e700 Follow Up: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

[ChipShot]

Just a follow up. I've tried very hard not to be scammed at all, and now feel like even the most cautious of us can get bitten for a few bucks.

I did a bit of reaearch today, and found a site that has a letter
from a Latvian company that developed EC's websites. This company claims that it quit doing work for EC, when it was being asked to set up what it felt to be a scam protocol for the e700 service.

EC apparently knows that the many affiliate agencies are spamming men with these e-mails, and the Latvian company believed that some, or many, of these letters were not being written by ladies. EC happily takes in many, many thousands of dollars a month in e700 fees, and allows these agencies to spam the e700 clients. I'm sure that if EC was called on the carpet for this, they'd take the Enron defense "Wha? We didn't know nothin' about it...we can't control these agencies..."

Is e700 a scam?  Depends on your definition, I guess. My guess is that EC owners know it's a service rife with problems, and it's just so profitable, they look the other way, or worse, encourage it.

Who owns EC? Ken Lay?

[Clay]

... in response to e700 Follow Up: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., posted by ChipShot on Mar 2, 2002

OK, So I have a dilemma here.  I am using the e700 service.  I signed up on a whim, and next thing I knew I was corresponding with a cutie in Moldova.  I'm aware that EC is on several scammer lists, but some of the guys here said they have used it, without incident.  Now the correspondence has gone to the point of about $100 in translation (email fees), I have her Address (had to ask twice) and her phone number (she offered up out of the blue).  Now I've never corresponded with Russian women before, how consciencious are they in their letter writing?  She has said nothing about money, nothing about love, nothing about loving jewelry, flowers or anything else (No instant drop red flags).  No hint of getting anything out of me - except for another letter.  The wierd thing is, she only answers about half of the questions I ask her, has said she is looking for her soulmate in about 3 of the 8 letters, and this most recent letter (received a few minutes ago) asks me to elaborate more on my hobbies (which she has asked in just about every letter), and she asked if I like nature - I've told her in at least 2 letters that I'm the outdoors type.  What gives?  Should I be paranoid that I'm writing to Boris instead of Natasha, due to possible EC scamming? Or do I assume that this is on the up and up, and she's a little scatter-brained in her writing because of cultural issues, or trying to keep up correspondence with a dozen other guys, or just trying to keep the conversation flowing?

Help! Opinions wanted.

Clay

[terry]

... in response to Re: e700 Follow Up: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co..., posted by Clay on Mar 3, 2002

`Clay

I have been writing a lady in Moldova for over two years now.  I was reading  your post and it was odd but Mila did me the same way when I first started writing her. Mila is an English teacher there In moldova, so I know she could understand what I was saying to her.  we did not meet thur any service and she has her own computer so we e-mail each other direct.  She would ask me 15 or 20 questions in a letter and A few days later ask me almost the same questions over.  Over the years she still does the same thing. I ask her one time why she ask me the same questions over and over?  she told me it was the way of her people to just learn more about others. I did not buy into that one. I feel it is a way to find out if someone is telling her the truth. The reason I feel this way after learning more about her, she told me how when she was married and how the men there would lie about things adn it has become a habit of hers to ask the same questions over to see if she gets different answers.  I have about got her t stop doing that. If she ask me a question that she has ask me many times before, I tell her, Mila, you are doing it again. and she will say sorry for it. May not be the same thing, just  as I was reading your post, and where she was from, it sounded a lot like how Mila would do

[BubbaGump]

... in response to Re: Re: e700 Follow Up: Bubba Gump Shrim..., posted by terry on Mar 5, 2002

I had thought that was a red flag and so did some other people.  We though maybe it was not the same person writing each time and maybe was part of an agency scam.

[BubbaGump]

... in response to Re: e700 Follow Up: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co..., posted by Clay on Mar 3, 2002

You could be corresponding with Yuri or she could be writing so many men she can't remember who you are.  At best she is a little scatterbrained and keeps repeating herself.  I remember people saying that one red flag is never really answering your questions and asking the same things over and over again.  

I think I'll add my profile to E700 but say something like I would rather initiate the contact with the women.  I want to come up with some tactful way to say that.  I remember EC changed my profile from what I wrote a couple of years ago and I got more unwanted mail that way.

[BrianN]

... in response to Re: e700 Follow Up: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co..., posted by Clay on Mar 3, 2002

I used e700 at the start, and then got off of it after about 4 months with one woman (yeah somebody kick me).  A hundred bucks is nothing.  However, what I recommend you do, is find a three way calling service (they are listed everywhere), and call the number she gave you.  Then at that point, you can get the agency's direct email address, telephone number, and a translator name, as well as get some explanation for the bullcrap (thanks natalya.. lol) misunderstandings in email.

