The air conditioning broke while I was in Africa, and the office did nothing to resolve the problem. My salary was paid only two hours before my flight.
The agency sent me to a Greek-managed company. My salary was delayed by two to three months, and I left after two weeks without receiving any money. The agency fee had been agreed to be paid from my first salary, so I did not pay it.
I was on one of their regular vessels from 2016 and had no problems, thankfully. However, I have heard negative reports about some of their older vessels.
A couple of years ago, Black Sea Crewing Company offered me a job that was not particularly attractive and asked for a commission of approximately $300–500. When I questioned the fee, they tried to persuade me that such payments were normal and common everywhere. I refused to pay.