reprt, amor de cartagena, probably shoud be in "trip report"

[mudd]

Ok garythfla  hope you got your popcorn, ja ja

Wow, how to start.  It was a short trip, just a few days in Cartagena, more so to check it out, meet some people, and get some contacts and so forth, since I had only been there once, for a few hours a few years ago. Since amor de Cartagena is pretty much the only agency there, you’re stuck using them.  At first, the owner, Mark tries to do a good job of handling everything, sending all the info to his rep Luis in Cartagena, and then it’s the reps job to get the contact info to the clients either through phone or e mail, which I found out, is something really pathetic to see.  Now, I will cut Mark some slack on running it, since he is not there all the time and relies way too much on his rep, but if he worked for me, I would have replaced him a long time ago.
 I met Mark in person, very nice guy, his mother actually lives close to my house, and he was out here, so we met and I took a cell phone down for him, to give to his rep. I told him before I left, that his help was so, how to say……..   Clueless, and couldn’t get his act straight, and I was waiting on correct address for almost 3 weeks. He informed me that he would do a good job and that he has never had any complaints about his rep, but I find this hard to believe. And he was working on getting a secretary to help with everything, but that doesn’t help me.

They REALLY need a secretary to handle the e mails, scheduling and phone calls, because apparently, this is left to Luis, who cannot handle these things, along with translating and meeting the girls with clients, so their business service is really bad. A secretary would take care of about 75% of the problems that they have.  I must have sent 20 e mails, trying to get the correct addresses for my list, and still to this day, some are not correct.

Ok, arrive at airport, met a guy from Minnesota on the plane, nice guy, was going there to meet only one girl he had been writing too for 6 months, I think he met her on amigos.com,  told him it was a big risk to go that far, just to see one girl without a backup plan. And of course, when he got outside the airport, she was nowhere to be found. Lucky for him, he had her cell # but no cell phone, and didn’t know anyone else in Colombia and came down solo, but I had a Colombian phone, so we called her, to find out what happened. Typical Columbiana, late by about 20 minutes. I waited outside with Luis, to make sure she showed up and everything was ok, before we left to the apartment, didn’t want to see him get taken advantage of or stranded.  She arrived and everything went well, so I gave him my address, and told him to e mail me if he had any problems.

Word of advice, guys, make sure you US phone will work in Colombia, and turn on international roaming at least 48 hours before you leave. That way, if you have a problem, you’re not stuck there, looking like a dork at the airport. Or buy a cell phone that is unlocked, and buy a local SIM card, so you can make a call to somebody, because most US companies charge about $4 a minute for roaming in Colombia.

Luis brought a friend of his to the airport who is new to the agency, nice girl but not my type. Get to the apartment, which is very close to the airport, so short ride. Walk inside and its ok, nothing great. Small, hot, but AC in the bedroom, but not in the rest of the apartment, so you have to turn on the AC to high and leave the bedroom door open to get he rest of the apartment somewhat cool.   Bathroom was ok, but I saw brown pellets on the ground, turned out to be termite droppings ( and one big frickin cockroach, that I chased around for two days, finally got the little bastard)  Not a big deal, most building in Colombia have termites, So swept it up. Kitchen is small, but one cupboard door was ripped off the hinges, looked really ghetto. About the only plus to the apartment is that there is am old computer there that works and Luis brought the vonage box over, so I could make phone calls to the US. Biggest letdown was when I was taking a shower, and a few termites dropped from the wood ceiling onto my head in the shower. Wasn’t too happy about that.

About the girls I made, of a list of about 20 girls, half were not available, were either gone, had boyfriends, were engaged, moved or they did not have current contact info for them. I did Met two girls the next day,  both were very nice, one was still a little drunk from a night of partying the night before, so when she showed up, she immediately headed for the couch and laid down. Later, headed for the bed and fell asleep, I couldn’t believe it, I could still smell the alcohol coming out of her, must have been one hell of a night, and her cell phone would not stop ringing. she told me it was a bunch of guys who wanted to go out partying  with her this night, which I did not doubt, because she was probably the best looking girl on the web site.

