Avoid this website / unpleasant commercial practices

Avoid this website / unpleasant commercial practices

It all started in June 2010. I was introduced by a friend to single parties organized by Speed Dater, an online meeting website (owned by Cupid plc) that is also organizing single events in London venues.

One day I realised looking at my bank account statement that the website was charging me even though I have never been interested in online dating. It appeared that I had forgotten to uncheck a box that was giving me a free access to the web services for a month while booking for a single party event.

I called the company which initially refused to give any refund. I reiterated that I never intended to register as a paying online member. I had to exchange many emails to be granted a refund and I found the argument unpleasant. This is when speed dater’s staff really started to wind me up as I really dislike this kind of commercial attitude on the internet (you suddenly get charged for services you never willingly agreed to subscribe to because you missed a small asterisk somewhere).

Subsequently I registered for speed dating events and decided to use the guarantee given to clients to claim a free event if they chose not to tick anyone during the speed dating. I didn’t tick anyone and asked for a free entry to another speed dating event. Still I have decided to stay in touch with some of the ladies I was not interested to meet as dates but simply as friends

Speed dater company is so greedy that they decided not to give me a free access to another event on the basis that I had contacted some attendees which suggested that I wanted to date them. In fact it is indeed written in their general conditions about activating the guarantee that “If you are seen to be handing out business cards, exchanging contact details or sending site messages to event members, this suggests you do wish to see members again. Such acts will forfeit an activated guarantee.” Who reads such TCs?
They spy over your shoulder and read the messages you may exchange with some attendees to withdraw their guarantee. You have been warned! I haven’t heard of any other speed dating company having this attitude.
This is where Denise comes into the picture. I will be charitable and call her Denise even though this is not her real name. Denise organizes events. Denise became very very very upset because I had tried to use the guarantee to book a free event (for which I initially paid no less than 20 quids!). Denise said that she would not allow me to attend any other event! Denise is strict.
Very recently I decided to join a friend into one of those single party events and then guess what dear reader! Denise was here, at the entrance! I swear, dear reader, that I would have never recognized her. In fact I was not even expected her to be there. How would I? It had been nearly two years since we had exchanged (exclusively through emails). One would have thought that Denise would have moved to new professional challenges, in a more rewarding environment. But she was there!
Denise denied me access, it appeared that she thought she was remembering me pretty well. She has also refused to give me any refund.
Frustrated Denise? Frustrated of handing over locks and keys during those events after so many years with the company? Who knows! Anyway she thought she had to tell me proudly that she “had shares in the company” before adding that she was not a director though! Needless to say a director would not spend his Saturday night welcoming guests at a dating event! Denise must have handed over locks and keys for too many years. She is upset. I cannot blame her. Who wouldn’t?
More seriously I think this company is has-been. They didn’t manage to reinvent themselves. They treat clients like money bags, enrol then through dodgy commercial practices into paying sections of their website, claim they offer a guarantee but are keen to withdraw it at their discretion to cash in as much as they can.
Times have changed, new business models appeared. Many new comers on the lucrative single market industry offer FREE single parties: Love struck is one of them. They organize nice events on Thursdays and Saturdays called laissez-faire. Their motto is exactly the opposite: they don’t ask for money or for you to be even registered (so no need for you to check that you credit card is charged after a while for unwanted subscriptions!). Moreover they don’t spy on you. Their motto is The Lovestruck Laissez-Faires and quite frankly Denise, as Love Struck says “we are sick of being told what to do.” and we want to give our phone number to whoever wants it, guarantee or not.
Other companies I have heard, such as match also organize free single events.

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