An unusual meeting after more than ten years
This story began with a meeting between Marike, the founder and owner of Society Service, and a client who has been booking with us for more than ten years. Despite having known each other for so long, they had never actually met in person. The client had looked into Society Service's background in some detail and had even brought along a list of things he felt we should be talking about much more openly. Things that, to him, were particularly important when deciding whether an escort agency could be trusted.
It turned into quite a conversation. Marike was given a fairly detailed explanation of why, in his opinion, she ought to talk much more openly about the way she runs her business. We'll let him tell the story himself.
Why I trust Society Service with my secrets
"I recently invited Marike for a cup of tea. Not because there had been a problem with my latest booking, not because I had a complaint, and certainly not because I had some fantastic business proposition to pitch to her. I simply wanted to meet her. That might not sound particularly remarkable, but for us it was. I've been a client of Society Service for over ten years, and we'd never met in person. Our contact had always been strictly business. I'd request a booking, she'd arrange it, I'd pay, and then I'd spend a wonderful evening with one of her ladies. There really wasn't much more to it.
I'm a busy man and have no interest in endless back-and-forth messaging. As it turns out, Marike has even less time for that than I do. An ideal arrangement, really. In those ten years, I've hardly ever cancelled a booking, I've generally kept a comfortable credit balance in my account, and I've never had reason to question her service. The ladies I've met have also spoken about her with genuine confidence. And believe me, if you really want to know how a business owner treats people, don't ask the owner. Ask the people who work for her.
A conversation about the reliability of Society Service
We had barely settled down with our tea in the hotel lobby when I explained why I'd invited her. "Marike, I had you checked out and you are missing out on a business opportunity." She looked rather surprised. I'd looked into her company, her background and the way she runs things. What struck me most was how little she says about her own trustworthiness. Which, considering the industry she's in, is arguably the most important thing she has to offer.
Of course, her website talks about discretion, reliability and quality. But so does the website of practically every escort agency. These words are used so often that they've almost lost their meaning. I was much more interested in the things she barely mentions. Who does she work with? Who has access to my personal information? How does she handle money? And what sort of person is she, anyway? Because let's face it, when you book an escort, you're handing over information you'd probably rather not discuss at a dinner party. I think it's perfectly reasonable to wonder who's actually sitting on the other side of that website. So I'd brought a list. Yes, really. Printed out and everything. Marike laughed, but she listened.
Over twenty years in the escort industry: what does that say about reliability?
First of all, Marike has been working in the escort industry for more than twenty years. Twenty years! I don't know about you, but I find that quite something. Especially in an industry where reputations are fragile, people sometimes behave rather impulsively, and problems don't always have the decency to arise during office hours.
Of course, being in business for a long time doesn't automatically make someone trustworthy. There are companies that have been delivering consistently dreadful service for fifty years. But just think about how many clients Marike must have dealt with over those two decades. How many bookings she's arranged, how much personal information she's handled, and how many well-known, influential or wealthy individuals must have been among them. I can imagine there are names on that list that a gossip journalist would happily pay a considerable sum to get hold of. Yet I'm not aware of a single instance in which she's disclosed confidential information about a client. I find that pretty convincing.
Long-standing business relationships and a small circle of trusted people
Another thing that caught my attention was her business relationships. She's been working with many of her regular professional partners for ten to twenty years. Why? They're not always the cheapest, and perhaps not even the very best at every single aspect of their work, but she knows what to expect from them. She trusts them. It made me wonder how many business owners these days are still prepared to pay a little more to work with someone they've known for years, rather than switching suppliers every time a cheaper quote comes along.
She also told me that she deliberately chooses not to outsource her telephone service. Not because it would be difficult to arrange, but because she wants to keep the number of people with access to client information as small as possible. In the normal course of business, that means Marike, her right-hand woman Jules and her accountant, each only to the extent necessary for their work. Technical specialists and lawyers don't simply get access to that information either. There has to be a good reason. Many entrepreneurs would probably dress this up as some sophisticated privacy strategy, but Marike simply said, "Why would I give more people access than necessary?" Well. Fair point.
Financial independence: why money isn't everything
Another item on my list was her financial independence. What does that have to do with trustworthiness? More than you might think. People with financial difficulties, an expensive lifestyle or an overwhelming need for status can be remarkably susceptible to money. Suppose someone offered Marike ten million euros in exchange for access to her client records. Would she do it? "No." Not even for ten million? "No." Why not? "Because I don't want to." I laughed. Her answer was so brief and so completely non-negotiable that there seemed little point in increasing the offer.
