The Snuggle Buddies : An Explanation

TSBofficial

Hello,

I personally have suffered with depression most of my life as well as nerve damage in my hands/feet. I started The Snuggle Buddies not with the intent of making money, but because of my own personal situation. I had severe depression for 6 years before starting TSB. Throughout the years running it, I experienced frustration due to internal pressure, combined with depression and nerve pain. The result was that I was unable to perform properly certain times and the business did not run as smooth as I would have liked. I can admit to my past mistakes. Going forward I am going to hire full time staff to make sure things are done right. I never went to college for business. I only started this business to help people.

I hope for all those that had a bad experience are willing to give TSB a second chance. It was never my intention to do anything against someone else. I was quite depressed over reading the thread of people who faced issues with TSB. All I ask is you give me a second chance if you felt the service didn't go smooth.

You can reply here with questions, or e-mail me. I'm sure everyone knows my e-mail address. Also, Mark, the site admin here, if you could contact me, I would appreciate it.

Lorelei

I imagine it is indeed 'depressing' to get called out on poor treatment of employees... some of the screenshots floating around out there aren't exactly flattering. The cuddlers I've personally encountered from SB were lovely, granted, never had a problem with them, nor with the service received from them--and from the thread, the people here seem to be in agreement over that.

Still, if you're determined to do better by your employees and customers alike, I'm sure you won't need to defend yourself like this; they'll do it for you.

I received an email from him about his depression which, according to him, is why he failed to send me the cuddler's contact information in a timely manner which caused me to have to contact my credit card company. I was going to respond to him directly in an email, but since he's going public with it, I guess I'll state my opinion here. He has to send an email with the contact information of the cuddler (phone number, email address) to the customer after payment is made. This is different from how Cuddle Companions and Cuddle Comfort handles this. With Cuddle Companions, 40% is paid to the company by the customer and after that, contact information can be given by the cuddler to the customer. The customer and cuddler can chat before payment, but not exchange contact info until after payment. The customer pays 60% to the cuddler in person. On Cuddle Comfort, the customer pays 100% to the cuddler and then the cuddler gives a percentage to Cuddle Comfort. It is a different way of doing business than The Snuggle Buddies. No emails have to be made by the company to the customer.

I have to also mention that the reputation of The Snuggle Buddies is so bad that you may want to consider changing the company name. Not paying cuddlers and customers not receiving what they paid for is bad business. New cuddlers who read this forum are not going to be inclined to work for TSB. Essentially, Cuddle Comfort and Cuddle Companions are a better and more efficient way of doing business. Also, their reputation is good whereas TSB has a poor reputation. In a nutshell, you have a lot to overcome.

pmvines

I have a hard time believing this is even the actual person they claim to be

TSBofficial

@RScarf1 I was also the first person to do this nationally. People came after and learned from all of the growing pains I went through. I've improved the business a lot from day 1. I personally prefer all of the snugglers on my website get cash instead of prepayment. The girls that have been on the website the longest get cash 99% of the time and there are no issues. I highly discourage prepayment actually.

respectful

@TSBofficial In the original thread you mentioned, one worrying post was this one where someone wanted to be removed from the Snuggle Buddies website due to the harassment they were getting, but was refused.

Does that happen any more? (That post was from only a month ago).

TSBofficial

@respectful due to medical issues I was unable to really work last year. I am hiring full time staff now so things will move smoothly and never be hampered. Before 2017, everyone was removed quickly upon request.

But she was refused. In other words, she no longer wanted her photo and bio to be on the site, but her request was not granted. Here is another contradictory statement you make. You state that you "prefer all of the snugglers on my website get cash instead of prepayment." I was a customer of TSB a few times, so I know exactly what happens. In order for a customer to receive the cuddler's contact info so that the customer can schedule a session, the customer has to prepay. After the customer prepays $80 per hour, then an email is sent to the customer with the cuddler's contact info (name of cuddler, email address, and phone number). Your statement that the girls that have been cuddlers the longest get cash 99% of the time is total BS. Your company does not discourage prepayment. It actually does the opposite. Please stop with your BS. You are not helping yourself.

Missy87

Why come on a different cuddle company's website to recruit women to work for you? Many of us, myself included, had such a negative experience with you and your company that we came here. I like Cuddle Comfort better because the owner here, Mark is a professional and considerate person, regardless of any personal issues that he may or may not be experiencing. I prefer to work for someone like Mark, who doesn't let personal issues affect the way he treats us. Since I've joined Cuddle Comfort, I have never been ripped off, never not been paid, never been cussed at or called derogatory names or disrespected in any way. I will stay with Cuddle Comfort.

pmvines

I will repeat. I don't believe this person is who he says he is. I find it unlikely that someone would go on a competitors site to attempt to plea their case. Seems too desperate, childish, self absorbed, and narcissistic. However if this person is who he says he is, then it is quite embarrassing.

