Price haggling

[+ SundayZip]

What would you have done?

 

I suddenly noticed a rentboy ad for an escort/fitness model that I've lusted after for a long time. The ad said he's in the city for just a few days. I contact him, he replies and we have a phone conversation about schedule and rate. I'm pretty eager to lock in on a date when he tells me his rate is $500. There's a long pause. I'm thinking, WTF? But then I say yes to the date. Clearly I wasn't thinking straight. 10 minutes later I text him and tell him exactly that... "Sorry, I wasn't thinking straight and I now realise that $500 is too pricey for me." He responds back that I seem like a nice guy so for me he'll make it $400. He called it a Pride weekend discount. I reply back and thank him for the discount but say I'm not comfortable hiring him at a discount rate and I wish him well and say goodbye. The next day he texts again and says he's sure we can work something out. I politely decline again. By this time I was totally put off by his approach and no way I'd hire him at any rate.

 

A wonder if this sort of price haggling works with anyone else. I also wonder if he had started at $400 and then dropped it to $300 if I would have hired him.

[+ VeryHappyCustomer]

This has happened to me. I find it similarly off-putting to get such texts from a guy I've already decided not to hire.

Occasionally, though, a regular contacts me to offer a "loyal customer discount" or "Tuesday special" or some such. If I know and like him, I will go out of my way to book the session or even pay in advance. I remember what it felt like to be young and broke...

[bigvalboy]

What would you have done?

 

I suddenly noticed a rentboy ad for an escort/fitness model that I've lusted after for a long time. The ad said he's in the city for just a few days. I contact him, he replies and we have a phone conversation about schedule and rate. I'm pretty eager to lock in on a date when he tells me his rate is $500. There's a long pause. I'm thinking, WTF? But then I say yes to the date. Clearly I wasn't thinking straight. 10 minutes later I text him and tell him exactly that... "Sorry, I wasn't thinking straight and I now realise that $500 is too pricey for me." He responds back that I seem like a nice guy so for me he'll make it $400. He called it a Pride weekend discount. I reply back and thank him for the discount but say I'm not comfortable hiring him at a discount rate and I wish him well and say goodbye. The next day he texts again and says he's sure we can work something out. I politely decline again. By this time I was totally put off by his approach and no way I'd hire him at any rate.

 

A wonder if this sort of price haggling works with anyone else. I also wonder if he had started at $400 and then dropped it to $300 if I would have hired him.

 

You lost me on this one SZ. Where was the haggling? He gave you a rate, you said yes, then you reneged on the offer. That's not haggling, that's reneging. Offering you further discounts didn't seem off-putting to me, it sounded like he was trying to accommodate you. What would I have done? I would have paid the first fee I agreed to. At the very least I certainly would have taken the $400 offer. Beyond that, the problem was on your end, not the escorts. Sounds to me like you are trying to blame the escort, when you were the one who became suddenly inflexible. Anyway... that's my 2 cents...next

[+ Keith30309]

The whole concept of price haggling from either side makes me really uncomfortable. It feels unprofessional and a little degrading. I think it's been said in other threads by others in the past but my approach is to only contact those I know I can afford and use the low key cash-in-the-plain-envelope upfront approach.

 

I've never contacted an "Ask Me" advertiser. I understand why some may prefer that method but just having a negotiation virtually guarantees that the intimacy I seek will be a very thin veneer.

I'm with you on your reaction.

 

On a tangential note, there is a gentleman I've been interested in for a while but his rates are 1) high for someone with one mediocre review, and 2) change up/down every few weeks. It just occurred to me that he may feel a need to post a rate but, in fact, be looking for an opportunity to get into a "What about $x" discussion. (Unfortunately I'll never know because I'm never going to call get into that discussion.)

[+ VeryHappyCustomer]

Keith30309 -- I suggest you take a look at this blog, written by a forum member who lives in the Atlanta area. Real reviews of "gentlemen" in your area, several of whom look a lot better than "Ambition".

[+ VeryHappyCustomer]

Keith30309 -- I see that jawjatech has actually reviewed "Ambition". Looks like he's saved you some disappointment.

http://jawjateck.tumblr.com/post/105977354537/my-take-on-chris-in-atlanta

[+ WhamIAm]

I think that your handling of the situation was more than appropriate. You called him back with second thoughts 10 minutes after setting the date with a very valid reason for cancelling. He's got the time free again to schedule another client more willing and able to pay his rate. No harm, no foul. (If it was a more significant period of time before you had buyer's remorse, my opinion might be different.) As to him coming back to you with a lower rate, that's his choice. You didn't haggle, he chose to offer a lower rate. You chose to decline. A potential client is not an ATM.

