army-of-brides.com : 500+ e-mails!

[plassey]

I registered with army-of-brides.com a couple of months ago and posted a profile there. I never logged in thereafter, never contacted anyone, basically I remained totally passive. Despite that I received 500+ e-mails from girls, a steady barrage of 5-15 e-mails daily! As an experiment I did the same on Elena's Models and got some 20-30 e-mails in the first few days and then nothing at all.

Knowing that you have to pay for reading the e-mails, I suspect that the site gives an incentive (revenue share scheme?) to the girls to have them write to as many men as possible. What is sure is that this site doesn't inspire me at all, it comes across as a money-making machine, nothing more.

[BillyB]

Army of Brides is another scam agency. Most likely they pay models to do a photo shoot and the unsuspecting women's photos are listed at their marrige agency instead of a magazine.

[Nando]

Well I have to say that I met some girls trough this agency in Odessa and they were ok. It is just a network of agencies so much depends of the local agency. In Zapro one of the interpreters from the local agency called Ilona appears in their anti-scam site as a scammer  so things are cloudy sometimes like in most agencies...
These professional scammer like to write trough another network agency so just be careful.
To say the truth in elena models my experience was almost zero answers and the same happened to a guy. I cannot avoid to thinkthat they answer more to Americans, but do not no the reason why.

[Kuna]

To say the truth in elena models my experience was almost zero answers and the same happened to a guy. I cannot avoid to thinkthat they answer more to Americans, but do not no the reason why.

I had a very high percentage of responses from Elena's Models and found no obvious scammer activity from any of the girls that responded.

Kuna

[Turboguy]

I met quite a few ladies using Elena's including VWRW.   I don't remember any of the gal's I wrote being scammers.   There was one I met who was.   I did not report her but saw her picture fairly often on Elena's list of most popular girls.   It disappeared about 6 months later and I believe was removed.   My experiences with Elena's was good and I would and have recommended them to guys.

[Nando]

There are scammers in every sites.
One wrote me and she appears in Elenas, army-of-brides and in the agency with whom 2tallbil had a good experience.
She even appeared here as a scammer or pro-dater I can't remember
It is a pitty that everyone knows the picture of George Clooney now, because I'm thinking in forging a fake profile in Elenas saying that the guy is Greek just to see how many answers he will get.

The conclusion is:
Marriage agencies are not ethycal most of the times and there are only a few who don't have scammers in their portfolio

[Jack]

........"basically I remained totally passive. Despite that I received 500+ e-mails from girls, a steady barrage of 5-15 e-mails daily! As an experiment I did the same on Elena's Models and got some 20-30 e-mails in the first few days and then nothing at all"..........


ding-ding-ding-ding,  are any bells going off?  What does this tell you?  500 plus e-mails and you have not written one?  20 to 30 e-mails in the first few days and then nothing after that because you didn't write a single e-mail? 

And I bet you plassey that 90% of these ladies who wrote you were stunning beauties and 80% were less than 30 years of age.

[Rvrwind]

There are scammers in every sites.

Wrong, there are none on our site or in our agency.

One wrote me and she appears in Elenas, army-of-brides and in the agency with whom 2tallbil had a good experience.

When I was first in the search, a few eons ago , I tried Elena's Models. The scam didn't hit till I met them face to face. Out of the 5 I met 3 asked me for money before I finished my first coffee!

Marriage agencies are not ethycal most of the times and there are only a few who don't have scammers in their portfolio

