Snuggle Buddies review: The WORST cuddle company

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  • [Deleted User]VIPirate (deleted user)
    edited April 2017
    The other day, I engaged in discussion with the young lady who posted this and received her permission to link it here...

    https://medium.com/@T8/intimacy-worker-demands-end-to-abuse-153378c32c1b

    To all who have mentioned the weird vibe they get from Evan's insistence on pre-payment, here's why to never do it. I would also highly encourage anyone who still uses this service, or is on the fence, to reconsider. In her edit at the very top, she mentions that someone suggested that harm would come to her for posting her writing. It doesn't take a genius to figure out who that individual was. I can't, under any circumstances, imagine supporting someone's business who threatens to hurt a woman. :(
  • [Deleted User]CuddleBandit (deleted user)
    There is an ex stripper professional on here as well. She used to be in the SB too. 
  • [Deleted User]Unknown (deleted user)
    Omg! I am just seeing this thread and so grateful for the honesty and integrity of this site. THANK YOU @Mark

    I never had any experience with those other shady states, but this is truly eye-opening and scary!  i'm sorry that some of you had to experience that.   I've had nothing but positive experiences here so far as a "professional"  and I feel 15% is reasonable for giving us access to the site, having a profile up and making all of the connections in a safe community. 50% is absurd! Especially if you aren't even seeing your half when it's all said and done!

  • [Deleted User]VIPirate (deleted user)
    edited April 2017
    @FireAndBlue Like you, I was really thankful for finding Cuddle Comfort because I believe that it represents the best of what a community like this should be, ideally. It's predators like Evan that give us a black eye. I know there may be times when I come off as negative toward the pro aspect of cuddling and I'd like to apologize if I've ever rubbed anyone the wrong way, yourself included. Sadly, TSB was my introduction to the industry so it's definitely messed with my view of things. I'm not certain that I'll ever mesh with the pro end of things completely, but it is definitely a positive being here now and seeing the difference that genuinely caring people can make on one's outlook.
  • @VIPirate. Dear VIP. Well said that man, it is nice to hear why people feel a particular way and what frames there thoughts, even if we do not agree all the time.
    @FireAndBlue Dear Fire Yes this site in my opinion is one of the safest, we in NZ do not have the cuddling/marketing problems you seem to have and so do not fully understand.
    Have fun and lots of hugs,  John and his trees, Auckland NZ.

  • [Deleted User]Unknown (deleted user)
    I'm really curious, people are still bashing Evan on here but I heard that he's long gone and snuggle buddies is now ran by somebody named Jeff. 
  • [Deleted User]masterofcuddle (deleted user)
    Yes I've seen one pro recently from snuggle buddies and she said she was interfacing with a guy named Jeff. While management of the site might be awful the girls I've seen have been very sweet from that site.
  • [Deleted User]VIPirate (deleted user)
    edited April 2017
    Evan has been pretending to be "Jeff" in an attempt to confuse his critics. The problem is that the same vulgar behavior keeps being reported. So unless we're to believe that "Jeff" just happens to share identical behavioral characteristics to Evan, it's definitely the same guy. One thing I will agree with is that most of the women there seem very sweet. They just end up being taken advantage of by a very bad person.
  • One of the things that keeps that site alive is that it has so little competition. A rival, cuddlefix.com, apparently just closed. It seemed like a nice, legit service. Management was responsive to client questions and concerns. I was in the process of talking to one of their cuddlers to arrange a session to coincide with a business trip. And then out of the blue,, as of today, their homepage says the site is closed. No explanation, no advance warning. It seems the only other player in the game with national ambitions is cuddlist.com, and their approach has too much of a cosmic New Age vibe for my taste. For those who just want to enjoy a good cuddle without a lot of psychobabble, there does not seem to be lot of options out there. And that's too bad. 
  • [Deleted User]VIPirate (deleted user)
    edited April 2017
    Fun fact, Evan has been scamming people since he was a young teenager. I had to do a little digging, but can confirm that this is the same guy. Same address as TSB's alleged base of operations and just happens to be a dude named "Evan Goodman." This runs a bit deeper than I can say at the moment, but I do hope that this scam is exposed very soon.

    http://forum.rebelscum.com/showthread.php?t=824632
  • HMMM, I didn't know cuddlefix closed. The cuddler I have seen works for them. I actually just spoke with her 4/6, I don't see her for cuddles often at all but we do text back and forth sometimes and she gave me no indication that it was going to close. I do know they recently raised rates from 60 to 80 per hr here in AL, so I don't know if that could have been a sign of struggling to stay afloat? I will see if I can contact her and find out something.
  • [Deleted User]Unknown (deleted user)
    It must be difficult and frustrating to run a company like snugglebuddies and even cuddle comfort for that matter. I'm sure that many of the pros, once they've seen a client, stop going through the site so they don't have to pay their cut to the site. How can the site possibly police something like that.
  • [Deleted User]Unknown (deleted user)
    It's called the honor system. 

    Some humans, not all, still believe in it.
    i love that the feedback section is called karma. 

    Think about that for a second... karma. 

