Dear friends,
I’m delighted to introduce you to Keith Gordon, the Owner of ukrainebridesagency.com. I met him at the Idate conference in Cyprus in July and we had a chat about Ukrainian dating, wonderful weather in Cyprus and our possible interview. I am always happy to ask the industry experts about their experiences and insight. I believe Keith’s answers can give you a great idea about Ukrainian dating and his advice can lead you to success in your search. Let’s start!
Krystyna: Hi Keith. Thank you very much for finding time to answer my questions. I highly appreciate that and believe your information can be very helpful to my readers. To start, tell us about you and your Ukraine Brides marriage agency?
Keith: Hi Krystyna, it was great to finally meet you at the recent iDate conference in Cyprus and I thank you for this opportunity to tell you about Ukraine Brides Agency.
My wife and I started Ukraine Brides 10 years ago after being asked by some female friends in Ukraine to provide a genuine site for both men and ladies to find international love. They explained to us that they had registered at many agencies but never had communication with men, although their profiles were being used to lure men to communicate with “them”.
We made plans to set up a site that would offer transparency, trust and exceptional service at a fair price. We have achieved much success and I am delighted to say that we were awarded the Best Product Design award at the 2016 iDate International Dating Conference in Miami.
Krystyna: Please describe in detail how you help Western men to find an honest Ukrainian wife — and cutting to the chase — what does it cost your customer?
Keith: We only work with proven and successful agencies and they must meet our criteria before we agree to work with them, including:
- Having been established at least 5 years
- Have a record of successful marriages and relationships
- Have an office infrastructure including translators and computers for the ladies to use
- Who agree to our stringent vetting process for every lady
We currently work with about 20 agencies across Ukraine and have said no to over 200 agencies. We also have many ladies who have registered directly with our office and not through agencies.
Any lady who registers with us, whether through an agency or directly with us must also meet our stringent vetting criteria, including:
- Submit copies of her passport pages
- Submit proof of her marital status
- Provide full contact details – email, phone number, skype, viber (which are continually checked by our staff)
- Provide links to her social network pages
We continue proactive monitoring of the agencies and all ladies on an ongoing basis.
Our prices are among the lowest in the Slavic dating industry and you can view all of our prices on our site, even before you register – which is unique! There are costs to provide this personal service, especially when there are language and cultural differences and the requirement of an interactive internet site with full communication abilities and we need to cover these.
We have no joining fee nor any registration fee and you only pay for what you use. We believe that success breeds success and if we focus on developing successful relationships, then our business will grow. For that reason, we have many services that are free, including expressions of interest, free viewing of ladies profiles, including all her photos and video’s, free opening of letters and no charge for attaching photos to letters. We also offer free matchmaking. We want our members to find love and will do all we can to achieve this.
Looking for a legit dating site? Check my reviews here:
Krystyna: And my next question about your marriage services. In what ways does the culture of your marriage service differ significantly from the large sites like AnastasiaDate.com or ElenasModels.com, which try to address the International dating needs of everyone?
Keith: We offer a personal, one-on-one and friendly service to everyone who uses our support. This is not just the man, but includes the ladies and the agencies. To achieve success you must build relationships with all the key members of your service. Our service is about love and emotions – how can you do this if you don’t know each other and have not developed trust and teamwork?
Transparency and openness has always been part of our culture and we have our story and all our team photos on the site.
We offer 24/7 service and you can contact our team any time via email, skype and live chat on our homepage.
We have also added a feature that no other site offers – a free skype consultation with one of our marriage specialists. These are free, can be scheduled at a time that suits you and you can have as many as you would like. We offer advice on any subject including creating your best profile, how to use the site, culture differences and creating the best impression.
Our service team also contains 3 travel agents and we are IATA registered meaning that we can offer full travel services, including flights, accommodation, visa assistance, translators and guides, internal travel and 24-hour support.
Krystyna: In your opinion, what has been the biggest challenge so far in operating the Ukraine Brides Agency?
Keith: The biggest challenge has been to overcome the negativity associated with the Ukraine dating industry. There are many horror stories of men investing thousands of dollars on sites and traveling to Ukraine to meet a lady, who has never existed.
Forums and blogs are being used to discredit sites and it is very difficult to counter a bad forum post. Sadly, many of these negative posts are being placed by competitor sites who will discredit every other site and thereby convince readers to use their site.
Krystyna: Let’s talk about scam. Ukrainian online dating scam is a hot discussion topic of every interview. Why is this issue so huge in this industry? Are there any reliable and honest dating agencies based in Ukraine? What is your anti-scam policy?
Keith: Scamming has been a real problem that has plagued the Slavic marriage industry over the last 5 to 10 years – and it is the very reason we created Ukraine Brides. We see this as an opportunity to provide a genuine and personalised service so that we will be recognised as the preeminent site.
