request some feedback

[392ihc]

Hey you guys!  Mike in Wyoming here....fully recovered from my trip to Ukraine and still making new contacts over there.  As always some are promising and others are not.  I have intented to ask a question here for three days but every time I log on I get lost in reading recent posts.  So what if I am a little ADHD?  I enjoy reading them!

Now for my question...I have been corresponding with a lady in Kremenchug, near Poltava.  Our correspondence has been pleasant...she has reminded me several times that she cannot reply quickly because she has to have help from a friend translating. She insists to me that she is "old fashioned" woman who does not sleep around. Never mentioned ex-husband but did mention ex-boyfriend. She is 40 yr. old. No skimpy clothing in any of her pictures on profile or in ones sent to me later. We have talked about meeting...whenever I can save enough for a return trip. She was open to the idea and offered me help at her end. Of course I told her I needed to rent an apartment but specified that it needed to be studio but with A/C. She had first told me to fly to her city but then I found out that there isn't even an airport in Kremenchug. So I offer to take train or bus. Everything is cool to this point.
Then two days ago she wrote me that she found one for $100.00 per night!  And she told me this time that it is best to take a taxi from Kiev to Kremenchug.  And guess what?  Her brother has a friend who has a taxi and she will arrange with him to go to Kiev to pick me up!  And...that it is too dangerous to travel by train or bus. She also coyly told me she would not be able to read monuments, etc. to me when I arrive but that "our interpreter will do all for you".
So, here is the really good part!  Since I have already been to UA once and I have been scammed multiple times, I wrote her back.  No, I didn't accuse her of anything. I just acted like she had been cheated in the quotes given to her!  I told her I only paid $38.00 a night for a flat in Kiev (true) and that I had a taxi driver in Kiev whom I had used while there and I still had his phone number and I would call him to see what this trip would cost (also true). I also told her that I knew I could rent hotel room in her city for $30. per night.  (also true). And, finally, I told her that I had ridden the train in Ukraine and did not see anything dangerous about it at all. (very true).
Today I receive email back from her telling me that she has called several more flat owners and she found one who will rent flat for $50. per night if I take a week.  And her brother's friend wants to know the rate I get from my friend in Kiev so he can match it!!!!!   She also tells me that if I rent hotel room she will not "come to me"  as only prostitutes visit hotel rooms!
So, anyway, my scam meter just got pegged on high but before I do anything I can't undo, I thought it best for me to get some feedback from you smarter and wiser guys!
I am grateful for the experience I received by taking my first trip to UA and I likely would not have gone had it not been for the reassurances of you folks on here and I am seeing, I think, some benefits of that experience! 
I look forward to hearing from some of you!
Mike in Wyoming

[Gator]

If she is a sincere, good hearted UW, your actions probaly impressed her as coming from a wise and careful man, not a weak manchild.  If she is a scammer, she now realizes that you will be a challenge.

My advice, meet her in Kiev.  If all goes well, the two of you can travel to her city.  If not, Plan B is easier in Kiev than in provincial towns.

[392ihc]

Thanks Gator, makes sense....or going to Lugansk to see a different lady entirely!  Let you know what happens.

[Daveman]

Hey again Mike,
I gotta tell you, the overall gist of the conversation has a very scamly ring to it. Taxi, translator, too dangerous, $100 per night for a flat...  Your inner voice warning is probably correct. 

My gut feeling:
--Something's not right- the terp/taxi/driver/flat/restaurant/phone/shoes/ scam
or
--She's a complete and utter dingbat (there are just as many of these in FSU as there are in USA... don't let the hype fool you.. the ones we chase are very intelligent.. BUT.. good lord are there some bulbs blown out of the chandelier over there)

I would move on, however, if you are not comfortable with that, then definitely continue the communication a while before making a trip to visit.   

[JR]

Mike....Hello? Hello, you in there? Why are you asking us? You answered all your own questions. Go back, change the name to JollyRats and give me your advice........Now see, you too are one of the smartest guys on this forum

BTW, she isn't a scammer. She's a Hoover and she'll SUK YOU DRY ! ! !  Ummm, that might actually be pleasant.... OK, I'll shut up now.

[Gator]

Thanks Gator, makes sense....or going to Lugansk to see a different lady entirely!  Let you know what happens.

The word Lugansk   :hairraising: by itself alarms me just as much as the $100 apartments, taxi friend and terp friend.  Why don't you describe your approach to selecting RW for meetings.  No names other than the agencies you use, level of English spoken, and amount of correspondence.

[Sculpto]

anyone going to Lugansk should get in touch with Alex beforehand.  He is a decent guy.. has been a constant advisor to me after Kherson (for no charge) and is practically obsessed with restoring the reputation of the hometown he loves.  PM me for contact info.

[mendeleyev]

Small town like Kremenchuk means she's probably right about hotel rooms. Kremenchuk is a very nice little city, not sleepy but not bustling either. Lots of things to do in summer around the Dniper river.  As you mentioned it's very close to Poltava another nice small city and plenty of ladies in both for a plan B.

$100 per night, no way. Don't know if you'll find AC easily, of course it's there but in a smaller town usually rentals don't have it. Plentiful public transportation (not luxurious but it's cheap) so you should not need many taxis. If you like outdoors, hiking, etc, then this would be a great place to visit.

anyway, my scam meter just got pegged on high but before I do anything I can't undo,

Not sure why.

Unlikely that she rents apartments for others that often, if ever, and it would be very much like a neighbor to hear that a (wealthy) American is coming and so quotes of $100 per night to her are probably very realistic.

[Ooooops]

Doesn't sound good to me at all...       She sounds more like a travel agent who wants to make some money off starry-eyed Westerner than a woman, interested in seeing the man she likes. 

[facetrock]

   Gotta agree with oooooooooooops 100 dollars a night is a little over the top for a hotel room. Too bad you didnt ask her what it would cost for the car ride and the interpreter.

[Taz]

I'll second/third/fourth/etc. what others have said. This screams scam or idiot. Is either what you are looking for? If so, continue on the path you are going. She sure isn't doing much to win your trust out of the gate that is for sure.

As you already know the prices are way out of line. I've been to Kremenchuk and the prices quoted are way too high. When do you plan on going back so that you'll need AC? Most apartments when I searched there didn't have it. It isn't exactly a hot place compared to some in UA. Along the river it is pretty moderate.

She might have been trying to infer that IF you rent a hotel room, no nookie... So if you want a little action then you'll use her "services" to find an apartment. I am not certain of this of course. This is just conjecture on my part but you never know. Just throwing it out there as I have seen stuff similar to this.