The other girl was nice, cute but was moving to Medellin in two months. So we had a good talk and let her go. After that, headed back and Luis informed me that one of his friends was flying into Cartagena and he would be busy the next day, but his brother would take care of everything. So I told him to have either him or his brother  call me at the apartment at 10:00am, so I could go into town, check it out, buy some things, get another SIM card for another phone, meet some people, get some lunch and so forth.

At 10:00am, no phone call, 10:45, still no phone call. So I called him 3 times, he doesn’t answer his phone, and I know it works, because I bought him a $ 20,000 peso calling card for it, because he didn’t have any minutes in his cell phone to call the girls.  Finally at 11:30 Luis finally calls me, because of the rain, he will be late, and informs me, he can’t get the girls to show up, and some won’t answer their phones, or are busy or can’t get there because the roads are flooded. It rained for about 2 hours, and then let up. If you have ever been to Barranquilla, the city planner should have been shot, no underground drainage for rain runoff, so when it rains, the streets turn into rivers. Cartagena is the same, poorly designed drainage system.

So, tells me he or his brother will be there at 12:30.   At 1:00pm, nada, no Luis or his brother.  2pm, call him, no answer. 3 pm, still nothing. 4:30pm yep, still sitting in the apartment, after walking around the neighborhood, checking it out. So at 6 pm, decided that he must have been with his friend who flew into town. So, called a friend in Barranquilla, she told me to get onto a bus and take it to Barranquilla, which I did. It’s about a 2 hour bus ride, but it’s actually 3 if you figure in that they drive to different parts of the city to pick up the people before heading out.

This is the sad part, I didn’t receive a phone call from Luis until the next day at 2:00pm, and he was shocked that I took off to Barranquilla.  I explained to him without yelling at the idiot, which was very hard not to do, that I was not there to sit in the apartment all day, waiting for HIS schedule to be clear for him to be available. He just doesn’t get it. So I spent the rest of my time in BQ and headed back to Cartagena the last night, and headed out for home the next morning.

To sum it all up, if you have a week or more  so to waste in Cartagena, I am sure you could find a really nice girl. There are some really attractive girls there.  The agency promises a lot, but fails to deliver on many items. The girls on the web site are outdated, and a lot are not available. His rep is terrible and   is a frickin flake. The apartment is ok, but needs some help. The owner is nice, is good about answering calls but lags a little on returning e-mails and running it.   They seriously need a secretary who knows what she is doing; this would fix a lot of problems.  They definitely are not even close to the service you receive  Steve’s  at Colombian Sweet Hearts, Jamie at latin Wife,  Ricardo at Cali Vip, or  Nelson at LAI. These agencies are all ran very well, with good help. Opinions will vary, but in my book, these are the best agencies in Colombia. Also, Colombia cupido in Manizales is good also. I checked them out one day while in medellin.

Maybe in time, they will get their act together, but as of now, they are in over their heads.

Feel free to ask me questions or comment. I am sure Mark will not like to read this report, but hey, I write it as I see it.

[daytrader]

Hey Mudd, nothing like 'boots on the ground' trip report, huh?  Thanks for the first hand experiences, I feel for ya.  My one experience with AGC in Cali brought back some of those memories, but thankfully the secretary at AGC (who has just left) held things together, else the whole experience with the agency would have been a total disaster. 

The only agency I see that keeps their profiles up to date is Cali Charm, Walter weeds out the drop outs weekly via outgoing blast email verifications. 

There are one or two agencies in Colombia that let you communicate with the ladies via their website (before you get there)  so you have a much better idea of what the reception will be like when you land.  Otherwise, chances are your trip can be a crap shoot. 

Oh, regarding the thread about "prices" of a certain agency....people don't work for free...you have to charge a certain amount of dinero else customers show up and there is no support.  Your trip report is a glittering jewel of how  you CAN'T run a business on the cheap.  It takes bucks and organization to make your trip moderately successful.  I paid a lot of $$ for a driver/interpreter on my second trip to Cali, the dude worked only for me for 3 weeks and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Better luck next time. 

DayTrader

[Parlay Rey]

Ok garythfla  hope you got your popcorn, ja ja

To sum it all up, if you have a week or more  so to waste in Cartagena, I am sure you could find a really nice girl.

