Yes, $300 is steep. It is cost prohibitive for me right now, but I’m seeing a different trend than you: the jerks are going to self-select out, the providers are going to feel safer, and quality will increase many more times than the increase in the cost of admission. I bet customer satisfaction has gone up at the same time lurker/timewaster satisfaction has gone down.
Try, just try once, to cooperate with the screening and not have it ruin the experience for you. She does want your business and to please you but you have to show her that her safety is important to you too: it’s where the session begins
Originally Posted by 3daygetaway
3day - totally respect and value your viewpoint, even if I don't agree with some of it. I was probably unclear last week, as I was viewing the question/thread through the lens of "is ECCIE dead?", although admittedly, aspects of the market in general are in my original response as well (I have trouble staying focused, sometimes).
Regarding the screening point (or really, any of the information a lady may post), I think I'm much closer to Zil's perspective, in that I search and study the profiles for the "dos and don'ts", and find it frustrating that much of this is no longer available. However, one of the aspects I'm looking for in regards to information is often a note that says "screening required, or PM x number of references".
I don't view it as my job to give someone a hard time for setting their business rules, trying to negotiate with them, talk them out of one of their boundaries, or negotiate a discount (I know that's popular, though). I just take a hard pass, and don't even contact them at all. They've been kind enough to be up front that they're going to require things that I don't agree with, so they've saved us both time - no harm no foul. I've had to limit myself primarily to the old ISO forum (which sometimes worked out for me), or to the ladies that don't post requirements that I am uncomfortable living with. At least for me, it's not a question of "cooperate with the screening process" or not (implies that I also fight against it now) - it's just that I don't engage with those folks at all.
But going back to the original point, ECCIE used to be a viable source of information regarding being able to find these things out - I could see details regarding a provider's boundaries, what might be required to engage them (text, phone, pm, screening, references, price point, etc.), and make an informed choice. Given that much of that is no longer readily available, I think the overall value of the site drops with it.
To your point about lurkers/time wasters/jerks self-selecting out - I'm sure there will be some of that taking place. And it very well may have the short term effect that you described. However, from my perspective, if that happens, I also see a situation where the supply of providers increases, but likely that the population of "approved" hobbyists would remain static or go down. From everything that I've seen, there's a "cool kids club" mentality that's been here for years among the hobbyists, and many of the people in it always talk about "paying your dues" as if it's some sort of frat hazing. You have to see a list of newbie friendly providers to get references (whether they interest you or not), build a reputation, provide your personal information, spend money, etc., before you are "eligible" to see the people you want (which also increases the $300 an hour considerably higher in a real world sense). While some may be perfectly happy to do this (and if they are, good for them), that's going to create barriers to new people entering the market. Long term, you're talking about a growth in providers, and a drop in customers. That's either going to trigger the providers to start fishing in the "riskier" waters (thereby removing the benefit of the closed system), decide that the job isn't worth the risk / career change, or to move location to greener pastures (which also depletes the market).
I guess I'm saying that any market is going to reach an equilibrium point, and less information available and higher barriers to entry are going to have the effect of shrinking the market.