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Dating service charged with consumer fraud

What to Research Before You Sign Up!

According to local news media, the Arizona Attorney General has filed a civil suit against a Scottsdale-based company, doing business as Great Expectations for Singles, for violating consumer fraud rules. The reports include several issues that singles should research before using any dating service or matchmaking firm.

Consumer fraud

Alleged illegal practices include

• misrepresenting the number of current and new members joining each month, including showing profiles and photos of people who were not clients or not available for dating.
• misrepresenting the number of marriages occurring between members.
  
  
• using high-pressure sales tactics, including hours-long presentations.
  
  
• unlawfully obtaining consumers' credit card information before the person had agreed to purchase a membership.
  
  
• falsely representing that the company would help the client prepare a profile or select dates.
  
  
• falsely representing that criminal background checks were conducted on all members.
  
  
• pressuring consumers who wanted time to think about purchasing a membership into making a "deposit" which in fact obligated them to buy a membership.
  
  

Protect yourself

     How can you protect yourself if you are considering using a dating or matchmaking service? While it can be hard to combat outright fraud, there are some steps you can take:

1. Know your local consumer regulations for such purchases before you have contact with any such company's sales staff. Know your rights.
   
   
2. Contact both the Better Business Bureau and the Attorney General's office to see if there are current complaints against the firm.
   
   
3. Ask other singles, especially leaders of singles groups and organizations, about what they have heard about the firm, and whether they know of any past customers you can contact.
   
   
4. Ask for references from the firm so that you can speak to satisfied past customers. A service creating many happy marriages and relationships should have people willing to give testimonials.
   
   
5. Ask for the name of the company doing background checks and follow up to determine if they are actually doing such work for the firm.
   
   
6. Don't sign anything on the first visit. Take the contract with you and look it over thoroughly.
   
   

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