Q for the Market Research/Psych majors -- why do review ratings vary so wildly?

[Sschen]

In my home "market", the same provider's looks/age rating has a spread so wide to be almost worthless.
On the "other" board, the spread is much narrower, AND there's an order of magnitude more data points.

The problem with the "other" board is it's the same 250 punters rating the same 30-40 ladies.

Explain like I'm 5 why what SHOULD be a fairly objective measure (symmetry, sexual dimorphism, a pleasant expression, good grooming, and youthfulness) is all over the map?

 

[hhnyc77]

Well, you said it yourself...if the dudes are reviewing the same 30-40 ladies, it's bound to be a narrower spread, no? The sheer amount and variety of reviews here is probably a factor. By the way, what "other board" are you referring to? You don't need to hide which board...we don't ban any discussions of other sites, though the main focus is our own.

Then you have personal preferences thrown in...everyone has a different idea of looks and age and services. Some are delusional, some are accurate, most are in-between. Also, if a member here is 70 years old, a 50 year old provider might be considered "young" and might have a different view of what is considered attractive. A 25 year old is likely going to have a different view on the same 50 year old provider.

A non-Asian member might see Asian providers differently, while Asian members will have different views of the same Asian provider. A member who is used to inexpensive fasthouse or storefront, lower quality providers might try a higher quality spa or agency and be blown away, when members who frequent might think it's just average. And so on, and so forth.

What is great about our site IS the disparity, and tons of data points so that each member can come to their own conclusion. This whole thing about "oh, she's been reviewed a million times already" is total BS, because every review matters, and might bring a different perspective. It's important to give more credence to those members whose interests and preferences and opinions are aligned with your own.

 

[hhnyc77]

Oh, and another factor, which is a problem, are illegitimate reviews. Either written by the spa/agency itself, or farmed out to professional shills who are paid to write glowing reviews, and even legit reviews where someone might receive a discount for a review (sometimes implied a favorable one, though not always).

If you hobby long enough or frequently enough, I'm sure many guys have received some type of latter offer. Some guys are swayed by the discount and will write a review that tends to be more favorable (or at least less critical), while other guys write what they really think, regardless of the discount. "Reviewer's special" is relatively common, and certain agencies (and indies) openly advertise it.

Also, some guys will only write favorable reviews and not write negative reviews, for a number of reasons. They don't want to destroy a provider's reputation/harm her business, or they really like the shop otherwise and don't want to badmouth any of their providers, or just generally don't like to say negative things at all.

The bottom line is...make sure you do your homework. Review the reviewer...can't stress that enough. Certain things to look out for include:

Every review they post is positive (all mid 20s, beautiful, with amazing service), and not a single negative one.

Only reviews 1 shop or the same 3-4 shops repeatedly. Goes hand in hand with the first statement above.

Adamantly defends or "white knights" a particular provider or shop, in multiple threads. Conversely, always trashes a particular provider or shop and is borderline stalk-ish.

The board's policy is that we are not here to police anyone, nor is it responsible for accuracy. It is up to each member to do their own due diligence, police themselves, and come to their own conclusion.

From TJ himself: "...it is no place for a mod to decide what review is real and what review is fake. Mods shouldn’t go pulling reviews or deeming members shills or taking stances against certain establishment. Mods are NOT police. Members police each other."

Once again, do your homework.

 

[Don Hollinger]

Very subjective indeed.

After a few dates with non-GFE Latina providers I did some research on TER and met an Asian provider. Mixed reviews, but the reviewers were nipicky.
Didn't matter, because she did everything else perfectly, and made me feel like I was wanted. By Socratic deduction I concluded that all Asian providers were similar in comportment.

I chased after the highly rated Kgals when I started. A visit with Honii, a Bay Area legend back then (200+ reviews on AAMP) was like going to Benihana. You pay for the awesome performance, the knife and spatula show, but it was pure theater. The same for Honii, who usually got great reviews for her one act plays-who cared if she stuck with her script and stayed in character. Her patrons rarely complained about what they got.

When I read accounts about disgruntled mongers whining about the milfs and gilfs at one agency that specializes in Kgals that do GFE, I'm amused. At 65, seeing a lady in her early 40's I'm robbing the cradle. None of them were less than two decades younger than me. For a younger man with no SO, seeing women older than themselves, this whole thing can be a letdown. For older guys wanting more from an older veteran provider, it can also lead to a letdown of sorts. Again, entirely subjective.

 

[Sschen]

Great responses, thanks!

To clarify, everyone's EXPERIENCE is going to be different, I had a naive notion that the ACCURACY of the photos/visuals might be somewhat consistent.
That's why I often qualify my assessments on a gal's look with "for her age".
Likewise, that's why I have MY age in my profile, so folks make their own mental adjustment.

'D'oh!' (slaps forehead): Shills, lapdogs and Joe visiting from the branch office in Fargo skewing the numbers.
And yes, much like Trip Advisor, people who had a meh experience aren't likely to publicly admit they didn't do their research beforehand.
@hhnyc77 thanks for the generous review credit allowance .. this cuts WAY down on punters posting imaginary visits for access.

 

[Joneboy]

Good craic, boyos

 

[jantzen010]

Don't fall into the "analysis paralysis" trap. Read enough reviews to allow you to make an informed decision and just go for it.

No different than looking to try out a new restaurant and scanning the reviews on yelp and Google first. Sometimes, there's no time to read reviews and i just base my decision on the star ratings. Granted, this site is not set up like that, as the old Spahunters was so you'll actually need to do some work to read reviews.

Have you noticed that Amazon is using AI to summarize thousands of reviews for a product into a few sentences to give the potential buyer a "flavor" of the opinions? It tries to call out the highlights, lowlights to give you some insight.

 

[VJLUTZ]

Here is the other thing: some of the best girls NEVER get reviewed. Why? Simply because if someone finds too good a thing, they don't want her ruined. They want to keep it under-the-radar.