Great Date Now

Vivian of Bohemia, NY March 23, 2009

I was sent on first of 3 matches. He showed up late and did not fit criteria that was set up in my profile. I did not request future matches. After reading other consumer complaints I request partial or full refund.

I feel they do not live up to standards portrayed by matchmaker.

Julianne of Bronx, NY February 27, 2009

I signed up with GDN on January 2007 when they were a smaller company and had different owners. It's amazing to read that not much has changed. I was promised 10 dates with super successful men that were looking for serious relationships, etc. They did not set me up with one person that fit any description we had discussed (personality, looks, success level, etc.) Each time I made attempts to speak to the match maker that I was working with, she always seemed to be busy and only would communicate with me via email.

For the thousands they take from their customers, that method of behavior is unacceptable. I only went on 6 dates and stopped contact with them after the last guy they set me up with got so drunk and tried groping me on our first meeting (I realize that was not GDN's fault). Almost 2 years later, they start calling me again. Three times they called with info on the perfect guy for me and for the hell of it, I agreed to go on a date. Each of these three times, GDN never got back to me to confirm dates. This service is good for individuals with low expectations that are just looking to meet people.

If you are successful, emotionally stable and serious about developing a relationship with someone, this may be a waste of money. It's purely a numbers game...similar to using a headhunter for job searches. They only call you when they need you and are never available if you want to discuss things. I also question their stable of eligible men and women. When I had my checkbook out, they had over 20 guys that were great for me. Once the contract was signed, I went for months without hearing a word.

No damage. I just want to save someone from making the same mistake.

Frank of Portchester, NY January 3, 2009

I disagree I have been in a great relationship for 11 months now. Suzie was the third person that they introduced me to. I met two women from Westchester one from NYC and one from Connecticut. I have no complaints about the service, or the people i was fixed up with. I just think that if you are a real person looking for a realistic match it's a good service,

If you can't meet someone on your own or you are looking for someone who doesn't exist, stay single. The problem in this world is that two many men are only looking for the runway super model and women are only looking for the millionaire. Just be realistic and just maybe you will fall in love.

Mary of Dobbs Ferry, NY December 6, 2008

I joined GDN in July 2008 and paid 3500 for 9 matches which I was told would be personalized matches selected by the person who interviewed me based on my criteria and that this person would meet all the people personally that she would present to or work closely with other colleagues in sister offices to share information and collaborate if the potential 'match' was a member from a different GDN location.

Since I joined GDN in July 2008, I have been on 3 very disappointing dates that in no way reflected the 'upscale professionals' (last match was a corrections officer, formerly a letter carrier) GDN claims to represent in their advertising, or the personalized one to one matchmaker relationship they verbally commit to during the interview when they are trying to get you to purchase their services. This deceit and disappointment all comes at an extremely high price (approximately 90 x that of traditional online match sites).My repeated requests to have my concerns addressed lead me to believe that GDN seeks to target and defraud upscale professional single women , especially as it appears there are far more female members than there are male members, and is thus not only committing consumer fraud but discrimination, practicing unfair and deceptive marketing and more.

Add to this the fact I was advised when I joined that male and female members pay the same and all three men I dated revealed that they paid considerably less for their memberships.

The turnover (I have had to deal with a total of 4 different 'Matchmaker and Assistant Matchmakers' since I joined in JULY due to turnover), the non existent complaint resolution, the lack of personalized service, the misleading or incorrect information, the membership fee disparity between male and female members and the misinformation during the recruiting effort on this item, the difficulty in reaching someone on the phone and the reluctance of anyone at GDN to date to disclose the names and contact information for the owner(s) all adds up to a considerably large violation of consumer trust and I feel at the least constitutes unfair and deceptive marketing and business practices.

Susan of Bronxville, NY November 21, 2008

I signed on with this company in February 2008 at a price of 5,000+ with a promise of 18 introductions. Since then I have been introduced to one person. Calls to the company go unreturned and when I called to complain about the lack of service I had received I was told that they have a staffing change and that they were just overwhelmed. After several more calls that went unreturned, I went to their offices in person where I was told by the Matchmaker, that she understood how frustrated I was and that I should call the director of operations, Collette and speak with her about it.

I called Collette several times without a return call, I then sent her an e-mail which she responded to. Several more calls to the office went unreturned - she called once when I was at the office and unable to speak with her - and then subsequent calls were fielded by Kyla who would not put my call through to Collette and abruptly said we have a non-refund policy so good luck to you and have a great day. I spoke to Collette after that and she assured me that the company was working hard to get back on the right track. It is now almost one year since I signed on with the company and they have not fulfilled any part of the contract I signed with them. I feel that their practices are fraudulent and that they should be investigated, be obligated to refund monies to persons such as myself, and have their license taken away.

5,500.00 in fees paid for no services rendered.

Maryann of Wantagh, NY November 12, 2008

They misrepresented their clientel. THey told me ALL their clients are high profile and that is the reason why they do not share pictures, to protect their clients. My first match didn't speak English and did not even know he had a date until a half hour after our scheduled meet. After my discussion with the GDN team, they laughed a t the fact that he didn't speak English.

My second date went well however he was 6 inches shorter than I had requested and a different Religion from what I was told. I was told my third date had a specific job, after our meet I found out his position required traveling, a position that I did not want to get involved in as well as being overweight even though I had expressed to them that a healthy partner is a must!

My fourth date didn't know we had dinner reservation because GDN never told him. I was also told by Dawn that the reason why I never recieve a phone call backl from GDN is because they are too busy. GDN sends you on dates regardless of what you are looking for, they just want to complete your matches in the least amount of time and effort to make the most money. THey just can't even be bothered with me know..

I feel betrayed and humiliated. They made me believe that they would find me my perfect match all I found is heartache!

Rebecca of Exton, PA October 30, 2008

I also paid 2500 and was told that I would be set up with successful men fro their large database. The first guy was not available, the second date was set up and allegedly the guy called to cancel at the last minute and I have not heard from my matchmaker since then. They are dishonest please read this and do not support this company. I too have filed a complaint with my credit card company and will take legal action againt Gary if need be.

Kimberly of New York, NY October 20, 2008

I signed a contract with Great Date Now, a matchmaking service in Manhattan, on July 15 for 3,500 and subsequently learned that the business lied about its practice and clientele. The facts are: Great Date Now fired a sales manager for misleading clients after the sales manager in question sold me a package service. I was sold a dating package by Joe and then 4 weeks later told by Catherine (the new office manager) that Joe was let go for misleading clients.

The false claims by Joe include the number of clients that Great Date Now had in Manhattan. I was told by Joe that Great Date Now had more than 800 clients in Manhattan. Catherine and Harli of the Manhattan GDN office both told me they were just building the Manhattan base,? that Joe was let go for misleading clients and they could at present match me with anyone in Manhattan. Joe also told me that both men and women paid an equal fee as part of the fundamental philosophy of the business. My first and only date from Great Date Now paid a fraction of what I did.

The new team at Great Date Now also lied. When they set me up with my first date, I was told the person lived 20 minutes from Manhattan and was a lawyer. The person was actually a police office, 5 years away from his pension, who moonlighted as a lawyer if he could find the work. He also lived 1.5 hours from Manhattan, not 20 minutes. I have filed a claim with the Better Business Bureau and am seeking resolution through my credit card. I would appreciate any assistance with resolution.

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