Complaint Review: TalentHunter.com

TalentHunter.com is using tactics nothing short of blatant deceit and trickery in order to get people to buy into an upgraded (Gold) Membership.  Here's how it works;

1. You set up an account, enter your stats, photos, contact information, etc. in hopes that a casting agent or talent scout will show an interest in your portfolio.  As a Basic Member, you are limited in your entitlement to other profile viewing and messaging.  You are permitted to post a "shout out" in the ShoutBox, in order to obtain 'ratings' from other aspiring hopefuls, once per hour.

2. Within hours of establishing your Basic Membership you are contacted by TalentHunter, who is "pleased to inform you that your profile has been reviewed by an Industry Professional..." and that they have left you a message in your inbox.  So, you log into your TalentHunter account, and sure enough there is a message waiting for you from an Industry Professional (mine was 'barbaracs', 'Reynolds1', and others), but when you try to read the message you are informed that you may NOT read your message unless you are a Gold Member.  Conveniently, they provide you with a button to click in order to upgrade your account, because OF COURSE you want to know what the "Industry Professional" has to say about your profile..!  That's why you're there, right?

3.  Like a hopeful dummy, I signed up for the three-day trial, just so I could read what the "talent hunters" had to say...

4.  I followed the links and submitted my portfolio to the "Jobs" I had supposedly been screened for.  They even RECCOMMEND you write a reply note to the "talent hunter" who contacted you...  THREE WEEKS LATER, my replies still sit in the Sent Mail box showing that they had been unread.  Funny thing is, if you type in the name of ANY other Member of TalentHunter.com in the Shoutbox, your message will go through.  Yet, if you type in the name of a scout who has contacted you... your message is filtered. 

5.  SO, I was roped into a Gold Membership.  NOW the contacts should come FLOODING IN, right?  Wrong.  NOTHING.  So, I cancelled my Gold Membership and went back to Standard.  What do you think happened?  BINGO!  Contacts out the wazzoo, none of which I could read unless I upgraded.

6.  Today I confronted TalentHunter.com directly.  I asked them (via the Contact Us link) if any of this was true.  I asked about the bogus contacts.  I asked about ANY legitimacy.  Know what I got?  Not an explaination...  I received an email from them informing me that my account and profile were cancelled.  NOT DOWNGRADED to Standard... CANCELLED.  That seems to be an admission of guilt if I ever heard one.  Now I am unable to tell the other Members what I've learned.  Don't worry, TH.  Your filters aren't THAT good, and enough of them have my personal email address that word will get out.  Maybe then you'll stop trying to pull the wool over peoples eyes.

THIS ENTIRE SITE REEKS OF SCAM.  There are SO many attractive and talented, enthusiastic, hopeful potential stars on this site, yet NOBODY is getting any work.  Seem odd?  Don't get roped in by your dreams.  Don't get me wrong, CHASE the HELL outta your dreams, and NEVER GIVE UP!  Just not there...  It'll only lead to disappointment, and $40 a month wasted.