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Can somebody please help me??!??
well i made a stupid mistake. i went to mexico city wanting to work in the strip club and let the agency pay for my ticket. i am from australia so i am a long way away. i am supposed to stay for 6 weeks and because my ticket was expensive i might have to stay 8 weeks or pay back the ticket. well, im here with my friend and we both hate it here. it´s ok but we feel like prisoners. we have to sign in and out of the apartment everytime we leave. there is security all through the club watching our every move, we have to show our panties, get stripped at certain times to see if we are hiding money because in mexico you aren{t allowed cash tips, only dance tickets where we get 130 pesos, about $13 US dollars for each one. we have only just started and so far the men touch and want to lick and all the other girls let them, we work with mainly europeans, which isnt a problem as there a few nice girls but this place is becoming very dirty, sleazy and too much to bear. anyway, they have our tickets. im asking, do u think there is a way we can escape this place and just call our airline and leave¡ do you think we should stick it out some more? i just feel like we took a huge risk and we knew it was too good to be true with our tickets been paid for and now we feel like we are stuck here. the money isnt good here for us and everytime we walk down the street we have to look behind us or avoid the men, police, stares etc...im just exhausted with this place already, and to think we passed throuh la from australia to end up here! i know im stupid but if anybopdy can help me here id appreciate it! we just cant stand it here any much longer. Thankyou!
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
Ohmigosh! I'm so sorry to hear about this... is there a way you can get to an Embassy building? Even a US one-they might be able to help you get out.
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
Could you see about possibly moving to a more upscale club?I have heard there are some there.Or pay your own ticket back.I personally would never work outside the U.S. there isnt anywere else your going to make more and you dont know whats going to happen.Next time I suggest traveleing to the U.S. its more like australia.Or maybe england.
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
i know i can change my ticket but i shouldnt be working here in the 1st place without a visa so im scared i will get in trouble because of that. also this is corrupt here, if i left id have to leave in secret.
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
That is a terrible situation! So ...they have your return ticket home??? Is it possible to call the airline to move the date for your travel sooner and then ROLL OUT! ....
What about other clubs??? Is there any other options for places to work that may be better....
Is there a bus or something that runs into the US?? Could you possibly just get to the US and work somewhere here to get your ticket to go home. I am so sorry. I dont know hon, just trying to think of suggestions.....
keep us posted on what you decide to do and how it all works out.
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
US embassy, they help good
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
OK ...PLEASE LISTEN TO ME
YOU HAVE GOT TO FIND A US EMBASSY BUILDING NOW!!!
you are not safe there...mexico is corrupt and basically martial law (which means they police the way they feel like policing) it is not safe. you have to get out!!!! I have had friends who werent so lucky. I dont want to scare you so I'll stop there...BUT YOU HAVE TO LEAVE!
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
Vegasvixen is right. Find the US Embassy. What country is the agency based in? If America, you can tell the embassy that you were lured to Mexico under false pretenses, and are under imprisonment. Under business laws, they can be prosecuted and have an obligation to see to your safety.
If you both have valid passports, get a friend to buy e-tickets for a flight to LA. I warn you, a trip by bus from Mexico City back to LA is long and dangerous. Stick together.
At least you have eachother right now. My parents immigrated from Mexico to the US so this is why I'm telling you this dire advice, I heard all the bad stories from mom and dad. And the same thing that happened to you happened to me in Guam, no one told me I was going to get groped at the club I booked at.
I don't think you'll get in too much trouble for lack of a visa....there are many English speaking people in Mexico City, seek some of them out and confide in one of them. I live in Mexico sometimes so I know there are good people, you just have to seek them out. Good luck and keep us posted, we're praying for you.
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
If you are Australian, then the Aussie Embassy might be more accomodating to your dilemna, and I am sure there is one since its one of the largest cities in the world.....