Wow. With all due respect, with that type of attitude, I'm sure you'll be back many more times for other trip reports about Colombia.

¡Buena suerte!

[utopiacowboy]

Interesting report. I wonder how it worked out for the guy who was going down to see the amigos.com girl. I did the exact same thing and we're still happily married four years later.

I had to laugh when I read "If you have ever been to Barranquilla, the city planner should have been shot, no underground drainage for rain runoff, so when it rains, the streets turn into rivers. Cartagena is the same, poorly designed drainage system." It's not just Colombian cities that have this problem. San Antonio, Texas has the same type of "drainage system" complete with arroyos and low water crossings instead of bridges.

[mudd]

parley rey
Before I wrote this report, a few members asked me about their services before I left and when I returned, how well the agency ran and so forth. a few also had similar problems as me, but were too afraid to post about it on here, for fear of getting torn to shreds and put down, I myself, don’t care. If I can help out just one guy with my report, than im happy and I feel I did some good. And actually I have a great attitude, but will not be using   agencies in the future. I know a lot of girls and   people in Colombia now and I am at the point where I no longer require an agency to meet good serious girls, but it has taken me a lot of time to get to this point, and I have not been in a hurry to get married and make a mistake and rush it, like so many guys do.  chao

[Parlay Rey]

parley rey
Before I wrote this report, a few members asked me about their services before I left and when I returned, how well the agency ran and so forth. a few also had similar problems as me, but were too afraid to post about it on here, for fear of getting torn to shreds and put down, I myself, don’t care. If I can help out just one guy with my report, than im happy and I feel I did some good. And actually I have a great attitude, but will not be using   agencies in the future. I know a lot of girls and   people in Colombia now and I am at the point where I no longer require an agency to meet good serious girls, but it has taken me a lot of time to get to this point, and I have not been in a hurry to get married and make a mistake and rush it, like so many guys do.  chao

I understand what you're saying and respect the fact that you told it like it was. Where I was taken aback was you're statement about Cartagena. It's one of the most fascinating cities in the world with plenty of culture, great food, music, nightlife and ambiente. One of best Chinese restaurants I've ever eaten at was in Ciudad Vieja.

And then there are the women.

I swear to god I was at the SAO in Boca Grande once and saw 3 cashiers that would put Vegas showgirls to shame. And NOT in a slutty way. Friendly, risueña, etc. But that seems to be par for the course in all of Colombia, no?

With so much to do, see and experience and women so easily approachable I can't understand why anyone would feel Cartagena is a waste of time, is all. You should've never spent even one hour alone there. Then again, I'm no expert.

But hey, glad to hear your ditching the agency route. I never used one and I never would have.

Take your time, but don't end up being Rip Van Winkle, either. Eventually you'll have to rool the dice. Life is too short.

Just my $0.02

[mudd]

ahhhhhh, sorry, i did not mean cartagena the city  was a waste of time, but i meant it as if you had time to waste and were not in a hurry, had a week or two,  you could find a good girl there, and were not on a tight time schedule. i never had the change to explore the city, because i was waiting for Luis the whole time, who never showed up.

[markanthony7]

1. Insects in the apartment I have rented this particular unit for four years to a multitude of people, likewise I visit there every 3 months and I have never heard anyone else or saw a roach on the premises, I have rented my facilities to many people on this board and as we speak I am servicing a customer from this board and I have never heard insect stories, ParLey Rey rented from us recently he can give an account, also in another 2 weeks we will have about 4 more people from this board that can report

2. Introductions- Its to my understanding the first day you met about 4 young ladies, the next day I don't know exactly what happened but according to Luis there was rain and Cartagena was flooded, when this happens its difficult for taxi drivers to transport the young ladies, Luis panicked and did not handle the situation well, he was afraid you would be disappointed in him, he should have called you but he thought you would think he was just making excuses, he was trying to wait until the flood subsided and then resume introductions, I know that we have many clients, even from this board and none of them have complained about Luis abandoning them, as we speak this very week, we have 4 different customers from this forum, I have contacted them all and everyone says they are more than satisfied, in a summation, I think Luis mishandled the situation but on the other hand I wish Mudd would not have left after one day and a half but I understand why he did, I wish we could have had more time so we could have had the opportunity to demonstrate the functionality of our service but apparently it did not work out that way, in about another week would should have about 4 more people from this board we can compare notes with