 

Frankly, $500/hour is IMHO pretty ridiculous. I do stay within my target and will always pass by an ad with a rate of more than $300/hour unless it's someone that I reeeealllllllllllly want to see based on stellar reputation and my perception that it will likely be an awesome experience based on his pics and his blurb. Gone above my target twice so far, batting average .500 (one incredible experience, one very lame one).

 

Side observation/question -- seems to me rates have been rising pretty quickly as of late. I've been hiring for about 9 months. I think that when I started only the truly top (figuratively, not necessarily literally) guys were at $300/hour in NYC. Now it seems that everyone is there and there are more and more guys pushing the boundaries of that number. In my hometown of DC, I recall only a couple of guys at $300, usually the high profile porn guys. Now, it seems to be the standard there as well. The few smaller markets I visit are going in the same direction. Am I remembering wrong? I'd hate to get priced out of the market! (And, kudos to my two go-to dudes, who've both raised their rates but put in a grandfather clause for existing clients).

[bigvalboy]

Huh? I'm being inflexible because I don't want to pay $500 per hour or even a "discounted" rate of $400 and I don't want to haggle over price?

 

Sorry, but yes, that's how I see it. He offered you a price, you agreed, then you changed your mind, and then after offering you two additional discounts, it was you who decided that you didn't like his approach so you wouldn't hire him at any rate he offered.(those are your words). Again, sorry but that sounds inflexible to me. You must agree that you bear some of the responsibility here. At any rate, certainly not worth arguing over, but you did ask for opinions, and I gave you mine. That's it from my end.

[Philly50]

I can completely understand your not wanting to pay $500, and your mixup with first saying yes and then rethinking.

 

But I'm not clear why haggling over the price is an automatic no-no.

[+ WhamIAm]

I've never contacted an "Ask Me" advertiser. I understand why some may prefer that method but just having a negotiation virtually guarantees that the intimacy I seek will be a very thin veneer.

 

I avoided "Ask Me"s for a while. My concerns were similar to yours. But, it seems like more and more escorts are taking that approach and I finally decided to give it a go. In every case, the guys have been very professional and upfront about it, never came across a guy who seemed like he might be taking an ala carte approach based on my interests, and never struck me as upping their rates so they could make some extra cash from a potential new client unless I tried to negotiate them down. It's always been plain and straightforward. The only difference between "Ask Me" and posted rates in my experience is that they're, well, just not posted.

 

Maybe give it a try? You can always just say "no, thank you" if you think it's too high and end the call.

[MiamiLooker]

I never understand why some clients have such issues with fees. The client and the escort (both adults, I assume) agree on the fee for the service and then get on with the fun.

[+ WhamIAm]

But I'm not clear why haggling over the price is an automatic no-no.

 

I don't think it's an automatic no-no. I do understand why a lot of clients would find it awkward. Also, I think most reputable escorts have very little interest in/tolerance for haggling and would walk away pretty quickly. You're dealing with another human being's time, not a souvenir at a tourist market. I may be wrong on that, though. (And if I am, I'd love for you guys to tell me so. If it's more common than I thought, I might become Monty Hall )

[down_to_business]

I don't like price haggling, but I don't think its the worst thing in the world. It's my preference to have reasonable upfront pricing in any transaction I make- as I dislike haggling price of an automobile just as much.

 

I also don't think that if negotiating price is not a problem for you, you should feel bad about doing it. I don't think it makes you a bad person. If you are going to negotiate price however, the time to do it is before agreeing to the terms of the offer and not after (no, you did not do this, just speaking in generalization here). Yes, I still detest not posting rates and the ask me crap!

 

However, I also strongly agree with BVB's point about how your complaint about his methodology is kind of misplaced considering the circumstances of your interaction. Then again, I wouldn't even consider anyone who charges $500 an hour to begin with.

[+ VeryHappyCustomer]

An escort who spent an afternoon with me at the Ritz-Carleton in Laguna Niguel let slip that he charged less when visiting clients at cheap motels. It was several years ago, and I still have mixed feelings about his revelation.

