cat

Excellent thread! I have seen situations where wallets are compromised and that is bad for everyone. I suggest that wallets are left in the car along with cell phones and handhelds. Have the consideration in an envelope and if you can swing by the bank and bring large bills all the better. A glance will count it without it being obvious. Guests who come to see me are asked to put all watches and gizmos in the "box" situated at the front door to ensure we are not interrupted. When they leave the envelope is switched for their belongings in the box. Catherine P.S. Do not think that having no ID will deter LE. They will hold you until you produce some! They have all the time in the world to outwait you.

Excellent thread! I have seen situations where wallets are compromised and that is bad for everyone. I suggest that wallets are left in the car along with cell phones and handhelds. Have the consideration in an envelope and if you can swing by the bank and bring large bills all the better. A glance will count it without it being obvious. Guests who come to see me are asked to put all watches and gizmos in the "box" situated at the front door to ensure we are not interrupted. When they leave the envelope is switched for their belongings in the box. Catherine P.S. Do not think that having no ID will deter LE. They will hold you until you produce some! They have all the time in the world to outwait you.

When I landed in Ottawa I visited EVERY freaking hotel-motel in the city as I needed to stay off the grid and had no ID. Every seedy little place still needed a drivers license. They will register the room in any name you want, but they need the ID for the registration. Needless to say I slept in my car that summer... Catherine

Great pic's ladies! Looking forward to seeing you in December... Catherine

I have yet to find any that will rent without any personal information and believe me when I say I tried. Even paying cash you need to provide photo ID... Catherine

Darling Cowboy, I understand the impulse and the intention clearly. All I'm saying is that doing as they do makes us the same as they are, even if we are doing it back to them. It was more of a "food for thought" than anything... Catherine

I agree with YOGI and jdstar, this offer seems questionable at best. I think someone who doesn't like the board would put something like this up to see what everyone would say, and to see if we were gullible enough to fall for it. CERB has many of the naysayers and negative thinkers out there annoyed at the stance taken here. My intuition tells me this is one of them trying to play the entire board for a fool.... I'm not trying to be negative, if it were titled "What would you do if you had $100G's to spend in Ottawa on superb entertainment" then perhaps, but this reeks of something rotten. Catherine Mod...if you need to delete or edit this, I understand completely.

A cat fight? Was I there? It happened without me? Can't have a cat fight without Cat! Catherine (My attempts at humor are often schticky! It's why I haven't quit my day job!)

Very true, I don't have many late appointments. When I did I would simply meet the guest in the Black Bear. Catherine

I also find that everyone from all parts of the country participates in the Ottawa forum instead of focusing on developing their local forum. I guess that makes Otown the default General Forum. Catherine

I used the Elgin St area hotels for a bit, and the parking is a mess. Guests will eventually find somewhere to park, but they will be late and it will throw the schedule off. I really like Albert at Bay. Great people, great parking... Catherine

I can understand your position outforfun. I love the anticipation of getting ready to go to the spa for a pampering or out for dinner. The ritual preparations are all part of the experience. I like the fact my guests book in advance and I very seldom have someone just not arrive. Noshows are inexcusable, for the provider it is a loss of income, but for the guest is a loss of trust which is far harder to rectify. It carries forward to the relationships with other providers until they prove themselves. It doesn't just hurt their business, it reflects badly on our industry as a whole. Without an explanation it leaves one hanging and wondering. Common courtesy dictates that you should receive a call or a text before the appointment to ensure that you don't waste your time. Some guests have such a small window of opportunity to hobby and it's gone before they even have a chance to enjoy it... Catherine

Exactly my thought. Very delicate situation as no one wants to be thought of as a bottle of soda... Catherine

Mmmmmm, oil and edible panties! Sounds like you should bring a rubber sheet with you just incase things get out of hand! Cat

Ouch! Did you at least take a bubble bath and order room service and have a romantic eve with just you? She doesn't know what a piece of man candy she missed! Maybe you should apply with the new Elite Consort agency, then you could have run incalls out of it and it wouldn't have been such a waste! Catherine

I do also, I have some names with no less than 6 of the same and I think only one is the real Mccoy! Catherine

They brought us the "Catholic School Girl" position so they can't all be good! Catherine

Given the quality of experience you offer a provider I can't imagine one cancelling! Starting out way back when, I had a very wise woman who ran our office named Teressa. (Just a plug incase she's out there reading this!) and she always made us girls adhere to the appointments as they were booked, never bail for what we thought was better or more sure option. The client can, but we had to stick to what was already arranged and I learned. It has served me well my entire career. That said, life happens... Catherine

Sir, you never cease to amaze and entertain me...kudos! Catherine

Does the end doesn't justify the means? Catherine P.S. I couldn't help it! I'm not a nag in person...

