Mail Order Bride Franchise Offers Women "Unspoiled By Feminism"
April 2, 2007 by Sean Kelly
Filed under Business
This past Saturday I was invited by Franchise Times magazine to speak and participate in a panel discussion at the International Franchise Association’s annual International Franchise Exposition in Washington, D.C. According to the IFE, there were an estimated 300 franchise brands represented at the show, some of which I’ll highlight in posts this week.
Hand in Hand Franchise Finds Unspoiled Brides for Old-Fashioned Men
Perhaps the most noteworthy (in so many ways) new franchise opportunity has to be the Hand in Hand franchise, which is a home-based business giving you the opportunity to find Czech girlfriends and wives for American men. The founder of the Hand in Hand franchise programs’ name is (I kid you not) Joe Weiner, and Joe’s website describes its service this way:
“This program is designed for single men looking for mail order brides who are beautiful, significantly younger, educated, are unspoiled by feminism and whose culture is one of support & respect.”
The Hand in Hand Franchise provides customers convenient options. Male customers can “Enjoy a fabulous romantic trip to Prague, one of the most charming and exciting cities in Europe…” or “If you cannot travel to Prague, you can still make your dreams become reality by simply sending for her. This cannot be done from Russia, Ukraine, Asia or South America.”
The Romantic Hand in Hand Business Philosophy is Heartwarming
The Hand in Hand website provides a grammatically challenged overview of the benefits of its franchise opportunity:
The HAND-IN-HAND CONCEPT IS SIMPLE: GIVING MEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO MARRY BEAUTIFUL, INTELLIGENT, EDUCATED WOMEN, WHO WILL BE DEVOTED COMMITTED TO THEM. SOMETHING THEY CAN NOT FIND IN THE U.S.A. or Western Europe.
In essence HAND-IN-HAND offers:
Very High Earnings
Interesting and Glamorous Business
Work from home or small office
Simplicity of Visa’s for Czech women
It is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to get a visa for a Russian, Ukraine , Asian or South American woman to come to U.S.A. or Western Europe .
It is VERY EASY to get a visa for a CZECH REPUBLIC because they are in NATO and are going into the EU Shortly.
They do not need a Visa to travel to western Europe and can actually come to the U.S.A, and stay for Two and a HALF years before you have to marry them. They don’t need a fiancée visa.
Also YOU DON”T HAVE TO GO THERE to get a visa for the women to visit you in your country. You can just send for them.
Ah, to return to the good old days before feminism! And before the franchise regulations that prohibit the promises of sales and profits that appear on the Hand in Hand website!
With a website URL like http://www.eastern-europe-women.com, and a spokesman named Joe Weiner, you know it’s got to be good!
HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WITH THE HAND IN HAND FRANCHISE OR SIMILAR SERVICES? LEAVE A COMMENT & TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!
I was at the IFE as well and got to see Hand in Hand’s booth. The video playing introducing “Maria from Prague”…. When I learned the name of the company’s founder was Weiner, I thought it was a joke…
Did you see the Adam & Eve’s booth??? I think some people in the industry are a little shoked (check out the IFA forum!)
Joe Weiner is nothing more than a crook don’t send money to his agency. Here is what people have written about him:
CUSTOMERS REVIEWS ON INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE AGENCIES AND DATING WEB SITES.
Hand In Hand Agency
5 review(s)
——————————————————————————–
review by T. D.
——————————————————————————–
Agency’s URL: http://www.eastern-europe-women.com/
Agency’s Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Agency’s Principal(s): Joe Weiner
Elena,
This is the story of my experience with Joe Weiner and the Hand in Hand Agency in Prague. I did not know of any agencies in the Czech Republic, so I started a search on the internet to find CR agencies. I came across the Hand in Hand agency and was contacted by Joe Weiner , an American living in London. I received a price list and I was told I would be introduced to 21 women during my 21 day stay there. I was then told that I would receive pictures and profiles of Czech women so I could communicate with them before my trip. I had told Mr. Weiner my preferences as to age, education, number of children etc.
