New Homestudy Agency

This is our first adoption, so we're not always sure what to expect.  But our home study application was sent in the first week of February, and we have yet to hear back from them.  2 and 1/2 weeks later the check was cashed, but still no contact from them.  I didn't want to seem pushy, so I called them once a week.  I have called 4 times and e-mailed twice and nothing.  I can't think of a job where you can wait 3 weeks to call a client back.  So with much regret and trepidation, we are looking for a new home study agency. 
We spoke with our main adoption agency, and they said get out -a slow/ bad social worker can ruin everything.  (By the way, when we send checks to them, we get an e-mailed receipt before the check even clears our bank).
I'm upset because I can't believe the social worker could be so heartless.  A lot of people adopting already have the child lined up- could be a niece, nephew, cousin and that child is stuck in foster care because the social worker can't get her act together.  I just can't understand why she is so selfish.  Just return a phone call, its your job. 
I'm frustrated because there are so few agencies that operate in our state.  If you look on the State Department, Health and Human Services or our State CPS website, they all have only 2 agencies listed- but each site has 2 different agencies.  I wish people would review home study agencies on yelp or google, but I can't find any comprehensive list and so few are even reviewed.  I tried joining a local list serv (yahoo group) for international adoptive parents, but still haven't gotten approved. 
So, we are back in square one, minus $250 because of the initial fee paid to the Lutherans, maybe unless the check was cashed by some one else- but how could we know because they don't take phone calls or respond to e-mails or send receipts.  
Funny, we can't even get a hold of them to say- forget it, we're using another home study agency.

Any tips for tracking down a good agency? 

moving forward

We have been out of our house since July 8th.  It has been a headache.  The insurance guy didn't return a phone call or e-mail for the first 5 weeks.  After that he would only communicate with my husband and only occasionally.  The people hired to pack out our belongings destroyed a lot of our stuff and left water and food lying around for months.  When the contractor was finally allowed to get started, he got a lot of work done only to have it destroyed by water coming in from the still unrepaired house next door.  We have to fight insurance for every penny, vet bills from smoke inhalation for the pets, having the closets painted, replacing our destroyed belongings, exterminators and a new cleaning service.  Finally, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
The contractor is finished.  Nearly everything is new: walls, floors, wiring, boiler, windows, paint, floors, etc.  The company that packed out our house is supposed to return all our belongings Monday.  I doubt they will, from their track record.  But that means next week is unpacking, cleaning and cataloging what was destroyed or ruined by the cleaning service.  I can't wait to have my coat back, it is snowing today!  I can't wait to get our pets back, they have been living with my parents for nearly 5 months.
Unfortunately, as they tore the house apart, they found more things that needed to be repaired.  Insurance wouldn't cover it because it wasn't caused by the damage.  We have drained our adoption fund.  Time to start saving again.
Last weekend we picked up some furniture from my friend.  She is moving to Hawaii and it would actually be cheaper to buy the furniture all over again than to ship it.  There were a few inexpensive things like Ikea end tables, rugs and lamps, but she had some really nice things like a Crate and Barrel sofa bed and ottoman, dining table and bed.  All the stuff is relatively new.  We should be moving into our house next weekend or the one after that. 
We'll finally be ready to have our homestudy.  I am ready to put this all behind me. 

Fire Updates

The fire at our house was July 8th.  I am trying to be patient and grateful for the outcome so far, but 6 weeks in a hotel and no progress on the house is driving me nuts!  I am grateful that no one was hurt, most of our belongings are salvageable and that insurance is putting us up in a hotel.  I hate to complain about living in a hotel because I know it could be much worse- we have cable, air conditioning, Internet, fitness center and breakfast every morning.  But I am tired of the food choices and not being able to cook.  Going to the laundromat, instead of being able to run laundry whenever I need to in my own house, having to wait for my car to be brought out of the garage instead of just pulling it out of the driveway.  We're staying at a hotel downtown, so traffic is a real problem.  My commute is much longer though I am technically closer in distance to work.  We can't have our pets here at the hotel, luckily my parents were able to keep both of them at their house because we would never be able to board them for 3 months.  The worst part, though, is that we are in the middle of our home study.  We can get most of it done, but the social worker needs to see our house and its in no state to be evaluated.
I suppose I would be more comfortable with the situation if I felt progress was being made.  But it isn't.  When I met with the insurance adjuster a few days after the fire, he assured me he would have the estimate ready in a week.  That was 5 weeks ago.  We have a contractor who is ready to get started, but he can't without that estimate.  Insurance needs to tell us what they are paying for and how much they are paying for it.  The contractor needs to go over the estimate and determine if it is fair and complete before he agrees to the job.  I trust the contractor.  He's hardworking and honest, he's worked on our house before and done major renovations on other old homes in our neighborhood.  I am losing faith in this adjuster.  He can't get his work done in a timely manner and he doesn't keep us up to date on progress, if there is any, on our house.  My husband is afraid if we press him, we'll be considered a nuisance and he'll low-ball our estimate.  I just want to get back in my house.   I don't hate it here at the hotel, but it's not home.