Great Expectations

After losing my fiancee in June of last year, I was contacted by Great Expectations out of Bellevue, WA. The woman said they were different than other services and screened candidates better. They would make sure the women were set financially and in good health. She said there were plenty of women looking for someone just like me. I went and felt pressured into signing a high priced contract before I left, even after telling them I had to think about it. I feel they took advantage of my grief over having lost my fiancee to sucker me in.

I went in for an interview. I told them I did not have the money up front, and continued telling them this. They teamed up on me, and insisted I sign up. I folded and signed up on Feb 2011. I'm a single father of a 6 year old girl, and working to make rent every month. It's been almost a year, and I haven't received any services from them at all. I have no profile setup, no access to their online site, and they refuse to help me out, stating it's my own fault for not making the time to come in and take care of this. I'm on the verge of bankruptcy, and they are threatening me with collections, because I missed one payment. If there are any pro-bono lawyers out there, I could use some help. This is ridiculous.

I went in to the Great Expectations office only to find out that it is a trap. They made me sign the contract under a lot of pressure. They said if I leave without signing this offer will never come back. They didn't even let me read the terms and conditions pages. They said once I walked out this deal it will not be the same. There was a lot of haggling involved, and the lady never told me about the monthly dues, or cancellation policy and any other terms. This place is a scam. I am very disappointed. I was put under a lot of pressure and mental stress to sign up with them. I want my money back. I will never recommend this service to anyone. This is not a fair or ethical way to do business. The company is a fraud, rude, stressful and hard to work with.

They kept calling me even though I told them that I had been to jail in Canada. I went for a meeting and was conned out of $6000. First a pretty girl came in and told me how great this place was and that all the people were doctors. Very up scale people that were tired of the bar scene. I asked to see the women on the site. I was only allowed to see 3 or 4 profiles. Then the pretty girl left and this real pushy girl came in. I was about to leave and the pretty con came back in and conned me into signing. I was told that the pictures were just a small fee that came to a $600 plus $40 to fix up whatever pictures I was going to use. Only after all this was I then told that I would have to pay $130 a month on top of the 5000 grand I had already paid.

The next day I went back and wanted my money back. They said that would not happen. I was **. I left. Then they phoned me and said that there was a young pretty girl that wanted to go out with me. I took her out only to find out that they told her if she went out with me, they would give her a deal on her app. I am so mad just writing this. I am from Canada. My ex-wife lives here. I have not met any people as I work out of the country and raise my two little girls. They said they could make it so I would not be allowed back in the country as I have a record and that I better not tell anyone.

I can't believe this kind of ** goes on here. I have worked in Africa for 20 years and you expect to get ripped off there, but I have been ripped off more here in 5 years than 20 years of being in Africa. I hope these people get ripped off and have to deal with what a person has to go through of being ripped off and there is nothing you can do about it. I hope they all get **.

One thing to consider when entering into a contract as such when in Ohio, is the Ohio prepaid entertainment contract, and it's terms of service. Great Expectations is merely an organization that uses the prepaid entertainment contract as their safety net. Great Expectations, as their staff is just a dating service used car salesmen. It is just more personal. Do not believe they give a ** about your relationship status. They will scream about the cancellation policy, being 3 days after you sign the contract, and refuse any refund whatsoever. Pay very close attention to the second bullet!

Prepaid Entertainment Contracts Act (1976) protects consumers, who pay in advance for the services of health spas, dance studios, diet centers, dating agencies, or martial arts schools. It gives consumers three days after their first services are available, to cancel their contracts. It sets a three-year limit for the length of these contracts.

This means that they must have at least provided some aspect of service, related to the dating service, within the three days of signing the contract, to deem the 3 day cancellation valid, and typically, I can't see that happening. The very first step in becoming a member, is to fill out a profile and a photo session. For me, because of my schedule, could not take place for 2 weeks after signing. No services were ever rendered, and I was still denied a refund. I'm still fighting!

I used to work there and now I can't get information I need from the company for my taxes to be filed for the year I worked there. Every number I call is disconnected. I tried to call on day one they got in Dallas but they were so rude. They wouldn't give me any information about who I could call. They tried the one on Kansas City to get me to go against my religion to sell a date and I wouldn't so they let try to fire me.

I too was assured to be dating after my membership was secured. It has been over a year and after several No Thank you (s) with whom I selected, I decided to contact my counselor and register my complaint. This is not the first time I expressed my displeasure and now I am angry to know reimbursements are not allowed. I am seeking legal representation.

All of the sales tactics were utilized in the Seattle office! I was given an application, but I did not want to give my social security number for them to screen me initially. The associate, Jenn, told me that all of the members are screened with criminal background checks, then matched to a specific criteria and basically sold the service as a "match making" service. The profiles I was shown were doctors, lawyers and professionals with higher educational degrees. They would not tell me pricing other than that people pay in the "thousands" to sign up for quality matches.

She showed me a range from basic which started at $1,500, up to VIP that was $7,000. She said she could not give me the price sheet and that she wanted to "work with my salary range". I told her I had to think about it, so she took my driver license and left the room. She came back after a few minutes and said she wanted to work out a discount. In the end, they got $4,500 in $120.00 monthly installments. I usually do research before buying into hard sales tactics and I wish I had put in one key word in the search engine.. Great Expectations Complaints. I would have never signed my hard earned money in this economic climate to a high scam online dating service that provides the same caliber of members that the "low" priced ones do, only GE claims to be a match making service and uses first time decoys at their "hook em" events!

Wow, I wish I had read this before I spent nearly $5000. I realized that GE in Boca was a scam, so after I became 'live' on their site. It started when I was redirected from another site, and I included my cell #. From that point I received calls weekly until I came in. In hindsight it was all sales. They dangle the hope in front of you and when they have your cash, you never hear from them again.

Once I was 'live' and when on their site I could tell right away, from the outdated look of site and poor visual display that all the money I paid whet to commissions. It is so old looking. I called soon after being 'live' and told them that the screening filters were set up incorrectly on my account. I completed all types of paperwork beforehand, they knew what my preferences were as far as age, location etc.. but not of this was filtered. It was as if they set it up to make appear that I had more options than there really were. When I called and requested they change it, I was told 'we can't', which is BS. How did it get there then. I was contacted by men I had no interest in. I assumed the men would be of a certain 'caliber'. Not. It was basically, anyone who had $ to blow on this.

They place your profile online and that's it. The 'personal shopper' service is non existent. All they do is go online select a few folks, and you never hear from them again. I'm so sorry I got pulled into this. I couldn't dispute the charge, so I paid my cc bill, and later reported my card stolen, so stop the quarterly payments. Please don't waste your $ or time with this con game. If only I had read this before I was out the cash. Tough lesson learned....The Boca GE Office...a sham.

I went to Great Expectations on Oct 5, 2011 to check this business out. I met with Stefanie after work. I was very tired. She was very efficient in letting me know the terms of the contract very quickly. She kept leaving the room. Before she even started talking to me, she had run a credit check. She was very aware that my balances on credit cards were 0 and I had paid them off quickly. I am tired of other dating sites, but they are free. I signed the contract and tried to read it, with many interruptions. I am sure my credit card was processed before the contract was signed. By the time I got home, I knew I had made a big mistake. Do you know that gut feeling?

I tried to call Stefanie back, because she said she would be there until 9 pm. That is wrong. I called the credit card company and asked them to stop the charges. However, the charges went through. I sent an e-mail the next day. I told her that I had changed my mind and I wanted a refund, because I was sure they had 5 days to cancel. This is wrong because it is actually 3 days. She informed me that a contract was signed and it was binding and there was nothing she could do. Actually, a contract can be canceled if both parties agree. $7290 is what was charged to my card. I decided within less than 24 hrs. I did not want to be responsible for this kind of debt. I still have a daughter in college. I do know for a fact that a contract can be canceled if both parties agree.

This place is so money hungry that they cannot see when a person does not want their services for financial reasons. They don't care. I have sent data to the BBB and to the Attorney General of Texas. I don't know what will happen. Several e-mails have been exchanged between Stefanie and me. Oh and this is the clincher. I was to come home and file for a 0% Citibank credit card and call them back when I received the card, and they would transfer the balances for me. I was even asked the first 3 letters of my mom's maiden name. Stefanie went, "I wonder what that stands for." I didn't give her an answer. I will let the state take care of this. I would advise not to sign any contract from this business ever.

I joined a dating service called Great Expectations and paid a ridiculous amount of $. They guaranteed background checks and better clients. When I first had access to their site, I couldn't believe most of the profiles were inactive and what was left was less than quality. The few men I've been out with one claiming to be an airline pilot. What he didn't know is that I was married to one for 17 yrs and understand how the lifestyle works. I caught him lying. Clearly, he wasn't a pilot. Another one was a family law attorney. I had a weird feeling about him after a few dates and found all of these sites on Google, accusing him of raping his clients! Run from Great Expectations! They are frauds and do not do background checks! When I confronted the woman that works the Dallas office about this she told me I was very rude! That's all she had to say!

