Are Latin introduction tour prices fair to the consumer?

[markanthony7]

Are Latin introduction tour prices fair?

As an agency owner I felt a need to ask a straight forward question about Latin introduction tour package prices, are they fair to the consumer?, or do you feel that agencies are over pricing the product they advertise?are discount tour packages a value?, or are these prices unfair to other agencies that depend on the sale of romance tours as a means of livelihood?, do discount and lower prices undercut the competitive pricing that is standard to the industry (cut throat) or should our prices reflect an economical savings and benefit that is more advantageous to the customers financial interest?

[sean126]

I think it all depends on the quality of service and the selection.  Also, if someone prices their agency too cheap then they run the risk of having people think it's not as good as the higher priced places.  Personally, I wouldn't worry about other agencies....they won't pay your bills or put food in your mouth.  Actually word of mouth is a better reason to choose one place over another rather than price I think.

As a consumer and having used an agency before.....honesty, straight talking and knowing that I will, at the very least, get what I paid for....are extremely important.

As far as overpricing....Personally, I've spent a vulgar amount of money chasing women.  Clothes, tanning bed, dinner, drinks, gifts...ect...I spent more money on one of my girlfriends in a year and a half than I did finding Peggy and bringing her here.  I may be on one end of the extreme, as far as blowing money on women....but actually I think anyone's prices are cheap IF you find the right woman who you'll spend the rest of your life with.  As we all know by now.....a good woman is extremely hard to find and many times is worth her weight in gold. 

[Looking4Wife]

I think it all depends on the quality of service and the selection.  Also, if someone prices their agency too cheap then they run the risk of having people think it's not as good as the higher priced places.  Personally, I wouldn't worry about other agencies....they won't pay your bills or put food in your mouth.  Actually word of mouth is a better reason to choose one place over another rather than price I think.

As a consumer and having used an agency before.....honesty, straight talking and knowing that I will, at the very least, get what I paid for....are extremely important.

As far as overpricing....Personally, I've spent a vulgar amount of money chasing women.  Clothes, tanning bed, dinner, drinks, gifts...ect...I spent more money on one of my girlfriends in a year and a half than I did finding Peggy and bringing her here.  I may be on one end of the extreme, as far as blowing money on women....but actually I think anyone's prices are cheap IF you find the right woman who you'll spend the rest of your life with.  As we all know by now.....a good woman is extremely hard to find and many times is worth her weight in gold. 

Well said... ditto...

[fathertime]

I've spent a vulgar amount of money chasing women.  Clothes, tanning bed,

Why do you use a tanning bed?  Don't tell me you are lying in there naked too!   That's what the nude beaches are for.  At the beach, I take great care not to trip over my ballsack...very painful.

Fathertime! 

[markanthony7]

My reasoning for asking this questions was largely due to several comments that were made to me by another agency owner, that raised the argument you made Sean , that if prices are to low consumers can perceive this as unrealistic, from the old school of thought that "if something sounds to good to be true, it probably is" , thus causing skepticism, likewise there is the old school of thought that "if you are paying more for something than it must be better"

[bigstew33]

well I guess I will be able to tell a little after I visit your company next month.  I have done the big extravagant tour 2 times, and now a more low key tour.  Prices are defiantly far apart. 

[TXAK]

Its a little pricey but not obscenely so.  At least not enough to stop me from going.

Despite this, I still feel that many of the success stories talked about on this site are exceptions and not the rule.  Especially since much of the data gathered is anecdotal. 

I know its hard to ensure success at these things but it might make me more comfortable (and want to buy another package) if I new I would at least be entertained.  By this I dont mean sex...just an ole' fashion good time.

I make my first trip next week to Barranquilla and I'm going with TLC.  Based on some of the things I've read in another thread I'm probably wasting my money.  These comments turn me off more than the actual costs, and, I think, scare off a lot of the newbies.

Also, I want to see pictures of successful couples. (ALL TYPES OF COUPLES) These photos (RECENT PHOTOS), would boost my enthusiasm and encourage me to buy another package.