I received my first pictures of Czech women about 1 month before my trip and I must tell you I was horrified. The pictures looked as if they were cut from comic strip pages, some had coffee stains on them. The backs of the pictures had names and other information written on them in small scribbled writing that was not even legible. I asked Joe to send me better pictures, but he said that was all that anyone got. I had more conversations with him, but I never received any information that was positive about other women he had profiles on. The women that he sent me pictures of were in there 20’s and early 30’s some had children and some had no intention of leaving the CR. I decided that at that point I would ask for my money back, as I did not think this was going to be a profitable trip. Mr. Weiner did not return the phone calls I made to him in London, so I decided to go to the CR because I had non refundable plane tickets and the agency fees were paid. When I arrived in Prague I went to the Hand in Hand offices and I was told the office manager would make dates for me and that she would have the list the next day. Mr Weiner then told me he did not want me to come to the office again. All the dates were with women who either had children, were too heavy or just really not my type. I made friends with girls in the office, but I ended up leaving one week early because they could not provide me with dates with women who met my criteria.
If I had known about Joe’s business methods before I went to the CR, I never would have gone there. Thomas
CUSTOMERS REVIEWS ON INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE AGENCIES AND DATING WEB SITES.
Hand In Hand Agency
5 review(s)
——————————————————————————–
review by M.F.
——————————————————————————–
Agency’s URL: http://www.eastern-europe-women.com/
Agency’s Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Agency’s Principal(s): Joe Weiner
Recommendations: Highly Not Recommended
Services Used By This Customer: Introduction Service for the purpose of meeting a potential partner
Review: The previous reviewer was absolutely dead-on in the scam perpetuated by Joe Weiner and his company Hand in Hand. I made arrangements last summer for a week long stay in Prague utilizing Joe Weiner’s services. Prior to leaving, I had several phone conversations with Joe detailing my requisites for the dates and he assured me that they would be met. He forwarded me photos(??)of women who allegedly were affiliated with Hand in Hand. Photos appeared to be cut out of magazines and periodicals. I inquired about two of the girls but they had suddenly left the program. When I arrived in Prague, it did not take long for me to realize I had been scammed. Their contact person, Gabriella, met me at my hotel with an itinerary for my week. On the itinerary were names of women that I was scheduled to meet. After the second day, I had yet to meet one. Total disaster. Grabbed a cab went to the office and confronted Gabriela and the staff requesting a refund. My efforts were futile. Joe Weiner (Based in London) called and threatened me for pursuing a refund. I tried negotiating with him but we got nowhere. Thankfully, I made some inroads at retribution through Amex. Horrible experience with Joe Weiner and Hand in Hand. However, the rest of my trip to Prague was incredible. Great city, friendly & fun people and would travel back there again to visit. Strangely enough, I got an email from the former Hand in Hand manager, Gabriela, who told me she left Joe Weiner because of his business practices and she started her own introduction agency. I guess business is good.
CUSTOMERS REVIEWS ON INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE AGENCIES AND DATING WEB SITES.
Hand In Hand Agency
5 review(s)
——————————————————————————–
review by M. H.
——————————————————————————–
Agency’s URL: http://www.eastern-europe-women.com/
Agency’s Location: England
Agency’s Principal(s): Joe Weiner
I was told verbally and in contract by Joe Weiner I would be receiving as many beautiful women’s profiles as I wanted and women’s profiles according to my specs. It took 2 to 3 weeks before I was contacted by air mail with 2 women’s profiles cut out of the news paper. I tried contacting the women but they were non existent. Plus they didn’t meet my specs. I asked for more, emailed everyday no response it has been 3 months and I have received 6 total women’s profiles, all were fake. Now I try contacting by phone, email, Hand in Hand In the Czech Republic & email, etc. They will not accept my calls or return any emails. Joe Weiner did respond to one email and said I was to fat for any of his women…
CUSTOMERS REVIEWS ON INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE AGENCIES AND DATING WEB SITES.
Hand In Hand Agency
5 review(s)
——————————————————————————–
review by D.R. 12/05/05
——————————————————————————–
Agency’s URL: http://www.eastern-europe-women.com/
Agency’s Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Agency’s Principal(s): Joe Weiner
Recommendations: Highly Not Recommended
Services Used By This Customer: I was told that I would meet three or four women a day for the week I was in Prague and that all the women would meet in requirements with respect to age, children, language ability and so forth.