    15% is really reasonable, I think @Mark is being very fair!  It would be a shitty minimum tip at a restaurant. Smallest slice of the pie. It's SO FAIR to the "professionals" here that it would be an insult to Mark not to pay it. I'd never pay 50%, so 15% really works for me in comparison to other sites. It's a very small price to pay to have access to these forums (which are my litmus test...holy crap how much you can gauge from how people spew online in the "opinion" section"). We don't even have to pay that 15% out of any travel if that is paid separately. 

    What causes a person to not need "policing?" Their own inner voice, the golden rule, the ability to self govern, being a decent human, gratitude. 

    Sometimes when i read things and see the underlying tone I just sit back and say wow... there it is!

    the idea that one human should or would "police" another grown human is why people become deceptive or hide or cheat. 

    Some people are driven to do the do the right thing because it... hmmm, I dunno, the right thing?

    personally it's a sacred agreement I've made with myself to always be honest. I've raised two children to believe firmly to always do the right thing and be kind, especially when no one is looking.  That is the definition of character.  


  • [Deleted User]Unknown (deleted user)
    @fireanblue I truly believe in all that pretty stuff that you just mentioned but it doesn't change the fact that what I said happens actually does happen and has to be frustrating to the owners.
  • @FireAndBlue, an interesting comment. I understand and agree with all of it except for this sentence: "the idea that one human should or would "police" another grown human is why people become deceptive or hide or cheat."  Are you suggesting that taking away the possibility of policing behavior would eliminate cheating?

    The I.R.S. estimates that people under-report their income to such an extent that $378 billion in taxes goes unpaid each year.  Would eliminating their audit powers fix this?

    Health inspectors police restaurants,  building inspectors police landlords, the FDA polices drug companies, and test monitors police students taking exams. Red light cameras police drivers in many cities. Loss prevention departments police shoppers at retail stores. And civilian review boards police the police department.
     
    Are you saying that the reason some people underpay their taxes, or maintain unsanitary restaurants or crumbling tenements, or cheat on college assignments or exams ... is because of the idea that someone is policing them?  The way Mark polices and bans the inappropriate profiles that occasionally appear on this site? One of the core assertions of this whole string of posts is that no one is in a position to police Evan/Jeff at TSB, and the owner is being accused of a lot of unethical stuff.

    I don't mean any of these questions in a snide way. You seem like a principled person, and I like your post. I'm just trying to follow the logic of that one assertion.
  • [Deleted User]VIPirate (deleted user)
    @FireAndBlue Very eloquently stated. Bravo!

    I recall being only partially familiar with CuddleFix. It is rather strange that they'd shut down so suddenly. I hopped over to their Facebook page to see if there was any kind of explanation, but nothing has been posted as of yet. I hope that all is well there.
  • re cuddlefix I did speak to the person I know who worked for them. She said the owner whose name is aaron just shut it down and hasn't returned her messages or calls. Seems odd, so I don't know.
  • [Deleted User]VIPirate (deleted user)
    edited April 2017
    @pmvines That is truly puzzling. I didn't know that the site was run by someone named Aaron, but as I said earlier, my familiarity with their business was very limited. I am curious to see if anything ever comes to light there.
  • @VIPirate sent you a message
  • [Deleted User]Unknown (deleted user)
    @morpheus are you always so negative and condescending?  Really??! Lol all those "pretty things" are my own standards. I have no desire or need to control others.

    @quietman I thought we were talking about cuddling. I'm not sure how it turned to discussion about restaurants, red light cameras, IRS and people paying their taxes and being audited?  I said the 15% was very fair on this site compared to 50% that other site charged. It's nobody else's business to tell me what to do or how to conduct myself. I'm doing that just fine. I'm not breaking any rules or any laws, so I'm not sure why any "policing" would be necessary?  I can't speak for others but to me, it's simple. Honor our agreements. Easy. 

    I still just shake shake my head.  The idea of policing others. Or the use of "should" like another person can tell me how to conduct myself. Lol. I'd like to see someone try that. 

    @pmvines and @VIPirate, my friends ;) how refreshing with two of you!  I appreciate how you not only know how to have a conversation that isn't putdowns, irrational arguments, ego and nonsense, but have something to add instead of take away from the conversation. Much appreciated. 
  • [Deleted User]Unknown (deleted user)
    edited April 2017
    @fireandblue that's just your perception of me. 

    Let's think about this, you're being negative about me being negative. You're also being judge mental. 

    You also just called me negative in a thread that is full of negative statements about somebody else. So is it OK for all of them to be negative but it's not OK for me to be negative? 

    The problem is that my comments don't coincide with your believes so you see them as wrong. I have the right to have my own opinion just like everyone else does. 
  • edited April 2017
    @FireAnd Blue, I apparently misunderstood the scope of your remarks. Quote:

    "It's called the honor system. Some humans, not all, still believe in it.. What causes a person to not need "policing?" Their own inner voice,
    the golden rule, the ability to self govern, being a decent human,
    gratitude" 

    I agreed with those statements. But I took them to be an assertion of your .general belief system, a truth more broadly applicable than just to a narrow discussion of Cuddle Comfort getting its percentage. A statement about human nature in general. That was an assumption on my part, but I don't think it was an unreasonable one, given how the words read..

