REVIEW FROM MY CLIENT OF A DENVER MATCHMAKING SERVICE

Hi Michele,

I know you like to post on your website warning single people of the local Denver matchmaking services that are less than scrupulous.  As you know, I used It’s Just Lunch (should be called, It’s Just a Huge Waste of Your Time and Money) before I started working with you at Bon Jour Matchmaking. I’ve had problems with them calling me every few months ever since I stopped using their service…which I stopped in July 2012!

I hope you can warn people – do not give these people your contact information. They will just keep calling and calling until they drive you crazy, even if you spell out for them exactly what you didn’t like and tell them in no uncertain terms you would NEVER utilize their so called service again. I would complain to their Corporate HQ but the people that run this are so dishonest, I know it wouldn’t make a whit of difference. Thank goodness for caller ID, but still a huge aggravation. In my humble opinion, lack of respect for your privacy is another great reason to be careful who you work with in such a personal endeavor.

Hope you’re having a great weekend.

Best,

J.H.

DO YOU WONDER WHAT COACHING I DO AND WHAT WILL CAUSE A PROFILE TO BE DROPPED?

The email below clearly shows my coaching and a brand new client who hired me specifically for that, who clearly does not want a relationship either with me or my clients to be successful: (the names have been disguised to protect the innocent and that CLIENT)

Dear CLIENT,
I received the email above from K this morning. So…here is a list of all of the things you have, according to her that turned her off and put me off:

1. Sent the answers to the questions inside an email without the questions when told to attach it so it could be printed out and attached to your profile;
2. Sent the total opposite pictures of what I not only asked you to send, but showed you on the computer at the time of your interview. Got into a fight with me when I kept trying to explain what type of pics are the most successful;
3. Didn’t call me a day or two prior to meeting S to hear her profile again even though I reminded you at least 3 times both verbally and in writing to do so;
4. Didn’t call me with feedback after meeting S although I told you to at least 2 to 3 times both verbally and in writing to do so;
5. Texted S the next day even though I explicitly pointed out that is a bad idea and women don’t like it (which you read on all of their profiles);
6. Made a lunch date with K even though I told you to have coffee or drinks with an option;
7. Chose the busiest, noisiest restaurant during the lunch hour to meet K where she couldn’t even hear the specials it was so loud. I specifically say on my website NEVER to do that.  NEVER to meet for lunch during a work day or on the first meeting;
8. I told you to be specific at the end of the meeting so she would know where things stood and you weren’t…again;
9. You texted her the next day, even though I spent 10 minutes last week explaining why NOT to do that;
10. You didn’t send S a card or call her Valentine’s Day even though I strongly suggested you do so;
11. You haven’t called to give me feedback on K;
12. Even in your text to K you were not specific about calling or when you might want to get together!

I give my clients A LOT of advice (at no extra charge BTW) as I am a “full service” matchmaker.  The above scenario tells me so much about this person and none of it is good.  You always have to think when you work with me that if you do this type of stuff what positive things can I now say to new people viewing your profile who ask my opinion?  This is a very sad circumstance because this person appeared to have a lot going for him, but there is no way I would put my women through dealing with a person who so disrespects me when the primary reason he hired me was for the coaching.  I can no longer work with this client.

So, please, please, if you are joining Bon Jour Matchmaking for the personal touch which includes coaching, then work with me.  This guy did not follow even one instruction or suggestion that I gave him.  If that describes you, perhaps a service that sells packages and is more hands off is a better choice.  I have to protect my clients from people who operate like this, that is my job and my pledge to clients.

WHAT DOES OPEN-ENDED CONTRACT MEAN?

