Okay, assume I'm interested enough to go for the whole girlfriend thing, but my language skills ain't so hot, and I can't hook up with anybody who wants to become part of a couple.

I assume if there was wide interest among the mongers in dating agencies, there would be a busy thread. But it seems I'm the first to bring it up.

You see tons of sites if you search for "encuentros".

I saw one which was aimed at gringos, looking for 1800 bucks US up front!

However you see lots of Spanish-language ones. Some of them even have real-life brick-and-mortar addresses. I'm no idiot, I'd sooner say yes to a BBBJ from a rabid pit bull than give my credit card details to an Argentine company which claims to screen customers using one-on-one interviews, but doesn't have a specific publicised location for said interviews.

I have my doubts as to whether non-scam dating / matrimonial agencies even exist in Argentina. After all, the norm here is for people to be set up by family and friends.

This, by the way, is specific and separate from the internet dating thread. I set a high store on places with a brick-and-mortar address. If they have an office, that implies they don't pull scams quite as much as their internet-only counterparts. It only takes one pissed-off scam victim with access to a bottle and some gasoline to take revenge.

I presume a certain proportion of the women whom you might meet (assuming you meet any women, of course) would be of the gold-digger variety. But that could potentially be a step up from the current position.

Whatever. Do you know anything about these places? Are they a waste or worthy of a look?