Numerous calls from Missy came to my phone, and i did not respond because I was not interested. I called the number back on Thursday and removed my number from their call list. I got another call from Missy around 12 today, and she was rude and hung up when I explained that I am removed from the call list. I called back and spoke to supervisor Kelly who was also rude. Take care with this company.

Malissa, with Great Expectations, called me. When I asked how she got my number, she wouldn't tell me. I told her at that time I was not interested. She was very pushy and wanted to know why I wasn't interested. I told her I was not interested in what they had to offer. I don't know how they got my number. She again called from **, a missed call. When I called back, she said she remembered me from the day before. She said I told her to call me back. I did not tell her this! I told her again I was not interested. She asked me why. I said: "Because I'm not interested. That's why." She then asked, "You don't want to date men?" I felt she was harassing and insulting me. I did not request this information and do not want anything to do with this company, period.

I was contacted by a representative from Great Expectations who asked me to come in for a consultation. I did go and watched a video about couples that have found love and relationship. The agent named Mindy came into the room to tell me about the program. She also showed me some profiles and advised me that they do a credit check and background check to protect their members. As she was talking to me, she kept asking me if I was ready to make a life change. She asked me about my previous dating experiences.

As I was in the room with her, I told her that I was having medical problems and I was on medication. She kept leaving the room and coming back to talk to me. She also had to get me some water because I was getting nauseated and was feeling very strange due to the medication that I was on. Mindy was talking so fast and telling me where to sign. I thought that she told me that the cancellation policy was that I had time to cancel because I was not a member until I completed the photo, video and profile. I did not read the papers which I signed. I was trusting--I listened to the information that she provided.

After about four days, I did read the papers and realized that the cancellation was not as it was told to me. I contacted an agent to discuss the cancellation but was advised that it was too late. I went ahead and completed my profile, photos and video. After looking in their Web site, I found out that most of the men in their Web site was in other cities. I then talked to another agent in the Columbus, OH office about my dissatisfaction.

The agent told me that the contract cannot be canceled. I then tried to talk to Kelly, who told me that she was the district manager. I told her of my concerns and that I wanted to cancel. She told me that the only way that I could cancel the contract was by paying $1,000.00 that day, which I declined. I then contacted the BBB who has been assisting me with the issue. The final result is that now, they want $900.00 for me to cancel. I am now filing a complaint with the Attorney General's office and is currently waiting for their assistance. This company is a scam and should be put out of business. How can I get help with this issue?

They put me into this small room and a representative came in and started her spiel on how they offered a more "personal" program set for you, how they matched people that would be compatible for what you were looking for, and that they would work with you on a more "personal" level than those "bad" dating sites.

She said that they worked with local single guys. That way you wouldn't be doing a long distance relationship like other dating sites. She kept trying to goad me into saying that I didn't want those "bad" dates and that I was looking for something more personal and closer to home. They also offered events for singles to meet up and said how this was so great. She went on how 200 people came in a week and they only accepted 30% and denied the rest because they didn't meet the qualification. She then went on to tell me that I was a commodity and that they had a lot of single young men in Columbus with my age range and the qualifications that I was looking for.

Then, they made me watch their video of how great they were and how I would benefit from their services. After the film was over, I waited another 15 minutes for the sales representative to come back in. She brought 5 "eligible" males and their profiles for me to read through, and all seemed to be what I was looking for. She then kept asking me what I was willing to pay to meet someone special. She kept pressuring me for a price per week, which I thought was odd. But after a while of her pressuring me, I gave her an amount that, if they offered such great services, I would be willing to pay.

She then went to tell me that I was accepted and then began the process of telling me that I would just have to pay a certain amount and that they offered different kinds of plans and lengths. The cheapest was for the 3 years, and after she quickly went over what the plan allowed. I thought it was odd that I had to pay an extra $19 a month for the online services when I was going to be paying around $63 a month for their services. I asked her and she said that since they provide a consultant and caterer personally to you, it was well worth it. She told me this was the best offer and that I was sure to be dating someone within 3 months.

I signed the papers stating that I understood what they told me and was signing for a 3 year plan. All of this took over 2 hours, and I was ready to get out, so I put $160 down and was set up for 3 years. She then told me that the only date they had available was on January 4th for photos. She said I couldn't access their database until I had mine set up, and so, I had to wait 3 weeks before I could do anything with them. What she didn't tell me was what I was signing was a loan, and I didn't find out until January, when I received a letter telling me that this other company was handling the payment.

I had my photos finally taken after they messed up on the date, and I had to change my plans because of their screw up. After that, I was able to access their library of men and found out that the men they showed me weren't even in the database. It took me a while to look through it all and I found out that most of their men are from other cities that are about 2 hours away, which would constitute a long distance relationship. I found that the men my age didn't meet what I was looking for.

There's no personal consultant. They don't match you up with anyone. They throw you into the system and you have to fish out who you might be interested in. They are just like other cheap dating sites. The events you have to pay for, I was told by two people that are with them, aren't really that great.

I was in the office at the Roslyn center. Just like all the other complaints, mine was quite similar. I sat in a small conference room with 1 representative. She showed me pictures of some women who were "supposedly" members. I felt a little pressured when they said it was for the greater good of my life. I would find a suitable girl for my needs. When I asked about the price they asked me to sign up for the policy I felt I needed. They promptly asked me to put a small down payment of a considerable amount. I was told that the policy was to pay a monthly service fee and it would be paid off after a short time. I found that the fees were hidden. I am still paying off the fees. It also seems that the collection company has no communication with the company itself.

I have been on one date with a member, but since nobody has really been worth my while. I have been charged late fees and have finally been given a bill of how much I owe until it has been paid off. I will never use this service and I hope to dissuade anyone from using this service. It is truly not worth the aggravation.It seems this company is only out to make a dollar. I also believe that the billing company is adding fraudulent charges to me. I have been paying off the bills via automatic payments. I have copies of the payments made, but no bills.

I hope anyone getting a message from this company will just leave it alone. This company should be put out of business. Ethically speaking.

I was hesitant at first to try this "upscale" dating service but thought I would hear what they had to say. Sherry was a very persuasive, down to earth, been there, done that, kind of person who assured me all members are thoroughly checked out and single. She showed me 20+ profiles of people she said were currently active in our area in my age range. She left the room and left me with the profiles to look over. I sorted them out and we reviewed a couple when she returned and said they were great guys who were looking for love.

I left thinking this was a good purchase because I hadn't seen anything like that in this area anywhere. I got home and had a change of heart because the price was really steep and I hadn't been given access to the "database" yet to see what was really out there. Two days later, I came in with my paperwork in hand signed for cancellation. I was told by Sherry that I really didn't want to do this, that I was making a huge mistake and I was going to go back to getting no quality dates? She then said she could offer a great deal and processed a partial refund on my CC. I left feeling like I had no choice. By the time I actually got into the database, I knew I had been had. There were only 2 of the people she had shown me in the database and I found several people that were "separated" or inactive. I tried to call Sherry but have not received a return call.

I am actively pursuing litigation against them. I have contacted the Attorney General and reported them. I have spoken with managers from both the Columbus and Cleveland offices but I don't believe they are any higher up in the company than Sherry. This is not a business I would ever recommend to anyone for any reason. They are deceitful and underhanded. They prey on insecurities and use shame to get away with what they do.

Great Expectations moved out of my Milwaukee and into Schaumburg, IL. I was told that I could not get a refund, even though my contract was for the Milwaukee area and not Schaumburg. I was never notified of the merge or any other changes.

Great Expectations Boca Raton is the worst company I have ever dealt with. They use hard sell deceptive practices to entice you to sign a membership agreement that costs thousands of dollars. The contract is written in such a manner to totally disregard the rights of the consumer. In my case, they charged me $1,500 to give me a telephone number to meet a totally unsuitable person for coffee. There is no way to challenge GE contracts as they are written so one sided to abuse the consumers rights under Florida Fair Trade and Business act.

The Attorney Generals in Ohio, PA, AZ and Texas have launched investigations against GE with Arizona getting millions of dollars in fines. If you are contacted by GE by being redirected from a website, do not meet with them. You will be charged an outrageous initiation fee of $1,500 just to hear the sales pitch if you sign a membership agreement. The only recourse for refunds is to take this company to court.

If you have been mistreated financially by GE please submit your complaint to ** as I am organizing a class action lawsuit against GE for financial and punitive damages against GE Boca et. al. There are so many consumer complaints across the web it is time for conned consumers to join together in a class action civil suit for monetary and punitive damages.

Pretty much the same as everyone else. I was promised their site would introduce me to multiple men of better means. They also promised monthly events for meeting people. I tried to access the site, it's been closed down. They are a fraud. Don't get sucked in. Being recently widowed on a fixed income, they rip off seniors looking for a companion in their later years.

