Yep, and plumbers don't turn jobs down. They take every one. If they could review your problem from their home before they sold it to another company...wait--this analogy isn't making any sense.
It's an entertaining analogy, Lloyd. It's not to be a comparison written in stone: "omigod, literary agents and tradesmen are identical" sort-of-thing. C'mon, take it as it was meant, rather than using it
in extremis to score points. If everyone wrote literally, then t'would be a boring world, indeed.
And now onto fresher fields. Perhaps things are different in the States (not that they're brilliant in the UK), but a (professional) agent taking a reading fee *then* attempting to bag a writer's commission by working his or her buttocks off is fine by me. Is there such a compulsion for the agent to work as hard? No there certainly isn't if the agent is unethical. However, I'm figuring your spider sense can pick those rogues up. Are there benefits for giving money to an agent? Of course. It might make him or her give you a faster - and more comprehensive and detailed - response. Rather than waiting six months for a reply, you might be able to get an answer within a month. Faster if they're not busy.
My apologies, but I can't see any compelling arguments so far that have made me think that, in the right circumstances, agents should charge a fee. As usual with any commercial transaction,
caveat emptor applies. You wouldn't hand your money over to a complete stranger without doing some background checks, so do the same with an agent. If they seem okay, then take a chance if it's right for you. If it feels dodgy or "not right", then hold onto your money.
I think that everyone's fingers appear to have been burnt on this one and understandably so. However, the situation for writers, as it is today, is almost purely based on commerce. There are very little emotive elements within a publishing deal. Therefore, if a publishing deal is an economic one, then surely it should be an option for writers to use economics for their *own* gain? Agents, if they charge, need to be able to justify their charge. If they can't, sayonara. If they *can* justify it, then perhaps they might have a compelling reason *why* they are charging. If this is the case (and tbh, I can think of a few good reasons why a reading fee might be beneficial to the writer), then I believe shutting out the option is a wee bit short-sighted.
Lastly, allow me to qualify this viewpoint: my thoughts are based on pure theory. If others have cautionary - real world - tales to tell, knock themselves out. I'd be fascinated to hear.
Best,
1.0.