Penny Wise, Pound Foolish...

[wizard]

There is alot of banter on the board about the expense of traveling abroad to find a soulmate... Sorry, but some of the posts sound like you're shopping for the best bargain to buy a pet... After all, we are talking about finding someone who we are going to (hopefully)  spend the rest of our life with!!! One trip versus two, this price versus that price... Many cliches come to mind but the one I think fits is: "People don't plan to fail, they fail to plan"... Yes, it is expensive to travel abroad looking for a potential mate, but how expensive is it if you make the wrong choice??? Not only financially but emotionally too... Yes, we all have a live within a budget, but there has to be a smart, cost effective and efficient way to approach the process...

We all learn from our own experience in life, both good and bad... What works for some may not work for others... I know some of you have had success with letter writing campaigns while others have jumped on a plane and just went... Personnaly, I have hooked into many scammers from the FSU by using the popular and not so popular agencies for addresses... I have learned alot from the process... I have not found a way to weed out the wheat from the chaff in the FSU... Still, I am very taken by ladies from the FSU...

I have considered subscribing to one of the executive services that are available through some of the upscale agencies... Supposedly, this type of service pre-screens ladies that meet your criteria, approaches the ladies to assure that they are interested in you and arrange all the details regarding the initial meetings... Unlike the cattle call tours, these are individual trips personalized to your itinerary... A plus to this type of service is they do background checks on the ladies to hopefully prevent scammers from filtering through... No, there are no guarantees... Yes, this type of service is more expensive, but if it saves you time, energy and in the long run money, isn't it a better value???

Anyone here have any experience with this type of service???

As always, thanks for the input...

Wizard

[Bobby Orr]

... in response to Penny Wise, Pound Foolish..., posted by wizard on Jun 19, 2002

All I know is the Russians working on the inside of at least one agency (US promoted) think it is the biggest joke out there.  They get some high roller to pay five times more for the same service they would get otherwise.

[BubbaGump]

... in response to Penny Wise, Pound Foolish..., posted by wizard on Jun 19, 2002

You can get gyped either way.  There are plenty of attractive women at the regular agencies.  You just have to have the patience to filter through them.  I think it's the "Miss Russia" agency that charges a very high price to meet their women.  You might as well be paying prostitutes.  What woman would not show at a price of over a thousand dollars each.  More sincerity for the price, I doubt it!

[johnnydudeman]

... in response to Why pay more for the same scam?, posted by BubbaGump on Jun 19, 2002

Yes, it is Miss Russia that charges way too much to meet "their girls."  And you don't always get what you pay for either.  After seeing the women on their site I was (briefly) considering one of their cheaper (10K) tours.  However, I went on my own and "winged it" instead.  Miss Russia advertises that they are "the ONLY company to offer its millionarie clients an introduction to the cream of Eastern Europe -- beauty pageant winners, debutantes, supermodels, Olympic medal contendors (including a world champion figure skater), and others of the highest calibre."  (Russian Dating Rule #26...the women are rarely as the sponsoring agency advertises.)  Well, I met one of Miss Russia's "highest calibre" girls by chance during my last trip to Ukraine and learned some things.  Miss Russia says the girl is from Kiev, but I met her in Kherson where she REALLY lives (I know, I've been to her flat).  I took her to dinner somewhere nice and then to that cheesy club and she asked me to get some "EX" and she and her girlfriend would come back to my hotel.  What happened to the "old fashioned traditional values" we hope to find in these Ukrainian women?  So, not only was she NOT from Kiev as Miss Russia advertises, but she was also definitely not "of the highest calibre" either.  And not worth a dime to meet her or any other girls like her (you can meet them all over Russia and Ukraine for free...if that's what you're looking for).  So I agree with Bubba's post, why pay more for the same scam?

[KenC]

... in response to Penny Wise, Pound Foolish..., posted by wizard on Jun 19, 2002

Wizard,
I don't have an answer to your last question regarding an agency that offers the services you describe, but I would like to address your comment about "shopping for a pet."    

This whole MOB thing is a two edged sword.  On one hand you have to be practical and do the things necessary to expedite your search.  Playing the numbers game that is highly recommended by many here, where you contact many different women in a short period of time is a sensable approach.  I have witnessed men meeting 3 or 4 women a day for 4 or 5 days.  Boy were their heads swimming.  They didn't know a Svetlana from a Natasha.  But this method is practial to find a good prospect.

