There are two types of agency management - domestic, and Western based. They do business differently, and knowing the benefits and downfalls of each one can be of use during the selection process.
Domestic agencies
Most local agencies will generally offer you a fairly small database of ladies, which is a certain guarantee that they will know all ladies personally and will be able to give you a lot of information about a particular woman of interest. Being close to the women, and speaking the native language, they create a sense of convenience and trust with their female clients, are able to answer their questions and give advice when necessary.
However, experience shows that most women coming to the agencies have little confidence in finding a mate through these services; mainly, because the majority of ladies present at domestically managed agencies are around their 40s, with kids, which is not a very popular age group in online dating.
Many local agencies sell ladies' contact information to western owned agencies. Fewer will use websites (with their own domain name, or, more frequently, through free hosting services). Such agencies usually list all profiles available, because of low numbers of female clients available.
It is common for women to pay a small fee to the local agencies for using their services (from $10 to $50 on average). Sending letters and translation are also paid services, which is a big reason for some women to be slow in communication. Because of the economic situation, most women will first think about providing food for their families, instead of spending some extra cash for sending a letter.
These fees are nowhere near enough to maintain everyday operations, but fees from foreign men are what keeps most agencies afloat (even though lower than when using a western run service). Local agencies will generally have few visitors, so booking a tour through such companies will be a real bargain. Naturally, smaller scale services are more likely to give you more personalized approach.
The main danger in relying on local agencies is that they can use their clients' profiles to attract foreign men and write letters from a lady's name even without her knowledge. They are also likely to encourage ladies to respond to a man's letter even if the female is not interested in correspondence. Most frequent ways to persuade are by saying that first impressions can often be misleading, or that photos can be misrepresenting of the real person.
Such agencies also will try to keep a complete control over the correspondence and try to limit one-on-one interaction, since their direct income depends on being involved in the communication. The agency will attempt to persuade its women that they require their help and expertise, and through this, influence men. Requests to trust the agency will be coming directly from their "sweetheart", so most men will trust these requests without a doubt, resulting in paying higher fees for some services.
The best thing to do in order to avoid such problems is to request (or buy) a woman's contact information as early as possible once you are interested. In case she does not have a phone, have her arrange a phone call through friends, or through the agency. This will give you a way to contact the lady should you run into some problems with the agency. It is also a good idea to forward your snail mail address to the lady, and ask her to write you a regular latter, as well as include some family/personal photos (in other words, not taken by an agency).
Agencies managed from abroad
Most other agencies in the market will be western managed. They will generally offer a large database of ladies (many purchased from local agencies) and tend to be more selective in the women they represent - noticeable appearance and language knowledge will generally be the main criteria to become their member. However, because of large database of ladies the agency is very likely to know them on a much less personal basis than domestically owned companies.
The benefit of larger western owned agencies is in offering extensive services (video conference, conduct matchmaking services, etc). It is typical for such agencies to have membership packets for men, but they will also sell you a lady's contact information for a certain fee. Planning a tour with such agencies can be more reliable, as they will generally have more experience in organizing such events, and can also be a great option for a group tour. Most agencies will have a representative office in Russia, Ukraine, or other countries. These offices will be able to assist in arranging meetings with the ladies, taking care of your trip arrangements, etc.
Having a large number of profiles allows the agency to attract more men to its site/agency. Having more men join the services makes it where the agencies can afford offering free services for women. In return, this brings additional female clients (through personal recommendations and attractiveness of using free services), which means more men, etc, etc.
The disadvantage of using such agencies is high rivalry among men in communicating with Russian brides. Since most women are beautiful and educated, they can receive a large number of letters, making it difficult to gain their attention. Processing a large number of letters can also mean delay in translating or forwarding them to women.
Delivering higher quality services also means that you will have to pay more for using such agencies. However, they know value of a business reputation, and will reward you for being a loyal customer, you are very likely to receive professional services. The best approach to using them is to buy a membership - it will give you additional benefits and prove to be a more cost effective option if you plan on getting to know several ladies through the agency.
As a final word of advice, it is important to remember that the competition on the dating market is very high, and it is typical for Russian women to place their profiles with several agencies. So, if you are serious about your search, it is best that you do not delay in contacting the ladies of interest, and opt for quality, provided by the foreign managed agencies.
Oksana Boichenko
OksanaLove, Inc. www.oksanalove.com
The matchmaker with 12 years of experience in the online dating business. You can find your second half – just visit our dating site and meet your Russian bride among the thousands of beautiful Russian women.
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