You can always jump on a bus and take a 2-day trip north to Texas.....if ya still wanna make $$$$$$$
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
Quote:
Originally Posted by vegasvixen1 link=board=27;threadid=8459;start=msg99370#msg9937 0 date=1082505191
OK ...PLEASE LISTEN TO ME
YOU HAVE GOT TO FIND A US EMBASSY BUILDING NOW!!!
you are not safe there...mexico is corrupt and basically martial law (which means they police the way they feel like policing) it is not safe. you have to get out!!!! I have had friends who werent so lucky. I dont want to scare you so I'll stop there...BUT YOU HAVE TO LEAVE!
exactly. mexico's got lots of good qualities...but safety, especially for hot foreign girls, is definitely not one of them.
leave now
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
yes you should most definately leave!! >:(
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
go to tha aussie embassy,or at least call them, you ovbiously have access to the internet, which makes it easier for you. the visa thing shouldnt be a prob,as the aussie gov with take care of any lose ends. at least contact them and see what they say.
what about your family? can you get them to bail you out?
where abouts in oz are you from?
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
F*ck!!! Be very careful.What do the other euopean girls there say?Use the internet to contact as many people as possible before you go to the embassy.Tell them where you are working ect.Don't worry about the visa thing.Act as happy as you can manage at work so they think everything is ok.Then get out!!!!!Good luck.
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
Be aware that just because you THINK that you have valid airline tickets, this does not mean that you are necessarily free to use them. If you skip out on the club, not only can the club put a hold/cancellation on your tickets to prevent you from leaving, but they could also easily tell local cops that you ripped off the club or have been working illegally. This could result in exit visa problems at the airport even if you do hold a valid return ticket or if you pay for a new ticket out of your own pocket.
Switching clubs is probably not an option, since you have entered into a contract with a particular clubowner. Trying to weasel out of your contract is bad enough in the clubowner's mind - but going to work for a competing club in the same city adds insult to injury !
Even though this sucks, I would definitely not do anything that might piss off your clubowner while you're still in Mexico (outside of an embassy anyhow). I'm assuming that you signed a contract with the club stating some particular time period. About the only way that you're going to get out of this gracefully is to talk to the clubowner, "bribe" him with like $1000 cash out of your own pocket (to pay for your flight from Australia to Mexico City, plus compensation for the fact that the club will earn less if you leave early), in return for his agreeing not to cause problems with local cops or Mexican customs. From the clubowner's viewpoint, he already paid for your flight from Australia to Mexico, but you haven't worked 1/2 of the contract period to cover the cost of this flight, so he deserves to have you pay this money back. You'd also have to agree to pay for your return ticket out of your own pocket as well. Remember that from the clubowner's standpoint he has "made an investment in you" to work at his club for a predetermined time period, during which he expected his club to earn extra money because of your presence, which he will now lose if you leave early on top of 1/2 of your airfare which you have already used but not worked long enough to pay for in terms of club profits.
But only try this approach with the clubowner if you are financially prepared to follow through on the deal then and there. If you tell the clubowner that you want to leave early, but you do not actually pay him back for his "investment" and seal the deal on the spot, you're opening Pandora's box in terms of negative possibilities (don't ask).
To get out of this non-gracefully, you can go to the Australian embassy. Tell them what happened. Let them deal with Mexican customs. The risk factor here of course is that the clubowner might make a stink, in which case it could take days or weeks for your exit visa paperwork to be approved (and in the meantime you might be stuck in the Australian embassy to avoid being picked up by local cops).
Readers need to remember that Mexico, Canada and the USA have an open border agreement that does not require visitor's visas for citizens of those three countries crossing each other's borders, but Mexico and Australia or USA and Australia probably do not. This potentially means that Mexican customs can arbitrarily prevent you from leaving the country. This is even more likely if the clubowner puts the word out that you have ripped him off or that you have been working illegally, meaning that not only would you not be allowed to board your flight but that you might be turned over to the Mexico City cops as well (definitely NOT good!) if you're stopped at Mexican Customs at Mexico City airport. You'll also have problems being allowed into the USA without a visitor's visa, unless it's strictly to touch down at a US airport to change planes and then fly directly out of the US again. I'm also assuming of course that you still have your passport and didn't have to give it to the agent or to the clubowner, because without it you're dead in the water anyhow.