I have a feeling that what you're dealing with, is typical of my old situation.... interpretation of your letters via prompt computer translator in russia.  That's the way the system generally works.  That's also another reason why your letters don't read worth a sh33t to her, and she will only answer a few of your questions at a time.....

Don't be afraid to call...   Later on, if you find out that this girl's worth the effort, then you'll figure out what to do.

[Clay]

... in response to Slow down a little on this one.., posted by BrianN on Mar 3, 2002

OK, I think I get it.  I had intended to call her anyway.  I assume the benefit of three way calling is the use of a translator?  I assume she speaks egnlish well enough that a translator would not be needed.  Her profile says she speaks at level 4 which is proficient (one of the reasons I responded).

I responded to the other thread, slide on down to the other EC discussion, it got to be too much here, so I responded again there.

Everything looks to be on the up and up, but these little inconsistencies in her letters make me wonder what the H&^% is going on...  I had only marginally considered possibilities in the translation service provided.  I mostly worried that they might be culling information from her letters to me and mine to her, such as my initial request for her address, somehow not making it into the translation (I never liked the idea of a third party, loyal to the dollar coming from the agencies, translating my stuff) - who knows maybe she's on the other end thinking to herself, "Are all American men so scatterbrained?  Why is he telling me he asked for my address already, and why hasn't he told me anything about his hobbies and interests?" - hehehehehehehe...  Guess I'll just have to call her and hope I don't get a voice laced with testosterone on the other end...

Thanks BrianN, I wanted to know if someone elsed experienced any difficulties along this line, and it appears they have.

BubbaGump, I don't think there is any way you can stop the spam on e700.  I specifically put down that I wanted women aged 24 - 30 only.  The spam slowed down quite a bit, but hasn't stopped, and I still get stuff from 18 y.o. girls. Don't anyone buy that cra& they say on their website about not answering enough letters and the ladies will be deterred.  They won't.  I have only been answering and sending emails to the one girl since early on, and I have had over 150 emails through my inbox since December of last year...  My answered percentage has got to be less than 10%, but they still keep coming...

Clay

[BrianN]

... in response to Re: Slow down a little on this one.., posted by Clay on Mar 4, 2002

visiting.  If you don't get on the plane, then you'll never know.  If you don't at least call on the phone, then you'll never even have a clue... ha. (I'll bet that girl doesn't speak a lick of english, and you'll never realize her true level of proficiency until you talk to her or have a third party interpreter work through it with you).  Another thing.... I've noticed that some can speak english -veddy slowly- but can't write a lick.

Don't believe anything about english levels on that system.  I've seen letters written by english skill=5 like a native speaks and the girls seem dumber than a stump, or worse, their letters end up looking like one of mine directly translated in prompt, (garbage in garbage out), or fat yuri is at it again.

The system does have its limitations, and I realized that many of the emails that I exchanged for the first 4 months, were never properly understood, and it took several months of real human interpretations (and english lessons along the way), to get a LOT of issues out in the open.  

I ignore all of the bs emails.  I still get'em from 18 yo's.  After all, there is financial incentive to the agencies in fsu to have the correspondence through e700... it is a capitalistic venture.  Of course, at this stage of the game, I don't necessarily blame them for trying, but myself for actually paying the money to open 'em.  It's just easier to delete, delete, delete.  

Whooo... though, there are a LOT of good looking babes in the 30-43 yo age range that I get emails from, but right now... aggghh.. don't touch'em, until I find out if what I got now is going to work or not.

Fwiw, when I first started, I sent out 3 or 4 initial contact emails, but never got a response from any of them....  But I did get a LOT of good qualified incoming's... still do.  

I'll just say, tread carefully, there's scammers everywhere.  

Good luck with it.  

[BubbaGump]

... in response to e700 Follow Up: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., posted by ChipShot on Mar 2, 2002

Affiliated agencies probably have a lot to do with it too.  They would get a cut of the email revenue.  I want to ask EC if my profile has to be shared because I want to initiate all the emails.  I could always write a profile that would just discourage women from writing.  

These pricey emails are probably a more dependable revenue stream than tours.  If EC had to cancel their Saint Petersburg tour then the Moscow tour and others must be hurting.  St Pete was probably their 3rd biggest tour after Moscow and Kiev.

[BrianN]

... in response to Another point, posted by BubbaGump on Mar 2, 2002

they do answer their telephone...

[BubbaGump]

... in response to Just call and ask..., posted by BrianN on Mar 2, 2002

The guy will probably remember me.  I've called them several times.  They probably wonder why I'm not married yet.