Sounds like a good idea, and maybe they should have to become member to enter the conversation. Otherwise they can just lurk the way they do on the board. Catherine

I am so sorry that happened to everyone in the chat. It is the reason I don't participate in the chat rooms. I will not discuss anything off the cuff with those who are not identified. It's probably the paranoid within me and I realize that. I surround myself with people who understand who I am and what I do because I know first hand what damage the ignorant can do without realizing they are doing it. I have found the most amazing people here on CERB and I again give thanks that I took the chance and became a part of a community that shows everyone the same level of respect. I don't expect the world to change but I like to think we all change a little for the better by being here. Emma, tomorrow I will give you a big hug and we'll celebrate life. One more sleep! Catherine

I have been getting a lot of those types of messages also and it struck me funny as well. I just don't respond... Catherine

I am REALLY glad this thread came up! Just for the record...if you are going to use a made up name make it something unusual. Today I had an instance of already having 3 clients with the same name, and a 4th popped up. I didn't recognize it as new, he didn't say "Hi, we've never met so can you send some details?" like most do. He simply said "What's your schedule like?". I had no internet over the weekend and handled my entire weeks booking via blackberry so I wasn't watching the email addys. Last night when I looked at my book, I had two of the same guys booked back to back. I assumed I had made an error because the other two were not available this week so I checked my confirmation email and found the second appointment and assumed it was happening at 1:30 instead of 10:30. I figured I must have made a mistake and thought I had 3 hours available. I called a repairman to come and take care some things and an hour later my buzzer is ringing. I asked him to wait 5 minutes, but he assumed it meant 15 minutes which I understand and decided he didn't have time to wait so he left. I threw my handyman out toolbox and all and then sat twiddling my thumbs. Then I went back and started to look and figured it out. I now have four Johh XXXXX's. Long story short (not!), try and use something that isn't too common... Catherine

Many of you have read the previous threads about negotiating and pricing stuctures for providers. I have cut and pasted some of this from my previous posts so if it seems repetitive I apologize. Negotiating, what is the impact on a providers sense of self worth? How much does a woman thinks she's worth? Over the years, the one factor in a womans charms that is listed over and over is confidence. For a woman to truly be at home her own skin, she must have a strong sense of self. Everyone will agree that playing with a woman who is happy with herself is so much more fun than an interlude with someone who questions her self worth. But it's important to realize that providers don't wake up one day and think "I'm going to go be an escort" and little girls don't dream of one day growing up to a prostitute. We get started in this because we are in a bad situation and it seems like a solution to a short term problem. Once in, a few take it and make it their own and thrive. Most don't stay long and those that are not suited to it end up with issues far more serious than the original challenges. Substance abuse is rampant because the involvement of selling yourself. Does negotiating help or hinder? It's a no brainer. Why do providers raise their rates? Unlike other businesses, we are sharing the most intimate parts of ourselves with people who have no true vested interest in our wellbeing. How much is taking a risk like that worth? One has to realize the toll this takes on our personal lives. Those of us who commit to genuinely providing for our guests, our personal relationships often take a back seat. I know that with the amount of physical and emotional energy I commit to making my guests satisfied, it can leave very little left over for personal interaction There isn't another business out there like this in that sense. How do you put a price on that? It's hard to do. The difference in considerations between Indies can be attributed to several factors; what their expectations are, what type of investment have they made to this financially and emotionally, and the final which I think is the main factor, is their self esteem. Why are some prices are higher? It is a question that often comes up, usually in the querie "is it made of gold?". I would never speak for others, but I am happy to explain my perspective as a provider. The actual man hours involved in the business end of things is more than most realize. When I have ads up, I spend about 3 hours taking care of administration alone. If I see 3 guests, that is 6 hours with my guests uninterrupted. Then there is the accumulated total of guest preparation which will equal another 1.5 hours. On top of that is the physical grooming required. 4 showers, plus all the little things that make being up close and personal so much fun add another 2 hours. It makes for a 12 - 14 hour day which if all 3 guests arrive makes it worth while. If something comes up and there are cancellations, then the profit ratio goes down. This business has one common element with other businesses, you get back what you put in. But how much does a provider have within her to give to begin with? Usually not a lot, those that do well, do so because their clients build their feeling of inner worth by giving of themselves, not just financially. Lower prices means more traffic, and I know what that kind of traffic can and will do in the long run to a providers spirit. It destroys it and once the spirit is broken a woman becomes vunerable to a host of self destructive behaviors. Besides the substance abuse there is a deep seated self loathing that permeates every pore of a womans body. Clients have no idea of the long term ramifications of this industry on every aspect of a provider, and it's mainly the negative that lingers and is near impossible to eradicate. I have yet to meet a provider that did not struggle with this process at some point. Only those that are involved with providers on a emotionally intimate basis and other providers can truly understand the challenges and struggles being in the business presents. Clients have no clue what it does to our bodies, our minds and our souls. How would you feel if this were your daughter, your girlfriend, your sister or the mother of your children. Would you want clients to negotiate with them for these kinds of services? Are they worth $150 or $200? I look at this much like the career of an athlete. I have a small window of opportunity to maximize my income to provide for the future. We have no benefits, company RRSP contributions, retirement packages, job security, or regular paychecks. Without the investment of time and of ourselves, we will starve. Society shuns us, banks refuse to business with us, buying a home is akin to getting a face to face with the Dalai Lama. Everything learned and earned is done the hard way. We constantly have pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and keep going. There is no recognition or respect of this trade in the "real" world. This is a business that can be empowering, allowing women control of where they want to go in life (as long as no one in the future finds out once they get there!). Often however, the women get involved out of necessity, as a last resort. Some take it and turn it into something positive. But I have seen strong, intellegent women become escorts and it left permanent scars on them. Others, the ones too beaten down and broken are destroyed by it. You don't know what the long term effects are going to be until it is long past the point of no return. How do you put a price on a risk like that? It boils down to respecting a SP's decision. We all have the option of setting what we feel we need to make the risks worth while, and that is different for everyone. It isn't to be taken personally, it's not that we think we're too good to entertain guests who don't have the disposable income to visit with us. It's just that there are only so many days in a girls life, and she has to try to do the best she can with every one of them. If her price is out of line for your budget, do yourself and her a favor and move on to someone in your price range... Catherine