Interesting conversation, a lot of great feedback from some ladies and gentlemen that have obviously been around for a while, at the very least. Also I have noticed 5 pages in and still the subject has remained on topic.
I believe that as a group that we will never be able to come to a consensus regarding this issue, because the inherent fault is with the initial question/premise. Here's the thing, I honestly cannot argue with any of the point that where brought up above, aside from the fact that we are comparing people who perform a service with a product. What it comes down to is a personal choice as to what you want and what is important to you.
I work in the IT industry, and my hourly rates ranges from 95$/hour to as much as 250$/hour and that is before we factor in any overtime and off hour rates. However I know others who charge as little as 30$/hour. The question I get asked all the time is why would I pay you even 95$/hour when I can pay this other person 30$/hour. Here is what it comes down to:
1) I have the experience, to get the job done and I can back it up with references
2) I have the knowledge and tools to provide a superior service.
3) More importantly customer know that I can be trusted. I have keys and alarms codes to a number of my clienteles establishment.
4) I offer a guarantee, once I provide a quote, I am engaging myself to honor said pricing and service levels.
Can the same be said for my competitor that is charging 30$/hour?
Why do I charge those rates?
1) Honestly because I can and there are people willing to pay.
2) It avoids me from having to deal with a certain kind of customer that is always going to try and haggle with me and ask me for freebies. Or call me on off hours expecting me to jump at their slightest whim.
3) At those rates I can afford to hire quality employees and contractors should I be unable to do the job, either for a lack of knowledge or lack of time. I still remain responsible for the endeavor, but I have someone else do the heavy lifting. I also know at those rates I am paying them, which are very competitive, I do not have to worry that they will drop me for a more lucrative opportunity and the job will get done as promised.
4) It allows me to invest in the proper tools and training, so that I can get the job done more efficiently and with less issues.
And of course I could go on. Do I necessary make a lot more by charging these rates? And the answer is no, not really. Yes I do make more money that the person charging 30$/hour, however my investment is a lot larger than theirs and so is the risks. As I do not deal in large volumes, should I lose a contract or a long term customer, I do not have 500 more to take their place. Also I tend to charge for less hours than that person who charges 30$/hour. I have been told by my customer that for the same job 1/3 less billable hours in some cases. I am not a Walmart, making my money on selling volume, which is what my competitor does, nor is that what I will every try to do.
So let's bring this back to the discussion at hand... Why do certain ladies charge the price they do... I am sure that some of their reason's parallel many of mine. Looking to target a particular kind of customer. Have you noticed that none offer 30 minutes encounters and quite a number of them have a minimum of 2 hours. They spend time and money on things that cost money like using a professional photographer vs perhaps doing it themselves or having a friend or acquaintance do it for them. I have noticed that their websites tend to be more detailed and contain more content and look like they have been professionally designed. The are registered with a variety of services that can validate their authenticity (DateCheck, P411, etc.) And they put more effort into the marketing themselves. Of course then there is the money they tend to spend on their wardrobe, hair, make-up etc because that is what their target customers want and are willing to pay for. And of course, they are most assuredly lower volume and/or the appearance of exclusivity which to some people is worth its weight in gold.
What it really comes down to what is important to each individual both courtesan and hobbyist. Unlike a product, there is really no unbiased way to quantify that a particular lady is better than another. Just like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so is one's experience with another person. So therefore for some, it is that perfect gem that they found at 160$/hour and for others they want the higher end courtesan that can satisfy their needs and vice versa.
My apologies for rambling on... Just got on a role there.
Sorry for the long quote, but, I think here there are valid points made all along it.
I want to add something particular also; there is no surprise than, as it look, a majority of Merb members would choose and say that they don't see any notable difference at the end to satisfy their "needs", but if I noticed well, this is a review board and by its own nature, there will be a good amount of "consumers" here who will be hunting the "best for the least", to find the best deal in other words. And in the spirit to talk a language that has been used here to compare escorts VS others ways to spend with less or more luxury his money, let's say that obviously, I adore to have my coupons of some hamburger fast-food and able to eat around 10$ a meal, but for my part, I know exactly the difference of that kind of meal I had so cheaply VS to go to eat at a very reputable steak house restaurant. Some may argue that is still beef meat, that's still potato and sauce and you don't need all the decorum and the fla-fla of the high-end restaurant, and at the end, you are going to have your stomach filled anyway. So here, I am talking more about the global experience, and each of us knows exactly the difference. I can't truly believe someone who will say there is no difference, common.
What I want to add different, and this, "strangely" nobody talked about it yet......In Montreal, there is a fair amount of ladies who just don't know their worth and how much they could really ask for. And that's exactly the kind of ladies who are receiving a lots of comments/reviews, because they are "a deal". And that's explain a lot a part of the interest to see a "new talent" found in agency the majority of time or on the cheapest sites of advertising. Some people here are just great specialists of "TOFF", we saw that, that's not a secret. That's always be the purpose of reviews boards, to "find deals" and also, to find the "worth" and the "stay away". I understand very much people with limited budget to want to "find deals" and the "worth", because that represent too much for themselves of their times/work to waste even 1$. So imagine sometimes, 20$? or 40$? But at the end, you are all looking for the more appealing girls/women who look/act like the most as an HDH but at the donation of a LDH, if I have well understood some previous comments, exact? So, you know the difference and appreciate it already.
If a lady is asking more, it is just because she can, because she evaluate herself and her presence at this level, having the self-confidence to do it.
Some ladies I know could definitively ask more, but all this a matter of a personal preference and view about her activities, and maybe something related to experience or observation of the
milieu.
Oh, and by the way I think about it, if someone is a "100% services person" and want to meet a "courtesan" kind of escort, is this kind of "consumer" would be very able to appreciate completely what he could get more, if for him his appreciation would be the amount of the check he could do on a "imaginary to-do list" instead to savour the entire experience? I don't know, that's a question I'm asking here. You know, if you are a big fan of hamburgers and you like to eat quickly and that you are very happy and satisfy like this, why bothering yourself then to go to eat slowly a fabulous meal prepared by a chef with attention with more delicate chosen ingredients?
Anyway, that's enough of divagation here, I am now hungry and going to eat. :lol: