Ashley Madison Reviewed
Anthony Andsa
Over the last year, I've experimented with various platforms like Ashley Madison for extramarital affairs. . This is my expert advice on how to have a safe affair without wasting time, or being scammed.
-We found Mr. Andsa on medium.com and invited him to write a post for our blog, Blog Sasha7®. The content is his personal opinion.-
Table of Contents
It's no surprise that questions such as:
Is Ashley Madison a scam? Does Ashley Madison work? and Is Ashley Madison worth it?
have surged in the years following the infamous Ashley Madison hack, which exposed many questionable aspects of the site's internal workings.
That's precisely why I opted to investigate firsthand whether Ashley Madison is truly the go-to platform for those serious about seeking an affair without depleting their finances, or falling victim to scams.
Initially, I thought the only thing you’re paying for on Ashley Madison is the ability to message women. But they won’t even let you read your messages without paying . They blur them out until you pay for a credit package. Imagine forking over your hard-earned cash only to find out it’s a simple “hi” waiting for you. Better hope she even replies to you.
Ashley Madison is not your typical subscription service, it’s all about credits. To start a conversation, you’ll need to spend 10 credits. Once the conversation is rolling, subsequent messages are free. But if the person doesn’t reply and you want to message someone else you’ll be spending another 10 credits.
Ashley Madison can get expensive quickly. The price varies depending on your location, but expect to pay a minimum of $60 USD for the lowest credit package. And if you want mobile access (who doesn’t?), that’s an extra $19.99 USD. This package gives you 100 credits for $60 and only 10 chances to start a conversation on Ashley Madison.
Here’s where things get sneaky
When you buy any credit package on Ashley Madison,they automatically preselect/opt you into a sneaky subscription called Member Initiated Contact. They say they are giving you a free month of MIC but here’s the catch: once that month is up, they’ll charge you $29.99 every single month thereafter. They don’t charge you the MIC fee on your first bill since the 1st month is “free” so most folks don’t even realise they’re being charged until they see their bills months later. Afterall there was nothing to cancel, it was supposed to be a credit pack not a subscription.
You’re also probably wondering if there are real women on the site or just bots, especially after that 2015 hacking scandal where it turned out most, if not all, of the female users on Ashley Madison were bots. Check out these articles on fortune and gizmodo if you want the full scoop.
So, after all this Ashley Madison bashing, you’re probably thinking, “Okay, what are my alternatives?”
Thankfully one of the affair sites I tried was Sasha7. It is purported to be the world’s fastest-growing affair site and the next generation of such platforms. With over 7 million members, they “combine state-of-the-art AI technology with captivating and user-friendly features to deliver an unparalleled experience”.
Ok, I‘ll stop kissing Sasha7’s butt now and just explain the differences to you:
Read Your Messages for Free: Unlike Ashley Madison, Sasha7 lets you read all your received messages 100% free. No more paying just to know what someone said to you!
Self-Destructing Photos:You can send photos that disappear after a 5 seconds. The advantage to this is that women are a lot more likely to send you hot pics when they know they will self-destruct and can’t be saved. It’s called the Snapchat effect!
Ladies Get In Free: Sasha7 believes in creating a vibrant and active community, so women get to use the site 100% free. It’s just like nightclubs that let ladies in without a cover charge
Voice Messages on the Go: Send voice messages that vanish into thin air after 5 seconds. Apparently this feature was requested directly by the female users of Sasha7. Nice to see a company that listens to their users
Discreet Billing: Sasha7 ensures that nothing “adult” will ever appear on your bill. All I saw on my bill was a nondescript payment processor site.
Transparent Pricing: No hidden fees or surprises with Sasha7. What you see is what you pay, taxes included. Simple and straightforward. Whereas Ashley Madison has loads of hidden fees: mobile fees, hidden MIC subscription charges,
automatic credit top ups which charge you too.
Refunds: Sasha7 offers a full refund if you’re “not successful” within 30 days. On Ashley Madison it’s very difficult to even get a hold of customer service let alone get a refund of any kind.
Women: It’s clear Sasha7 makes a real effort to get women on to their site. In fact, news broke earlier this year that Sasha7 incited outrage with its female-targeted advertising. They spent over $500,000 on full-page advertisements in prominent women's magazines such as Women's Health, Elle, and Cosmopolitan. The advertisements generated more than 9,000 complaints from readers, prompting the editorials to remove the contentious ads. Consequently, Sasha7 filed a lawsuit against the editorials, alleging breach of contract and infringement on their freedom of speech.
Vice-President of Sasha7, Sasha Correia, had this to say:
“The objective of this campaign was straightforward: to ignite interest among women, and it successfully accomplished that goal. We firmly believe that by prioritizing the attraction and retention of women, men will naturally follow.”
This strategy appears to have been quite successful, as Sasha7 reported over 18,000 female sign-ups in the days following the ads.
What type of woman is really using Sasha7?
Sugar: Sugar babies looking for discreet sugar daddies.
Ddlg: Younger women seeking older, mature, discreet men.