Very similar experiences as the other complaints I have read. This company is unethical at best. It appears that customers/clients are being charged different amounts, met with high pressured sales tactics, misrepresentation of the product, deceptive sales tactics and unethical business practices. There have been successful law suits in other states. Individuals will not be able to successfully suit this company, it would have to be a civil action law suit and intervention from the state. I would like to participate in the organization of this type of action.

The company or one particular store would probably go bankrupt but at least other unsuspecting and vulnerable people would not go through what so many of us did. Lost a large amount of money without any services provided. Spent considerable time and emotional angst addressing this issue with the company and following through with my complaints.

I would like to withdraw my complaint against Great Expectation. After having a meeting with J.W, the VP of the Company, my situation has been fairly resolved, and I have no more issues with Great Expectation dating Service in Dallas, TX, and no issues with its Employees. The economic and physical damages have been resolved.

The company contacted me and offered to refund my money. They made me happy and I would like to remove the posting I put online on March 19, 2010.

A year and no contact with another individual with the site nor the local activities promised.

This company is a fraud. They still have online sites and contact through these are impossible as well.

My only recourse was to call the number for a company in Texas who processed my monthy payments. No one answers there either and the company originally collecting my money has sold out to another.

I have stopped payment on any drafts from them.

i have gone through many of the same complaints, but i have a kicker...the office i was going through in milwaukee talked me into the 3 year plan for 4000.00. after 8 month into my plan i was sent an email stating that the milwaukee office will be closing and that all our business would be held through the aurora(chicago) office. what that meant to me is that there will be no more singles to meet in my area. chigago is a minimum of 2.5 hours away. who would start a relationship with someone that far away?

when i tried to call the milwaukee office there was no answer so i tried to email them asking to stop paying for online fee and to get a refund, stating that i was very unhappy with the service. i was answered via phone message that they were going to stop charging me for the online fee but that i could keep using the online service for free. why would i want to look at people who are too far away? they never mentioned anything about refunding me. i again emailed them that i wanted a refund and this time they actually called me saying that the Milwaukee office is a seperate business and that they went out of business and that the chicago office was only letting us use the site through chicago as a "courtesy". the chicago office said it was not responsible for the contracts of the Milwaukee patrons. The bottom line is that great expectations is all you get but they are never delivered. there is nothing courteous about that.

people who have become part of a scam from Great Expecations to get money from them and on today 6/2/2010 I came so close to becoming a victim of such scam because since I am debt-free I became so worried when I did such interview to find out about Great Expectations that they made me fill-out a questionaire to find out what I am looking for that and there was a field that was requesting for my social security number and when I asked about it they said you only have to fill that out if you are becoming a member of Great Expectations.

In addition to that, they have scheduled me to come in on Saturday at 1:45 p.m. and to bring two forms of Identification and what made me wonder about it is why would they ask me to take my checkbook and while I asked about they said is to verify and make sure that you are not an ex-convicted felon because people that have done jail time do not hold a checking account and I do not believe that at all because why do I need to present a checkbook with my checking account at such dating agency for the interview to see if I can use their dating services. Anyway, thank god I have read about the poor innocent victims that have fallen trap to this scam and thank god that after reading their stories I finally realize that Great Expectations is nothing more than a scam designed to rip people off out their misery when they are in need of finding that special mate for interpersonal relationship that can lead to marriage.

I can't tell you how horrified I am by this experience. After some bad luck on other dating sites I decided to try something different. When I went to Great Expectations in February of 2009 to see what they had to offer the sales person literally lied through her teeth about what I could expect from my membership (which btw, I was foolish enough to pay more than 7K for!) I was told they had 100s of qualified, professional, screened men in their database who fit my criteria (which was admittedly pretty precise as far as age range, minimum height, and distance from my home) but I was right up front about what my expectations were.

She left the room for awhile and brought back a dozen profiles of nice looking guys that fit the criteria Id given her and told me there were literally 100s more like them in their database. She did not allow me to look at their database while there however which should have been a red-flag. I had to, in fact, come back for my "professional photo shoot" (NOT! The girl was completely untrained, and the session anything but professional.) Once this was all done and I finally sat down at THEIR computer to take a look I was completely dumbfounded. The database was horribly inefficient and outdated. The search options were pathetic, leaving me with no option but to open every single profile of men from a much wider age range and geographic area. Very time consuming!

And after digging through them for several hours I found only two of the profiles I'd been handed during my initial meeting and both were off-line status (most likely because they closed their memberships as well.) When I called to cancel my membership for these reasons I was of course told that I could not do so per our contract. I went round and round with these folks about their scam, but to no avail. To get me off her back the manager suggested she would do a search for me and send me some profiles. NONE of the profiles she sent me fit my very specific criteria.

When I responded letting her know that I would not date someone who lived clear across the metroplex, nor did I really care to meet someone 3 inches shorter than me, she suggested that I should lower my expectations! I reminded her that the only reason I signed on was that I was told that those EXACT expectations could and would be met by the 100s of qualified profiles! I have wasted a huge amount of time trying to get them to reimburse me, and finally decided to take them to small claims court here in Dallas.

1.) During my initial screening meeting, which was clearly a sales pitch, I felt as pressured as everyone else describes. I said no to Kelly at least 3 times but she continued to make me feel like this was my only option to meet someone. Finally, I gave in when she reduced the price by a half.

2.) Precisions contracts allows a three day cancellation period. On Saturday, 1/16/10 when I purchased my membership, I was told that the usual photographer was unavailable and that my photos would therefore be taken the following Saturday, 1/23/2010.

3.) I was not offered the opportunity to create a profile, receive training on the online service nor to log-in to evaluate services until after my photos were taken which was conveniently after the three day cancellation period was exceeded.

4.) Once I was able to log-in, I determined that of the hundreds of male clients, 30 were within the age group and met the qualifications that I discussed with Kelly during my initial interview. If you included education and religious preference there were even less than 30. I also determined that the matches suggested to me by Kelly were virtually the complete opposite of what we discussed in our initial meeting. Due to my immediate concern regarding the inaccuracy of the suggested matches, I contact Jaclyn on Monday January 25 to express my concern.

5.) I began contacting members and for weeks not one person replied.

6.) On February 17, 2010, I contact the Precision office and spoke with Jaclyn. I was admittedly calling to tell her I could not attend the speed-dating even due to a work conflict. At that point I expressed my concerns that I was not receiving responses from clients and that I felt misled during the initial interview. Jaclyn agreed that Kelly had oversold the number men in my age group.

7.) Between February 20 and March 4, I emailed Precision 3 times to alter my profile thinking that a more comprehensive profile would garner more response. Receiving no response to my emails, I called on 5 separate occasions. Finally, Dr. Joe altered my profile for me after almost two weeks of attempting to contact a Precision employee.

8.) On March 7, I mailed a formal letter expressing my concerns. I received a call from Jaclyn in response to my letter. She indicated that she and Kelly had discussed the situation, that new members were always joining, and that they both felt I should attend at least one speed dating event. They also encouraged me to expand my criteria and contact additional members.

9.) As a show of good faith, I scheduled to attend the speed dating event on March 25 and attempted to contacted members that did not meet my initial qualifications (and therefore would likely be unsuccessful matches). I still received few responses.

10.) On March 23, I received an email from Jaclyn warning me that the male members attending the speed dating were all over the age of 40 (11+ years older than me) and therefore were unlikely matches. At this point it was clear to me that Precision was unable to remedy the situation and had completely oversold their services for clients in my age group.

11.) On March 24, I emailed Jaclyn formally requesting a prorated refund of my enrollment fee.

12.) On April 3, Kelly finally emailed me back. She waited 10 days to reply. She offered to waive a nominal fee in exchange for signing a release. It was clear her concern was that I not tell the truth to other potential customers.

13.) I replied on April 3 expressing dissatisfaction with the offer. I had paid a lot of money in good faith for services that Precision had unethically oversold. I requested a response from Kelly by Tuesday April 6 since she had previously so rudely taken 10 days to reply. I also stated in my April 3 email that if I did not hear a response by April 6, I would be escalating my complaint to the BBB.

14.) Hearing no response, I filed my formal complaint against Precision on April 8, 2010.

15.) On April 10, Kelly finally emailed me back. At this point she told me that it was my lack of participation that put me in this situation, that she would retake my photos at no additional charge, and that I could attend as many speed dating events as I wanted at no charge.

16. ) These offers were declined because the offer was made at a point when it was clear to me that the services I was sold did not meet the services pitched to me during my initial sales meeting. It was clear that continuing my membership would not remedy the situation.

17.) I entered a contract for services, paid good money, and received very different services than what was sold to me on January 16, 2010. At this point it is clear that Precision has no intention of remedying their wrong. I therefore simply want to prevent other consumers from falling prey to their discriminatory pricing and unethical sales practices.

I responded to an ad online for Mature Singles, giving my contact info to receive more information on the service. Within a few days, I received a call from Great Expectations. I was confused, as that wasn't the name of the organization I had responded to. When I asked, Brooke said, "We have many companies under one umbrella." She tried to get me to come in for an interview. I asked what the cost was and she said they had many plans.