Anyway...wish me luck. 

[markanthony7]

TXAK  well I certainly wish you the best, please write a detailed trip report when you return , this is helpful to the board members and everyone associated, also if things don't go well in BQ remember we are only a phone call away and 50 minute $20 taxi ride a way in Cartagena, we would love to have the opportunity assist you in your endeavours to find a soulmate, question if it is not to personal how much is a TLC tour package? and do they provide you with an interpeter or do you pay extra for this?, is the interpeters in a local place or an office or do they accompany you?

[Cali-vet]

Mark all that information is available on the TLC site with a couple of clicks on your computer so you must be asking here publicly for show value. The agency  business in Colombia/Russia/Asia is like the pornography business. It’s worth whatever the market will bear and has no “inherent” value whatsoever. Like pornography the idea is to sell an illusion. In this case the agency owner convinces the frumpy looking or middle aged/older man (easily because that’s what he wants to believe) that, since she’s from a different country and culture, he can have a hot young chica as his adoring life companion.  So how much will the frumpy/middle aged or older man pay for this illusion? Whatever he can beg, borrow or charge to his credit card. As I said there is no inherent value  in this business so the greedier agency owners will use the old standard sales strategy of trying to convince their marks that their service is better because it costs more. Putting any other gloss on this is pure buñiga and everyone here knows it.

[markanthony7]

Cali- Vet you have a very pessimistic out look on agencies and international relationships, I know as a matter of fact there are some bad instances were these relationships don't work out but this conjecture you make is not applicable to every situation and every relationship, I think you are making a mistake in your deduction of the whole introduction process by making generalizations, this is not good another word would be stereotyping, I have seen many men and women find good relationships but you should refrain from stereotyping the situation, quite honestly I see the women come out on the shorter end than the men do, I have a website full of frustrated women

[Gringo Joe]

Mark, the problem is that since you are dealing with all the general public you will never please everyone with prices. If you offer seven days of unlimited intros for $20 you will have people asking you to do it for $15. You have so many different types of people looking that I don't think price should be a concern. I decided to use Jamies' Agency because of his website. It was very easy to use and seem well organized. I think first impressions of your web-site will have a bigger effect than how you price your services. It should be better than any other site, such as having videos of the ladies, more information on each lady than other sites, etc.. I think it would help if you had links to all the websites like this one so people have a chance to get third party information about the Colombian wife finding experience. For me, the fear of not knowing if the agency experience were shams or not kept me from going to Colombia for a long time not the prices. Also if someone is so concerned about prices he may not be the best customer for you and your ladies to deal with so maybe it would be better if he went to another agency.

[Cali-vet]

The salient point is that your question. “Are Latin introduction tour prices fair to the consumer? is moot and silly. If your purpose is to highlight your own prices I think you could just come out and do so. If you hadn´t noticed this forum is after all primarily a venue for commercial sales with a sprinkling of personal opinions.

[mudd]

while jamies agency might be more expensive than most,  you get what you pay for and i feel he does a very good job at delivering what he says he will do. never had a problem using his agency, very professional.

[markanthony7]

Cali- Vet I understand your point but that was not the motivation for asking the question to highlight our discount prices, I had other agency owners confront me with their opinions that if it was to low in cost I could be as a cut throat and injure their profits, remember I am already gainfully employed at G.M. for 29 years and to be honest Amor De Cartage is not my bread and butter, I am going retire with a a full pension in March 08, this is more of a hobby than an occupation, I like this vocation because it involves some people skills and a social work, it gives me something to do

[markanthony7]

Cali-Vet the other reason I wanted to ask the question was because as an agency owner I wanted to get feed back from people that were on tours before and get their honest opinion if they felt like they were getting the benefit of their bargain or do you think the prices in relation to the service rendered was legitimate according to the fair market value

[rpcv]

Are Latin introduction tour prices fair?  or should our prices reflect an economical savings and benefit that is more advantageous to the customers financial interest?

