The advent of the internet means that not only is it easier for escorts and sex workers to advertise, it's now possible for their clients to post their thoughts about the experience.
Escort reviews, sometimes also known as 'field reports', are controversial and you may want to consider the following points...
In favour
- A good review can lead to more business as some clients like to book someone others have found to be good.With a lot of escorts for clients to choose between in many places, having reviews is one way to stand out from the crowd.
- Particularly for new escorts, they can provide a good source of publicity... but only if the reviews are good.
- You can get an idea of what other escorts are offering.
- Unlike an ad, there should be no direct cost to you.
- If you move area, reviews enable your reputation to follow you.
- Many clients will say things in a review that they wouldn't say to your face. Such comments probably won't be nice, but you can consider changing how you work.
Against
It's true that they can generate business, but they can also make that business more stressful:
- People can build up an image of you that isn't you. Every client is different, therefore every service is different.
- Having someone say "I read the reviews and thought you'd be better looking / bigger / firmer than that."
- Having your most intimate details printed out for all to wank over
- They're very subjective - some male escorts have been described as having a small penis in some reviews and a large penis in others on the same site.Similarly with breast size and much else...
- Having lies posted about you by anyone. There is usually no requirement for being able to post a review - including actually having met you - and reviewers can stay anonymous.
- Being accused of having false reviews if they're too good.
- Being accused of writing them yourself if they're good.
- Being accused of being a bad prostitute if they're not so good.
- Wondering if other escorts are posting bad reviews of you because of jealousy.
- Being threatened by someone who's never seen you that they're going to post a bad review.
- Being bribed by people that if you do this or give that extra, they'll write you a shining review.
- Reviews with the wrong time and date. When you told a client you were ill and couldn't see him, up pops a report saying you've just had the time of your life with a client in an hotel in Scotland on that day!
- If you do 'incalls', having your location given out in public when you want it to stay private.
- Having your tastes in interior decoration etc discussed in reviews.
- Having intimate unnecessary details discussed, such as normally hidden moles or tattoos, which can identify you to people you're not 'out' to.
- It's not uncommon to offer different services to different clients. Reviews can mean everyone knows this: "You did that with them, why don't you do it with me?!?"
- Other clients getting jealous and reading your reviews, emailing you, questioning you about them: "You charged them £x, why did you charge me £Y?!?"
- Good reviews can lead to very high expectations. This can put a lot of pressure on someone already doing a job with more pressure involved than most and where, particularly for male escorts, pressure to perform can be counter-productive.
- Boyfriends or girlfriends getting upset upon reading your reviews.
- Reporters, tax officials and a multitude of other people reading and recording your details.
- Everybody knowing who you have had sex with.
- If you choose to leave the work, the reviews will stay around for much longer.
- Finally, some people find them are degrading by their very nature. They feel that what happens between them and the clients they see is nothing to do with anyone else and that revealing all that happens in the room cheapens what they do.
So they're a mixed feature, but they are probably here to stay. If you're uncomfortable with them, a few sites allow you to have all reviews of you withdrawn - but note that they don't let you keep just the good ones!
Most review sites allow escorts a 'right of reply' to reviews. If you are reviewed, and don't like what's been said, do make use of this.
If you get bad reviews, you can also change your working name. Do remember to change your mobile, email/website address and other contact details too! And if (or when) clients recognise you from the old name's reviews, your 'new' reputation will definitely suffer.
Many thanks to Nadia Imani for her insightful thoughts on this issue.
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