TSBofficial

@Rscarf1 you are describing first time sessions for a new employee. After the first session, I discourage prepayment. I don't think asking for a new employee's first session to be prepaid is a big deal considering the next sessions will all be cash.

Sideon

Apologies and putting a best foot forward start with: "I'm sorry for doing/being/acting (fill in choice of transgressions, here)." The supposed Snuggle Buddies author didn't do that.

What he/she did do is a lot of lame excuses that offer nothing in the way of 1) what they did wrong, 2) what they won't do again, 3) sincerity, or 4) credibility.

Well said Missy87. Women do not want to work for him and he is not getting as many customers because people don't want to risk paying for nothing. I talked to a cuddler who used to work for TSB and she is now on Cuddle Comfort. She said sometimes she didn't get paid for cuddling sessions that she did and customers sometimes never received a cuddling session that they paid for. It's like what happened to me when I received the cuddler's contact info about two weeks later. Pmvines, this is real. I recently received an email from TSB. He replied to my email a few months after my email in which I stated that I contacted my credit card company to dispute the charge because I didn't think I was ever going to get the cuddler's contact info. He stated that he has depression and implied that this was the reason for his business practices. This has to be the same person. He is definitely desperate. His business is suffering.

TSBofficial

The business isn't suffering, I just wanted to defend myself, that is all.

When I look at the cuddlers on TSB's website, there is no information as to whether the cuddler is "new" or not. Maybe the customer can determine who is new if a new cuddler's photo and bio appears on the website, but it is not stated. Secondly and I repeat, in order to receive the cuddler's contact info, payment has to be made. If the same customer wants another session, then it doesn't matter because the customer already has the cuddler's contact info from paying for the first session of the cuddler who was formerly "new." What if another customer wants a session with the cuddler who is no longer "new"? How does that customer get the cuddler's contact info? The other customer has to prepay.

TSBofficial

No. After the snuggler has her first session, I just send her the new customers info and those customers pay cash. "What if another customer wants a session with the cuddler who is no longer "new"? " <-- The other customer pays cash, he does NOT prepay.

The email I received yesterday from TSB (with punctuation errors): "im trying to rebuild the business....id like to overcome the depression"

"After you pay, submit a contact form with the receipt number (Transaction ID) along with the employee choice." That is what it states on the website. If a customer submits a contact form without paying and therefore has no Transaction ID of the payment, then I doubt that the cuddler's contact info will be sent to the customer.

quietman775

@RScarf1, prepayment is listed on the TSB website as an option for best/fastest service. I have met with many TSB pros in the past. I have been asked to prepay when the pro was new and in her "probation" period. But I have never been asked to prepay for an established pro. I just requested the pro on the contact form, and the either the pro contacted me, or her contact info was sent to me by TSB. So based on my experience, he's telling the truth there.

@TSBofficial, I'm all for people being able to defend themselves. But some things are indefensible. If Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey released a statement "explaining" their actions by saying they'd been depressed, I think no one would care or cut them any slack for it. If you want to restore TSB's online reputation, actions will speak far louder than words.

1. If you insulted former pros and/or former customers with vile names, reach out to them and apologize;
2. If you failed to pay any pro the session cut that was due her, pay her retroactively now;
3. if you have previously hidden behind pseudonyms and fictitious locations, stop doing that.

People love a good redemption story. Second chances are the American Way. But people have little patience for excuses and empty words. If you are sincere, only your actions can demonstrate that. Not your explanations.

TSBofficial

@quietman75 I'm in the process of cleaning everything up website site and such. I know actions speak louder than words. I considered posting here to be an "action" in the right direction. I've been spending almost every hour of the past 2 weeks getting things back to where they should be for TSB. I feel a permanent disability should give me some slack. Most people that are permanently disabled do not work at all. If I used an excuse that I could have easily changed, then I understand not cutting me any slack, like if I said I was doing drugs. Hopefully that makes sense.

respectful

@TSBofficial In the original thread there are screenshots of conversations with Snuggle Buddies staff where they are:

• Using abusive language
• Refusing to let people leave (and here too)
• Being racist

So I think the only way to regain credibility would be to show that you have fired the people involved.

But if the person involved was you, then I think it will be very difficult to regain any credibility (maybe by directly apologising to every individual affected, as @quietman775 suggested).

Sideon

Disabilities don't give you an ounce of slack nor a blank check for excuses. No one gets to treat another human being like the disgusting, abusive, TSB screenshots and claim "but I'm a really really nice guy, except a permanent disability made me do it."

Take responsibility, apologize, make amends, clean up your life: Adulting 101.

@quietman775
“prepayment is listed on the TSB website as an option for best/fastest service. I have met with many TSB pros in the past. I have been asked to prepay when the pro was new and in her "probation" period. But I have never been asked to prepay for an established pro. I just requested the pro on the contact form, and the either the pro contacted me, or her contact info was sent to me by TSB. So based on my experience, he's telling the truth there.”