Lonely wives: Lonely wives whose husbands are workaholics looking to potentially have an affair.
Curious Cyber: Married women flirting with the idea of having an affair and mostly just curious about talking online and seeing where it goes.
Travellers: Women travelling without their husbands or boyfriends and looking for a fling in secret. These women are especially great to connect with since they are happy to host at their hotel ;).
Open relationships: Women in open/polyamourous relationships looking to explore.
LGBTQ: Curious about fooling around with a woman and select men.
“Yoga mom’s” : Fit women whose husbands let themselves out years ago. They are on the prowl looking for someone who is also fit to have marathon love making sessions.
Transgender: Transgender people seeking discreet men.
Swingers: Swingers looking for a discreet 3rd.
Cuckolds: Wives of cuckolds looking for a “bull”.
Cheating wives: These are usually the most aggressive women on Sasha7. Married women fed up with her marriage and actively looking to cheat.
BDSM: Women into BDSM looking for a man to satisfy the kinks her husband can’t.
The rationale for using Ashley Madison is that it’s supposed to be the most popular affair site. However, what really matters for people looking for affairs is the active users on the site, not the total number as well as the ratio of active men to active women. In my opinion Ashley Madison fails at both of these things. Firstly, the profiles on Ashley Madison are old…like years old and secondly, they don’t appear to be active at all. Not that there were many real women to begin with apparently.
To put it simply, Ashley Madison charges you more and offers you less (you can’t even read your damn messages without paying!). It’s by far the most expensive of all the affair sites so if you insist on trying it why not try it last anyways. Although, I recommend you skip Ashley Madison altogether.
Does Ashley Madison work?
Ashley Madison has faced various controversies and accusations related to fake profiles, deceptive billing practices, and concerns about user privacy and security. These factors have led to debates about whether Ashley Madison “works”. Ashley Madison has been criticised for using fake female profiles, sometimes referred to as "fembots," to engage users and encourage them to purchase credits for communication. In 2015, a data breach revealed that a significant portion of the female profiles on the platform were inactive or possibly fake. This raised concerns about the authenticity and value of user interactions on the site. For example, the Washington Post asserts that data from 2015 showed Ashley Madison was using fake female profiles to lure in male users. However, whether Ashley Madison is a scam largely depends on what you’re using the site for and where.
Sources:
KrebsOnSecurity - "Ashley Madison Hack Reveals CEO's Emails, Bills, and More" (August 2015)
The Washington Post - “Ashley Madison faked female profiles to lure men in, hacked data suggest” (August 2015)
Is Ashley Madison worth it?
The site's reputation and controversies may lead some individuals to question its worthiness. Users seeking genuine connections and relationships may be deterred by the prevalence of fake profiles and deceptive practices. The use of fake profiles, data breaches, and billing concerns have raised questions about the platform's worthiness. Users considering Ashley Madison should carefully weigh these concerns against their own comfort level.
Source: BBC News - "Ashley Madison's penalty for 2015 data breach cut to $1.6m" (July 2017)
Is Ashley Madison Trustworthy?
The 2015 data breach exposed user data, including personal information and credit card details. This breach raised significant trustworthy concerns and led to lawsuits against Ashley Madison.While Ashley Madison aims to provide a discreet platform for extramarital affairs, the 2015 data breach exposed user information and raised concerns about user privacy. The breach could potentially deter individuals seeking trustworthiness and confidentiality in their affairs.
Source: BBC News - "Ashley Madison faces $578m class-action lawsuit" (August 2015)
How to get credits on Ashley Madison?
The only way to get Ashley Madison credits is to purchase them through the site. A free month of member initiated contact or (MIC) is included with this purchase however this is a recurring subscription. MIC charges will not appear on your first bill since the first month is free which encourages users to forget about the recurring fee once they use up their credit packages.
Price varies based on location ou can expect to pay approx,
100 credits: $59.99 plus an additional mobile access charge of $14.99.
500 credits: $179.99 plus an additional mobile access charge of $14.99.
1000 credits: $289.99 plus an additional mobile access charge of $14.99.
The recurring MIC charge is an additional $29.99 per month.
Is Ashley Madison a Scam?
While the site has faced criticism and legal challenges, it is not classified as an outright scam. However, the controversies surrounding Ashley Madison have highlighted ethical and privacy concerns that potential users should be aware of before deciding to use the platform. In December 2016, Ashley Madison settled a class-action lawsuit for $11.2 million related to the creation of fake profiles. The lawsuit alleged that the company misled users by creating fake female profiles to entice them into purchasing credits.
In 2016, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched an investigation into Ashley Madison's practices, including allegations of deceptive billing. As a result of the investigation, Ashley Madison agreed to pay a $1.6 million settlement and implement improved security measures.
Sources:
Reuters - "Ashley Madison to pay $11.2 million to settle U.S. class action"
The Telegraph - "Ashley Madison facing FTC inquiry, CEO apologizes again, promises to change name" (July 2016)
Federal Trade Commission - "Online Dating Service Agrees to Stop Deceptive Use of Fake Profiles" (December 2016)