Recently I’ve had the experience with several new clients when they initially called asking what an “open-ended contract” meant.  Other Denver matchmaking services may refer to it as a “Lifetime Contract” or a “Platinum Package” and charge you a lot extra to have that benefit.  EVERY client of Bon Jour has an open-ended contract!  That’s the way it should be if you are a REAL matchmaker.  You never know when that right person will appear and you want to be there when they do!  The longest so far that I’ve worked with a client is 11 years and she DID get married in that 11th year to a man who became a widower the year before and joined my service after that…see, you never know when…

My feeling is that calling it a Lifetime Contract or package is kind of depressing.  Also that is not what I mean by open-ended.  What I mean is that you are a client until…until you meet the right person and feel that you’ve accomplished your goal whether it be marriage or a lifetime partner.  It does not mean that once you’ve left the service for whatever reason you can just come back.  If you tell me to “drop your file” that will END the contract.  If you wish to come back in then you would have to start from the beginning.  I would have to re-interview you, etc.

What I’ve been told makes people suspicious is what I referenced above.  Other Denver matchmaking services charge so much more, if they even offer that option at all.  Every client in Bon Jour Matchmaking Service receives this contract.  As I’ve said throughout this site, I cannot promise that the day you join the perfect person will be here waiting for you.  They might be but I have no way of knowing that.  So you need to have the time for that “right” person to join the service and we don’t know when that will be.  But you surely want to be here when they do.

Services that offer limited contracts do not give you the time for that right person to present themselves.  They are most interested in trying to re-sign you again to make another fee.  In Bon Jour you only pay the filing fee once, at the time of your initial interview.  That’s it, you’re in until marriage, moving out-of-state or death do us part…

I hope that clarifies what I mean by open-ended contract.

EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THIS DENVER MATCHMAKING SERVICE

Hopefully by this time, the 36th anniversary of the service, as well as the 14th year for this website, most everything you should want to know has been answered somewhere on here. Perhaps even multiple times. I’ve tried to keep things direct and concise as I, myself, am not a big reader and appreciate when a writer gets to the point.  Please view my Mission Statement.

The first thing you should read is the HOME PAGE for an overview. Just click on the highlighted link to go to that Page or Post.  If you are seriously interested in working with a matchmaker, you should also read HOW TO IMPRESS YOUR DENVER MATCHMAKER.

Another Page you may want to read is WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE INTERVIEW so there won’t be any surprises and you can view my home office. Yes, I have a private office in which I keep all my client profiles and where you can be candid and open when we meet, unlike services who interview you in public forums.

The next Page you should view is POSTS TO READ BEFORE JOINING ANY DENVER MATCHMAKING SERVICE. That Page has an abundance of Posts for you to access with both general information about dating services and matchmaking services as well as advice in a variety of areas, i.e., selecting services, matchmaking service fees, what turns men off, how to be a collaborative Bon Jour Matchmaking client, etc. Of course, you do not have to read every Post listed on that Page, just the ones that interest you the most.  There are many Posts you may come across that were written many years ago, so please keep that in mind.

CLIENTS’ REVIEWS is a Page you should read as those reviews of Bon Jour Matchmaking go all the way back to 1989 up to 2025. I could not include all Testimonials I’ve received over the 36+ years, however those should give you an idea of how clients feel about the structure and working with me.

For personal background information on me you should view the Page entitled ABOUT THIS PROFESSIONAL DENVER MATCHMAKER. This will give you info on my volunteer work in the community, how old I was when starting the service, etc.

There are approximately 800 Posts on my Blog all of which give you an insight into the clientele, my work ethic, the structure of the service and more.  Once you feel you understand the service, for the most part, and have questions, please phone me to chat. Especially phone me if you do not understand my philosophy or have questions about things you have read or perhaps missed reading. For my hours you may go to HOURS, LOCATIONS, FEES  for specifics.

I hope this Post/Page helps you navigate the site more easily and we can chat very soon! 303-756-8106

BEWARE OF ECLIENT.COM

WARNING ABOUT eClient.com…I signed up with them to be an Expert. First of all they do not vet their “experts” so anyone could claim to be an expert in any field and the callers won’t know the difference. Because there was no category at the time for a Matchmaker I put a profile in My Future (which is filled with psychics not matchmakers). They added my profile to My Health also so that they could generate more money. But I insisted I didn’t belong in either so they pulled the one from My Health. I kept getting calls from people who assumed I was a psychic and I answered assuming they were calling for a Matchmaker (I prominently posted Matchmaker). I wasted an enormous amount of time trying to straighten a number of problems out with this “company”.