3. I disagree that a lot of the women on our website are not available, I think what upset Mudd is some of the young ladies do not maintain their e-mail accounts or even have e-mail accounts, in most circumstances we can at least make sure the telephone number is accurate, these women come from an impoverished culture and they dont own and utilize computers, some utilize internet cafes but a lot of them are still primitive when it comes to utilizing computers as a means of regular communication, we can encourage them to use e-mails but a lot of them expect a good old fashion personable telephone call










 

[chizz]

dam mudd, sorry about your trip man. Can't say im surprised as I've tried dealing with luis in the past, and found him shady. I actually did complain about him to mark several months ago, so I don't know why he would say he never got any complaints about him. Again, sorry about your trip.
chizz

[Anzer]

Hey Mudd,

Good way to bring positive note from a tough trip.  I also was considering on using Mark's service but noting your experience I really have to think it through.  Now, I'm not saying I will or I won't but like how you mentioned it is good to have someone to speak out about their experiences rather than to keep it like a secret.   Thanks again, Mudd 

I would commend Mark for his defense of his agency but if I decide use his service, I want to know if the agency will address these issues in the near future?

[daytrader]

Good way to bring positive note from a tough trip.  I also was considering on using Mark's service but noting your experience I really have to think it through.  Now, I'm not saying I will or I won't but like how you mentioned it is good to have someone to speak out about their experiences rather than to keep it like a secret.

From my experience the customer needs to put the agency owner (in this case Mark) on the spot before even committing to a trip.  With computers, email and some organization an agency owner can make the initial trip  less chaotic than mine (with ACG) and others (such as Mudd) have been in the past . 

As customers we should require that agency owners verify the women you have expressed an interest in are available and interested in meeting a man of your age, height, weight, occupation, etc before committing to the trip.  The agency charges as fee (maybe $75 or $100).  Based on the response, the agency applies the fee as a credit to the customer's first trip. 

When the agency rep picks the customer up at the airport, the agency MUST have appointments scheduled for the women that you have flown down to meet.  Any deviation from what the agency committed to before the trip is sorted out and credit is given to the client for a future trip or adjusted right then as a credit to the guy's credit card payment. 

That's how I would set up a business plan for an agency (Jamie's agency seems very above board).  And yes, I've been setting up and funding companies (on and off) for 22 years. 

Anything other is BS or pie in the sky;  the agency has to be on the hook for appointments BEFORE the client boards the plane.  It's called accountability.  If they don't like the heat, then they probably shouldn't even be in business, in my opinion, anyway. 

DayTrader

[markanthony7]

Chizz you have to jog my memory I dont remember you being on any tour with us or utilizing Luis and if he did you certainly did not contact me, Luis is very responsible, he understands that how he treats his customers will contribute to acquiring new business

Daytrader you are correct about being proactive before the arrival but mother nature was un kind and I just feel like Luis  mishandled that particular situation he should have contacted Mudd but I understand subjectively thinking, if he communicated to Mudd about being flooded out it would have appeared that he was making excuses, anyway I feel that the customer is always right and if Mudd will permitt me, I will try deligently to make amends of situation, I remember about a year ago one customer went down the first time on the first trip had a good experience with us went down the second time things weren't as fruitful, we got in a huddle talked about several issue he returned for his 3rd trip and it was spectacular better than the first, he got engaged
This why at Amor De Cartagena we like to have a year of service and working with our clients this gives us the latitude to keep working with clients until we can get a result, in this business you have to understand that the situation with relationships and people are volatile and sometimes things go a rye but we do not neglect any of our customers and I have already assured Mudd by telephone and e-mail that I am concerned about his situation and I have every serious intention of addressing when I return to Cartagena in 2 weeks,  we have already gotten a secretary to handle the e-mail administration, I must give her orientation and iron out various issues regarding e-mail distribution

[Looking4Wife]

Mudd:

Good, objective, call-it-like-it-happened trip report.  Sorry to hear about your unfortunate circumstances.

Hopefully Mark can address these issues to improve his agency.