There is "something for everyone." I put her off but after several more calls, I thought, "Well, what harm could it do to go in and find out more about this service?" But I still was uncomfortable with having no idea what the cost was so I asked again if she could give me a range of the prices of their plans. She said, "They'll tell you about that when you go in. It's not very much. We have to appeal to poor college students, too." I should have caught that. I still thought I was going to visit Mature Singles, a subsidiary of Great Expectations, a dating service for people over 50. Why I didn't question why there would be "poor students" in a service that caters to the "over 50" crowd, I don't know. She was very pleasant and persuasive.

When I went to the office, I was escorted to a back room, where I was shown a video, and asked to fill out a questionnaire. I had thought I would be meeting with the woman I'd talked to on the phone, but found that she worked at another office. I spoke with Christen, who was pleasant, and very flattering and positive about my potential for success. When she showed me what the cost was, I was shocked. The most expensive plan was $7500, while the least expensive was at most $1000 less. The benefits to the 6-year plan so exceeded the limitations of the cheaper one, that few people would have chosen the cheaper one.

There was no real trial membership or any opportunities to see anything but the propaganda film about the program before signing a no-refund contract. I told Christen I couldn't afford this and she kept trying to persuade me, saying things like, "It will only be about another $100 a month on your credit card statement. And will it really matter when you meet the man of your dreams?" She brought the price down to $5500 and said I could put a deposit down now, and pay the rest when I got home. I asked if I could take a day or two to think about it and she said that it would cost $1000 more if I didn't sign the contract then. She said, "You can go for this or go on with your life as it's been." She was playing on my insecurities and I feel ashamed that I let myself fall for that. She presented a contract and stood over me, as I signed it, not giving me time to read it in detail.

I felt pretty stunned as I drove home, sick that I had essentially maxed out my credit cards for something I had no facts to prove it really is a good business. There were two phone messages waiting for me; Christen pushing me to pay the rest of the bill. I felt pressured but kept my word and put the rest of the bill on several credit cards. I felt terrible the whole rest of the night and knew I had allowed myself to be manipulated into spending money that would be difficult for me to repay and that would put my financial situation in jeopardy. I called the next day to request my money back. Christen's response was that I couldn't get my money back, that I was just showing a negative attitude, that I just needed to be positive and patient.

I knew it was my fault that I had signed a no-refunds contract, but I had never encountered a legitimate company with a price-tag in the thousands, with no money-back policy, no guarantee of the service they were providing. I tried again a few weeks later, appealing to a manager named Cat. She listened to my plea to get my money back and I felt she would have liked to do the right thing and just give it back to me. But she said she didn't have the power to do that, and needed to talk to her boss. She said she would call me back the next day. She did not call, nor did she call back after I called the office again. Again, I was falsely told she would call me back the next day.

I resorted to one of my credit cards, American Express. They have a policy of following up on charges that are thought to be scams. They did all they could to try to get my money back but to no avail. Great Expectations is in the business of extracting large sums of money from vulnerable people and they have written up a contract to snare their victims when they have been manipulated into a state of thinking this dating service is going to fulfill a dream. When the lonely person wakes up from the trance, it is too late. They cannot get their money back, no matter what.

I have been so disturbed at the lack of business ethics of GE, that I have not used their services. What I have found is that the customer has to pay additional costs for photography (which is required), for internet services, for cards to possible dates and probably for lots of other things I haven't discovered yet. The website is pathetic, with the pictures of the people so small you can't see them without clicking on each one individually. You cannot scan the pages because the photos are too small and there is no profile info there. I mentioned this to the receptionist and she said there is nothing they can do about it because the site is controlled by the "parent company." I got the impression that this is true with all aspects of the business. It appeared that the "parent company" sets rules that discount every level of customer service and are entirely aimed at making money for the company. Here is the clause from the contract that puts in writing their customer service policy:

"You acknowledge that a disproportionate portion of the fee for GE's services is earned by the end of the initial interview since a great deal of time and money is spent recruiting new members, interviewing and counseling members (for eligibility, genuineness of purpose, etc.), providing materials to new members, and so on. Therefore, you agree that most of the membership fee covers the cost of services provided through today's date and the rest covers the cost of future services including the use of GE's Video Library."

So, essentially, the huge fee is covering the company's marketing expenses (with an enormous profit, I'm sure) and after the initial interview, there is no more customer service. You pay extra for photography, for the internet database and bring your own drinks and food to the events, which are all cheaply held in the tiny library of the office.

In conclusion, I am paying for my own naivete and gullibility. If there is a way to regulate this company or bring a class action suit against them, I'm all for it. Is there a law that a company has to quantify the service they are providing and give money back if they are not providing it? Is it legal for a company to have its customers pay for the company's advertising, with no return for the customer? I hope, at the least, other potential customers for this service read these warnings and make much more educated decisions about joining than I did.

I have had most of the same complaints as everyone on this site. This company misrepresents their services and charges excessive fees for the little that they do offer. They do not "allow" members to check into the GE database until after the 3 day contract cancellation period is over and then when one has finally been given their password to get into the database and see how little they get for their money, it is too late to cancel. I just want to let everyone know who is in Ohio to contact Joe ** at Channel 5 News. He interviewed me on TV and is working to help us. He needs as many names of victims as possible.

Good luck and thank you.

They do not inform about extra charges and the entries are non-active or non-responsive. Director refuses to give me the name of supervisor or address of headquarters in Texas. Set up with one agency in Stuart is impossible since it is a private entity involved in a class action suit. I simply wish to contact the corporate headquarters in Texas which apparently is under the title J R Management but have been unable to ascertain contact info. I lost over $2,000.

I wasn't told there would be an additional cost for the pics. I called them within an hour of leaving the meeting to say I no longer wanted the service and was told I could not get out of it. They supposedly needed additional info to accept me so I refused to give it. They still debited my account for the down payment. I wish I had found the complaints before my meeting. Now, I am out $300.

I wish I had done my homework on Great Expectation. What a rip-off. There should be a class action law suit against them. I first called them to get an idea on what the cost would be and was told they had a plan just to suit me. Being divorced for a little over a year, and not wanting to do the bar seen, I went down there to check out what they had to say and see what they offered. Boy was that a mistake!

I met with Stefanie ** on July 30th 2008. She started to tell me that they are the largest dating service in the nation, and that they have thousands of members. She told me that I would not have any problems meeting my soul mate. She said within six months, I would have the girl of my dreams. (Of course she did not put that in writing) stupid me! I told her what type of women I would be interested in and she showed me some photos of what looked like models. I told her slim, dark hair, very attractive, and between the ages of 35 to 50. She said, "Oh, no problem, we have many ladies like that (that was a lie). She told me that they run background checks on all members to make sure they don't have a criminal record and to verify they are not married. (That's a lie also.)

She sold me on this plan which I did not need and told me after six months I would have my soul mate. Yeah, right! She asked for my credit card and told me to look over some photos of some of the members. Then she ran my card and came in with a contract. She would not let me read it and kept distracting me. At the same time, she was telling me where to sign or initial rushing through the paperwork. When I asked about certain paragraphs, she would say don't worry about that, it just means this or that, just initial it. She kept telling me how good-looking I was and that in no time I would meet a girl. She told me she would work with me and if I found a girl I was interested in, she would contact that person to have her check me out, once again a lie.

After a few months, I started to call Stefanie and was telling her that most of the ladies that I would be interested in are all inactive, and the choices they had were not to my choosing. She would tell me to pick some anyway, just to see what they say. I told her most of the women that I chose said no to me, and after a while I started to see the profiles I read did not match the person. Most of these women were looking for that Chip and Dale type of guy, looks, body, and money. I did not have any of that. But Stefanie told me I would not have any problem. Within six months I would have my soul mate. The joke's on me. When I told her (Stefanie) that I was going to sue them for discrimination and false pretenses, she sort of laughed and said you can't sue us, read your contract.

I have had many encounters with Stefanie regarding the selection of women, and when she got notice of me suing them, she sent me an email saying that one of the women was interested. This candidate was inactive but is available now. Stephanie continued to tell the interested candidate had said yes to me. Well, I got to laugh on this one. I called this lady, and after calling her 4 times just to see if it was a scam, and sure enough it was, that woman never called me back. I paid $7995.00 for this service and now it is costing me more to retrieve my money. Attorney's fees are not cheap. I hope someone will read this before they make the same mistake I made as did hundreds of others. Please just remember this, it's a scam, and they do discriminate.

I had just moved to Chicago and they popped up on my computer. So I took the bait once they got my information they called and called and called, they even call me when I was in Michigan for a visit. The phone lady was very personal and when I ask about the price. She said she couldn't quote anything over the phone, that it would be covered if I would make an appointment and come into the office. They offered pretty much what I was looking for as I was new to Chicago and was interested in the many social events for singles and they said they did very extensive background checks on all clients to make sure they were who they said they were.