Finally they removed me from My Future and put me on HOLD until they built up a category I SUGGESTED called My Love. They owe me money from taking calls for psychics in the tiny amount of $22.89. According to them they have “LOST” my information, that would probably include the balance information showing the calls and fees. They have never paid me! At this point, obviously, it’s not the $22.89, it’s the principle! If they won’t pay such a nominal fee for time spent and work that I shouldn’t even have been doing, they are unlikely to pay your fees as an expert that are higher. This was not only a really bad experience and waste of time for me (the expert) but also for the callers who end up paying for calls to the wrong expert.  UPDATE:  They FINALLY paid me without my sending the information they claimed to have lost and after I made a big fuss!

I read a couple of reviews from callers in Washington, DC and another state who were billed $1000 on their credit cards for calls that only lasted minutes!

In addition, they were showing logos of several national TV stations and TV shows implying they have been “featured” on those. There is NO evidence they have been covered by any of those!  They note such venues as NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox News, Rachel Ray, Dr. Phil and Inside Edition.  So this is a WARNING to both experts AND callers.  I contacted those companies and pointed out this “misinformation” to them.  Since then they have corrected it to read ADVERTISED ON.  But if I hadn’t they would have left the misleading information.  Be careful if you engage with this company on either side (expert or caller).  They just do not appear to be up and up.

They have now stopped responding to my emails asking for payment for my work.  To see their responses, which are outright lies, go to http://www.pissedconsumer.com/reviews and search eclient.  I’m going to include some of my frustration and their email responses below so that you can clearly see they are lying on that site.  I have kept 38 emails with them, that alone is worth more than the miniscule amount they owe me along with a multitude of suggestions I’ve made.  It’s too bad, seemed like a good idea but apparently the people running this are not the most upstanding individuals based on MY experience.

This is their response saying they put my check in PayPal which I repeatedly said NOT to do as I don’t have a PayPal account!  I selected SEND CHECK on the site when I signed up and in several emails asking for the money.  When I wrote and told them this (no PayPal account) below was their response:

Hi Michele,

Why do you telling us that we send a Paypal payment ? Could you send me this email ?

You’re check is sended.

Patrick
eClient Support Team

Hi Carol,
Thank you.  That’s probably a good idea for both of us.  I did receive 6 or 7 calls yesterday adding up to $22.98.  All of them were looking for psychics.  Several hung up on me when I explained I was a matchmaker not a psychic.  FYI, there are TONS of matchmakers around the country, even just here in Denver, so if you were to open such a category it would not be hard to find them.  You probably aren’t getting them because there is no appropriate category for them.

Please reactivate me as soon as you create that category.  Also, please be sure I am sent a check for the $22.98 on pay day.  Thank you!

Michele Fields

—–Original Message—–
From: eClient Customer Service
Sent: Jan 13, 2014 9:10 AM
To: Michele Fields
Subject: [Ticket ID: 603275] Re: Re: eClient – Application approved – [GKH-PUZUC-669]

eClient

Hi Michele,

We would like to open a new category but we would need to gather up additional experts to fill the category. For now we have taken your profile offline so that you do not receive any further calls until the appropriate category is opened.

Thank you,

Carol Provost

Dear Eclient Staff,

You really need to fix this situation.  This is the second call I’ve gotten looking for a psychic even though my information clearly states that I am a Matchmaker.

My Future is the wrong category for a Matchmaker.  You ask for suggestions as to other new categories but I sent one in and it was ignored.  You need a category for either Romance, Relationships or Love.  NOT a subcategory, a regular category “My Romance”, “My Relationships” whatever…

Your callers are getting frustrated calling me looking for a psychic, they are not reading my bio…you are losing money that way!