This was my experience as well. I always believe that everyone deserves a second chance in life. It will be obvious in the near future whether he can turn it around or not... for the sake of all the cuddlers still working for him I hope he does.

pmvines

@TSBofficial I still don't believe you are the person you say you are. However, it is an insult to our intelligence for you to say you treated cuddlers and customers the way you did due to being depressed. Many people suffer from depression. I suffer from depression. However I am not permanently disabled, nor are majority of people who have depression. Nor do I use it as an excuse for my shortcomings in my treatment of people. Nor do most people with depression. So for you to use depression as an excuse is not taking responsibility and owning up to your actions.

Morpheus

@Mark is anyone breaking any forum rules in this thread? It appears there are some personal attacks going on but of course I suppose defining personal attacks varies from person to person.

quietman775, I have to reiterate that there is no categorization of "new" on TSB's website. Customers are not given any information on the website whether a cuddler is "new" or not. The fact that the website states to include the receipt number (Transaction ID) on the contact form is proof that TSB encourages customers to prepay. As a previous TSB customer, I always prepaid because I believed that there was no other option. Considering that TSB sometimes did not pay its cuddlers for the sessions that they worked, I still believe that TSB wanted to be paid first by the customer so that TSB had control of the money and then TSB could give the percentage to the cuddler which they sometimes failed to do and therefore cuddlers worked for free in those instances.

Mark

@Morpheus You've seen the screenshots so it's understandable for people to be angry and take this opportunity to challenge. It's also fair to allow TSB to defend against those claims.

@pmvines I'm confident the member is who they say they are. Evan from TSB.

TSBofficial

@all - I added 30 new snugglers to the website. I'm in the process of having the website updated to a new look. Also in the process of hiring quality backend staff to help. I have hired various backend people in the past who were not the best hires. The worst offenders, who were with me for awhile, are gone. I came here to defend myself and ask for a second chance to anyone that felt wronged. I made lots of changes this year already.

To the racist claim: I hire people of all races.
To the refusing to let people leave: It takes time to remove people from the website. The website is a manual website and will soon be switched so a snuggler can remove her profile instead of me having to manually do it.
To the abusive language claim: Some of it could be me, some not, I've had a lot of interactions in the past few years. For any that was me, I apologize.
To the unpaid money claim: The customers are paying in cash most of the time. Mark can remove this part of the comment, but me and Mark both essentially expect the snuggler to send money to us. There are hundreds of women who have definitely been paid 100%, because it was customers paying them in cash and then transferring money. If the snugglers were not paid, they would not continue to work, and most of you know I've had some of the same snugglers for over 4 years. A lot of snugglers are confused as to how payment works, and I have it listed multiple times how it works. If there is anyone unpaid, it is an extremely rare misunderstanding then. It appears to be 2 claims out of over 1000 women who have worked for me.

@Rscarf1 the new categorization is in my head that I keep track of. I can resend the e-mail, the snuggler takes cash after her first session as others have confirmed here. It is just the first session EVER.

@Sideon fine, that's fair. I can admit there are stronger men than me. I'm doing my best to overcome my disability.

I find it suspicious that a vague, 5-star review was left on Trustpilot a mere week before Evan created this thread.

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/thesnugglebuddies.com

As one of your biggest critics, Evan, it likely won't surprise you that I don't believe a word you say. I have a number of close friends who live with disabilities and depression. These are common traits among people who reach out for platonic companionship, a trait that I share as far as depression goes. I haven't seen a single one of them behave in the disgraceful ways that you have.

The timing of this is interesting, given that you seemed to have political aspirations at one point, but that page now redirects to TSB when you click the option to return to the homepage.

http://evancarp.com/issues/

Your entire explanation smacks of excuses about how you've suffered so terribly. True apologies don't come in the form of making it all about yourself. I believe you are a con artist and are attempting to rehab your reputation through yet more deception. I also believe that you are an inherently racist, sexist bully. If you truly are sincere, follow the advice as laid out by @quietman775 and do so without more excuses about your pain and depression. Only then may people begin to take you seriously and give you another chance.

Depression is not a valid excuse for unethical business practices. If you can’t send contact info of the cuddlers in a timely manner to the customers, then hire someone else to do it or change your system so that the cuddler provides it to the customer which is how it is done on Cuddle Companions and Cuddle Comfort.

@TSBofficial You make a lot of claims that don't add up. You say the claim that you refuse to let your employees leave is just a matter of "it takes awhile to remove them" and nothing more. Yet, we look at that thread and see more than one incident of "Jeff Smith" refusing to allow someone to quit and being highly abusive. I've spoken to you before and you were abusive to me, as well, while identifying yourself as Evan. I refuse to believe that "Jeff Smith" is anyone else than Evan Carp under an alias. To believe otherwise insults my intelligence. Your own profile says you're 38 and from Ashburn, VA, which means you've also moved on from New Jersey and aged yourself up about 8 years. Not suspicious in the least.