Hi! I've Been Away...My Experiences and Need Feedback

[BillyB]

Sandro, my posts were not all directed to Infoman but everybody reading. Sometimes it's best to tell guys to not use certain agencies and leave it at that. But giving guys ammo to beat these agencies will give them confidence to join these agencies. There's no doubt on my mind that many guys are fixated on the hot photos of certain agencies. They got to have that one woman! Now with new knowledge I or you just gave them, they will join the agency and try to beat the system. Some people don't know how to use google to help themselves and others can use Google but not good enough. And some will ignore the warnings they find no matter how many there are.

Dan,

There are different ways I come to conclusion agencies are bad. Word of mouth though I'm not ready to make a conclusion about TR right now. Also I value the words of some more than others. A respected veteran words, who's been stable for a 1000 posts, are more valuable than a newbie's first post going ballistic over a bad experience with an agency. I also value scam site reports to some extent. Based on how scam sites talk about agencies, one could figure out if the scam site is in itself questionable as having an agenda against other agencies or promoting certain agencies unfairly. Some people can simply research agencies better than others. If I read an agencies terms and conditions, I can start to figure them out. I can tell if an agency is putting all kinds of barriers up to prevent two people from meeting each other no matter how much they advertise they are looking out for you and have an excellent anti-scam program. One also has to question why certain agencies have a much larger percentage of model quality of women compared to others. There's no doubt on my mind, besides the doctoring of photos, some agencies are paying unsuspecting models to do photoshoots say for a modelling agency when in fact the photos will be posted in a marriage agency. Remember Damien from RussianScamCheck? He seemed like an honest guy who came here and took some flak over his business. I looked at some of the agencies he recommended and told him to re-think his recommendations. If he truly wanted guys to avoid bad agencies, he would remove some of the agencies I pointed out to him. He did. One agency was crossroads who also had a site that had escort women listed. Checking out agencies affiliates can help lead you to their "other" businesses/interests.

How can things improve with agencies? First there must be an interest to improve by the agencies but most likely that could mean less profit. Too many success stories with agencys top women and clients will hurt the bottom line. For two people to come together, an agency can't restrict, hinder or fake correspondence. Of course being honest, ethical and lowering prices per letter will help increase correspondence but that doesn't help the bottom line. It is a business's goal to make money and I have nothing against that as long as it's done honestly otherwise it's stealing in my book. Most big agencies are bad agencies but the big agencies that have a reputation of being reliable aren't all that great. The Angelika network and A foreign Affair has many women at their site who does have private e-mail but they will only sell the postal address of those women forcing a man to write through the agency.

If I had to give Richard at Tver Angels any tips to improve his, what I would estimate is an honest, agency, I would tell him to beat the bad agencies, he needs more ladies at his site for men to do business with him. He needs to aggressively market his business. He needs to make it free for women to join making it more appealing for men to join. Unlike other agencies, he and his employees could still treat the ladies with respect as if they were paying customers as he wishes. If someday his agency is to grow big, there is no way he could manage with the same approach he has now, with having decent knowledge of the motivations of every lady in his agency. Being a large agency, he may not be able to interview every lady and thus can't be as judgemental of who signs up. He has to accept more crap walking in his doors if he is to grow into a large agency. If he fails to model his business to grow and fast, his potential customers have no choice but to do business to the agencies he despises thus rewarding them.

[Infoman]

Wow!   Thanks, Billy - I don't feel so bad now about ditching another $199.  I agree with everything you said.  I'm still bothered that I really shouldn't abruptly stop talking to the couple of ladies I really like, but you're right - no matter what, they are not in love with me, they correspond with other men, and they will get over it, just as I had to get over a couple that wrote me and never replied back at some point.  I totally agree that I am much more comfortable with getting to know a couple of women via correspondence first BEFORE making the trip - just my feeling.  Though I have never upgraded at EM - yet - I have had a profile there for a while, and have asked many questions over time and have received satisfactory answers.  Based on everything I know, I think that they are at the top of agency ethics, and their pricing is fair.  They seem to stand behind NO BS on all fronts, and I think I will go with them and immediately drop everything else.  I think this is the way for me to go - a new beginning with a place I think I can trust...and from the looks of the ladies, there seem to be more than enough that I can send a "expression of interest" to and hopefully get a couple or few great women that I can "meet" with hopes of something further down the line.

Again, everyone has their own opinions on what is right and wrong, what works and what doesn't.  For me, as long as their is one decent agency that I feel I can trust that is not limited to girls from one city, then I think I'm going to go for it.  I won't have to worry about repeated $199s over and over - I won't have to worry about letters and phone calls being purpotrated by someone other than the lady I thought it was - I won't have to worry about $5, $6, $10 or more per letter, etc.  The information and suggestions you all have given me are a tremendous help, and I thank you for it - and so quick with the replies.  I am in a good place, and with this new start, I'll keep you apprised of my happenings and new experiences, just for the record.  I'm feeling better now than I did, thanks to you all.  Live and learn - onward and upward - but staying here to be a part of this community to give my 2 cents and try to help others like you guys helped me.

Thanks again.   

Joe