Since you are an experienced traveller, I was kind of curious why you didn't simply head out into Cartagena and check out some of the available beauties on your own (after the agency support broke down)?

I was also intrigued by your bus trip to Barranquilla... from your account, it appears that you left that night after 6 pm? 

For those unaware, it is dark in Colombia after 6 pm.  The locals have always strongly cautioned me not to travel out of town at night.

[utopiacowboy]

We travel at night on the Colombian coast both by bus and by private car and there isn't a problem. There are places where you shouldn't travel by night but IMHO that's not among them.

[chizz]

Hope this jogs your memory, conversation between me and luis:
Me: Luis, what's up man, there's a girl on the site im interested in.
Luis: Which girl?
Me: Her name is so and so.
Luis: Yeah, she's nice, she has a boyfriend.
Me: dam, never mind then.
Luis: You should talk to her anyway.
Me: Why would I talk to her if she has a boyfriend.
Luis: She might like you better, and make you her boyfriend.
Me: So if I meet a girl from this site, and make her my girlfriend, you would have no problem, trying to hook her up with other guys?
Luis: *laughs* no, I would not do that.
Me: you just did tried to do it.
Luis: *laughs*
That's when I hung up and called you and told you about what happened. ring a bell?
chizz

 

[markanthony7]

No Chizz none of this dialog rings a bell, maybe you should send me a PM

[mudd]

looking4wife
Hola,
i enjoy looking at your wedding photos, i remember that day at the beach with Maria, really nice.
to answer your questions,  i wanted to go into town, to check it out, but waiting for Luis really pissed me off, and put a sour taste in my mouth, so i just headed out. if i dont like something, i either fix it, or leave it, so i left, ja ja. i was kind of wanting to go to BQ anyways to see friends, if cartagena did not work out.

as for the bus ride, no problems, its safe, 4 check points by police and military on the way. if you do it, make sure you have your paspsort with you.

[rpcv]

As customers we should require that agency owners verify the women you have expressed an interest in are available and interested in meeting a man of your age, height, weight, occupation, etc before committing to the trip.  The agency charges as fee (maybe $75 or $100).  Based on the response, the agency applies the fee as a credit to the customer's first trip. 

When the agency rep picks the customer up at the airport, the agency MUST have appointments scheduled for the women that you have flown down to meet.  Any deviation from what the agency committed to before the trip is sorted out and credit is given to the client for a future trip or adjusted right then as a credit to the guy's credit card payment. 

These are excellent ideas especially when you consider the limited amount of time most folks have in country. Appreciation point for you DayTrader.

[Looking4Wife]

looking4wife
Hola,
i enjoy looking at your wedding photos, i remember that day at the beach with Maria, really nice.
to answer your questions,  i wanted to go into town, to check it out, but waiting for Luis really pissed me off, and put a sour taste in my mouth, so i just headed out. if i dont like something, i either fix it, or leave it, so i left, ja ja. i was kind of wanting to go to BQ anyways to see friends, if cartagena did not work out.

as for the bus ride, no problems, its safe, 4 check points by police and military on the way. if you do it, make sure you have your paspsort with you.

Thanks for the response.  I'm glad you were there to share the wedding with us, and I'll always be grateful to you for allowing us to impose upon you and your date.

Glad you like the photos.

Buena Suerte y Dios te Bendiga on your next trip!

[EbonyPrince]

Biggest letdown was when I was taking a shower, and a few termites dropped from the wood ceiling onto my head in the shower.

Mudd I am sorry about your trip, but I thought your report was fair and open.  Forgive me but I had to laugh at the bugs falling on your head  .

I just arrived from a week in Cartagena, and I will be writing a trip report soon.  I enjoyed my time in Cartagena, but I have to agree with chizz on Luis' shadyness.  I can definately believe Mudd's trip report.  I give Mark props for defending his people, but I have to strongly disagree with Luis' responsibility. 

I wrote Luis and sent him a list of about 15 women that I was interested in meeting a month prior to my arrival.  I specifically told him my game plan, and I asked him to set up a meeting with four women the Sunday I was due to arrive.  After about a week, I finally received the number and email addresses of about 7 women.  I emailed him again asking for one in particular, and I never heard from him again.  Two days prior to my departing to Colombia I was unable to get in touch with Luis via email or telephone to ensure that he was going to pick me up at the airport.  I called Mark, and he finally was able to get in touch with Luis Saturday afternoon.