Marike isn't particularly interested in luxury. Expensive watches, designer labels and impressive sports cars do nothing for her. She has a house, a bicycle, a car, her piano and enough money to live the way she wants. That's sufficient. Now, there are plenty of wealthy people who can never seem to get enough, so her financial circumstances alone wouldn't convince me. But I also don't get the impression that she cares much about status or what other people think of her. And she considers selling client information fundamentally wrong. With some people, ten million euros might get you a very long way. With Marike, I suspect it would get you a very short conversation.
Integrity and transparency: even when it's inconvenient
Marike is principled, pragmatic and remarkably firm in her convictions. An excellent combination, unless you're trying to persuade her to do something she doesn't want to do or something that goes against her terms and conditions. She has rather strong views on honesty and reliability, and I suspect waving your wallet around won't get you very far. "But why would I do something to someone else that I wouldn't want someone to do to me?" she asked when I brought it up. She looked at me as though I'd asked a rather peculiar question. Apparently, to her, it was perfectly obvious.
You can see that attitude in the everyday running of the business. Escort profiles are expected to be honest, agreements are honoured, and when something goes wrong, you're not treated to an elaborate explanation in which everyone except Society Service is somehow responsible. They look at what happened and how to put it right. Of course, she makes mistakes occasionally. Who doesn't? But I'd much rather deal with someone who simply admits it than someone who invents three different excuses before finally getting around to the truth.
Intelligence, forward thinking and investing in security
There was another point on my list that made Marike slightly uncomfortable: her intelligence. She's a member of Mensa and has a considerable amount of self-discipline. All very nice, but a high IQ doesn't automatically make someone trustworthy. There are some exceptionally intelligent fraudsters out there. What struck me about Marike was the way she thinks about her business. She's constantly considering what might go wrong, even when there doesn't seem to be any immediate reason for concern. That might sound exhausting, but when someone is responsible for my personal information, I find it rather reassuring.
For example, she spends a considerable amount of money on legal advice, terms and conditions and cybersecurity. Hardly the sort of things that get the average business owner jumping out of bed with excitement. And none of it comes cheap. Still, she'd rather spend the money now than have to explain later why she failed to take certain risks seriously. She doesn't appear particularly prone to panic when practical problems arise, either. A missed flight, a cancellation or a booking that doesn't go according to plan? Something needs sorting out, so she gets on with it. She did, however, immediately point out that I shouldn't ask her what to do if smoke started coming out from under the bonnet of her car. Fortunately, there are still things she knows absolutely nothing about.
Why Society Service doesn't accept every client
One of the things that surprised me most was that she doesn't accept every client. And no, it's not simply a question of whether someone can afford to pay. She also turns away people who have plenty of money but who, in her judgement, are unlikely to make for an enjoyable booking for the escort. Perhaps someone seems determined to push boundaries, is interested exclusively in sex or shows little appreciation for the social and emotional side of an encounter. I asked her why she'd turn down someone willing to spend several thousand euros. Surely money is money?
She clearly saw things differently. If escorts have too many unpleasant experiences, they eventually lose their enjoyment of the work and leave. "I'd rather turn away a hundred clients than lose one good escort because she's stopped enjoying her work." I can completely understand that. The ladies I've met over the past ten years have, almost without exception, been engaged, relaxed and enthusiastic about what they do. And after our conversation, I have a better understanding of why Marike is so selective about whom she accepts. I imagine it costs her a fair amount of revenue, but apparently she considers that a price worth paying.
Why doesn't Society Service simply tell people all this?
That was more or less the question with which I ended our conversation. Why isn't any of this on her website? Why doesn't she mention that she's financially independent, deliberately keeps her circle of trusted people small and is prepared to lose revenue rather than compromise her principles? Marike found the whole idea rather uncomfortable. She doesn't want to boast, sees no reason to advertise her IQ and doesn't consider her values particularly remarkable. I thought that was a rather odd argument. If you're doing something well, surely you're allowed to say so?
What seems perfectly normal to her isn't necessarily normal to someone booking an escort for the first time. You arrive at a website, see attractive women, prices and a form asking you to provide personal information. Then you simply have to hope you've ended up with the right people. Personally, I'd rather know who's ultimately responsible for my booking and what matters to that person. I don't need to like Marike, and we certainly don't need to become friends. I just want to know whether I can trust her.
Can you trust Society Service? My conclusion after more than ten years
I've known Marike for over ten years now. Not through cosy lunches or a personal friendship, but through booking with her time and again and finding that everything was simply taken care of. No fuss, no unpleasant surprises and no reason to wonder afterwards whether I'd chosen the right agency. That might not sound terribly exciting, but I think it's quite an achievement.
By the time we'd finished our tea, I understood a little better how she's managed to run her business this way for so long. Many of the things I value turn out to be so obvious to her that she barely gives them a second thought. So why do I trust her? Because in ten years, she's never given me a reason not to. And after our conversation, I've gained a few more reasons. I hope she takes my advice and starts talking about these things a little more often. I can't be the only client who finds them interesting."
