What happened to the hobby?

He likes to kvetch & wants to pay like it's 2010 ..... Originally Posted by GayleMeyers

You can't expect to pay 2025 pricing when one's prime was back in 1989, there's delusions going on somewhere, I always pay what they deserve and I decide that by the whole package.

You can't expect to pay 2025 pricing when one's prime was back in 1989, there's delusions going on somewhere, I always pay what they deserve and I decide that by the whole package. Originally Posted by BLM69

What you say is, in a lot of cases, true!
However, getting catfished is highly dependent on your hobby bailiwick and the caliber and professionalism of the providers you are dealing with!
My bailiwick is high-end K-Girls in NNJ.
I've yet to run into a K-Girl who was not an accurate depiction of what she portrayed in the pics on her website and video.

What you say is, in a lot of cases, true!
However, getting catfished is highly dependent on your hobby bailiwick and the caliber and professionalism of the providers you are dealing with!
My bailiwick is high-end K-Girls in NNJ.
I've yet to run into a K-Girl who was not an accurate depiction of what she portrayed in the pics on her website and video. Originally Posted by victoryformation

If they're worth it and look great, they deserve the most, if they're here past they're prime, they get what they deserve, just like anything else in life

I'm surprised nobody has talked about all the scammers. Back in the day, you'd go pick up a free issue of the Dallas Observer and look through the adult services section or whatever it was called. It had hundreds of ads for providers in a 3 or 4 page section near the back. Some had photos (black and white) and some didn't. And the ones that had photos were usually real photos of the actual provider.

There were no "text only" stipulations because text messaging was still pretty new. You had to call and talk to the person to schedule a time to meet. You still had to deal with people giving you a general location and telling you to call when you got close. And then sometimes you'd call when you got close and they wouldn't answer.

But if that happened it didn't mean the night was a bust because you could always drive to 35 and Royal and go to one of the asian massage places that stayed open until 4am. And when you went to one of those places, it wasn't like going to the ones they have today. You'd walk in and the lady in charge would bring out all the girls available for you to choose from. And they were always really fucking hot.

But usually providers were legit because if they were gonna try to run a scam on someone, they were gonna have to do it in person and most people are too chickenshit to try that. I'll never forget one of the first women I met through an ad in the Observer. She went by Jade and she had an apartment off 635 and Montfort. She was bit older, probably early to mid 30's. I was in my early 20's. And she rocked my world. I tried to find her for years after that first encounter. Any time I saw the name Jade in one of those ads I would check to see if it was her. Never had any luck though.

These days it would be a non issue. Just check your call or message history. The problem is that these days, it's much harder to find someone like Jade. Because 90% of the ads you find online are bullshit. Either it's a total scam and the person you're messaging isn't a provider at all or it's catfish scam where you think you're talking to a young blonde haired girl but the person who opens the door is a gay black dude wearing makeup and slutty girl clothes who tries to convince you that you need to pay him before you go to the bedroom and meet the girl (true story). But mostly it's deposit scams because there's almost no risk to the scammer.

Having some experience in the hobby does make it much easier for someone to sift through all the bullshit and find the ones that aren't trying to rob you. But then you also have to think about, what if this is a sting operation and I get arrested and charged with a felony? That alone changes things significantly. Which is why a lot of hobbyists go to a studio or a massage place.

And one of the really fucked up things is that these new laws are intended to combat human trafficking but they actually make it more likely for hobbyists to use amps where girls are being trafficked. Not saying all amps are involved in trafficking but many of them are.

TLDR - the internet, the tech boom, and the government are what happened to the hobby.

You can't expect to pay 2025 pricing when one's prime was back in 1989, there's delusions going on somewhere, I always pay what they deserve and I decide that by the whole package. Originally Posted by BLM69

I agree.

Another thing that is a factor is the service has declined so much. Obviously not with all ladies, but for the vast majority of providers, that is the case.

I remember back when I first started hobbying, every provider I saw was all about customer service and pleasing the client because that is what they were getting paid for and wanted regulars instead of seeing a different guy BCD every time. Over time, the non-chalant mentally checked out and doing you a favor by taking your money attitudes started surfacing and are more and more prevalent as the days go by. What is worse, some guys and many providers are not only defending but also justifying the lack of customer service and encouraging GPS donation prices by telling other providers they are charging too little and servicing too much. Several ladies have told me that.