Personally, I am not an advocate of tour groups so I don't look at tour prices if they are listed on a webpage. I've found that it's better dealing on a 1-1 situation with ladies. Then you can read her body language better, talk directly to her and try to develop a rapport. (too many distractions tends to make my eyes wander)

As far as prices for other services, yearly memberships do not seem like a good deal because who knows how long an agency will be in business. I look at it from the standpoint of how much $$ would I have spent if I was dating women here in the USA. In that sense, most introduction agency prices seem fair to me as long as the customer service is good.

[Cali-vet]

I had other agency owners confront me with their opinions that if it was to low in cost I could be as a cut throat and injure their profits

Mark congratulations on your upcoming retirement. If any other agency owner criticizes you for offering your introduction service at a reasonable price you should tell them in no uncertain terms to stick it where the sun don’t shine. What? Some a-hole thinks there´s a "Colombia Marriage Agency Association" that you have to play ball with? How many guesses do we get who “confronted” you? Never mind. We already know who it is, fighting tooth and claw to try to stamp out the good value competition. I think they call him the Barranquilla Bloodsucker. I’ll never understand why people who bargain hard when they buy a car and  wouldn’t cheerfully pay double the price when home shopping are so easily flim flamed by an ex-pat con artist into paying six, eight times the going rate. Reasonable prices? This has been  posted before but lets recap. Rates for two of the best known top rated agencies in Colombia:

Calicharm, agency/bed & breakfast $40 per day all agency services including translation included.
Allcolombiangirles year membership $450US. 

[catz]

If you hadn´t noticed this forum is after all primarily a venue for commercial sales with a sprinkling of personal opinions.

How did you come to this conclusion?

Maybe it is all the pop-ups advertising how great the agencies are? Or that every thread begins and ends with a commercial? Was it all the telemarketer calls? The spam e-mails? Please enlighten me, which of our vast in your face commercial sales tricks tipped you off?

Catz

[markanthony7]

The way it was communicated and I was approached about the issue, that this individual suggested that are rates were well beneath the "fair market value" and that this was dangerous and I could severely injure other agencies potential for profits, meaning I was "under cutting", (cut throat), I felt a little guilty because I am gainfully employed at G.M. and its not about the money for me its about the experience and activity, coupled with what recently happened to Latin Encounters, I was concerned that I might be infringing upon someone Else's livelihood, do you think these agencies are over charging or are their prices consistent with a fair market value?

[garythfla]

if another agency owner gets ahold of you and complains that you are undercutting them, i would tell them to cram it,lol.

your job as a business owner is to make money and if by offering better prices you get ahead in the game thats what your supposed to do and if your competition doesnt like it, then TS,lol.

additionally,
this is just my opinion but i think you are doing a good thing by speaking with evryone so much on this board. i sort of thought (several months ago) that your agency fell into the "too good to be true" category but after monitoring your posts for some time i think your agency may be worth giving a shot....i am strongly considering making a trip at the end of this july.


another question i have since your an agency owner and you dont mind answering peoples questions....
this comment isnt directed at you specifically but i have heard you say it before...
every agency owner in the universe says that no guys write to the women and that no guys make the trips,etc....if thats the case how do the agencies stay in business?

[Cali-vet]

Mark that´s just it. This isn´t real estate or the used car market. There is no "fair market value"! You and at least two other agency owners I know of are exceptions.There are others in the business whose sole purpose is the fleece their clients to the max. That a certain "individual" out there is trying to play the five hundred pound gorilla telling you to up your price so he won´t look like a total greedy arse-hole comes as no surprise to anyone who has followed these boards. That individual has a history of attempting heavy handed tactics against his competition. You´re doing great, keep it up. It sounds like there´s more to it for you than pure lucre and your customers will appreciate that.

[josh]

Mark, it's nice to see this discussion about intro tours and their value for money. From the owner point of view, it makes sense for you to get a feeling of what others think (especially from the ones who have used it not just heard about it). From the customer perspective (especially newbie like me) it is nice to see all the different point of views as I myself am debating whether to go with intro tour or personal.