Rip Off Agency joining fees? Lets Out them!
Mon, 20 Feb 2012, 10:31 pmBongoBill15 posts in thread
Rip Off Agency joining fees? Lets Out them!
Mon, 20 Feb 2012, 10:31 pmEducation
Mon, 20 Feb 2012, 11:12 pmFirst up, I in principle agree with you. The should be some way to regulate agents. The UK has it that it is illegal to charge upfront fees and Australia should follow. However, in my experience, exposure is only a band-aid solution. These agents that practice con services will only come back again in a new guise or from a different source. Exposing then becomes a perpetual motion effect.
Education is the best weapon. Educate enough people that upfront fees are fundamentally wrong, without clear and legal justification, and there would be no income source for these con artists, leaving the field open for the legit agents to practice their services without the taint these heartless souls cause. Incorporating this knowledge so that every new hopeful is exposed before they enter the fray can undermine this exploitable sub-group.
To that end, extensive advice posts, from across the internet, from a variety of sources are available to those who seek it. Such as the information provided on this site... http://www.theatre.asn.au/book_page/agents_and_agencies or via the Alliance www.aliance.org.au and so forth.
Exposure is only a temporary fix. Education and passing on the word is long-term.
Absit invidia (and DFT :nono:)
Jeff Watkins