I'm a little hesitant about this 'my agent is one of the good ones' energy on the tl. I really like my agent, but I don't want to be a shield in case someone else's experience with her was different.

Agents have different relationships with each of their clients.

One tactic of predators is to be on their best behavior with a few trustworthy people, in order to get people with less power to trust them. This is also predatory. These people too are victims.

Even if the predatory agent made their dreams come true.

All agents are people, which means all agents have flaws, make mistakes, and deserve boundaries. Some are emotional, some levelheaded. Some are editorial. Some aren't. You can't expect perfection, but you can expect: communication, respect, the truth, and your royalty statements.

I think we really need to watch for deifying agents. And I think we need to watch for vilifying them too. Some agents aren't a good fit, that doesn't mean they are bad agents. If you know someone who left an agent, you know one side of that story.
Sometimes one side is enough.

Sometimes it isn't.

I highly recommend research. Reach out to whisper networks, and trust info about predators.

But also, some agents are young and inexperienced and hungry. Some are sharks. Some are kind to everyone. And all three could sell your book.

All that said--don't send materials to an agent you wouldn't want to work with.

Young agents should have a mentor or be at a house with experience.

You deserve to be treated with respect.

No agent really is better than having a bad agent.