Michele Fields
Professional Matchmaker

Hi Michele,

 We had spoken a few weeks ago and you suggested a new category for love and romance. Well we are launching it. It will be called My Love.
We will be putting your profile in there for sure and will be accepting other applications. Do you have an idea how we can reach other matchmakers or experts like yourself who help people set up and manage their profiles on dating sites and give advice in that area?
Thanks for your help!
John
eClient.com
SO I JUST GOT AN EMAIL FROM ECLIENT SAYING I’VE BEEN PAID IN MY PAYPAL ACCOUNT…I DO NOT HAVE A PAYPAL ACCOUNT AND HAVE REPEATEDLY TOLD THEM TO SEND ME A CHECK.  ARE YOU GETTING THE PICTURE WITH THESE PEOPLE?

Should you be interested in seeing more of these emails you are welcome to contact me.  Michele Fields

NOTHING TAKES THE PLACE OF CHEMISTRY

One only needs to watch The Bachelor each season from start to finish to see that nothing takes the place of chemistry.

At the beginning when there is a bevy of gorgeous women and hunky men the viewer may pick out who they personally feel are the best looking ones and assume those are the ones who will be there at the end.  But inevitably each season some of the most stunning and hunky singles are let go right out of the gate.  One reason is that the Bachelor(ette) didn’t get to spend any time to get to know them a bit so they were cut loose.  But the other is chemistry which is undefinable.  It is not based on looks, it is something deep down that either resonates or doesn’t.

I personally know, from my vast dating experience that I’ve had chemistry with some people that normally I would not look at twice or maybe even once.  But upon meeting and in closer proximity it was just there.  The saddest thing is when you find someone very attractive but there is no chemistry.  You cannot force it…it’s there or it isn’t.

So when matchmaking the best I can do for my part is make sure that potential matches fit most of the basics one desires and because MY matchmaking is so collaborative with each client, they have the final say on who they feel the connection with after viewing a vast amount of information and photos.  That’s why Bon Jour Matchmaking has been so successful for 36 years!

FEBRUARY IS THE MONTH OF LOVE

Is this one of those holidays (Valentine’s Day) that singles hate?  Do all of the commercials of couples make you cringe and create anxiety?  Have you tried the Internet dating sites and gotten totally overwhelmed and disillusioned?  And/or have you tried some Denver dating services that throw parties, have dinners, discussion groups or activities but always give you the disclosure that they are not a matchmaking service?

This is a good month to research Denver matchmakers.  If you start working with a Denver matchmaker now perhaps by the Spring/Summer you will be in a relationship.  With one caveat…if you go into working with a coach and/or matchmaker, rather than say this is the type I always date or this is not the type I usually date, try meeting some people who are a bit different than your usual.  It appears that your “usual type” is not working.  So if you try a new vehicle to meet someone, also open your mind and taste as to who you should meet going forward.

There’s really no point in working with a professional if your operation remains the same as when you were on the Internet or becomes even more narrow.  A professional matchmaker should work personally with you to open up your taste and mind to a variety of types that you wouldn’t normally run across or consider.  It is your responsibility to go into a relationship with a professional matchmaker with an open heart and an open mind.

In 25 years, the clients who have been the most successful were the ones who were open minded to singles who fit well in many areas, even if their appearance wasn’t exactly their taste or their “usual”.  That is 25 years of actual observed success in Bon Jour Matchmaking Service.

MILLIONAIRE MATCHMAKER, PATTI STANGER’S RIDICULOUS FEES

Her reviews follow the fees.  Check this out:

Silver $35K Per Year+Expenses

  • One-time intimate mixer experience
  • Up to 10 men/women
  • Dinner setting at local restaurant
  • Your matchmaker included to guide mini-dates
  • Food and beverage not included

Bronze $45K Per Year

  • 1 hour relationship counseling session with the relationship counselor in your area
  • 2 month freeze (you can put your membership on hold up to 2 months if you meet a match through us or outside the service
  • 10 commandments of dating and step to success

