Suit claims Match.com set up fake dates

Cnet ^ | 11/18/2005

[Panerai]

It's not easy finding love in cyberspace, and now some frustrated online daters say they were victims of fraud by two top Internet matchmaking services and have taken their complaints to court.

Match.com, a unit of IAC/Interactive, is accused in a federal lawsuit of goading members into renewing their subscriptions through bogus romantic e-mails sent out by company employees. In some instances, the suit contends, people on the Match payroll even went on sham dates with subscribers as a marketing ploy.

"This is a grossly fraudulent practice that Match.com is engaged in," said H. Scott Leviant, a lawyer at Los Angeles law firm Arias, Ozzello & Gignac, which brought the suit.

Match "promotes the policies of integrity to protect members, and yet they themselves, we allege, are misleading their entire customer base," he said.

The company said it does not comment on pending litigation. But Match spokeswoman Kristin Kelly said the company "absolutely does not" employ people to go on dates with subscribers or to send members misleading e-mails professing romantic interest. The company has about 15 million members worldwide and 250 employees, she said.

In a separate suit, Yahoo's personals service is accused of posting profiles of fictitious potential dating partners on its Web site to make it look as though many more singles subscribe to the service than actually do.

Yahoo did not respond to requests for comment.

The suits, which both seek class-action status, come as growth in the online dating industry has slowed, though Web matchmaking still remains a big business.

[SteveMcKing]

Notice their political descriptions - you're allowed to select "Very liberal" vs. "ULTRA conservative".

Typical language bias.

[Larry Lucido]

The company has about 15 million members worldwide and 250 employees, she said.

So each employee would have to go out on 60,000 dates a year to keep all 15 million members. If they go dutch, that's $50.00 per date for a $30.00 renewal. Not sure about the business sense of all that.

[Slings and Arrows]

Let us not forget that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and many lawsuits are without foundation.

But in the meantime...HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

[Saint Reagan]

You'd take a girl dutch on the first date? You must still be single.

[Tempest]

Being Ultra is cooler anyways.

[supercat]

I don't think my late wife was a match.com employee/plant.

[A CA Guy]

Rosie sponsors snap-on-tools in match.com, doesn't she?

[U S Army EOD]

When I sent in my photograth and profile, even Match.com wouldn't write me.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

Definitely.

[Republic_of_Secession.]

Could have been worse: could have said Uber.

[Jaysun]

In some instances, the suit contends, people on the Match payroll even went on sham dates with subscribers as a marketing ploy.

I can't believe that was seen as necessary. How absurd.

[Jaysun]

When I sent in my photograth and profile, even Match.com wouldn't write me.

Sorry to hear that. I got one short letter:

Dear Sir,

You look like a serial killer and/or sexual pervert. We've notified the FBI.

Love,
Match.com Staff
Jenny

[ROTB]

I met a man who ran bars in the 70's, and he told me the secret to running one successfully:

Pay some beautiful girls to sit at the bar and have drinks bought for them. There's other stuff, but that was the main part.

[manwiththehands]

"Notice their political descriptions - you're allowed to select "Very liberal" vs. "ULTRA conservative"."

And in my experience "middle of the road" meant "Lib-bot".

[montag813]

Can you sue a dating service if you can't manage to get laid?

[palmer]

There are constant charges of shills on just about every online dating service, it's the nature of the business. There's really not much difference between an organized sham date by an employee and a sympathy/what_the_heck date by a female member who might be "encouraged" in some way but who has no intention of repeating. That ambiguity may have confused a few of the members.

[Codeograph]

[Fiddlstix]

LOL!

Click the Pic J

[U S Army EOD]

Let me know how that works out.