Review: None of the women fell even remotely within in written requirements. All were far too tall for me and several of the women told me that. I met two women who told me they never intended to leave their country but were told by Joe Weiner that they would have a nice dinner if they went out with me. More than half of the women I met met did not speak English (I wrote that I only wanted to meet women who spoke English well enough to engage in a simple conversation). Four of the women never showed up at the appointed time. I told Joe Winer that I was not rich but part of the great middle class. I found out that Joe Weiner told all the women that I was a rich American from New York. I am not from New York and have never lived in New York. I found out from the agency manager that Weiner told his manager tell all the ladies that all the Americans are rich and from New York.
CUSTOMERS REVIEWS ON INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE AGENCIES AND DATING WEB SITES.
Hand In Hand Agency
5 review(s)
——————————————————————————–
review by R.P. 12/08/05
——————————————————————————–
Agency’s URL: http://www.eastern-europe-women.com/
Agency’s Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Agency’s Principal(s): Joe Weiner
Recommendations: Highly Not Recommended
Services Used By This Customer: I fired them 48 hours after I arrived in Prague. The ladies they were introducing me to were NOTHING like the ladies I had requested to meet.
Review: Typical horror story. Paid a lot of money for a “dream” girl. I had asked to meet ladies between 35 and 40. I meet 7 women in two days. One woman was under 40 and she was 5 ft 7 in and weighed at least 160-170. They have no recruiting methods or standards. The experienced was worsened because THAT COWARD JOE WEINER HIDES BEHIND THE SKIRTS of the girls in his office. He won’t return emails or phone calls. There is a definate reason that he uses phone fowarding and mail drops.
Why is “Hand in Hand” (eastern-europe-women.com)
on the Black List?
The main reason is that none of the points listed on the agency’s web site are actually true. Clients are told that all the girls speak English. This is not true. Clients are told that all the girls are in Prague. This is not true. Clients are told that they will be given services suited to their requests. This is not true.
The worst report was that some of the girls that went out with his clients were ex-friends or employees of the owner. This is immediate cause for being placed on the Black List.
And once again, another owner that shouts at and insults clients when the clients ask about or complain about the services that were promised and never delivered. Once again, my motto is that an agency is only as good as the owner. An insult-hurling owner does not reflect well on his agency.
He also has a site with models that he says are also regular girls looking for love. Sorry, that is hard to believe.
I first ran across this agency 3 years ago. All the girls are the same as then. Bad sign.
Hand in Hand
Most Beautiful (mostbeautiful.cz)
Eastern Europe Women (eastern-europe-women.com)
Owner – Joe Weiner
Since all of the people who have dealt with Joe Weiner have not had such a good experience, I am sure it would not be a good idea to open a franchise with him. He will definitely swindle you out of your money.
It is definitely not a good idea to be in a franchise with Joe Weiner becuase everyone that has dealt with him has had a bad experience. The guy is a dishonest crook. Here are comments his clients wrote about him:
CUSTOMERS REVIEWS ON INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE AGENCIES AND DATING WEB SITES.
Hand In Hand Agency
5 review(s)
——————————————————————————–
review by T. D.
——————————————————————————–
Agency’s URL: http://www.eastern-europe-women.com/
Agency’s Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Agency’s Principal(s): Joe Weiner
Elena,
This is the story of my experience with Joe Weiner and the Hand in Hand Agency in Prague. I did not know of any agencies in the Czech Republic, so I started a search on the internet to find CR agencies. I came across the Hand in Hand agency and was contacted by Joe Weiner , an American living in London. I received a price list and I was told I would be introduced to 21 women during my 21 day stay there. I was then told that I would receive pictures and profiles of Czech women so I could communicate with them before my trip. I had told Mr. Weiner my preferences as to age, education, number of children etc.