There is also a pretty good chance that a US embassy would grant you a visitor's visa and you could then rent a car or take a bus trip from Mexico City to the US border. Mexico/Texas road borders are much less strictly monitored than airports, and you'll probably only get 2 questions and a wave-through from Mexican customs. On the other side of the border though, you'll get 100 questions from US customs, which is why you'll need to obtain a US visitor's visa frm the US embassy in Mexico City BEFORE you try this (otherwise they may turn you around and send you right back into Mexico).
But again, if you try to FLY to the USA from Mexico City or any other Mexican city, you may encounter the same mexican Customs exit visa problems whether you're trying to fly to Australia, the US, or Europe if the clubowner has ratted you out. If you'll remember, on the Mexican entry paperwork that you filled out on the flight to Mexico City, you listed the date and flight number when you were expected to leave Mexico again. If you change this it will send up a red flag.
If you do manage to cross a road border into the USA on a tourist visa, you will still not be allowed to work in any respectable US club without a work visa because of the Patriot Act. The odds of obtaining a US work visa from the US embassy in Mexico City as an exotic dancer are very slim, but you never know and it wouldn't hurt to ask. But it's also very likely that you'll have to buy your own airline tickets back to Australia from a US airport, because the agent or Mexican clubowner will almost certainly have cancelled the return trip tickets they're holding and ask for a refund from the airlines once they discover that you have 'disappeared'. The best US border crossing to try this approach will probably be Laredo, TX, because it is one of the closest border cities to Mexico City, since this is a major truck shipment point with a very busy border crossing, and since there are good roads (by Mexican standards) from there to Mexico City.
Remember that the only justice in mexico belongs to the person who is owed the most political favors or who can afford the fattest bribe. Do NOT try to go head to head with an irate Mexican clubowner unless you're doing it from inside the Australian embassy ! Even so, you may find yourself trapped in Mexico for a long time waiting for the incident to be straightened out and an exit visa granted !
Keep in mind that from the Mexican clubowner's point of view, and also the point of view that will probably be taken by local cops, you already owe the clubowner 3-4 weeks worth of work in his club for the first half of your airline tickets which have already been used. Trying to leave before you've worked that long to pay off your "debt", or without paying off that debt in cash, will be considered stealing from the club! The worst thing that could happen, of course, is to find yourself facing a grand theft charge, and then tangling with Mexico City cops and jails after a failed attempt to board a flight out of Mexico at the airport, or between the time you tell the clubowner you plan to leave early (without paying him in cash for your airline ticket on the spot) and the time you can safely get to the Australian embassy. If you think you have problems with high contact at the club, you don't want to think of the possibilities inside a Mexican jail !
The least risky least costly thing to do, of course, is to simply put up with the situation, work out your contract, and chalk it up to (bad) experience.
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
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I know girls that have worked at The Men's Club there and liked it well enough, but that was a while ago. There's no way you can work out a club switch with the agency?
Three factors here. First, there is the matter of not having worked long enough at this club to cover the cost of the first 1/2 of her airline ticket. A club switch would require that the first clubowner be paid for the money he already spent on the ticket (probably out of this girl's pocket, in cash). I highly doubt that the agency will be willing to advance any money, since the agent probably isn't going to get paid by the clubowner for the first booking as it is if she doesn't stay for the duration of that contract.
Second is the high possibility that any second club which might agree to a switch is going to also have the same type of contractual commitments PLUS the "clock" on a new contract with the second club wouldn't start until she moves to and starts working at the new club - thus further extending the total amount of time she needs to stay in Mexico.
