me, I'd rather sleep with the $200 me than the me I'd talked down to $150 except under the circumstances noted above. And I think I'd rather sleep with an escort who's currently happy charging $150 than one I'd haggled down to $150. (But then again, when I hire, I LOVE being generous with my escorts -- it turns me on. And no, this is not a veiled request for tips; though they do do exactly what they're intended to, I never expect them and am touched and surprised when I get them. I'm referring to how I am when I operate on the client side of the equation.)

 

Another aspect to this is that one of the perks and great motivators for many escorts, myself included, is the ego rush that comes each time we hear someone wants to give us (in my case) $200 for the opportunity to be with us for an hour. That is so hot to me. After doing and a half years of doing this work I still can't believe it. Someone telling me they don't value my time that much? Not so hot. Not an auspicious beginning for a hot session. Not my kind of humiliation scene.

 

But hey, that's just me. I've lost a lot of potential who would have been willing to spend less money on me than I wanted, and that's okay by me. (I've probably picked up a few who dropped their $250 escorts, so who knows? Maybe it all evens out in the wash.) If other escorts want to "break ranks" and negotiate there's not much I can do because -- don't look now -- there are no ranks to break. That's why there continues to be a multi-tiered market. I do feel threatened by the lower tiers, but in what is mostly a good, keep-you-on-your-toes kind of way, so all's well. I'm glad that clients who are on a budget have more options. It's a GOOD thing that escorts aren't just for the rich.

 

And another thing (sorry): while from the client's perspective there may be not be much of a correlation between price and quality, from the escort's perspective this is NOT necessarily true. When I was working on that "Ho on the Go" documentary -- and I WILL do something with that footage someday -- I heard repeatedly from escorts something that matched my own experience: that every time they raised their rates the clients got better. It's not that we didn't meet any great guys at the lower rate (and I'm not casting any aspersions on any posters here who prefer to hire at the lower rate), but in the aggregate the people who literally value our services more seem to treat us better -- the ways in which they value us show up in other manifestations in addition to the extra cash. When hiring, I've had escorts offer me a discount and I don't accept it, much as I appreciate it, because I want to let them know I VALUE them. Should I see them again, I don't want them to have to choose between taking a call from a client they don't like as much at the full price and me at the cheaper price. Besides, I think they're giving me a terrific service, and I think it SHOULD be expensive. Is that just solidarity talking? Maybe. But I know it feels good, and that's what the experience is supposed to be about, so I go with it. (Memo to hot muscle and twink escorts: you are welcome to take a crack at seducing me into hiring you. I think that would be hot. Email me at [email protected]. :9)