Glad you decided to contradict your first statement. Now I don't have to rip you a new one. And I assure you, we are ethical & honest.
I get so tired of being lumped in with the bad guys. What does it take around here to get noticed as one of the very few that is honest & ethical & have others appreciate that fact. Do I have to strut around with a naked woman on each arm or what? ;DAs pleasant as that sounds!!
This board was the founder of the CMA, yet I still see nobody pushing its use by newbies & recommending the agencies on it or recomending that other agencies try to join. I still see the less than savory sites getting all the promo, even from the members who were directly involved in creating the CMA!! Is that not why it was created in the first place? Is that not why you who were involved dedicated your time to its creation? The bottom line is, or should be, if they are not a member of the CMA & adere to the ACofE, they should not be recommended!! They should however be given the opportunity to join if they can.
What does it take guys??? You tell me, because I surely am at a loss. You all want ethical & honest agencies but you are not willing to do the right thing & promote those agencies every chance you get. All your hard work in creating the CMA will be for nothing because frankly I am not about to pay the considerable sum needed to move to the next level until I see where it is of benifit to my company, which at this point has been no benifit whatsoever. It will die a slow agonizing death unless it is used by the members here to promote those who have embraced it.
Sorry but thats what I see as the trend here & I am totally baffled by it.
Sorry for slipping  , but I just had to say that. I'd like to hear the thoughts of the other owners that are on the CMA as well & if they have to date seen any benifit to them.

[Bruno]

Wrong, there are none on our site or in our agency.

Maybe, maybe not... You can never be sure... until you are able to read mind of all your ladies... Let say that your agency is not a scam agency ( you don't make fake letter for men )... that you control strongly your girls and don't allow scam...

Richard, if your own a highway, you can put so much police you will on it, it will always be some driver who drive too fast...

Scam is not only girl who ask money in communication... after first meeting, some girls receive alot of gift, money for english lesson, money for support family... but once the guy will marry, she stop the relation and seek a other men... it is scam too... at some level, a GCG is a scammer too... since her main goal is not the relationship but a green card...

I'd like to hear the thoughts of the other owners that are on the CMA as well & if they have to date seen any benifit to them.

I am not more a owner and i am not in the CMA but...

- CMA is a enough new site... usually, minimum 1 year is needed for a new site reach his cruise speed...
- CMA is not about benefit but about ethic... make fake letter in place of your girl if you wish be rich... ethic and honesty is only benefic in the very long run for usual business ( customer  trust you )... in international dating, if lucky, a customer use only one time your service... the only benefice can be when some friend of these married guy recommend your service... in reality, the main benefice is that you know that you are honest and have a ethic business... but if you think about money, since the high % of idiot in these world, bad agency make more money that the good one...

[Mir]

I agree with Bruno
Who is a scammer depends on what criteria you use to define a scammer.
So with a certain criteria some agency owners can convince themselves that they have no scammers on site while if we use a different criteria many of the women listed will qualify as scammers.
Main thing is to understand that the owners of the agency don't have to be dishonest to have scammers on their site.
I think to some extent it is like saying that no sex tourists use the agency for once again it depends on how one defines a sex tourist!

[2tallbill]

Wrong, there are none on our site or in our agency.When I was first in the search, a few eons ago , I tried Elena's Models.

I believe you don't have any scammers. If you did they would be history same day end of story. You have a relatively small agency and can keep tabs on things. For a huge site I think Elena's Models does a pretty darn good job. I have talked to other people who know you and know that you don't deal with BS at all. I like you and we haven't even met. Some day we should.

Just my two kopecks,

Bill

[Rvrwind]

I agree with Bruno
Who is a scammer depends on what criteria you use to define a scammer.

