Originally posted by ramont at 5-3-2012 12:01
I think the problem might be the website. ...
Actually I have a conspiracy theory to offer: I'm convinced they are being managed and orchestrated by a strong-handed marketing genius from behind the scenes.
The whole premium pricing thing started in KB about 18 months ago.
Up until then, they were average girls at average prices, mostly older and more experienced ladies. And the building was far from full, with around 5-8 girls on the DB at any time.
Then I noticed some new additions, a couple of departures, and at the same time all the girls all set their prices at $500.
... that's exactly the sort of market behaviour that would have an anti-trust investigator buying a bottle of champagne to celebrate (in an anti-trust environment that is) ... clearly it wasn't an accident. Market price for walkups is $380, period. A 30% markup is a lot to account for on the basis of service alone. It smelled just like a cartel had been formed, with an increased minimum price being set for the building.
In many way's I'm intrigued and impressed that the move worked - I have to admit that KB now has the image of being a premium destination, and at same time has attracted a lot of new traffic and a lot of active reporters. There's a virtuous circle where the reports attract more punters, some of whom write more reports, and the pricing is seen as being justified. Over the space of about 9 months more girls moved in, showing up on the DB, and the premium pricing was maintained.
What is interesting about the situation is that the new pricing does NOT seem to have come about as a result of an influx of new talent injected into the HK talent pool,
nor do I see any significant evidence of the SOP being any different from other girls in other locations that would justify differential pricing.
Yes of course I acknowledge that some of the girls give better service, better GFE, etc, but I'm not seeing reports saying "wow, I used to love HGs at $800 but from now on I'm going to KB" ... furthermore, as the story has unfolded I've seen a large number of comments about many of the girls that they are veterans in HK ... so much so that "girl" is probably stretching it ...
It's too much of a stretch for me to believe a lady who's been in the business for 3-5 years and is changing locations yet again would all of a sudden change her performance overnight to be so much better than she was before!!
I'd be very interested to see any evidence (or reports from more knowledgeable reports) on whether service in the building as a whole is better than that in other larger buildings in HK. Or is it just that a larger nest will - simply by random chance - have a few more engaged and committed top performers in it, thereby elevating the image of the whole address?
I'm posting this as an invitation to challenge my paranoia, preferably by sharing observations and experience, not just by sharing opinions.
Moral of this tale? Yes, there is a moral, and here it is:-
REPORTING WORKS IN YOUR INTERESTS
If you know a nice place, and hide it selfishly, you are hurting your own interests.
You can depend on it that someone will orchestrate a promotion, making a place popular just because it is seeing a lot of reports, attracting more punters, and thereby generating more reports.
And along with the punters, the money walks too ... not to the place you love and are hiding, but to the place that is getting all the attention ...
And we know what happens when the money walks: the top producers also walk, because they need to make the best living they can.
The best "thank you" you can give when you get good service, is to share it.
Of course, if you're concerned about maybe losing out, because the service you got is so very much an outlier and your report is going to be so very complimentary, share it but not with everyone: put an RA on it, so fewer of the members get access. [Flamesuit On!] Doing this reinforces the value of reporting even more ... and assures that those who do the most of the work get the best rewards ... everyone wins.
And - yes - if you're the guy that makes a place popular as a result of you sharing your favourite provider, your favourite provider will notice (even if you don't brag about it), and she will also make sure you don't lose out from your openness.