Honesty vs, the negative review

There is no traffic jam on the extra mile. Applies probably more so here than in other businesses. I suspect I'm like a lot of hobbyists. When I read all this drama my reaction is to avoid from the provider. Since I own a business myself, I know how hard it is to just swallow and try to learn from even the most egregious consumer complaints. But were I a provider, I'd try to respond to these negative reviews, even the unreasonable ones, with tact and concern. Deeds, not words, impress. Even when a customer is screaming at me, for me to express concern shows other customers that I care about the experience they have. I'd suggest the same conduct here. Hobbyists can sniff out the flaming reviews, and will discredit them accordingly. But I understand it's also a human thing.

I guess I'm a little soft hearted--I rarely post a negative review and try to never post anything mean-spirited. Us hobbyists are all having fun--the ladies are trying to make a living, especially the ones with kiddo's. If I have a less than stellar experience I usually try to put a positive spin on it if I can, but I think it's important for both the hobbyists and the ladies themselves to be aware of any issue so they can fix it. Interestingly, I have only had a couple of really bad experiences in 5 or so years, and those were truly memorable. In both cases, the provider is still out there, with generally good reviews.

Dont reviews just fall over the 10th page after awhile anyway?

If a gent is lying, he will get caught in his lies.....it usually happens

I concur with TTH and a number of other responders, and merely add the point that one does not, 'click," with the provider. If the effort is there, and she is professional, then one can still write an informative review, and mention the positive aspects of the visit while still indicating that it didn't fully live up to your expectations.

I have found a number of lovely ladies over the years, based upon the opinions of board members who's taste in women I share.

It should never be a single thing that rates a, "no" response, but if the total experience is negative, then you should be honest.

Quick hijack - You'll see a big "zero" next to my review count as I don't feel comfortable doing them (long story - PM me if you're really, really bored and I'll take you through it). I try to support ECCIE by buying premium access and I also make it a rule to never comment on ANY review. I don't feel it would be fair since I'm not giving back in that way. Not slamming others who do - it's just my own silly rule.

That said, I wish there was some way that any comments made on a review could only be questions to the OP that were not answered in his initial review.

A lot of the flame wars that start on reviews have absolutely nothing to do with the OP himself or his review which totally derails the thread. This could also help stop a lot of the snide remarks that are made and also stop WK's from continuing to bump their ATF's reviews.

I'm guessing this would be almost impossible to enforce but sure would be nice to see it tested!

Neco
P.S. I'm sure there are a zillion flaws in this idea so fire away!

Established, well reviewed providers usually try to have a good date with their customers. Some dates are better than others. We fish in the pond until we catch what we like.

it is what it is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oja--lIrLYU

I don't do reviews for a number of reasons. I do share information with others however. A - It gets flamed B - The providers get their feelings upset and I really don't want to do that either. I just happened to once casually mention I had seen some less than stellar reviews in the past on a particular provider and then she starting sending me private messages ranting about how would I know , I never saw her,etc. Well, in fact I HAD visited her in the past on a couple occassions and it WAS less than stellar, but I didn't post it.

Finally, some guys just have different preferences than I do, but I will say that I have been burned more than once after reading raves about a certain person , then seeing that person and thinking = "what a waste of time and money"...

I think that there's an art to writing a tactful but truthful negative review. I used to think it was just plain common sense. And I still do to some degree. But apparently it's not as common as one would think it would be. You can be truthful and convey what you need to convey without being offensive. I seldom see a girl who isn't at least trying. (Of course part of that is that I generally only see providers that are already well reviewed.) But when someone isn't at their best, or just turns out to be bad at what they do, you don't have to be vicious about it. And I think that the lack of tact often is what brings on much of the controversy. As the old saying goes, "Even a dog knows the difference between being kicked and stumbled over." Originally Posted by TexTushHog

I agree. On the plus side, a completely tactless review makes one suspect that the author is really the problem, given his inablility to be tactful. It's not hard to imagine what his behaviour must have been like in session. It also makes one wonder about the providers for whom he writes good reviews. Author credibility is a major factor in determining whether or not a review should be taken seriously and a tactless review says a lot about the reviewer, not so much as the provider being reviewed.

Neco71, wise man. +1