[bigvalboy]

An escort who spent an afternoon with me at the Ritz-Carleton in Laguna Niguel let slip that he charged less when visiting clients at cheap motels. It was several years ago, and I still have mixed feelings about his revelation.

 

Now that is worth a chuckle...You're at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel? Surely you can understand why you might get charged more than some client at a "cheap motel". Maybe it's just me....

[+ dutchmuch]

Wonder who this 'cheap' escort is?

[+ VeryHappyCustomer]

Something about the way he said it made clear that to him I was just another John renting his body for a few hours.

[Steven_Draker]

What would you have done?

 

I suddenly noticed a rentboy ad for an escort/fitness model that I've lusted after for a long time. The ad said he's in the city for just a few days. I contact him, he replies and we have a phone conversation about schedule and rate. I'm pretty eager to lock in on a date when he tells me his rate is $500. There's a long pause. I'm thinking, WTF? But then I say yes to the date. Clearly I wasn't thinking straight. 10 minutes later I text him and tell him exactly that... "Sorry, I wasn't thinking straight and I now realise that $500 is too pricey for me." He responds back that I seem like a nice guy so for me he'll make it $400. He called it a Pride weekend discount. I reply back and thank him for the discount but say I'm not comfortable hiring him at a discount rate and I wish him well and say goodbye. The next day he texts again and says he's sure we can work something out. I politely decline again. By this time I was totally put off by his approach and no way I'd hire him at any rate.

 

A wonder if this sort of price haggling works with anyone else. I also wonder if he had started at $400 and then dropped it to $300 if I would have hired him.

 

SundayZip,

I reckon you opened the door for haggling by texting "Sorry, I wasn't thinking straight and I now realise that $500 is too pricey for me."

By saying that $500 is too much for you, the escort thought you were looking for a discount.

 

[down_to_business]

SundayZip,

I reckon you opened the door for haggling by texting "Sorry, I wasn't thinking straight and I now realise that $500 is too pricey for me."

By saying that $500 is too much for you, the escort thought you were looking for a discount.

What does that Belgian word "reckon" mean?

[Philly50]

I do understand why a lot of clients would find it awkward.

 

I'd really need to have more information to make a decision in this case.

 

As for myself, when an escort quotes a price, I either accept it or not. I've never haggled. But some escorts have indicated they were giving me a discount from their regular rate; this usually happened on a second time hire for a multiple hour appointment.

 

If an escort signaled he was willing to haggle, I think my response would depend on the circumstances.

[+ WhamIAm]

An escort who spent an afternoon with me at the Ritz-Carleton in Laguna Niguel let slip that he charged less when visiting clients at cheap motels. It was several years ago, and I still have mixed feelings about his revelation.

 

Note to self: When hiring, book at the nearest Motel 8.

[Guest countryboywny]

Well, a series of unfortunate events. I never haggle about rate. When I contact a potential hire, I already know his approximate rate and I've already decided that I will pay it. I do, quite often tell the escort what I have in mind and the time it will require and ask him to tell me his rate. This is because I'm not a hour kind of guy and this gives him the opportunity to adjust his rate according to my wants/needs. Once a rate is quoted, I NEVER haggle. I don't want to see a guy who feels he's not getting his fair rate.. I want him to be happy to see me. It's always the escorts choice as to what rate he wants to charge and to whom he charges it. It ain't WalMart, it ain't a commodity.. it's personal service.

[bigvalboy]

I don't want to see a guy who feels he's not getting his fair rate.. I want him to be happy to see me. It ain't WalMart, it ain't a commodity.. it's personal service.

 

Yes to this....double like.

[+ SundayZip]

SundayZip,

I reckon you opened the door for haggling by texting "Sorry, I wasn't thinking straight and I now realise that $500 is too pricey for me."

By saying that $500 is too much for you, the escort thought you were looking for a discount.

 

I think that is very definitely part of it. I also included in my text that he seemed like a really great guy and I was disappointed that it couldn't happen (that's me trying to be polite) which he probably interpretted as, "I really want to do this. Please make me a better offer".

 

Lesson learned: when an escort lists "ask me" as his price, know what I'm willing to pay when he tells me.

[down_to_business]

I am not disagreeing with anything said. But what about the escorts that want to operate their business like it's a ( from countryboys wording) commodity.

 

Does an escort have the right to operate his business any way he choses, including trying to negotiate the highest rate he possibly can each and every time whether or not you, me, or Sally Jo likes that?