NEW MODEL, got roped in by a Studio and can't escape
So I'm a pretty new cam model. I've been working on a site for a couple of weeks and am not pleased with the traffic. So I decided to try other sites. I made a bad judgement call and signed up for a site called "Summit Models" which looks to be an agency/studio/leeching-middleman-pimp between me and Streamate.
I was able to sign up with "Summit Models" using my Gmail work address and they signed me up to Streamate under an email address that they created for me, which I have no way of accessing. I was only able to login to Streamate through Summit Models and once I was in I could only start a session; I was unable to edit my Streamate account at all because my Summit Models password wouldn't work on Streamate. I contacted Streamate and asked for a password change. They responded saying that they'd changed it. Now when I try to login to Streamate the login page just reloads.
I can't create a new streamate account because one is already open under my name.
I can't close my current account because I don't have access to the email address it is under.
Obviously I was careless with my information and now I am paying for it. I would really like to disconnect myself from this "Summit Models" and work for Streamate. Does anyone have any advice about what I should do?
Re: NEW MODEL, got roped in by a Studio and can't escape
http://www.stripperweb.com/forum/sho...avoid-studios)
You can read through this thread here^
there are a few options in it for getting out of studio contracts but basically unless "summit models" releases you (which is highly unlikely) you'd have to wait around 6mos to be able to sign up to SM on your own.
If you signed up but havent broadcasted yet (which your post is unclear since it sounds like you had trouble logging in) you may be able to make a new email address and sign up directly. (this would only work if your studio account wasnt successfully 'activated'- meaning you didnt successfully log in- but I dont know- since you did contact support and get a new password- you may have 'activated' it) So I would try that first, the worst thing that would happen is you get a email back that says sorry, youre with a studio, have your studio release you first blah blah blah.
The only other option would be to sign up for Daily pay (contact info is found in this thread - http://www.stripperweb.com/forum/sho...princessjenny*) For SM, you can be paid daily for a 5% fee or weekly for a 2% fee.
Re: NEW MODEL, got roped in by a Studio and can't escape
So yeah, my Streamate account was activated. I guess I'll be working somewhere else for 6 months which is annoying but I'm glad I learned my lesson now and not after I'd made money for some pimp site. I've been looking over the "How to Sign Up for Mega Sites" forum and it's really helpful. It makes me glad that Forums like this exist. I'd really rather not learn EVERYTHING there is to know about webcam modelling through trial and error (aka fucking up and trying to fix it). Thanks for the help!
Re: NEW MODEL, got roped in by a Studio and can't escape
It's 6 months after the account is released, so make sure you get it closed ASAP.
Re: NEW MODEL, got roped in by a Studio and can't escape
I've contacted both Streamate, who has forwarded my desire to delete my studio account to the studio, and the studio itself. I have heard nothing back. If I never hear back, can I just never work for Streamate? Or is there some sort of legal action I can take?
Re: NEW MODEL, got roped in by a Studio and can't escape
LOL legal action? sadly no. Im sure if you go back and read your studio contract somewhere in it is a clause about 'not competing'. Signing up on SM on your own within 6mos of quitting them is in essence 'competing'. So you have no legal grounds. Thats why you need them to release you.
So if you want to work on SM now the only option you have is to join daily pay where you would be paid 30-33%, otherwise you have to wait for the studio close your account. This is hard to do. You have to keep pestering them to do this. Once they close it, the clock starts. 6 months from when its closed you are free to sign up on SM independently.
(so yeah, if the studio doesnt close you, the clock doesnt start. There have been some models who were under 'virtual studios' who disappeared never releasing them, leaving them locked out permanently)
Re: NEW MODEL, got roped in by a Studio and can't escape
Quote:
Originally Posted by
annabellz
LOL legal action? sadly no. Im sure if you go back and read your studio contract somewhere in it is a clause about 'not competing'. Signing up on SM on your own within 6mos of quitting them is in essence 'competing'. So you have no legal grounds.
You sure about this? Can I ask why you say this so confidently?
Re: NEW MODEL, got roped in by a Studio and can't escape
OP do not alert SM bc their policy is to always defer to the studio.
One thing about the DailyPay service that came up is you can use their service to leave your virtual studio - but then you can leave DailyPay shortly after (asides from administrative processing, there are no time constraints or contracts) and become 100% independent. Some people have done that - like join the DailyPay service for a few weeks, ask DP to close their account, and then signup for SM directly. Poke around the forums for reviews and feedback on the service so youre aware / eyes wide open if you want to try this avenue. This is the site for it: http://adultworkwebcammers.co.uk/joomla/ . For each "hop" out of the studio you will have to have a new stage name and a new email address.
Id suggest you wait for a bit before trying this avenue though since both SM and your studio are aware of you being under them.
Also folks keep saying 6months but for some studios it is 1yr, so I dont want us to tell people it is 6months for every studio - because that'll renew ppl's contracts. Often it is 6months but not always. For example: for !nternetmodeling it is 1yr, for Camsharks it is apparently in perpetuity. I havent heard of Summit so 6months is probably true and a lot of the time that is the case - but that time period isnt 100% true across the board.
A lot of this studio stuff isnt based in contracts or any proven wisdom - so Im more trying to guide away from telling people facts when we really only have confident hypotheses.
Also there is a bunch of advice here as well: http://www.stripperweb.com/forum/sho...mate-profile-q
Re: NEW MODEL, got roped in by a Studio and can't escape
According to the TOS of Summit Modeling they have a 3 month 'waiting period' once they close her account.
