On this board, not only do you have to review the providers, you also have to review the reviewers.
And BTW, whether or not these providers do or do not have a no-reivew policy, that's how I feel about the subject in general. I would never, ever spend a dime on someone who didn't allow reviews. I work too hard for my money.
Originally Posted by stavinChain
Consistency of reviews' sentiment is a different matter than my point there, and I agree with you on your comment 100% as a reviewer or a reader of reviews. You and I actually are alike in terms of being very cautious and conscious about providers' online presence and reputation. What I said about how guys think can also explains why there continues to have negative reviews popping up after say 2 or 3 bad reviews on a given provider. On other forums, when I posted a similar comment as what you said here, I sometimes receive feedback from couple folks saying things like that: they believed they are better than others (put it as a PG version). And I heard from multiple providers that, as long as they have a post up on a site, their phone will start getting texts and calls (the amount and from who are different stories).
What I suggested is definitely not the only reason or not the only way how guys think. Budget, and other logistical reasons can also explain why people still contact providers with ongoing bad rep. But I'm describing the basic dynamic of the market and why such a threat is very hollow.
In Chicago, there are a few JackShacks in the burbs that have been scamming hobbyists for decades, all the review sites and hobby forums have endless discussions about them, yet, they are still getting lots of new 'customers' to drop big $ for nothing in return. Some just don't believe these reviews and discussion even if they came across the warning. Those scammers don't even bother to change their writing style and content of their ads and they always steal photos from some models or young girls' selfies. I cannot find many reasons that explain why some people still want to visit such places even if they know the ad is too good to be true.
Back in Chicago, I'm in the same position as yours, online presence and reputation are keys to me. But these two are just too appealing to me, so I have to take the risk.