Silver $65K Per Year

  • Bronze package features
  • 1 hour date coaching session with the dating coach in your area
  • 1 hour image consulting session with the image consultant in your area
  • 1 hour hypnotherapy session with the hypnotherapist in your area

GoldPatti Exclusive $85K Per Year

  • Silver package features
  • Patti Stanger will personally match you to the love of your life

Platinum $100K+ Per Year

  • Gold package features
  • This package will be fully customized to your needs including international searches and more.
  • Basic Mixer can be added at additional expense (see Package Add-Ons below)

Package Add-Ons

Patti Stanger Add-On

To receive Patti Stanger as your personal matchmaker (along with an assistant matchmaker) there is an additional fee of a minimum of $35,000 on top of a Millionaire Matchmaker Membership Package. Patti limits her personal matchmaking to an average of 10 private members based on schedule, availability and space per year.

NOTE: A ‘Personal Matchmaking’ membership (such as this one) is defined by said matchmaker overseeing your matchmaking. An assistant matchmaker or recruiter may still contact you and be your point person.
Payment Information

We accept the following types of payments:

  • Checks
  • Wire-transfer
  • No Credit Cards

Millionaire’s Club has a no refund policy. Deposits are non refundable. All payments must be made in full for a member to start their membership or put any female club members on hold. All memberships are non-transferable.

In my opinion, anyone who chooses to pay these types of ridiculous fees deserves what they get…and if you read her reviews first, it’s not good.  Here’s what the Huffington Post had to say:

“Over the past four seasons, viewers have watched “Millionaire Matchmaker,” Patti Stanger attempt to find love for her wealthy clients. But behind the cameras and Stanger’s quippy one-liners, is the dating club that sometimes seems to be more about the money than the love, really a sham?

“Patti barely does any of the matching if any at all,” a young professional who looked for love via Stanger’s service tells me. “She passes it off to Destin, Rachel and other account executives. The girl who set me up, that was an account executive, was fired… and she worked for Patti but never even met her once in person!”

However, it’s not just the ladies who never get to see the reality star in person. The namesake “Millionaire” gentlemen, who pay up to $40,000 a year to meet women, hardly see Stanger either.

“The guy I met with, and ended up dating until it got bad, only spoke to someone on the phone,” another insider tells me. “He was never even interviewed in person. He just sent them photos of himself and says he definitely got the hard sell from them. They never even questioned his millionaire status. Her ‘Millionaires Club’ is totally bogus. As long as you can pay the steep fees you are good to go. They will set you up with as many girls as you want for that price.”  (Sound like any local Denver “matchmaker” VIP club you know???)

“While taping a scripted show with Stanger a few weeks ago in Los Angeles, the tight-lipped matchmaker was far more interested in getting me to spill the beans on Jennifer Lopez’s breakup than answering any of my questions about her business!”

Another MUST READ about Patti Stanger is:

http://venusinheels.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/the-lost-art-of-matchmaking-and-why-patti-stanger-is-a-fraud/

WHAT TYPES OF PEOPLE ARE NOT RIGHT FOR BON JOUR MATCHMAKING SERVICE

To perhaps make things a bit simpler for singles who view this website and have an interest in Bon Jour Matchmaking, but in all honesty just don’t jive with this 34 year established clientele, here are some situations and/or characteristics that MAY preclude you:

  1. An overabundance of piercings;
  2. If when we have the FREE phone consultation you argue with me about the service structure, pictures or anything else, that is a very bad sign to me and shows we are not a match;
  3. Men shorter than 5’7″;
  4. If you are married or separated;
  5. Women wearing a size 12 or higher;
  6. Bald men do not do as well in general BUT that depends…if that is the only thing on this list that doesn’t fit it is worth calling;
  7. Men with “shaved” heads do better than bald men;
  8. If your education ends at high school that will be an issue;
  9. Smokers;
  10. Divorced 6 months or less;
  11. Divorced 3 times or more;
  12. Unreliable;
  13. Misrepresenting yourself in any way;
  14. If you do not have a bank account;  (I am mostly paid by check)
  15. Earning less than $70,000 a year;
  16. Men looking to meet women who are 14+ years younger than themselves;
  17. Men with an Associates Degree only that do not own a thriving business;
  18. Anyone who expects the service to work the day they join.  It may but it may not…UNREALISTIC;
  19. Singles with sleeve or full body tattoos will not be successful in Bon Jour.