"1. Under no circumstances, including, but not limited to, negligence, shall SUMMITMODELS.COM or any of its related, affiliated companies be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages that result from the use of, or the inability to use the Service. Subscriber specifically acknowledges and agrees that SUMMITMODELS.COM is not liable for any defamatory, offensive or illegal conduct of any user, or for any failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, alteration of or use of records, whether under contract or tort theory, or under any other cause of action, for any amount over and above the amount paid by Subscriber to SUMMITMODELS.COM for the three (3) months"
Theres a lot of mumbo jumbo there but the keywords are - Under no circumstances,shall SUMMITMODELS.COM be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages that result from the use of, or the inability to use the Service.(the service being SM). Subscriber (thats the model) specifically agrees that SUMMITMODELS.COM is not liable for any failure of performance,deletion,or under any other cause of action for the three (3) months.
I guess in theory she could sue if she could prove they didnt 'close' her account when she requested. They are based in CA, so if she was based there as well, it might not cost her much. She would have to have proof showing they didnt immediately close her account when she requested. And then evidence showing what her 'losses' were because they didnt close it. (but legal action demanding she has the right to sign up immediately independently-no, not if the contract has a clause that doesnt allow you to, which hers does)
Re: NEW MODEL, got roped in by a Studio and can't escape
^OK, so Im just highlighting that your advice of no legal action is specific to SummitModels.com, as a lot of studios dont have a TOS at all so I was wondering why your comment sounded generalized and seemed to assume all studios have 6months + non-competition clauses, etc so people have no recourse. Most virtual studios dont have any kind of TOS let alone legal representation at all - which makes it fertile grounds for legal rammifications if so needed (since there are quite a few instances of studios not paying people). So Im just ensuring the takeaway isnt "studios have their shit together, so dont bother suing".
So that doesnt mean she couldnt attempt if she wanted to, but that SummitModels specifically has time periods delineated in their TOS that she may need to be aware of. OK, thanks for the clarification.
Re: NEW MODEL, got roped in by a Studio and can't escape
I personally would love to see somebody go after a studio but I dont know if it would ever happen..
For the OP. She would have to document everything. lets say she contacted them to close her studio account on Nov 1. Technically they would have to close it then and 3 months later she should be free. If she could prove that exactly 3mos later (which would be Feb 1) she wasnt free, she would have a case. This would involve her opening a small claims case in CA where theyre located. She would have to use her real name, show up to court, disclose shes a cam model, etc. It would be all be public. the media could pick up the story. How much could she actually get back in damages? If they delayed closing her a week the court may award her a weeks pay that she potentially could have earned if she was able to sign up if the studio released her when they should have. But is the potential negative impact of being publically exposed worth that? If she cams from home and has kids she could be opening herself up to a world of problems.
I would suggest if the OP wants to pursue it to document and save everything. If the 3months passes and you find they violated their tos you can threaten them with legal action and demand a settlement. Send them a certified packet with all your evidence showing the date you requested your account to be closed, highlight their tos showing the 3 months and the date you should have been 'free' and your proof of not being able to sign up on that date along with your monetary demand. See how they respond- they may settle, if they dont, at that point you can decide if its worth it for you to actually go to court or not.
Re: NEW MODEL, got roped in by a Studio and can't escape
Wow. So yeah, I'm not looking to actually sue anybody (unfortunately) but I have been looking for legal ways to threaten them into closing my account. I appreciate all the talk about this and the advice. I'm going to keep pestering them for another 3 months and if they still haven't let up I'll drop it and move on. But at the very least, I'm going to bother the crap out of them.
Re: NEW MODEL, got roped in by a Studio and can't escape
I signed up through (IM“AKA Internet Mod**ing)WORST F**King studio to get out of!!!” I had to wait a year to get out of my contract. August 2012 I finally could sign up direct with sreamates. Last week I was looking at my pay and realized something doesn’t look correct. I realized I was only receiving 32%. After staying on top of streamates for answers, they finally told me that they can’t answer none of my questions regarding the issue & that I must contact the studio I signed up through over a year ago for answers. So after contacting the studio, this is what those bastards told me!
“This has nothing to do with contract. This is a referral account. Since you applied with them after being with us, streamate puts you into our referral account where they pay us for having referred you.”
So this freaking referral never expires! As long as I’m working , Streamates gives these wallet raping bastards 3% of my hard earned money!!!!!!! This is sooo F**king wrong on every level!!!
Re: NEW MODEL, got roped in by a Studio and can't escape
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SugarWalls
I signed up through (IM“AKA Internet Mod**ing)WORST F**King studio to get out of!!!” I had to wait a year to get out of my contract. August 2012 I finally could sign up direct with sreamates. Last week I was looking at my pay and realized something doesn’t look correct. I realized I was only receiving 32%. After staying on top of streamates for answers, they finally told me that they can’t answer none of my questions regarding the issue & that I must contact the studio I signed up through over a year ago for answers. So after contacting the studio, this is what those bastards told me!
“This has nothing to do with contract. This is a referral account. Since you applied with them after being with us, streamate puts you into our referral account where they pay us for having referred you.”
So this freaking referral never expires! As long as I’m working , Streamates gives these wallet raping bastards 3% of my hard earned money!!!!!!! This is sooo F**king wrong on every level!!!
That sucks! I'm sorry that happened to you. I'm learning very quickly that Streamate's policies about studios are complete sh!t.
I should have know there'd be thieving pimps in this part of the sex work world too. After all, it is sex work.
Re: NEW MODEL, got roped in by a Studio and can't escape
Success! Thank you guys for the advice. I threatened them into closing my Streamate account using the "legally obligated to close the account in 3 months" thing. I used the good ol' "I have dated documentation" line too and it worked! Thank you so much!