I received my first pictures of Czech women about 1 month before my trip and I must tell you I was horrified. The pictures looked as if they were cut from comic strip pages, some had coffee stains on them. The backs of the pictures had names and other information written on them in small scribbled writing that was not even legible. I asked Joe to send me better pictures, but he said that was all that anyone got. I had more conversations with him, but I never received any information that was positive about other women he had profiles on. The women that he sent me pictures of were in there 20’s and early 30’s some had children and some had no intention of leaving the CR. I decided that at that point I would ask for my money back, as I did not think this was going to be a profitable trip. Mr. Weiner did not return the phone calls I made to him in London, so I decided to go to the CR because I had non refundable plane tickets and the agency fees were paid. When I arrived in Prague I went to the Hand in Hand offices and I was told the office manager would make dates for me and that she would have the list the next day. Mr Weiner then told me he did not want me to come to the office again. All the dates were with women who either had children, were too heavy or just really not my type. I made friends with girls in the office, but I ended up leaving one week early because they could not provide me with dates with women who met my criteria.
If I had known about Joe’s business methods before I went to the CR, I never would have gone there. Thomas
more comments
CUSTOMERS REVIEWS ON INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE AGENCIES AND DATING WEB SITES.
Hand In Hand Agency
5 review(s)
——————————————————————————–
review by M.F.
——————————————————————————–
Agency’s URL: http://www.eastern-europe-women.com/
Agency’s Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Agency’s Principal(s): Joe Weiner
Recommendations: Highly Not Recommended
Services Used By This Customer: Introduction Service for the purpose of meeting a potential partner
Review: The previous reviewer was absolutely dead-on in the scam perpetuated by Joe Weiner and his company Hand in Hand. I made arrangements last summer for a week long stay in Prague utilizing Joe Weiner’s services. Prior to leaving, I had several phone conversations with Joe detailing my requisites for the dates and he assured me that they would be met. He forwarded me photos(??)of women who allegedly were affiliated with Hand in Hand. Photos appeared to be cut out of magazines and periodicals. I inquired about two of the girls but they had suddenly left the program. When I arrived in Prague, it did not take long for me to realize I had been scammed. Their contact person, Gabriella, met me at my hotel with an itinerary for my week. On the itinerary were names of women that I was scheduled to meet. After the second day, I had yet to meet one. Total disaster. Grabbed a cab went to the office and confronted Gabriela and the staff requesting a refund. My efforts were futile. Joe Weiner (Based in London) called and threatened me for pursuing a refund. I tried negotiating with him but we got nowhere. Thankfully, I made some inroads at retribution through Amex. Horrible experience with Joe Weiner and Hand in Hand. However, the rest of my trip to Prague was incredible. Great city, friendly & fun people and would travel back there again to visit. Strangely enough, I got an email from the former Hand in Hand manager, Gabriela, who told me she left Joe Weiner because of his business practices and she started her own introduction agency. I guess business is good.
CUSTOMERS REVIEWS ON INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE AGENCIES AND DATING WEB SITES.
Hand In Hand Agency
5 review(s)
——————————————————————————–
review by M. H.
——————————————————————————–
Agency’s URL: http://www.eastern-europe-women.com/
Agency’s Location: England
Agency’s Principal(s): Joe Weiner
I was told verbally and in contract by Joe Weiner I would be receiving as many beautiful women’s profiles as I wanted and women’s profiles according to my specs. It took 2 to 3 weeks before I was contacted by air mail with 2 women’s profiles cut out of the news paper. I tried contacting the women but they were non existent. Plus they didn’t meet my specs. I asked for more, emailed everyday no response it has been 3 months and I have received 6 total women’s profiles, all were fake. Now I try contacting by phone, email, Hand in Hand In the Czech Republic & email, etc. They will not accept my calls or return any emails. Joe Weiner did respond to one email and said I was to fat for any of his women…
Agency’s URL: http://www.eastern-europe-women.com/
Agency’s Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Agency’s Principal(s): Joe Weiner
Recommendations: Highly Not Recommended
Services Used By This Customer: I was told that I would meet three or four women a day for the week I was in Prague and that all the women would meet in requirements with respect to age, children, language ability and so forth.