There are many Posts on this site that describe what types of background and qualities make up the clientele in my service but this is the first that specifically lists what types of situations will not be as successful.  This list is NOT a judgment of anyone, it merely describes some conditions that are the least favorable to singles considering Bon Jour Matchmaking.

I was asked if there are any services in Denver who work with “blue collar” individuals and as far as I know local Denver matchmakers’ fees are too high for those folks.  The reason so many Colorado matchmaking services are made up more of “white collar professionals” is because they are the ones with enough disposable income to pay their high fees.  At least that’s my best guess…

MET SOMEONE NEW? BELIEVE THEM WHEN THEY TELL YOU EXACTLY WHO THEY ARE…

I recently had a new female client, age 26, also a small business owner join my service.  She was outgoing, very adorable, sent in all information asked for prior to the initial interview and seemed like a great new client.  I was wondering why she is single…mystery solved!

During this initial interview she mentioned several times that she was flaky and unreliable.  I heard her say that and replied that I didn’t find her to be that at all.  Did she mean in the past?  No, she replied, she still is.  Again, I stated that was not the impression I was getting at all.  She selected a few men she would like to meet and we were on our way.

The last thing I ask a new client to do after the initial interview is write a Narrative.  I spend a good 30 minutes going over what should be in it and shouldn’t, how long it should be and show them tons of examples of other clients’ Narratives explaining what is wrong or right about them.

I contacted her with no response.  Contacted her again and she said she was sick.  Waited a week and contacted her again both to see how she was feeling and get the Narrative.  Again no response.  I both called and wrote again with no response.  Finally I called again because while all of this was going on I had already contacted her first choice to meet and he was interested and had sent in his introduction fee of $35.  So he was waiting to hear something and have her both send in her fee and write her Narrative which I shared with her in the emails she didn’t respond to.  Again she said she was still sick.

I waited another week and tried contacting her as I had not received the Narrative or the introduction fee.  No response again.  So I blocked my phone number and called her, suspicious that if she knew who it was she wouldn’t answer.  I was right, she answered this time.  She told me that she had put the check in the mail that day and would work on the Narrative.  She also stated that she didn’t really want to meet anyone at the end of the year.  First time I heard that…she just joined the service and selected people.  So was she really sick?  Did she ever really put anything in the mail that day?  I highly doubt it…

The more I thought about it the more apprehensive I became to set my male client up with her (he was brand new too) as she was being flaky and unreliable.  I cannot in good faith set someone up with a person acting in this manner.  So I decided to curtail our relationship.  THEN, as I knew she would (I’ve been doing this for 25 years) she answered promptly saying she had put a check in the mail that morning for her introduction fee.  I suspected it wasn’t true.  I wrote back that I would void the check and send it back to her.  She definitely left me with the impression I would be receiving it.  That evening sending me an email saying she mailed CASH in a greeting card to me. Well, another week has gone by and surprise NOTHING!  So I wrote to her telling her I’ve received nothing and she writes back (again right away) that she pulled it from the mail when she got my email dropping her.  Well she told me exactly who she was from the beginning didn’t she?

The moral of this story is…when someone (even of the same sex) tells you exactly who they are the first time you meet them, BELIEVE THEM!  Especially if it is something negative.  I’ve seen that happen over and over.  Do yourself a favor and disengage from them right away, they know themselves and are warning you right from the get-go.  Suffice to say I will never set up a client with someone who I find out behaves in this way.  I leave that to other Denver matchmaking services and the Internet dating sites.  I really try to protect my current clients at all costs from having to deal with these types of personalities.