Third and probably worst, there is no guarantee that a second club will involve any less contact than the first club, and might possibly be even worse in that regard ! This IS Mexico after all, where the majority of clubs have very pretty latina girls offering full service for less than US$100 ! Granted that Men's Club is in a class by itself and is very clean, but like other super upscale clubs like Scores it's highly unlikely that Men's Club would agree to hire dancers sight unseen on the spur of the moment.
It's a little late to be of any help in this case, but whenever I work outside of the USA I never accept any kind of a "credit deal" in regards to my airfare, accomodations etc. If I pay for these expenses myself, then there's nothing that a clubowner/photographer/producer can hold over my head if I arrive on site, don't like the smell of things, and want to leave immediately.
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
Seeing that you have internet access, I would get my ass online and contact as many friends/relatives back home as possible, let them know what's up, location, phone number, club name and address, name and address of the living quarters, agent name, address, website, etc. Any contact info possible. Then look up the address of the Australian Embasy and hightail it over there PRONTO! If you are that scared I don't think it's worth trying to stick it out. Don't let on to anyone what you're doing, stick together, hell even leave your bags in your room (other than a purse or small backpack) when you leave so as not to set off alarm bells by carrying luggage out the door. Make sure you two stay together! Are there any places where you can pick up a pay as you go mobile phone so you can have a way to keep in touch with people?
I'd say being stuck in an Aussie Embasy for days or even weeks would be MUCH better than the possibilities of what could happen otherwise. No way in hell would I go to work in Mexico!
Hun please let us know what's going on. We're all rooting for you.
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
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Are there any places where you can pick up a pay as you go mobile phone so you can have a way to keep in touch with people?
All cell phones in Mexico run through the national cell company Mextel. It is extremely difficult to obtain a Mexican cell phone which has the ability to directly make calls outside the country. This won't be a problem anyhow if she makes it to the Aussie embassy.
And while it's a good thing to let someone in Australia know what's going on, the fact also needs to be faced that nobody in Australia is going to be able to do anything to really help (except perhaps wire transfer enough money for her to pay off the clubowner for the entire cost of airfare plus lost club income). The only people who can actually help are at the Australian embassy. Even the embassy people will be of limited effectiveness if she is charged with committing a crime in Mexico like stealing from the club, and will be able to help even less if she is picked up first by local cops, or worse (again don't ask).,
I don't mean to stifle anyone's opinion, but some of the "rash actions" being suggested here could put this girl at SERIOUS risk if she were to follow them and make a mess of things. Mexico operates on two overriding principles - "money talks" is the first - "locals always win versus foreigners" is the second. Any action she takes which doesn't involve the clubowner getting paid back the money he has already invested plus will lose in club business as a result of her leaving early WILL result in trouble. The question then becomes how much trouble, and who will be willing and/or able to help her get out of it.
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
At this point I'm actually a bit worried about these girls. No word in 24 hours....where are they and what's going on? I really hope they didn't try to bail with all their bags or something and get caught.
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
For what it is worth:
Australian Embassy, Mexico
Address
Ruben Dario 55
Col. Polanco
Mexico City 11580
Mexico
Telephone: +52-55-11012200
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bridgette link=board=27;threadid=8459;start=msg99854#msg9985 4 date=1082592736
At this point I'm actually a bit worried about these girls. No word in 24 hours....where are they and what's going on? I really hope they didn't try to bail with all their bags or something and get caught.
Yeah, no s#!t ! That's exactly why I commented about the "rash actions" being suggested. Hopefully they decided to stick it out and keep working at the club like normal until they figure out a workable plan, which would explain why they haven't made further posts.
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
Looks like Monty and Melonie got the key legal point. As Austrailian citizens the U.S. embassy has no jurisdiction, and as a practical matter probably doesn't want to get involved.