On the other hand, you have to consider the romantic side of this process which has NOTHING to do with the above.  Romancing a woman on the other side of the world is a difficult task, if done correctly.  I am not saying a wham bam love affair that leads to marriage (or engagement)in a day or two.  But the old fashioned "get to know someone", "get to like someone" and "fall in love with someone" approach is almost impossible in this process.  So how is one to solve this dilemma?  Guys usually cut corners somewhere.  Meet less women than maybe they should or shortcut the romantic side and jump too quickly into a marriage before all the facts are in.  It is just the way this process works.  

Some of the fault could be blamed on the INS system of limiting visas for FSU women.  The only practical way of bringing a woman home is through a K-1 visa.  That alone puts the guy (and the girl) in the position of being engaged before she has even seen his lifestyle.  How smart is that?  Then the 90 day clock has your butt up against the wall to get married or ship her back.  How practical is 90 days to make such a decision?

Even with all the pitfalls, there have been some true success stories.  I am living one.  
KenC

[MarkInTx]

... in response to idealism vs. realism, posted by KenC on Jun 19, 2002


Yes... and not only is 90 days not long... the woman is really vulnerable when she agrees to it...

She has quit her job, said goodbye to all of her loved ones, and gone to a new country...

I think that very few of THEM are looking at it as a 90 day trial period!

So, your points are all valid -- and then some...

[RickM]

... in response to Penny Wise, Pound Foolish..., posted by wizard on Jun 19, 2002

I can vouch for Svetlana and her services being real...
As for others...I'm sure lots of guys here could make good vouchable suggestions also...
General rules...Don't send $$$ to any gal you never met and get an address and phone # of anyone you become interested in...Best of luck...

[Ryan]

... in response to Try The One In MY Profile..., posted by RickM on Jun 19, 2002

Do you know who can help or how can I book a flight from Moscow to Bishkek for Middle of November travel?  I have looked into Svetlana's Marriage Agency of Kyrgyzstan and am thinking of giving it a try.  I am in the process of corresponding to someone on that site now, I have also read all your posts and find the place quite interesting to visit.  Trying to stay focused on Fun (Adventure) and Romance…
Thank You,
Ryan

[BrianN]

... in response to Moscow to Bishkek, posted by Ryan on Jun 20, 2002

there's lots of russian travel agency recommendations here, and travel2russia dot com is good... I guess anyway.

[RickM]

... in response to Moscow to Bishkek, posted by Ryan on Jun 20, 2002

nt

[MarkInTx]

... in response to Penny Wise, Pound Foolish..., posted by wizard on Jun 19, 2002

She is from Vladivostok, and takes on a few customers and acts as their agent for them

What I liked about RW's plan is that she backloads the cost i.e. you pay her most when you find your wife.

[wizard]

... in response to Have you contacted RW... a contributer t..., posted by MarkInTx on Jun 19, 2002

No, I've not heard of RW... Sounds like she provides the type of service I alluded to... My e-address is posted... If you have contact info for her let me know... Thanks...

Wizard

[MarkInTx]

... in response to Not heard of RW, posted by wizard on Jun 19, 2002

You know... for a Wizard, you sure are lazy...

I said she was a frequent contributor... all you had to do was search the archives. (I keep telling you all that there is some good stuff in the archives!)

But, as it turns out, you are in luck... RW just posted above under the thread: Re: Finding a Job in Ukraine

She lists her information in her profile.

(BTW... RW is short for "Russian Wife". She married an American and moved here several years ago...)

[wizard]

... in response to Well... Daaaa!, posted by MarkInTx on Jun 20, 2002

Excuse my lack of prowess while deciphering your post...
You asked if I had contacted RW... I missed the title of the post... I merely stated that I never heard of her... Didn't know if RW was a handle, someones initials or what... And yes, I have read most of the archives, but I just don't pay attention to peoples handles... Watch the lazy thing, wizards just wave their magic wand and make things happen...

Thanks for the info...

Wizard

[MarkInTx]

... in response to That's Well Duhhh, posted by wizard on Jun 20, 2002

But, anyway... you got the info now... right?