As I said earlier in this thread, once the value for seeing a provider is not worth it, and in many instances, we are already there, you will see hobbyists have their own circle of ladies they see and rarely if ever venture out for new providers to them for BCD fun or just quit the hobby all together and take their chances by RW dating only.

If they're worth it and look great, they deserve the most, if they're here past they're prime, they get what they deserve, just like anything else in life Originally Posted by BLM69

My K-Girl ATF (@ 350) was absurdly underpriced!
(And, she grandfathered me in @ 300!)
She was always fully-booked by smitten regulars!
She could have easily commanded 500!
@ 300 (for me) ... she was an absolute steal!
(I should have had a mask and a gun!)

The NNJ K-Girls are true professionals @ the top of their game!
I rendezvoused with them over 100x at high-end hotels!
I never got hustled; never got scammed; never got catfished; never got played-out; never got cancelled on; never got bumped; never got NCNSed!
They were always on point!
They were always game!
They always delivered the (GFE) goods!
(I can't relate to the disappointing experiences some of fellow mongers have!)

Originally Posted by nathaliaclark

Natalia, those are some delighful pictures but wrong place hun

Nobody has mentioned how much more of a pain in the ass it seems to be to figure out prices and services now. I get that the laws make it riskier for the sites to publish that info than it used to be. The law also makes it riskier to ask specific questions up front. Doesn't help that OH2 seems to be down half the time cutting off contact info and a source of reviews. Was it worse pre-internet? Sounds like it, but it is definitely worse now than it was 5 years ago

I'm going to claim the price spread is more extreme now too. I'm not bitching that prices are higher per-se. I am pointing out that the price difference between someone brand new who is a bigger risk of disappointment versus someone with great reviews at the top of their game used to be 50%, now it's regularly 150% or more. Is that universal, no. I'm very happy certain amazing providers choose the price points they do, but generally if you spend the same percentage of your income on the hobby choosing reliable providers now, you're seeing fewer providers for that money.

Two other factors for me: More providers seem unwilling to screen via P411, and my personal experience has been that the amount of last minute ghosting or NCNS is way up for whatever reason.

Combine higher prices, harder to get information, a more difficult and more invasive screening process, an expectation that a ridiculous percentage of meets will get cancelled at the last second, the shift to felony status, AI and easy to fake pictures, and I'm almost surprised the hobby still has the legs it does.

Nobody has mentioned how much more of a pain in the ass it seems to be to figure out prices and services now. I get that the laws make it riskier for the sites to publish that info than it used to be. The law also makes it riskier to ask specific questions up front. Doesn't help that OH2 seems to be down half the time cutting off contact info and a source of reviews. Was it worse pre-internet? Sounds like it, but it is definitely worse now than it was 5 years ago

I'm going to claim the price spread is more extreme now too. I'm not bitching that prices are higher per-se. I am pointing out that the price difference between someone brand new who is a bigger risk of disappointment versus someone with great reviews at the top of their game used to be 50%, now it's regularly 150% or more. Is that universal, no. I'm very happy certain amazing providers choose the price points they do, but generally if you spend the same percentage of your income on the hobby choosing reliable providers now, you're seeing fewer providers for that money.

Two other factors for me: More providers seem unwilling to screen via P411, and my personal experience has been that the amount of last minute ghosting or NCNS is way up for whatever reason.

Combine higher prices, harder to get information, a more difficult and more invasive screening process, an expectation that a ridiculous percentage of meets will get cancelled at the last second, the shift to felony status, AI and easy to fake pictures, and I'm almost surprised the hobby still has the legs it does. Originally Posted by BooneDog

It is called the oldest profession for a reason and no matter what circumstances arise, the hobby will continue to go on.

The real truth of the matter is, sites like these with the good old boy syndrome and the providers who give bad service getting shielded from the consequences by getting protection from other providers and WKs making it okay to do. So, that is why you providers who are mentally checked out comatose mannequins during BCD sessions. Even if you do not agree with me, you know what I say on that is true.

It used to be, you contacted a provider, she gets back with you quickly, set an appointment, she would be there on time, PROVIDE customer service and you contacted her again due to the fantastic time you had. Now, you contact a provider, hope she gets back to you, set an appointment, hope she does not NCNS, which is becoming more common by the day, from the minute you get there (if she does not have you wait in the parking lot for 15 minutes cuz she is not ready at the scheduled time), you are treated as if you are nothing more than a revolving door ATM, she is indifferent when BCD and since you got a nut, she deserves a 5 star review.

As I said in an earlier post in this thread, the value of seeing a provider who is not a regular is just not there for hobbyists.