I was in a meeting with a different women then the one who made the appointment. Which was the first thing I should have know but I was told she couldn't be there so Tracey would be helping me. Tracey keep me in this meeting for 3 1/2 hours, she really knew how to suck me in. She sensed that I was small town and a little scared and in hinder site I see how she really played me. They lied about everything I was told my "professional" photos would be included in the package only to be hit for another $350.00. And all they are is computer photos and when I said something about how surprised I was, and then she said she would "fix" the photos up for me. There were no group social gatherings as they always canceled them because they said not enough people signed up. So they would offer coffee and cookies at the office. All this after they took my $6,350.00.

Like the others on here they gave me the run around when I would try to get them to live up to their promises. And I did end up turning them into the BBB of Illinois. I had joined on April 30, 2007 and within 2 weeks after it was too late. As they told me I knew I had been Ripped Off. During my attempts to recover my monies back. I did learn that it was owned by couple and the "manager" was Keith. When I finally got to him after many, many calls. He just laughed and said I could do nothing and that he didn't care if I did report them to BBB.

There was nothing I could do and they would not be refunding my money. I was so embarrassed that I had been "scammed" by this cheesy bunch of low life's. And I did try to contact others to see if I was the only one. Only to find out that they just see what they can suck out of you that is why they don't quote an exact price. I have sense moved back to Michigan but I have kept all my paperwork hoping that if enough people complain across the country. That some Smart Lawyer out there will take us all in on a class action law suit and at least put these liars out of business.

I asked her for a free schedule so I could have all the information and think about it to which she chuckled and said that there isn't one and that they offer all kinds of services and events in all kinds of price ranges from cheap to expensive. She gave me most of the line/information others here have all started. I am so grateful to all of you for sharing your experiences because she is supposed to be calling me tomorrow. I think I will call right now to have my name and number taken from their contact list.

Do not join Great Expectations. I feel I have been totally ripped off. I was promised that matches will reply within 30 days. I have had to prompt GE to prompt these women. The selection of women is really quite poor. While there seems to be an abundance when you do a search, many are on hold. When I have agreed to a match with a woman online, they don't seem to return my calls and if they have chosen me and I accept, they never call me. GE does use high pressure sales techniques. I have written to the manager of my location and she ignores all correspondence. In almost one year, I met two women. One had a bad hygiene problem. The other acted so strangely, I thought she was on drugs. I am a responsible, professional male with multiple degrees. It's amazing that for the money, just how bad GE is.

I followed a link from Facebook to the Great Expectations site. The site didn't talk about the company providing a "high-end, exclusive dating service," so I filled out the form. The next day, I got a call from a staff person in the Sacramento office. This person would not let me off the phone until I committed to an appointment in the Sacramento office.

When I arrived, I was taken to a private office where I was shown photos of individuals who were members. I was told that the men I would meet were wealthy and would want to pay my bills, especially the contract with Great Expectations. I was told this, because when I saw the price, I told Annie thanks but I couldn't afford it and got up to leave.

This woman insisted I stay and kept lowering the price and playing on my insecurities until she coerced me into signing a contract I could not afford. Since I had signed the contract, I decided to use the service. There was an extra charge to access the online database of members. I must have asked to meet at least 50 men. Not one ever responded. I have to wonder if they even exist or are just pictures and profiles on a website.

When I sent emails to the center asking why there wasn't any response from these men, I didn't get any response from the office either. When I sent an email cancelling my contract, I was locked out of the site. Not one person ever called, emailed, or wrote me to ask why I was unhappy with the service. It wasn't until I rejected the charges to my account and finally closed the card that I heard from someone.

Then it still wasn't to ask what went wrong. It was threatening emails. At this point, I have been offered a buyout for about half of the remaining balance. I am still waiting for the name, address, and phone number of the decision maker for the company. I have been humiliated and paid a great deal of money for a very little return.

In response to Serega's complaint, this man referred to himself as first name of "Sergiy". We spent a great deal of time (at least 4 hours) on the phone (he solicited us!) as well as at our office. He told our staff on numerous and several different occasions that he was emotionally stable and sincere and anxious about wanting to meet a young woman with whom he could find potential love, marriage and family. His story about how he was beaten up as a young boy in his native country was very heart-wrenching, and he felt that we could make connections for him that would be difficult for him to make on his own because of cultural differences and personality of being shy and modest. (He speaks English clearly and well, and is educated, however speaks with a heavy foreign accent).

He is a good looking man. Sharp and professional, who we felt would be a nice match for our female clientele who share similar interests and qualities. We agreed to accept him as a client based on the information he had gave us and he reassured us of his good intentions with his sincere and persistent interest. But within 3 days of paying a fee and signing our customary client contract, he exercised his intent or request to cancel. We did not and have not denied his request, which we know is required by law. We ourselves put it in very large writing on our contract to protect the consumer and ourselves. He did not offer any explanation for wanting to cancel. We then extended to offer the refund and asked if he would also allow us to offer our services to him on a complimentary basis, without any explanation or obligation in order to gain his confidence for at least 30 days. He accepted this offer, which we gave to him in writing.

We not breach our agreement with him, and offered to go above and beyond what the law requires to provide him with customer satisfaction. There is no substance or truth to his complaint as we did not breach the contract or any agreements with him. Our company has no complaints anywhere to be found, our corporate offices maintain a membership with the Better Business Bureau with a rating which is A rated and without incidence of any complaint. This complaint is misdirected and unsubstantiated, and we would like for this posting to be removed so that we do not suffer further and additional damages that such negative publicity would cause us.

A man signed up with our service, and after he signed up with us he read this complaint posting and brought it to our attention. He is now requesting a refund because he feels "leery" after reading this. We are documenting these losses as they occur, which we believe is due to misrepresentation and slander exploited on this website. Please advise what we can do to remove this unwarranted and unsubstantiated complaint from your postings. Thank you for your prompt attention. Elaine Saunders, Director, Precision Dating 813-343-8150

I can beat all these complaints. The Detroit Great Expectations took my $3600 and went bankrupt (about 2 years ago) and I never saw a dime back and never had a single date. The website is still up and running and you can only contact a woman once and can never write her again in 3-year period? Stupid. Who is maintaining the website? What a joke. Tried to call my local News station (the all have consumers action) and they never called or wrote me back because they don't want to get involved. BBB says, they are dissolved and no chance of ever seeing any money back. Found one owners home phone number and she answered the phone all happy and said, "Hello" until I told her who I was and why I was calling and she hung up on me. Now, I belong to plenty of fish for free.

Great Expectations did not offer any help in finding love. All they offered where events that cost extra and most were geared toward women only. My bank canceled my credit card due to the recession, so I asked Great Expectations to cancel my account due to financial problems. They told me that I had to pay or be sued. The lawyers for Great Expectations have threatened me with suing and wage garnishment and threatened to take money from my checking account.

Great Expectations is represented as an upscale-dating service. Sherry informed me that they screen members very carefully and only accept certain eligible people. She told me most of the members were doctors, dentists, etc. Then she showed me many profile pictures of "members" looking to meet others. They were very attractive and had stable jobs, etc. When told of the price, I was blown away and said, "No". She kept coming back and lowering the price and told me they were giving me special offers for being a single mom, etc.

I definitely felt pressured and coerced. I reluctantly agreed to a monthly payment. Since then I have been very upset. I could not find any of the members I was shown on the website. The ones I did see did not fall under the category that was represented to me. One member even had his name in the paper for DUI records. I have tried repeatedly to contact Sherry to talk to her but I get stonewalled. The secretary Debbie will not ever put me through and tells me she is the one that handles accounts. I keep getting false excuses as to why I can't find any of these profiles on the site. Then I just was charged an additional amount for using web access from my home.

When I called and asked about this, Debbie told me I had agreed and signed for this. I told her I was definitely not told about this because I never would have agreed to this. She has been very unprofessional and rude. Again, I kept asking who else I could talk to and I was told she was the only one. I want to cancel my membership with this company. They very much misrepresent themselves and then refuse to communicate when you try to call them on it. The payment I am making is for a service that misrepresented itself. Now I am being charged an extra $20 a month for something I never was informed about or agreed to.

It was as exactly as Melissa described on this site from Springfield, Ohio: high pressure, lies, false information to make a sale, did not disclose things to be disclosed by law. She acted like the queen of the hop but was the devil in sheep's clothing. The Ohio Attorney General has 35 complaints on these people.

The main reason I'm writing this is to make aware of a new name that former members of Great Expectations are using: "Precision Dating." Just visit their site and read about their members. Some of the members still work for Great Expectations. Maybe a totally different company, but they use same techniques as listed by all the concerned customers, and I see there's a lot of them here and on other sites. After their smooth sales pitch, where I felt I was buying my self, since I believe I deserve a good partner, that was not just someone off the street, as I am an intelligent, fun, and athletic person/professional.

