I booked an appointment through a certain agency for early Friday evening and thought that my appointment was confirmed.  Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication (I was told that all I had to do was call when I arrived at the hotel. I found out later that I was sent an e-mail on the day of the appointment asking me to confirm; too bad I was already on the road when the e-mail was sent!) and I drove all the way into Manhattan only to find out that the lady I had booked was not at the hotel room.  

It normally takes me an hour to get into midtown, but the traffic was real heavy and it took me nearly 3 hours yesterday.  I called 15 minutes before my scheduled appointment and was told that the lady I was going to see had stepped out (since I didn't confirm) and that I would receive a call as soon as she got in. . . I got no call, of course.  So I spent 50+ bucks on gas, tolls, and parking (not to mention wasted hours) for nothing.

Anyways, if anyone knows of any reliable agencies for someone with no references (since it's my first time using a service), I'd appreciate it.  Thanks.

Belle de jour is a great service. You can call them anytime. There phone number is (954)650-3610 ask for Kim.

once an appointment is set with it is fairly small.

I'm sure the traffic was heavier because of the Labor Day Weekend and the exiting RNC. Sometime the timing is the issue, but things like this are extremely rare, especially with reliable agencies.
And you got some excellent advise from Elizabeth Love as well.
Keep at it, I'm sure you'll be successful!

BDJ is the bomb!

Cheers!

Thanks for the advice everyone.  I actually got a chance to book an appointment with another agency the next day, and they came through in a big way!!!

Newbie,

    I'm willing to bet that what happened to you has happened to most hobbyists at LEAST once. Sucks bigtime, right? I know. It's, unfortunately, all part of the game. The colossal waste of time and money is the price we pay for the pursuit of pleasure.

If you want my opinion, cross that agency off your list and never call them again, number one, and learn from this, number two, such as giving the agency a call and confirming the appointment for your own benefit, sometime before you leave the house.

good luck.....but hopefully you'll put yourself in a position where you're not relying on it(luck) too much.

btw, I'm sure there are very reliable agencies out there, but independents seem to be more reliable than agencies, generally speaking.