You can agree with Bruno if you wish, but this is one time Bruno is way wrong.
There are no scammers, GCG, Pro Daters or any such type in our agency & I will guarrantee that 100%.
Why do I know that. Because all of our Lades has paid to be there. Yes, Thats what I said, PAID to be in our agency. Some have paid upwards of $100 US to be in our agency. Why??? Because even they are tired of the bull$hit that goes on in some of the other agencies & they want honest & real service. I have ladies at his very moment that are paying to write letters to men. Paying us to translate them & paying us to deliver them.
Women who only want to play games do not "Pay to Play" it isn't profitable for them. That is why I know I have no dishonest ladies because when we inform them of the costs they have one of two reactions. 1/ Great!! Where do I sign up, heres the cash or 2/ Are you nuts I ain't paying to meet men!! Which group would you prefer?
I doubt very much that any woman in our agency would do anything out of line after spending the money some of them have to be here. The minimum cost for a woman to join is 1500 rouble, over $50.00 US, for some thats a weeks wages, you think they are going to pi$$ that away, I don't think so.
We treat the women & the men as equals & they like it that way. Yes you can help her pay for letter writing if you wish, if you are writing her, but many of them pay for their end themselves. These ladies are not hard done by, most are career women with good jobs & a decent income & believe they are quite capable of holding up their end, so why shouldn't they.
Like I said before they don't "PAY TO PLAY" No profit or gain in that.
Women who join for free in other agencies have nothing to lose. In ours they have plenty to lose. Even some from those other agencies are now jumping ship & joining us because the word is getting out that we don't cheat anybody, male or female & we don't string anybody along.
How much more honest can an agency be?
Thanks Bill, I appreciate your support & I agree, someday we should, LOL.

[wxman]

Rvrwind,

I would venture to say you are one of the very rare ones that charges women to be a member of your agency. I think that is an excellent idea. When both parties have made an investment into the process, then it is much more likely that both parties are serious about their future and success. There are many privately owned dating agencies in the US, in most moderate to large cities, that charge both sexes equal fees to introduce them to each other. They are serious about their intentions and don't  care for or do not have time to play games. If the relationship in the end does not work out, usually it is because they are not compatible. I'm sure there have been golddiggers with these agencies, but the successful ones quickly weed out the bad apples of both sexes. If you did have scammers in your agency, by now it would have been plastered all over this site and over the internet. I wish more agencies would charge fees to both the men and women. It will reduce the amount of choices initially, but with time, will increase the number of quality choices, which in the end is what both honest parties are looking for.   

[Rvrwind]

It will reduce the amount of choices initially, but with time, will increase the number of quality choices, which in the end is what both honest parties are looking for.

Thank you wxman & that is exactly why we do it.
If we didn't charge I would have more ladies than LTP & BH put together. I kid you not when I say we have 20-25 ladies call everyday, many of them already in the other agencies. We have turned down a fair # as well & by insisting on payment I can say we weed out 99.99% of any potential bad apples.
I can't however take credit for the idea, that was the idea of my partner Marina who convinced me that it was the best way to keep our agency loaded with only serious quality ladies. As a Russian women she explained that those who are serious about this will pay for the service & they do.
We don't have the high #'s of others & we don't have the model quality women in great #'s but that should tell you right off that these women are not in it for the right reasons, ours are.
I was skeptical at first but have grown to learn she was right, they want quality service & a quality agency & they are willing to pay for it.
We also offer our Russian program, which none of the other big agencies here wish to deal with. We take Russian men & women from all over Russia & introduce them to each other. We have contacts in most major cities across Russia & are looking for more. Some of our ladies are only in the Russian program, so you guys never even see them as they are not on our website, that is all done in house & through exchange with our contacts.
I would not be lieing if I told you we get four - five times the letters & such through our Russian Dating Service than we do through our International Service. The women in that program are the same as those in the international in that they pay the same fees, the only difference is they have no interest in meeting or marrying a foreigner, they want a good Russian man. The men in our Russian program are the same, they pay as do the women & can search all over Russia for a woman or right here locally, they have the freedom to do either.
I do did not exagerate sometime ago when I said I could shut down the website & stop the International Dating & it wouldn't affect us one iota. Our biggest clientele & our biggest income is from the Russian dating service, fully 4-5 times more in income & activity.
My complaints about the International are mostly due to the fact is that is where our biggest expense is & it would be nice if it was at least making enough to support itself. As it is the Russian Dating Service is paying both ends & for the work that went into the website & the time I spent getting Certified etc, I see very little return for the effort.
I continue to hope that will iron itself out & change. Hope springs eternal. We are different than any other agency out there & take pride in that. I only wish others could see that & spread the word.