After signing a contract for a great sum of money, I felt uneasy and have gone online trying to find anything about Precision Dating. There's really nothing, but this company sounds exactly like what people describe here...with only 3 days to cancel.

Now, I think after all of those lawsuits, they are more careful now and do abide by state laws. So I went in to cancel the next day. It wasn't that easy, aside from the 3-day thing. They wanted to find out the "real" reason I want out and were "concerned" about me, which after reading all this, didn't affect me at all. I scheduled another appointment for the purpose of getting a written receipt of some kind that I will be getting a refund. I also sent a certified letter the next day after the contract was signed.

When I came, they were still at the sale mode, trying to work out a "one-of-a-kind lifetime deal" which I was stupid not to take. After I stood my ground and had them write a note that I will be getting a full refund, in a matter of seconds, their attitude turned from "You are a catch--handsome, honest, smart professional." to "You are a dishonest loser, and they didn't want to deal with my kind in the first place." It's kind of uncalled for from the staff. That actually was kind of funny for me, because I expected it, after reading all of these reviews!

Now hopefully, I will be getting all my money back, the full refund, since I haven't used any of their services, and I would not have to go through dispute with my credit card.

I really hope this review helps. I'm doing this, because it was hard to find any information on Precision Dating, and since this site helped me a lot, I want to help another poor soul that they prey on. This company is a predator, like another consumer here said, "They want to get your money and run." That's exactly how their contract sounds. It is not to protect you; it is to protect them. "No refund." Good luck.

I signed up with this service believing I would have pre-screened men to view and make selections from. I was pressured from the beginning, like so many other women who have listed complaints here. They show you great photos of men who are "supposedly available". Then once you are in, you find out they are not. There are an incredible amount of men who are "inactive" and cannot be chosen.

I gave it a try any way for about 3 months. It turns out to be nothing like it was represented. I also had realized that returning to the dating scene was too soon after my daughter's death and I called the office to ask about getting released from the contract. I even offered to only be released from that point forward. I was not asking for a refund.

I was offered $900 buyout. What a slap in my face. These people are scammers and take advantage of anyone who walks in the door. They are very good at what they do. Don't, I repeat don't go for it. It's not what they say it is, far from it.

Due to the death of my daughter, I have found that men aren't very open to dating someone who has lost a child. The rejection was difficult to handle and the caliber of men that was presented at the interview are just not real. I believe they are possibly using inactive or old members that look good and sound good to convince you to sign up. It made me realize I had made a mistake. I asked to be released from the remainder of contract. I was told that was not possible even after telling my story, I was given a $900 buyout deal which is not a deal. So now I'm stuck with $62 payments for 3 years. The emotional distress from this experience has made me realize that they really don't care about their members, just their money.

I have tried several online dating services, but Great Expectations has been the worst. They use a high pressure sales method. They promise a caliber of members and activities that are not true, and they do not return phone calls or emails. Stupidly I signed up for 3 years because it was to get such a "great deal. " It's been an expensive lesson. Do not join this dating service.

I moved in May 2007 from Seattle, WA to the Bay Area, CA. I just broke up with my girlfriend because of my moving for my job. So I was desperate to find another relationship very quick and I found those scammers, filthy people and organization. They are manipulative and liars, a lot of pretty girls (none of them got married or had a bf through the same organization) big red flag but I didn't even notice at that time. Also, a lot of handsome guys that will meet females. I ended up with a low class internet service after I had to pay around $1,800 plus monthly fee plus $500 for pictures. I have not even got one phone call or a date.

The good news is that I disputed all my money with American Express card after I based my dispute on the fact that: There's no written procedure or solid basis on how much someone should pay, which is a proof that you can or someone can get the same service for different price or pay and which is true and fact. So I asked the American Express and Great Expectations in my dispute this question: Show me in the contract or in any of your written document how much I should pay and that what I already paid is completely different than what I've been originally asked to pay, which means that some others might pay less or more. The good news, I got all my money back, even the $500 for the pictures.

Those cheap, filthy, manipulative workers in Great Expectation and all other names should be ashamed of themselves and the money they got out of poor, respectable, professional males and females that they only have good intentions to find a partner in their life. How come those guys think or feel any kind of satisfaction when they go to sleep every night while they rip off people everyday? Not only that, but their salaries of doing that is more than any of us. They can afford to buy very expensive cars that you will find when you go park your car in the parking lot before they ask you for your driving license and major credit card. I wish I (or someone) can start a dating service that is cheap and only with a good intention to match professional who gave up on scams everywhere nowadays. I gained back almost every dollar I spent, that was like 2.5 years ago around $2,300. I only lost 2-3 monthly fees

As I read the other horror stories, my story is the same. Deciet, verbal and emotional abuse and theft. They would not allow me to leave either until I signed every document they had. I reported to the attorney general's office as they have had many, many complaints. Guess what, the professional thiefs know what documents they need you to sign so even the Attorney General can't make them return your money.

This company should be shut down, put in jail and made to pay for all the emotional horror they have caused people. The BBB said they had an "F" rating, yet people continually get sucked in and ripped off and there is nothing anyone can do. Again the criminal gets off and the victim has to pay.

They took every dime I had. I was having a nervous breakdown at the time and very vunerable to verbal abuse. Destiny treated me with such abuse and I even asked her why she was interagating and abusing me and she said that is what they are suppose to do. I couldn't even call the office to cancel because I feared of more verbal abuse.

I called my attorney and he wrote a letter and of course Great Expecatations gave it no regard. I called my credit card company, no recourse, the attorney general no recourse. I am skrewed and big corporate america has the little man's money again by coercive behavior.

I signed up with Great Expectations on October 1, 2009. I had seen a dating service on the internet that said meet Columbus SINGLES. I put in my information and was contacted the next day about setting up an appointment to come in and be interviewed. I asked about the cost and was told that would be answered at my interview. I decided to go ahead and follow through with the interview.

My interview was two and a half hours long. I was exhausted, had broken into tears (although I hid that) and was told that the "deal" they were giving me was a now or never deal. I wasn't allowed to go home and think about it. At the time I felt the person, "Ashley", who was doing the interview was very compassionate. As I see it now, it was a very high pressure sale, with the words, "isn't it worth spending this money to find the right man. You really can't put a price on that now, can you?"

I was shown pictures of single men who were of a higher caliber than what I was used to seeing on dating sites. Not at all like what is actually on the site. I decided to give in to the high pressure sale and I signed the contract. "Ashley" watched me sign and told me what I was initialing. Unbeknownst to me, what I was initialing and what I was told were two different things.

I was told I wouldn't be allowed on the site until I had my photo session and I set that up at the "photographer's" earliest convenience, which was October 8, 2009. Another thing that was not told to me and was in such fine print that I didn't find it until a month after I was in the "service", was that I had only three days to cancel in writing my contract with Great Expectations.

I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, which has never been resolved. I also filed a complaint with the Ohio Attorney General, which nothing was done except hearing what they had to say. It has turned into a she said-she said nightmare. I do know that "Ashley" watched me sign all the areas and initial all the areas KNOWING full well that I had not read the fine print.

They made the ridiculous offer to upgrade me at no charge after I filed with the Better Business Bureau. Their offer (according to their charges) is close to a $7000.00 offer. What I am asking is for my $1795.00 to be refunded. By the time I was allowed on the site, my three days was up. I was stuck. Although they advertise "Meet Columbus SINGLES", they allow still married men to join.

When I saw how many separated men were on the site, I felt I had been duped into something I feel is very unethical.

I did some searching (something I should have done prior to even meeting with Great Expectations) and see that I am NOT the only one who feels it is a bait and switch deal. Nor am I the only one who finds their practices unethical and immoral.

I have felt a great deal of emotional pain and stress from the emails going back and forth with the Better Business Bureau being the mediator. I was pressured into signing something that I knew at the time was not right, but allowed "Ashley" to coerce me into believing that "finding the right man was priceless".

The emotional stress has greatly increased because the people who have written the Better Business Bureau have said my feelings are irrelevant. I would like to know what happened to customer service and accountability. Great Expectations advertises themselves as a dating service, yet they are nothing more than a high priced personals site. There is no service at all involved with what they do.

Great Expectations is a "take your money and run" organization. Here are the reasons I feel I should receive a full refund: 1. Misrepresentation of the members available to date in the service 2. Coercive and extreme sales tactics, including a three-hour one-on-one meeting, pressure to not leave the room or the "deal will be off" and no time to go home and think about it 3. Hidden fees: including money for additional selections tools (which are sold as the only way to select members), expensive photo sessions and more 4. Zero contact or help with membership or services. This was not offered until I wanted a refund.

When I simply called saying I realized this was not for me (after I was selected by more than 30 people I was not interested in and the people I selected don't check the service anymore) they said no refunds, no trail period and too bad. A total of $2,701 spent on something that is so closely-related to a scam.

