Would you pay £50 a month to find the love of your life?
ONLINE dating may be the new way to find love for both young and old, but it can prove expensive if you get trapped in a contract. Over the past decade, the number of online ‘relationship finders’ has exploded and there are now more than a hundred seeking to lure in new customers.
Yet ‘free’ memberships are often just the start with ‘full’ services involving a monthly subscription which, if not cancelled, will be automatically renewed. Websites are also poor at responding to queries and complaints.
Among the leading sites are those owned by Match Group, a US corporate giant. It runs Match.com, Plenty of Fish and app Tinder. Others targeting lonely hearts include eHarmony, Elite Singles, MySingleFriend, Lumen and Bumble.
The Competition and Markets Authority recently investigated breaches of consumer protection law in online dating. It found that one firm was not giving clear enough warnings before lengthy automatic renewals and the sharing of data with other websites.
Pauline Goodship, a director at the Government regulator, says: ‘ Be mindful of free trials, discounted memberships or automatic renewals. They may not be as good as they appear. Some will share your profile with other companies but they must ask your permission beforehand. The companies must also be clear how you can opt out.’
With dating agencies it usually makes sense to pay for a shortterm contract of between one and three months and then cancel immediately, ensuring you are not automatically renewed. A 12-month deal may be cheaper but you then run the risk of being automatically renewed for another year.
For example, membership is ‘free’ with Elite Singles until you find someone you want to go on a date with. Then, to be able to message them, you need to pay – three months upfront, working out at £49.95 a month or a year at £24.95 a month.
If you have any queries you must fax a number in Berlin, complete an online form or write a letter. It does not give out its phone number.
The cost of joining eHarmony for a month is £44.95 but if you are willing to sign up for 12 months it falls to just £ 12.95 – though you are tied into paying this. For Match.com it is £29.99 a month but £9.99 a month for half a year of membership i f paid up- front. MySingleFriend, set up by TV presenter Sarah Beeney, is £32 a month or £ 10.50 a month for a year (£126).
Customers signing up to a dating agency often pay using a continuous payment authority. This allows the firm to regularly take money from your debit or credit card – and occasionally put up prices. Always contact the firm via email or phone when you wish to cancel.
Other services that like to use continuous payment authorities to take your money include gym memberships, magazine subscriptions, diet plans and mobile phone
subscriptions. You also have to be extra careful when checking bank statements for continuous payment authorities because unlike with direct debits and standing orders, they are not clearly marked in the paperwork you get through the post or read online.
Retired engineer William Blackett, from County Durham, subscribed to SilverSingles for three months last year – and unknowingly signed up again because of the auto-renewal deal. It charges £44.95 a month.
The 72-year-old says: ‘It was only when I checked my bank statement that I realised I had been caught out by auto-renewal.
‘I would advise anyone to cancel a subscription immediately to ensure they do not forget about it later.’
Online dating agencies use algorithms – mathematical formulas – to try to match people according to age, job, location, hobbies and other interests.
Phone apps such as Bumble and Tinder are initially free but tend to focus on the younger market. They make their money from online adverts.
Have you been caught out by a continuous payment authority? Email toby.walne@mailonsunday.co.uk