SO sorry for the rant, But screening is a must.

Sooper,

Was she mocked? Yes, but she was mocking them to start with it. As I said, people responded the way they were treated.

Is there more behind her original post? Of course there is or else she wouldn't have posted it. I'm sure she's frustrated with some of the calls, PM's, emails, etc that she receives, but that's part of the game called the hobby.

Again, as I said in my previous post....I get frustrated with my job, but I don't air it in a location where my clients are going to see it and take it negatively.

We all get frustrated in this hobby, just not providers, but hobbyists too. If its causing that much grief in your life, its time to get out.

+1.

All jobs have frustrations. I would LOVE to find a well-paying job with no frustrations. But I live in the real world. And the best I can do is accept the aggravations inherent with my profession.

Lilianna....I'm glad to be able to provide a little humor, I've been told I'm even more engaging in person LOL. Sorry you missed the smiplicity of my advise ...Madison,Lilianna, I'm sure it's annoying as hell not getting the information you want. I wish my clients didn't do half the things they do LOL. You have your requirements,rightfully so, if they can't be met smiply move on. But dealing with these kinds of things goes with being your own boss.

Again, I apologized from the beginning - in fact, it was prefaced.

Thanks for the input and the back up- from everyone.

It is just frustrating. Ms. Elena, you're right, it is about tone and the idea that one does indeed catch more flies with honey.

I don't mind having one or two frustratingly-toned threads on here with the great reviews as well. To each her own. I think I have a small percentage of posts that other ladies have on here. I don't have time to live on the boards.

This probably would've been better suited for a ladies room... but there isn't one at the moment or even a private info share.

Lilianna....I'm glad to be able to provide a little humor, I've been told I'm even more engaging in person LOL. Sorry you missed the smiplicity of my advise ...Madison,Lilianna, I'm sure it's annoying as hell not getting the information you want. I wish my clients didn't do half the things they do LOL. You have your requirements,rightfully so, if they can't be met smiply move on. But dealing with these kinds of things goes with being your own boss. Originally Posted by growler

Missed the "simplicity" of your advice.


Thanks for the condescension but men don't pay attention. I turn away at least double the number of people that I see because after 3 emails they just aren't worth the time I have already put in trying to get them to answer direct questions with the information I have asked for repeatedly.

Your advice, sad to say, isn't really all that valid because you are a client in this business and not a boss. You may "screen" your providers, check reviews, ask around etc. But you are not the one getting eleventy million emails which entirely disregard everything you have ever written in an ad/showcase/website.

Number one most frustrating thing EVER? Back and forth and back and forth and then finally they get their shit together. You see them and the next day they send a request for an Okay on P411. A p411 account they NEVER mentioned or provided during the screening process despite having been asked directly.

People are allowed to vent. All the women who have been bitching about having no money during the slow season? I saw lots of commiseration. One woman expresses her frustration with people who try to get around screening? And she's a bitch!

And on a side note --- to the person on the first page laying down the law about how LE can get around screening.....the word is NAIVE. (Evian backwards)

Madison is a sweet, smart girl. Hell even her former agency is still publicly supportive of her. I am stunned at the amount of negativity in a thread that actually started out with some humor.

"condescension"....nice adjective.
While you are indeed correct in that I represent the consumer & you the business owner. I do believe the advice is valid.....But then what the hell do I know LOL

The best thing about this board is that you can take these threads to make decisions whether or not to see someone. You can make that decision, right or wrong, with no need to explain the reasons. Businesses once overflowing with business, have bit the dust when the consumer got fed up or the businesses made bad decisions, i.e. Blockbuster, Borders, Circuit City, among the biggies and many more small ones.
The consumer still rules.

Well let me tell you what I told Madison in a private message. I took it upon myself to speak for many of the silent, lurking ones.

I said;" Let me be clear I am willing to tell you every fucking thing you could ever ever ask me to divulge. I will crack like an egg, sing like a bird, bark like a dog and give you my ATM Card for the weekend. I would be willing to rat out my mother or my best friend."

If only you would see me.

"condescension"....nice adjective.
While you are indeed correct in that I represent the consumer & you the business owner. I do believe the advice is valid.....But then what the hell do I know LOL Originally Posted by growler

It is more that you are speaking from the position of perhaps knowing how a regular business works. I have been self employed off and on since I started working. My first two "jobs" were businesses that I started and ran successfully myself as a teenager. In those? The customer is ALWAYS right. You make it work. Not in this.

I look at it this way. If you are already arguing with me during screening I don't feel like if I tell you that something is offlimits that you will respect that. I am less inclined to give you a little leeway (extra time, last minute appts etc) if you make it hard (thats what she said!) to feel safer around you. The flipside to that is that if you give me what I asked for at the start, and your references are providers with a good reputation, I am going to go into our meeting feeling more relaxed and happy.

Another facet of this is that if I walk into your outcall (really this applies to hotel rooms mostly) and you have HIDDEN all the clocks I WILL set an alarm on my phone lol. If I feel like you are already trying to shortchange me (and trying to sneak another half hour in is actually shortchanging) you are putting an untrustworthy and unreliable foot forward first.

Missed the "simplicity" of your advice.


Thanks for the condescension but men don't pay attention. I turn away at least double the number of people that I see because after 3 emails they just aren't worth the time I have already put in trying to get them to answer direct questions with the information I have asked for repeatedly. Originally Posted by SillyGirl

SillyGirl says she's ~~Newbie Friendly~~ I have a feeling that might be an oxymoron

Not at all. I work with a LOT of newbies. I offer screening through employment.

Seriously clients have hidden the clocks? OMG

It works both ways. I've had providers hide the clocks too.

But Lilianna makes a very good point about differentiating this business from others. When you go to Circuit City or Blockbuster you are buying a product that basically doesn't vary in quality from any other. If I go into Best Buy and am a total jerk to the sales person, ask stupid questions, make ridiculous offers or requests for discounts, in the end when I buy that TV I get the TV I wanted and it is the exact same one as a customer who walked into the store and said "I'll buy that one please."

It's not the same with a provider. If she is uncomfortable, or nervous, or annoyed you won't get the same "product" (crude, and I apologize, but I didn't want to extend the metaphor).

Honestly, in my opinion everyone would be happier if we all just treated each other with respect and tried to be polite in our interactions.

Business is business. Some aspects of various industries have their nuances. But in the end the advice of not venting, or arguing, with your clients & prospects publicly, is still valid. If not often heeded.

Q

That wasn't at you btw. But the same could be said for any service based industry. If I'm cool to my bartender I get a comped drink now and again. If my customer is cool to me I will bend over backwards for them whereas a jerk gets lesser commitments.

But again there is a shared risk. If I buy that TV & find it cheaper elsewhere I can return it or get a rebate. If it's advertised as something it's not I have recourse via returns, refunds, credits etc. I don't worry about my physical safety as much as a provider but at times in this hobby I have. It still comes down the best business practices. And it's never a good idea to vent in front of customers. Ever!