One dangerous and possible plan is to escape and run like hell to the nearest Australian consulate. Which bring up another
interest ing point. A consulate is a business office, not the
sovereign property of a foreighn power. Thus making it into the
consulate does not give you sanctuary from the local police
and club owner. If you could escape there is a 50 50 chance that the consulate would loan you the money to get back. In the U.S. it would be about like an IRS tax lien and they would get you for sure if you didn't pay it back. The reason I am pegging the odds at 50 50
is that the consulate or embassy doesn't have to help you. I mean a plane ticket home would solve this problem. There is a fair chance
if you could get to the northern Mexican border that you can cross over to the U.S. on an Austrailian passport. (YOU HAVE POSSESSION OF YOUR PASSPORTS RIGHT? THE CLUB OWNER DOESN'T HAVE THEM LOCKED UP?)
In the days before 9-11 just showing up at the northern border with
a British or former British colony passport would get you in the us.
Not sure now as things are alot tighter. Your plan needs to be well thought out because you have a big personal downside. This is a very good reason why when people keep asking about dancing in foreign countries they should read this post. We should save the whole thread in a DON'T DO THIS FORUM or something.
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
Quote:
Which bring up another interesting point. A consulate is a business office, not the sovereign property of a foreighn power.
Where a consulate is concerned this is absolutely true. However, if there is any fortunate side of these girls choosing to dance in Mexico City it is that this is Mexico's capital and therefore the Australian Embassy (not consulate) is located there. Embassies ARE considered the sovereign territory of the home country, and do not fall under the jurisdiction of Mexican national or local police. If the girls can get to the Australian embassy, they'll be safe from arrest. However, they may also be stuck there for awhile until whatever problems might have arisen between the girls, the clubowner, and Mexican authorities can be smoothed over. Short of an Australian helicopter landing on the embassy roof and flying to an Australian aircraft carrier, though, the Mexican authorities can arrest the girls the minute they set foot outside of the embassy on their attempted journey home if problems are NOT smoothed over. Having all the money in the world for a plane ticket won't help them if any problems result in the Mexican police picking them up before they can board a plane.
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In the days before 9-11 just showing up at the northern border with a British or former British colony passport would get you in the us.
I'm not saying that it would be impossible for them to be allowed into the US without a visa, but things have certainly become more complicated since 9/11 than walking across the border and saying "hello, I'm Australian, and I'd like to enter the USA "!
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
Can you fake a pregnancy or sickness so they don't want you there any more?
Can you just suck it up and make the best of it.
To me it sounds like you are in real danger. Be very careful.
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
OMG I had no idea what the content of this thread was till now!
Frangiapani, (sp?) please be very careful even using the internet. Are you on your own laptop? Who's computer are you using? If it is somehow affiliated with the clubowner he may know how you and your friend feel and what you may be planning. Like the others said, no matter how nice they seem the other girls are not your friends.
Is there family or friends you can call to wire you money or at least notify them of your situation? Get a Mexico calling card (I've seen them for sale in TJ surely they have them in Mexico City)
I think that unless you are able to immediately repay the club owner that for your own safety you should act like an academy award winning actress, and like Mel said finish your contract and chalk it up to a bad experience.
This is not a movie or game. Mexico does not fuck around. Unless you are in immediate danger, do not run. Does the Australian Embassy even know you are in Mexico City? Bare minimum you need to inform them of your location and expected departure.
I know 2 girls personally who were deported from Mexico back to the US for working in a Tiajuana strip club without visas. Best case scenario would be for you to be deported imo. But Mexico City is much farther away from the border than TJ.
PLease keep us updated if you are able. We are worried and if the owner has your tickets I suspect he may be holding your passport as well. ???
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Re:Can somebody please help me??!??
YES!! The Aussie Embassy will be much more help than the US one.
I have a friend that was American, but she got her money, passport, credit cards, etc. stolen abroad the Embassy put her up in a fairly upscale hotel until they could get her home.
My question to you is, what will happen in regards the contract you have with the agency? I'm sure that they will not react kindly to you leaving.