I personally do not feel that Luis deserves all the glamouring support that Mark gives him.  He's a nice guy, but IMO he can't be trusted.  I personally feel that his brother Jouvany is more reliable, straight-up, and trustworthy.  Jamie and his people definately have nothing to worry about.

If you know Spanish well, I feel that you can meet women anywhere in Colombia.  The women are receptive and easy to talk to.  I also feel that quality women can be found anywhere in Colombia including Cartagena. 

[markanthony7]

Ebony Prince, I don't really feel like I defended or made excuses for Luis or myself in the prior post, I stated that there were some unfortunate circumstances and I will address those concerns

1. The termites I don't believe that termites fell on his head, I have seen termites they are very miute and micro scopic to the point that you would not be cognizant if 8 one fell on you, they are just about the size of a needle point and I personally feel it was not the truth, if they fell on his head as he said he would neither see them or feel them and again of all the times I have rented and stayed in that condo for over 4 years, no one and I mean no one, has ever said any thing about any insects nor has my apartment manager Albert a military PAT,apprised me of any thing of this sort

2. Ebony Prince you bought a tour package about 2 months ago and you never told me that you did not get the young ladies contact, I will not challenge what you say , I am from the Old school, I always believe the customer is right but if you do have an issue I think it is customary to take it up with the manager thats just the order of protocol give the manager the opportunity to get involved before you discredit Luis, it could have been an oversight not something he deliberately did or neglected to do in order too slight you

3. The cell Phone I have been calling Luis cell phone for years and he always answers, I have had no complaints from any other customer regarding this issue about his accessibility by phone

4. As long as I have worked with Luis he has never left a customer stranded or missed an airport pick up, never, never, and I mean never

5. I can understand if there are some concerns you and Mudd have with our service, I am well with that, I don't make excuses, I believe the customer is always right and I will go out of my way to make amends of the situation and make it right or work with our customers and see that they are satisfied but the one thing that concerns me and I hope you don't take it the wrong way but I had an opportunity to to talk to both you and Mudd after you returned from your trips, and I do remember that there were some positive things you both related to me in the telephone conversation, for example you said you enjoyed Juvany (our tour guide/ translator) and some of the young ladies he introduced you too and that the women Cartagena were beautiful and plentiful, I could be wrong and perhaps you can amplify this for me in your trip report but I get a general sense or feeling that sometimes people like to cite the negative things but they exclude the positive and I hope your trip the report will be fair and balanced

6. I agree with you Jamie does not have anything to worry about but I don't feel like we do either its like McDonald's and Burger king to competitive business can co-exist and remain functional at the same time, I don't think McDonald's is going to put BK out of business and I don't think Mickey Ds is going to put BK out of business another example, Planet Love and Gringos .com, I know we are not as an agency at the level of professionalism and expertise at Jamie at this point but neither are prices he is at $1,375 for 4 days and we are at $375 for 7 thats a big difference! , if you go to Jamie's agency you might meet 10 women a day if you come to ours you might meet 5, but maybe thats enough for some clients, also I personally feel Jamie should be a little more proficient then us at this point he has been at it longer than me but you know what, I will retire in March and the best is yet to come believe me when I tell you!, I have both the time and the revenue, in my mind Amor De Cartagena is just getting started

[fathertime]

Mark Anthony, 

You may think you are not making excuses but it certainly looks/sounds like you are.  So far 3 people have reported in about in some regard about the agency (Chizz, Mudd, Ebony Prince)  and all of them have been pissed off to some extent with "Luis".  None of these reports have been glowing about your agency and everybody knows you are just getting started.

 I have been most interested in seeing your response to the critism, which has been very defensive IMO.  Calling a long time poster here "Liar" is not going to make your company look good.  There is a lot of attractive ladies on your website but if they are unavaible, whats the point of having them up, it is just going to irritate guests.  Luis has gotten very poor feedback from the 3 posters here, so your defense of him just seems like another agency owner making excuses.  I am really not trying to attack you, I am telling you how it looks to me.

