5. How do I know if a dating service is legitimate?
Of course, view the Denver Better Business Bureau website and/or if you like a consumer advocate on any local news stations call them and ask if they know anything about that service. For example, a service in Colorado Springs claims on their website to have been in business since 1987. However, if you look them up on the BBB it states that they were established in 1993! So, it does pay to check the BBB and don’t just look at the rating. Even a service with an A rating may have had complaints if you scroll down the information. There is a local service (I forget now which one) who had 5 complaints in 36 months but still has an A rating! Perhaps the BBB is a little liberal with their rating system, but still worth checking out.
Google lots of customer reviews as there are many sites that have reviews of businesses besides Yelp (who has come to be known as prejudicial towards companies who buy advertising from them). Yelp has gotten the reputation of favoring to put negative reviews and hide positive ones because that’s more interesting to readers. Take all reviews with a grain of salt but if there are a particularly high number of negative reviews that should make you stop and think especially if they are complaining about the same issue.
In general, ask other singles if they’ve heard anything about that service and what they may know. Certainly, of some significant importance is, how long has this service been in business? There are many people who open dating services either as a scam to make quick money or have been in another field and think it would be fun to run a dating service. Consequently, they come on with a flourish and disappear within months or a couple of years, with YOUR money! Do your homework, some of the services are very expensive and have left many unhappy clients in their wake. Some have been sold multiple times meaning they are unstable.
In the past couple of years many services and coaches have popped up out of nowhere, who knows how long they will be around, and they are charging high fees with no track record and very few clients. Don’t let a smooth “pitch” push you into making a foolish and costly decision. Look at the facts!
Beware of reviews…some of the negative reviews may be from people who chose the wrong service for them, so they didn’t do well. They may have some type of physical or emotional challenges that they have not addressed and feel that a matchmaking service will cure those or perhaps their expectations were unrealistic. Realistically you should view a dating or matchmaking service as a vehicle that exposes you to a wider variety of appropriate prospects than you would normally have who have the same romantic agenda as you. The service should have extensive profiles for you to view along with current photos. The service should not make the decision for you as to who you meet. No service can make one client meet another so realistically “you pay your money, and you take your chances”.
Just because you are paying to meet special people does not mean you will reach your goal of marriage or a LTR. It’s love, there are no guarantees. If a service guarantees you will meet “the one” steer clear!
Bon Jour Matchmaking Service 