[alyssa&avery]

Steph,

Thanks for posting this! I can never stress to peeps enough how important it is that you research a potential agency(s) very carefully. Use as many sources available to you ---and with the internet there are a lot! Don't rely on one or two references provided by the prospective agency (like they'd put you in touch with someone who didn't like them). Use the feedback option here, the BBB, other Yahoo groups etc before committing to an agency!

Yes, it is still possible to pick an agency that you may have trouble with but this should cut down the risk considerably. Also, make sure that the feed-back that you're getting is recent. An agency that had a sparkling reputation a year ago may have gone through some changes and now have a less than stellar reputation!