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What the F? I restate: this is a FORUM. You either do not understand the concept, or are conflating the idea that an online forum is run by any competing agency. It's not. Go read the FAQ about this site and who runs it. Secondly, I have been a regular of this forum for well over 10 years. Yes, I'm familiar with how it works. That doesn't make a conspiracy. Knowing that the site admin's name is Grant Malcolm, I quickly glanced in the top left corner of the site to where the "who's online" box is and saw his name listed. He also sometimes uses the member profile 'administrator', instead of his own name. That just makes me a user familiar with the layout/design of the site, not some sort of insider conspiracy nutter. As with most online forums, certain members are given a little more priveldge, me being one of them. I only have a limited access to the backend, but use this access only to ban spammers and the occasional dodgy person (ie. ones who try to illicit anything to do with sex). Again if you have problems with how this site is run, talk with the site admin. I only follow the policies he's set. He's chosen to take the line of: freedom of speech, unless he has been contacted on the basis of libel to have the post removed. As mentioned before, there have been previous instances of this occuring and in due course he will deal with it (as for the above initial post being removed, it is my suspicion that another member, and NOT the site admin has deleted the info) See any thread on the Blackbox agency on this site for examples. (You are furthermore conflating that just because the ITA runs/owns the site, it has any real oversight on it. It may have started that way, but this site has since gone its own almost independent way. It's a FORUM, not a site for a single organisation. The majority of members are amateur actors in WA, but represent a far broader community than that) "How would you like it if I posted randomly on an official acting website asking if it's true that your association is a scam? What does that imply?" I would feel just as you do; angry. This has happened to me before. However, I was smart enough NOT to post my thoughts about it visibly online for all to see, and dealt with the matter privately. Secondly, I would answer politely and calmly, reassuring those interested in my services. I recently had my website hacked, despite all my best efforts to keep it as secure as possible. I was mortified, and all I could do was to reassure my customers and attempt at providing a better and safer service. I took it on board as an opportunity to do better; not yell and scream at those who were my customers or potential customers. Lastly, as this is an online forum. I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT I AM WRITING. NO ONE ELSE IS INVOLVED. Yell at me as much as you like, but this isn't a whole site ganging up on you, just one person trying to explain how the above comments were advice and not at all someone trying to get you. And for your comment about my name. This is one I get so f-ing regularly. Read my damn profile. You'll see 'Na' is short for Naomi, and my f-ing website is in my signature. I hide behind nothing. You want to find out my actual contact info, go right ahead. Frankly, whenever someone asks for a bit of advice about an agency, the agency turns up and screams "how dare we all tell someone to do their research. We're not dodgy". Nobody's saying you are. WE'RE JUST BLOODY ASKING FOR PEOPLE TO DO THEIR BLOODY RESEARCH BEFOREHAND. Why is that so threatening to your business? I'd be very happy if any of my customers were smart enough to actually do me a favour and read the info at my site before sending me random emails about puppetry. It would say to me that they are intelligent and interested enough in my services to find out more, and would be more likely in hiring me for work. EDIT: "... On first appearances, it doesn't seem bad; perhaps just new and trying different tactics to get new clients." This is what I said above. I feel I have no need to respond to normal business practices, since I was pointing out that the company was most likely new, and that's why there are job positions not filled on the contact page. Try a little reading comprehension and you'll find I'm not attacking you as much as you think I am. EDIT TWO: I will also add thanks for posting testimonials and your ABN. This is precisely the type of information that most people would be interested in and use to check the background of any company (agency or not, any business should be checked if you're planning on signing contracts with them). "Strawberry could have contacted us for testemonials and we would happily provide them". You're right, she chose not to contact you; she also chose to use the word 'scam'. Inconvenient and frustrating, but hardly anything the rest of us have control over. Why you couldn't have just politely posted that stuff and requested anyone with questions to contact you privately is beyond me... I'm sorry that one person was worried about the legitimacy of your company. The fact that Strawberry was smart enough to ask for referral information says a lot about them. Most people just want to sign with any agency, give me an agency, and then get ripped off. All because they didn't do their homework. I again ask, what's wrong with doing your homework? EDIT 3: "Isn't a puppet something you use to convey a message without having to bear personal scrutiny? You know, like what's happening here. Using a medium to cause an effect without taking any responsibility? A cowards front if you will?" You evidently have not worked with puppetry at all, and have no concept of the depth provided to it. My logo and company name have nothing to do with 'hiding', but with the fact that I'm actually a puppet maker. You may be surprised to learn that Australia has a professional puppetry industry. But if you want to pretend it has something to do with manipulation, by all means do. Feel free to rebutt any or all of my points above, but when it comes down to it, ALL I WAS SAYING WAS TO RESEARCH ANY COMPANY YOU SIGN CONTRACTS WITH. That's not dangerous, that's not scary, that's not f-ing manipulation. That's common sense in any business. Jeff's comment below is a somewhat calmer version of what I've been trying to say. Most people confuse my bluntness as having an axe to grind, or being some sort of overly assholishness bitch. Actually, it's just that, bluntness. There is no polite way of telling someone to be a smart business person other than being blunt. If you would care to reply to my question, please: What is so wrong with asking people to do due diligence on the companies they're interested in working with? What is so wrong with suggesting that people read policies and fine print? What is so wrong with suggesting a few ways to learn more about said companies? And why is it so wrong to have this information and advice publicly available? Puppets and patterns at Puppets in Melbourne