I signed up for the service at the end of August...1) didn't know about the expensive cost of the photo shoot 2) all the people that I viewed over the last couple of months (even the new ones) did not ever change 3) anytime I tried to view a particular area such as Boca Raton, it would still give me people from the Cleveland area and 4)I have contacted my attorney and will contact the attoney general for Ohio to file a complaint.....

I was hired as Director a branch and resigned only 2 months later after finding myself not being able to sleep at night for being responsible for the unethical and immoral practices of this organization. They baxically charge whatever isw available on one's CC. If there is 1k available, then that so happens to be today's 'special'. If a big fat CC comes in with 5k or 6k available, guress what? Yes, that is what all members pay becasuse it costs what it costs for a reason. It is not meant to be cheap they say. WOW!

I joined back around Sept 2002. The set-up was very alluring. The women behind the desk were all very attractive, of course. The saleslady who baited me into purchasing the service was also attractive-very smart marketing. She delivered her sales pitch to me, feeding me bull about how attractive I was, and that I wouldn't have a problem getting a date. I was then pressured to pay around $2,000.00 right then and there-they gave me no time to even consider making a decision.I reluctantly used my debit card. This was on a Thursday, I believe. I actually called them on Sunday from work to get a refund, which they absolutely refused. They gave me some bull about Sunday not being a business day.

The photographer wanted to persuade me to buy $200.00 worth of photos-I only got the basic package which I believe was included in the service. If you wanted to go online to search for dates, it was an extra $30.00 a month, I believe. The program I joined was for 18 months. I would drive all the way from Northwest Indiana to Chicago, look through the portfolios of different members, and was allowed to choose five at a time. If the women were interested, Great Expectations would give me the phone number of the lady interested. That's it-for a little over $2,000 dollars! I received one phone number during the whole service. I never received one date.

This company is a total scam. I recently found out through my fiance that there was a class-action law suit filed against this awful company by several members. I realize that in my case, the statute of limitations is probably exceeded. I would like a full refund-this company is very unscrupulous and deceptive in its business practices. They prey on people's vulnerability, insecurities, and loneliness. In my opinion, that's about as low as you can go. If I'm not eligle for a refund, I would at least like the satisfaction of seeing this wretched company go out of business.

I signed up for Great Expectations dating service in Atlanta on 11/17/2009 and after realizing what a big mistake it was I called their office two days later on 11/19/09 and spoke to the director there and asked nicely for a full refund and was told "no way". I was charged $2500 on my credit card. I never accessed anything from their service, all i did was sign the membership agreement. I'm in the process of trying to find out the proper steps to take legal action against them in order to be refunded. I was told to make a complaint with consumer affairs.

I started reading the online reviews by past and current members of Great Expectatations and all of them were complaining how big of a scam their operation is and i agree. I felt pressured to sign as a member from their salesperson and did so against my better judgement. Being in pressured situations can often make a person make the wrong descisions and that's what happened in my case. Were all human and make mistakes, but it's not right for any organization to treat people this way. Great Expectations dating service are only interested in scamming people for their money which didn't take me long to figure out. All I want out of this is my $2500 that they got out of me. I could really use some help on what to do to get it back. Any advice or help would be appreciative.

I was horrified after reading all the complaints from everyone. I signed up this past Sat paying 2000.00 steep fee for so called professional mates. sales pitches are the same. I felt humiliated by falling into this trap. Now I don't a return phone call or email back. At this time, I don't think that I even want to go through the hassels of not getting the services that they described to be. 2000.00 tuition for a lesson learned. If something sounds to be too good to be true, you may just have to rethink about it. I did sense some red flags before the signing but stupid enough to still pursue it. I now have cancelled my credit card just for fear that more charges may show up. I have contact attorney general and will file a complaint for them to pursue the case.

I went for an interview to learn about this dating service. I was told at this interview that I would pay $29.01 a month for a one year term. I only agreed to have $29.01 taken from my checking account. Later I found they were taking $66.00 plus the $29.01 from my account. I was also told that I could cancel my membership at any time if I was not happy with the service.

This is fraud. Also there copy shows that I signed up for 3 years which I did not.

I paid $2,000 for a dating service, professional pictures and a video. The video never made it to the website and when I contacted the office they did not return my calls or emails. I went into the office and they said they would take my profile down until the pictures could be re-done and the video added to the website. They called the next week and scheduled me to have new pictures taken on Sunday, October 25th. I went to the office for my appointment and no one was there.

I have called every day and gone by the office and no one has been there at all this past week. I just tried to go to the website to contact them and my password does not work. I have called and emailed the office many times and have had no response. I think they took my money and are not providing the service as contracted.

I was pressured to join same day or "forfeit" huge discount by a Christen. Since I had no success previously with them from ('99-'01), I had written in my new contract ('08-'13) that I would get a 50% refund in 3 years if I did not have a relationship of any "substance". When I went for my photo/video shoot, I was promised a "professional" photographer on their staff. Ashley, my photographer, told me she had taken a couple of courses and my son laughs at my pictures. To re-shoot them they would charge you an additional $295!!

She then presented me with packages I could select which included the pictures and other fluff (V-pops & Membergrams) not needed. These packages of $600+ were not mentioned during my initial signing and it was implied that I had to chose one. Never was it presented that I didn't have to chose ANY of them!! Instead of prepaying for required photos every 2 years, I could've paid the $295 at the time of the shoot! And what if I met someone or got married; the prepaid photos wouldn't have been needed! I challenged the package charge on my MC but unfortunately I had signed the 2 installment MC slips. Finally, they have now CLOSED my Milwaukee office "to serve us better" and merged with Schaumburg, Illinois - 105 miles away!! Obviously, virtually nobody from the Milwaukee area is going to drive 210 miles round trip to sign up and again for the photo/video shoot. I'm out $6500 ($5900 for the 6 year membership & $600 for the prepaid package).

I went to the meeting today and spent 2 1/2 hours there. They openly asked early on how much i would spend if I could come in once a week and pick some selections. I told them that was like going to a car dealer and telling them how much you COULD spend.

When her spell wasn't working she walked to the door and opened it for me to leave. I left. I had considered "joining" in 4-6 months when it was more financially feasible, but after considering how she acted and the other complaints on here, i'm not. My grandmother is in the advanced stages of alzeheimer's and I'd rather spend money on her care and not some pretty girls commisions.

When I finally talked to them about the program they wanted me to come in for an interview. I made an appointment and then I went on line to check out the company. When I read the complaints, I began to feel very uneasy about going for the interview.

When I called to cancel the appointment Jennifer began by asking me why I could not make the appointment. I told her I was having second thoughts about the program and she said, be honest, what is the real reason you are not coming in. I told her why from the beginning and she kept trying to pressure me into making another appointment. I told her I would call to make a new appointment if I decided to pursue the program.

Then she said, be honest, you are not going to call me back. I said, since you know so much, take my name out of your database so you don't call me anymore. Then she said with a very smart attitude, why would we want to call you. That is when I ended the call. I don't need to be harrassed whenever I decide to change my mind. This company is definitely not potential customer friendly. I plan to spread the word about the treatment I received when I cancelled this appointment.

End of 2005 I had a bad experience with Great Expectation as after they "screened" me and took my 2500.00 and an extra fee if I wanted to be able to contact anyone outside of the PA area. They told me they would have to charge for the pictures they took of me as well as I could not use any of my own. That was an additonal LARGE FEE. I was quite unhappy with their services as there were very little contact options in the PA area. They implied they had thousands of people availible to be matched up with. You rarely ever saw new faces and the ones that were showing seemed to be on a hold with their status. I tried to call the company many times to complain but the only number given to me was a voice mail and it said they would contact me back and they never did. I tried to find them on line and contact them via their website and never got a response that was either. I gave up until now that I found this web page. I think they were a big scam and I think I was lied to and taken advantage of. I want to get my money back. I would like to know how to proceed.

I went in to Great Expectations, not fully aware of the broad spectrum of this company, after seeing a sign stating Single in Parker.com and checking it out. I was placed in a very small room with a woman named Sheryl who seemed pleasant enough at first. She had me watch the video and then went in to her sales pitch. After it was all said and done, an hour and a half later, I advised her that this was a great expense and I was NOT prepared to spend this much money at this time etc. She left the room, to come back with a "better deal" which I also turned down advising her specifically that I work in the mortgage industry and that I was afraid my job was not secure enough to make this type of financial obligation.

This process continued for another hour or so all the while Sheryl became less and less pleasant, at which point I began to feel as though I was never going to be able to leave this place until she got what she wanted and even though my gut was telling me this was a bad decision I agreed feeling as though I had no other choice.

I am now without a job.... as I suspected could possibly happen in this economy, I have NEVER done anything with this program even though I signed the paperwork on 05-23-09, no photo shoot, no profile, no matches but yet I have thousands of dollars in credit card debt that I am not going to be able to pay . Love is the LAST thing on my mind in these hard times and I wanted Great Expectations to be aware of what their sales people did to common every day hard working individuals just to earn a commission so I attempted to find contact information for the corporate office which doesnt seem to exist. I then emailed them at the customer service email, REQUESTING A RESPONSE and two weeks has gone by with NO RESPONSE AT ALL.