Review: None of the women fell even remotely within in written requirements. All were far too tall for me and several of the women told me that. I met two women who told me they never intended to leave their country but were told by Joe Weiner that they would have a nice dinner if they went out with me. More than half of the women I met met did not speak English (I wrote that I only wanted to meet women who spoke English well enough to engage in a simple conversation). Four of the women never showed up at the appointed time. I told Joe Winer that I was not rich but part of the great middle class. I found out that Joe Weiner told all the women that I was a rich American from New York. I am not from New York and have never lived in New York. I found out from the agency manager that Weiner told his manager tell all the ladies that all the Americans are rich and from New York.
Agency’s URL: http://www.eastern-europe-women.com/
Agency’s Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Agency’s Principal(s): Joe Weiner
Recommendations: Highly Not Recommended
Services Used By This Customer: I fired them 48 hours after I arrived in Prague. The ladies they were introducing me to were NOTHING like the ladies I had requested to meet.
Review: Typical horror story. Paid a lot of money for a “dream” girl. I had asked to meet ladies between 35 and 40. I meet 7 women in two days. One woman was under 40 and she was 5 ft 7 in and weighed at least 160-170. They have no recruiting methods or standards. The experienced was worsened because THAT COWARD JOE WEINER HIDES BEHIND THE SKIRTS of the girls in his office. He won’t return emails or phone calls. There is a definate reason that he uses phone fowarding and mail drops.
Why is “Hand in Hand” (eastern-europe-women.com)
on the Black List?
The main reason is that none of the points listed on the agency’s web site are actually true. Clients are told that all the girls speak English. This is not true. Clients are told that all the girls are in Prague. This is not true. Clients are told that they will be given services suited to their requests. This is not true.
The worst report was that some of the girls that went out with his clients were ex-friends or employees of the owner. This is immediate cause for being placed on the Black List.
And once again, another owner that shouts at and insults clients when the clients ask about or complain about the services that were promised and never delivered. Once again, my motto is that an agency is only as good as the owner. An insult-hurling owner does not reflect well on his agency.
He also has a site with models that he says are also regular girls looking for love. Sorry, that is hard to believe.
I first ran across this agency 3 years ago. All the girls are the same as then. Bad sign.
Hand in Hand
Most Beautiful (mostbeautiful.cz)
Eastern Europe Women (eastern-europe-women.com)
Owner – Joe Weiner
here are the websites where these comments could be found.
http://www.russian-detective.com/reviews/reviews.htm
http://agencyscams.com/Why/Hand.html
There are enough bad comments here to say that this guy Joe Weiner is nothing more than a crook. I’m sure no memeber of this agency has had a good experience with Joe Weiner. Whoever enters a franchise with him will get their money swindled.
I’ve always said that the best way to meet people is through a free-will meeting place where both men and women can make their requests known openly and freely communicate with eachother, such as in the personals ads. The owner has a passive role, and it’s up to you to find your partner. Nobody “has beautiful women” whom they can “arrange for you to meet”. That is ridiculous and absurd, and no one should fall for it!
I don’t even believe in traditional dating services. I wouldn’t want someone else “setting me up” on blind dates with people whom *they* deem appropriate for me. Some services charge exorbitant fees for such a service, and it’s a blind ripoff!
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anti-scam investigations, legal advise.
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Chernovtsy, Khmelnitskiy, Rovno, Ivano – Frankovsk, Ternopol, Lutsk, Lvov, Uzhgorod, Melitopol, Сrimea, Simferopol,
Sevastopol.
I’m a Russian immigrant and a young woman and I find this highly disgusting. If that makes me a feminist then so be it.
You must be kidding. This guy Joe Weiner is not only dishonest, he is a scam artist. I have heard from several people who attempted to go into business with him and got ripped off from the beginning. He is simply not trustworthy.
We are currently trying to serve him with a lawsuit claiming various scams and wrongdoings including serious violations of USA franchise laws, but he is so slippery that he does not stay in one place long enough to serve him. Even the authorities in Caribbean are familiar with this guy, but they cannot find him either. We have made a request of INTERPOL to help us find this guy, but have not heard back from them yet.
If anyone knows the whereabouts of this guy, please let us know. We are offering a $500 reward for a current address to be paid when he is served with our lawsuit. No questions asked.