    The only thing I questioned was the notion that the idea of being policed is what makes people deceptive. We police all manner of businesses because many people tend to do whatever is in their economic self-interest, whether it is fair or honest or not.  I don't believe that people in the cuddle biz are fundamentally different from people in other businesses in this regard. And that's why I mentioned those other exemplars. It may have broadened the scope of the conversation beyond what you intended, but it wasn't an inexplicable leap, or an irrational one.

    But even if we limit the discussion to CC's 15% cut, the point remains: I don't see how the site's ability or willingness to police compliance with its rules would make otherwise honest  people deceptive. If people believe in the honor system, the Golden Rule, and that inner voice telling them to do right, the site's efforts at compliance oversight wouldn't change that. At least in my opinion. So I asked for clarification of your reasoning in order to understand it better. That is all. If my seeking such clarification strikes you as "taking away from the conversation," then I apologize. That was not my intent

    But I did go out of my way to say the questions were asked in good faith. I questioned that one assertion without insulting you for making it. You implied some of us  don't know how to have a conversation "without putdowns, irrational arguments, ego and nonsense."  Ironically, that broadside seems to be the only actual putdown on display here.

    Oh, well. I love a good discussion of ideas, but not friction or barbed commentary. Yet it's hard to avoid the latter on the Internet. All I know is that my days are far too long to spend time fussing with strangers online. I want no unpleasantness, especially on a site devoted to comfort. Maybe my strategy going forward should be to just say "Brilliant -- you're right again," whenever anyone posts anything. That way I can't ruffle any feathers. LOL Peace to all and sundry. .
      

  • [Deleted User]Unknown (deleted user)
     Maybe I'm just reacting to the behind the scenes harassment I'm getting from Morpheus. Unwanted emails then a "never mind, I'm a big baby with a bigger ego... I'm blocking you because you ignored me trying to pick a fight, then inviting you to call me, then oh... just NEVER MIND!"

    ummmm, awkward!


  • [Deleted User]Unknown (deleted user)
    @quietman775 my snippy reply wasn't directed at you. I sent you an email to clarify.

    My apologies, that tone was directed at one person, not at you. I'm sick of that one person's egomania and being contacted by him unsolicited, being asked to call him on the phone so he can show me "what a nice guy he is with a guarantee he could change my mind about him" (um...nope) then being tantrumed on because I didn't respond to his email. Then blocked. 

    I could have been more clear but honestly, I was already over the manbaby behavior (and my post here was pre-tantrum). 
  • @FireAndBlue  You seem to be a very honorable and ethical person, and no policing is really needed for you.  Unfortunately, not everyone is like you, and therefore policing is needed. 
    @quietman775  Please continue to post what is on your mind, rather than just playing nice as you indicated in your last couple of sentences.  What you said seemed nice enough to me as stated.  People sometimes take things the wrong way, but you shouldn't let that deter you from speaking your mind.  More communication rather than less is the way to resolve conflicts.
  • Does anyone know if Snuggle Buddies is still open?  I decided to give them a second chance after having a so-so first outing. I contacted them this week but have not gotten any response from them, the first time I got a response from them and the cuddlers who I requested immediately. 
  • @Lev136, they are still open so far as I know. I met quite a few folks from that site a while back. Response times varied wildly. Sometimes I would hear back in two hours. Sometimes two days would go by and I'd have to send a followup note. Some former pros from that site complained on Yelp (or somewhere like that) that they would get no booking requests for days on end, and then get a whole bunch dumped on them that had been accumulating for days. TSB is basically a one-person operation. Imagine this place if it was set up in such a way that Mark had to pass all cuddle requests to the individual cuddle pros himself.
  • edited June 2017
    I used them recently and everything was great. The pro e mailed me within a day and sent me her phone number. We texted back and forth for a bit and set up an appointment. Everything was great. The only negative things I've heard about then have been on this thread. I'm not saying the negative comments aren't true but I personally have never had an issue with them.
  • I can't believe Snuggle Buddies is still around. I worked for Snuggle Buddies/Evan Carp and he was a crook. He told the guys that they had to pay upfront online in order to arrange a session. Then once I completed them I did not get paid. I refused to work with him anymore after that since hey, why would I want to work, only for someone else to pocket all of my money? He proceeded to send me several nasty text messages and emails, using very offensive language. A female friend of mine had the same issue where he refused to give her the money that she earned. He called her the same offensive words as he called me, along with a racial slur for her being African American. That man and company is bad news and should be out of business. 
  • @Missy87, I have met at least three cuddlers from TSB who told me he never paid them for their sessions with me. All have since quit. That, along with the many stories of his incivility to both cuddlers and clients is why I stopped booking there.  I never personally had any run-ins with him, nor paid for any sessions that I didn't get. And I liked most of the cuddlers I met. I just heard one tawdry tale too many for my comfort. This seems like a much healthier place.
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