I'd hope when you retire and are in Cartegena more you can run a tighter ship.  I.E. update website, and kick Luis' ass into gear or hire someone who people will trust. 
That is the perspective of this 3rd party spectator right now.
Good luck with the coninuing improvement of your agency!
Fathertime!

[markanthony7]

Father time lets split a hair here,

1.  I stated that I have rented and owned this Condo for 4 years even to people on this board and no one has had a complaint about insects, the building is only about 10 years old relatively new complex

2. If you listen to the tenor of my response I did not make any excuses for things that went wrong, I was stating the point the things that go right always get minimized or or over looked example the first day Mudd said he met about 4 or 5 young ladies the first day and according to my follow up phone call he explained that they were very beautiful day 2 was a bust

3. Maybe there something I am not understanding but Javanuy was assigned to Ebony Prince for the duration of his tour not Luis

4. This morning I went to McDonald's and they got my order wrong but I didnt rant or complain , I went to the manager and she redressed the situation, if the manager does not address the situation at that point you rant and complain and this the point I was trying to amplify

[EbonyPrince]

FT and Mark I am in no way pissed at all.  Everyone that knows me, including people at Jamie's agency, know how I am. 

There were definately some things that I could have done, but I took for granted that these things would get done without anything from me.  Jamie was always on-point with everything that I did with him.  He stayed in constant contact up until my day of arrival.  Prior to arriving in Cartagena I had been working for the past three weeks about 65 hours a week along with other duties.  I feel it was your responsibility to follow up with me.  When I finally decided to shut everything down (work that is) Friday, it was time to get ready to go.  So I did wait till last minute, but I assumed everything was ready.  I called Luis and you Mark just to verify and get a status.  You know how panicked I was, when Luis never even tried to call or email me back.  You were very professional and handled the situation well.

I have nothing against Luis till this day.  As I told you Mark Luis was dishonest with me, thus I can never trust him again.  Would I speak and hang with him?...Yes.  I wouldn't work with him again.  I told you all this Mark.  Will I use your agency again?...Yes.  I like you personally, and I know if you were in Cartegena the agency would be run differently.  You seem like a great guy.  In my trip report I will give you constructive-criticism on how you can improve your service from my perspective.  Everyone that knows me knows that I put quality in front of quanitity any day of the week.  Jamie's service is expensive, but I received VIP treatment from quality personnel.  I am not complaining Mark about your service.  It can definately use improvement, but you know what we talked about concerning Luis.

I did also mention to you on a couple of occasions regarding Luis' lack of communication prior to my departure for Cartagena.  I also recall reading other poster's comments regarding this same issue (just to be fair).  I agree with FT that rather than defend Luis, he needs to be checked by you and told to step up his game.  Yes Juvany was assigned to me, but Luis kept showing up till I finally told Juvany to start coming alone.  We discussed all this, and I don't want to bring it up publicly here.

[fathertime]

1.  I stated that I have rented and owned this Condo for 4 years even to people on this board and no one has had a complaint about insects, the building is only about 10 years old relatively new complex

Maybe so, but I haven't heard any poster speak up and defend the apartment yet...

4. This morning I went to McDonald's and they got my order wrong but I didnt rant or complain , I went to the manager and she redressed the situation, if the manager does not address the situation at that point you rant and complain and this the point I was trying to amplify

I would consider this board "A Manager" too.  Posters are going to speak of their experience good or bad.  I think that is what this board is about, right?  If the next couple posters say what a great experience they had, that would be great advertising and everyone would know that you rectified whatever issues were cropping up. 

Again I am only a third party looking in, maybe my perspective is not shared by any other third parties but I am just giving you the heads up on what others may be thinking, but not posting.  Sounds like people that meet you like you so, I don't mean to be a jerk.  I have found that sometimes public suggestions/gentle criticisms light a fire under asses better than silence BUT sometimes it just pisses people off.

FT and Mark I am in no way pissed at all.  Everyone that knows me, including people at Jamie's agency, know how I am.

Yo EB,
I should not have put that word in your mouth, and said "Pissed".  Maybe less than completely satisfied?  My impression is you don't let little things rile up too much and always have a good time despite shortfalls. As usual I am looking forward to your trip report. 

Fathertime!