It's natural to want to find that special someone, especially around Valentine's Day, but don't forget to guard your heart and your wallet when you're looking for love. If you decide you want to sign up for a matchmaking service, it’s important first to do your research.  

Not long after getting divorced, Susan Moriarty decided to try a matchmaking service.

"I had turned 50 last year and I was ready to find somebody else in my life. Everybody wants to be with somebody and in love,” Moriarty said.

Moriarty filled out a form online and got several calls from Tampa Singles asking her to try their service. She finally agreed to go into their office for an in-person meeting to hear about what they do.  

"You get assurances that you’re meeting people of a high caliber. They're doing all this legwork to make sure that the candidates you're meeting are quality people and also interested in finding true love," Moriarty said.

Susan Moriarty

It wasn't cheap. The Tampa Singles package she chose cost $6000 for 10 dates.

“My immediate reaction was ‘Oh no, that’s too much. I can’t do that. Their argument is, ‘Well, you spend money on beauty products and keeping yourself up. You’re worth it.’ I’m like, okay, so I’m going out for a $600 dinner.”

She made a decision on the spot and decided to go for it, but ended up having second thoughts.

The Cooling Off Rule

If you sign up for a matchmaking service and start feeling like you made a mistake, you have three days to ask for your money back. It's called the 'cooling off rule.’  Under Florida law, if you contract for services to be provided in the future, businesses must give you a complete refund if you cancel within 72 hours.

Moriarty missed the cut-off by two days. When she called on day five, she was told she could not get a full refund or even a pro-rated refund.

Calls to Tampa Singles to inquire about the policy were ultimately returned by a woman named Rebekah C.  She did not want her last name used, but said she was the company’s Assistant Director.

“We always honor the three-day right to rescind,” Rebekah C. said, but would not say if they ever provide pro-rated refunds.

Giving it a Chance

Moriarty agreed to go on two dates set up by Tampa Singles, but says the matches didn't meet her designated criteria for things like age and height, which had been shared with the company.

"Both were nice individuals, but not what I was looking for,” Moriarty explained.  “The big thing for me was the age. The one was much younger. The other was much older than I was looking for.”

She called to complain and again asked for a pro-rated refund, but Tampa Singles said no.  They told her it can take time to make a match and to be patient, but Moriarty says the salesperson offended her.

“She said, ‘You’re not patient. This is why you don’t have anybody. You’re alone and you will always be alone,’” Moriarty quoted the salesperson as saying to her.

“I know we urge people to continue on, but that doesn’t sound like something we would say,” Rebekah C. said when asked about the comment, adding “She only went on two dates. I’m sorry she (Moriarty) felt that way.”

Do Your Research

Moriarty wasn't the only one dissatisfied with her Tampa Singles experience. An online search revealed Tampa Singles has a 'C' rating from the Better Business Bureau, with more than 30 complaints.

The BBB actually issued an “Alert” on the company, because it was deemed to have a “pattern of complaints” against it.

“Tampa Singles is ranked number one for volume of complaints in this industry for West Florida,” said BBB Public Relations Director Bryan Oglesby. “A lot of the pattern we see is that customers don’t believe they get what they signed up for.”

Rebekah C. from Tampa Singes said the BBB complaints represent only a fraction of their clients.

“We have dozens of success stories for every complaint,” she said and offered to put us in touch with a satisfied client.

The Matchmaking Process

Tampa Singles says on its website that it goes through an extensive search process, which includes an “in-person screening” and a “personal compatibility assessment “to help you meet the “right person.”

“We have 10,000 first dates a year,” Rebekah C. said. “We don’t guarantee a match.  It is a process.”

Tampa Singles put Consumer Wise in touch with Linda Toole, who says she met her husband Jim through the service.

Linda Toole and her husband, Jim. (Photo: Linda Toole)

“I had moved from Tampa to Lakeland, and I just wanted to go out and meet someone," said Toole. "I’m not the kind of person who goes to bars."

Toole says she signed up for Tampa Singles service and paid $3,000 for a package of six dates.  She says she met Jim Toole on the first date and says it clicked.  They got married one year later.

“It is a leap of faith," said Toole when asked if she would recommend the service. "And yes, it worked out for me, but I have read some of the reviews online now; so whether it always works out, I don’t know. But if you have the money and you’re looking for someone who is not a one-night-stand, take a chance. It is a chance, but I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.”

Lesson Learned

Moriarty decided to stop using Tampa Singles after those two dates and the comment from the sale person that upset her.  She filed a challenge on her credit card payment for the $6000 she paid, but the challenge was ultimately declined because her request came after the 3 day right to cancel. 

Her only recourse now would be arbitration, but that is an expensive process, which she does not think she will pursue.

Even though the matchmaking service didn't work for Moriarty, she did learn a hard lesson.

“I should never have made that decision right then and there," she said. "I should have looked into what I was really getting for the money.  My advice now is look into any company before you sign on the dotted line."

Here are some tips to protect yourself:

  • Conduct an online search on the company (type the company's name with the word "reviews" or "complaints" and read what others are saying)
  • Look for a pattern of negative reviews
  • Check a company's BBB rating and look for a pattern of complaints
  • Ask what the process is for making matches
  • Don't feel pressured to sign a contract on the spot; slow down, take time to think about it
  • Ask what happens if they don't have any matches that meet your criteria
  • Ask to see current photos and profiles of available matches before you pay
  • Ask how long a company has been in business

If you have any questions or concerns as a consumer, you can contact the Florida Division of Consumer Services via their website or by calling 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) for English speakers or 1-800-FL-AYUDA (352-9832) for Spanish speakers. Their primary mandate is to educate consumers, and they also handle consumer complaints. Those who wish to file complaints can do so via the Consumer Services website.