We have overcome this by setting strict criteria on the agencies we work with and the ladies that we list. Proactive monitoring of the agencies and ladies is an ongoing task.
We offer a full money back guarantee for all communication costs if a lady is shown to be less than genuine in her search.
We offer two additional features that are unique in the industry to counter scam activity.
The first of these is that every lady on the site is required to have a free introductory video about herself on her profile. The lady talks about herself for a short time and assures men that the lady is genuine. Unfortunately, many sites use stolen photos to lure men to use their services, especially photos of models or in sexy and provocative poses. Sites that highlight ladies profiles in this fashion are unlikely to be genuine.
We also introduced a free 5-minute video chat with every lady on the site. If a man is a serious user of the site, he can have a 5-minute free video chat with every lady on the site before he commences communications with her. This assures him that the lady is genuine and he can ascertain if there is any spark between them before he commits to communication.
Krystyna: What are the major mistakes you find that Western men are making nowadays when dating Ukrainian women?
Keith: The major mistakes that men make are that they assume that every lady is desperate to leave Ukraine and that they can therefore choose any lady they like. Also many men don’t understand the culture and traditions of a Ukraine lady and they are not prepared well enough to overcome these differences and make a relationship successful.
Ukraine women are very family orientated which makes them ideal wives and home-makers, but it also means they need to retain close ties with their own family in Ukraine. This can include frequent skype chats and several trips home each year to visit them.
Ukraine women have strong characteristics and are committed to achieving their career potential. They are usually happy in their Ukraine environment but realise that to achieve their best potential, they must relocate overseas. Marrying a foreign man and relocating also offers their children a greater opportunity than a life within Ukraine.
Krystyna: Why are Ukrainian women so popular among Western men? And what is your prediction for this industry in 5-10 years? What happens with the marriage industry if Ukrainian women become emancipated and career-oriented?
Keith: Ukraine women are so popular because they are among the most beautiful women in the world and they offer traditional family values that men seek, but which are disappearing from many cultures nowadays.
Ukraine women have strong characteristics and often provide a strong family base, especially when a family encounters difficult times, such as the man’s job security or a financial crisis. A Ukraine lady will hold the family together during difficulty.
Most cultures are moving toward sexual equality where the career of both the husband and the wife is equally important. A marriage of two people who have successful careers are among the strongest bonds in modern times. Women are seeking to reach their potential in every society, not just Ukraine. Men respect and accept successful career women and this is no hindrance to a successful marriage and raising children.
I think that a combination of family traditions and career-orientation adds to the desirability of a Ukraine woman as a potential wife. It adds a dimension of professionalism and success to the other desirable dimensions of beauty, strength and family values.
Krystyna: What tips do you have for Western men to get the best results in Ukrainian dating?
Keith: My advice to any man considering searching for a Ukraine wife is to determine the type of woman he is seeking (age, personality, interests, appearance, family aspirations and compatibility) and find a genuine site to start his search.
Too many men google Ukraine bride and then start searching after being lured in by the most beautiful and sexy photos of young women that they see. If they consider the type of woman that they desire and then adhere to that criteria during their search, they are more than half way to success, because they have found a likely match.
They should also look closely at the site that they use, including the pricing and the fine print. If the site name contains words such as Sexy, Hot, Model, etc does this really convey genuineness?
Men should also use the services that the site offers. Ukraine Brides offer free consultations to assist you to find success – if you are going to invest in your search, why not seek free advice and make the path to success much simpler and quicker?
Krystyna: What are some of the future plans you have for the Ukraine Bride agency?
Keith: We are excited about the future. Communication advances, political change, freedom of movement and the boom for internet dating means that we are entering an era of greater opportunity for success and growth.
We are aligned in exclusive partnerships with Christian agencies, matchmakers and trusted industry leaders that see us well placed to take advantage of the change that is prevalent in Ukraine dating, in fact global dating.
Our partners have chosen us through common business ethics and plans and we can offer a full complement of service across the globe. The interest from the Asian market has grown hugely in the last 12 months and we now offer our services throughout Asia.
Krystyna: Thank you for taking the time to share your insight with our readers. In closing, what is the best advice you have for Western men seeking to find their match in Ukraine?
Keith: We are currently enjoying great success between couples and this reflects the work we have put in and the services we offer. We believe that if you look after your members and help them achieve success, then our success will follow, naturally.
I have offered lots of advice in this interview and I just ask men to read what we have done and what I have said. There are lots of sites to choose from and there are many things being said about the industry, both positive and negative.
If you are serious about your search for a Ukraine bride, then there are thousands of genuine Ukraine ladies also searching for genuine men.
As an encouragement to men, I attach one of our success stories below – maybe you can also be included in this gallery. We would be delighted for you!
Meet Krystyna, an esteemed international dating expert, blogger, and the founder of Ukrainian Dating Blog. With over 1000 articles published in English and German, she specializes in cross-cultural relationships, prevalent dating topics, and tackling romance scams.