In searching for corporate contact information I found this site with these reviews, that I have decided to add to, it appears I should have done my research before even going in for a meeting with this organization.

After breaking up with my boyfriend of two years last Feb., I hastily entered into a contract with GE. Six days later my boyfriend and I re-connected, and when I called to cancel my membership, I was told I only had 72 hrs to cancel. Never was this told to me or shown in the paperwork/contract. After speaking to my sales person, I was told that "There are reasons people break-up". I was irrate! I tried to have a lawyer contact them to no avail. Jeri said that I needed to call and speak with her directly. I haven't even set up a profile or had pictures taken. NOTHING is in effect there except them taking my $80/mo. They still send me reminders to activate my profile and to have me come in for pictures, but next weekend I am moving in with my boyfriend and I don't want these letters sent to us because he will be upset that I was looking to replace him so soon after our break-up. Not only was I taken advantage of, I was insulted as well.

When I signed in good faith with GE, I was led to believe that there were alot of men in the service within my age bracket but I could not see them without first becoming a member. My saleman kept citing that the reason for this was privacy of it's GE members, as it turns out it was because there are not that many!! I felt rushed to make a decision right then and there to get that "special offer" and in hind sight should not have taken the offer but I feel that I was totally taken advantage of. Not only has my membership led to 0 dates, most of the men that I chose gave no reason or never responded what so ever - only to find out later that they had let their membership expire.

On top of all this, four months into my membership, GE closed it's office here in Jacksonville. They did not notify their members and I only found out this information when I called the office and was connected to the Orlando office which has now taken over our area. When I expressed my concerns they were nice but told me I would now be able to be connected with someone in the Orlando area. This is 2-2 1/2 hours from my house. I have zero plans to relocate and do not want to be involved in a long distance relationship. When I asked about the bi-monthly activities for their members I was told that they would not be having any in Jacksonville because it was not centrally located to the Orlando office!!

I feel that I was misled and sales pressured into joining with GE and on top of all this now they close down in Jacksonville so that the membership base will not grow. I had to pay 2414. all up front to get this "special offer" and now not only do I have nothing to show for it but not even a chance in the future because the membership base in my hometown will never grow.

I'd love to hear how anyone received any compensation from Great Expectations in the past. I understand that I had three days to cancel and get my money back but after three days the company was still here working for me - now they have up and merged with another company over 2 hours away.

This is actually written on behalf of a woman whose experience is summarized below. She is seeking corroboration, and people with similar experiences are asked to contact a number below.

K. went into Great Expectations and was persuaded to sign a contract and pay in excess of $3400. She was expressly told that she could go ahead and join but cancel her membership if she decided it was bad before coming back for actual services.

Upon leaving, she felt that she had been skillfully manipulated and did a bit of research, finding overwhelming negative information about Great Expectations nationwide and specific to this office. She learned of 29 complaints with the Better Bus Bureau in nearby Charlotte and quickly found over 40 on the internet. She contacted Great Expectations with her concerns and her worst fears were confirmed in their response, particularly due to denials as to what she knew she had been told.

Ultimately, Great Expectations agreed not to further charge her credit card, since she had obtained no service at all, but then a couple months later they did. They said this was an accident, reversed it, and then a couple months later did it again.

We are actually looking for corroboration from people told things that Great Expectation has denied. If you have such corroboration, please contact an attorney and friend of K who is helping her. Ask for J.M. Aberman at 800 247-9870. Your information will be confidential, unless you agree otherwise.

I am very disappointed in this service. I feel as if I was lied to and tricked into signing up with promises that didn't exist.

My biggest disappointment was with the men that were not ready to date. I was selected by several men and did go on a few dates. The topic of Great Expecations and their experience did come up. More than 2 men shared with me that while in the sales portion of the interview, they told the sales personnel that they were not ready to date, because of various reasons. These 2 men both were currently going through a divorce! But they said that the sales people were lowering the price just so that they would join. Whether they were "ready" to date or not.

I also voice my opinion about my unhappiness with the service and was spoken to by the manager at the Phoenix office. She was completely unprofessional and rude. I asked for my account to be put on an inactive status. Since this conversation 1 1/2 months ago, I have received 23 phone calls from the account services demanding money from me. Great Expectations never put my account on inactive, therefore the credit company is demanding the "late" money. The credit company stated to me, that Great Expectations still has yet to notify them that my account is inactive. I have contacted them several times, and do not get a response.

Among these issues were several other "promises" that never happend, or we're not kept. This is a horrible service.

they went on and on about their successes, who supported their efforts, and all that happy stuff.

oh, i have called, and written, and they are QUICK to get back with me, with ideas of how i can increase my chances of success. interestingly, tho, EACH one would require MORE money. and each time they told me that i just needed to bide my time, as the one for me may not have joined yet. and here i sit. i have not been chosen even once. most of the time, if i select someone, the selections stays open for months with no response, showing rudeness and a lack of manners. people i would be proud to represent. not.

i have also found out that i paid MUCH more than anyone else i have talked to.

i am totally totally unsatisfied with the pie in the sky that was given in their rush to sell presentation.

I met someone through GE and am very happily married. My membeship expired two years ago. I asked them to take down my profile repeatedly- via emails and phone calls. I still get emails that "Ken in Long Island", etc. is interested in me. I am very upset that there are men out there who think I am too rude to respond! I do not even remember my password to get on the site to somehow communicate with them that I am not actualy available!

I have submitted a complaint against Great Expectations in the recent past. However, I am happy to report that this past week, Great Expectations reimbursed me the full amount of my contract, $1295. Thank you for providing soap box.

As a former employee with GE- check with your local state agency or BBB- some states have a 3 day right to resend. Meaning you have 3 business days to change your mind. They can also issue the charge back to your credit card immediiately while you wait but the bank may take 4-6 days to return to money to your account.

Becare and remember you don't need a service to help you find the right one for you... you need to believe in yourself, hold your head high, maybe work on your appearance if you think you need to and it will happen. I promise it will.

Sorry for your troubles....

I signed a contract on 4/25 for $1295. I returned home and realized I could not afford this so I called Kristin B on 4/27 after work at 5:20 pm and told her I would have to cancel the contract. I asked her what I should do to complete the cancelation and she told me nothing, that she would handle it. I did write her a letter and sent it the next day, confirming our phone conversation.

When My Visa bill arrived the charge was there so I called her again but was not able to reach either her or a supervisor so I left her a message. Citi agreed to remove the charge and begin an investagation. I thought GE would say there had been an error and all would be fine. Last Monday I received word from Citi stating I had lost my dispute. Included was a letter from GE stating they had never received a phonecall from me retracting my contract, neither had they received a letter. What a shock! My credit number is 850 - I have never had a problem like this.

I am 72 years old and though I work full time I am still living on a limited income. If it was not for my strong faith and good friends I would feel even worse than I do. I have written to the BBB and Ohio Attorney General and am repealing my dispute findings. When I found this website of GE complaints I was disheartened.

i felt like i was pressured into taking their dating products they pulled a credit checked on me without my permission they told me that they were going to pull a back ground check but not a credit beuru. They also promised me there were lots of guys my age on the program but wouldnt let me see any prospects until i joined once i joined there arent any males my age. they also said they did lots of group activies but didnt say that you had to pay extra for each event. I was also pressured into buying a photo package and online memo package but wasnt told that the online was extra each month so i paid for a package i cant use. they were very pushy. I feel they used my loneliess against me to make me buy their product

I told her I was old-fashioned and would probably not be selecting men but that they would have to select me first. She said that was all right. I paid $6995 + $200 photos + $20 per month for the online. I said this was quite high a price, she said to find quality men, paying about $150+ per month for 3 years. She went on to say her mother had met a well to do man who now does not work and plays tennis in Florida. I being about the same age as her would have no trouble meeting my former husband. hmm She selected 5 possibles and i saw their pics and chose 2. She showed them my pic and one chose me. I said yes to meet him and he called and never made a date.

I got selected by a man from the Ft. Worth center, said he was former Pentagon engineer. Wouldn't come to downtown to meet me for lunch or dinner. He was retired. i happened to be going to Arlington, not far from him, so I told him that. He said come on over and we'll meet at an art fair and then you can come spend the nite in my 1 bedroom apt. and you can sleep on my bed and I'll sleep on the sofa. I'll take you to breakfast. I said NO. I told one of the GE employees who said that was bad and I told her to tell Stefanie and Stefanie said she was never told. I gave her the creep's name.

I got selected by a 74 retired mechanic, a 52 welder who was in between jobs, and I did go out with both because I thought here these men have paid big bucks the least I can do is accept a few dates. WEll, then i got selected from a guy named Bruce, college graduate, UT electrical engineer, former Special Forces, shot in the stomach in Vietnam, working on the new World Trade Centers design, in NYC. Wow!, even though he was significantly overweigt, I agreed to meet him at an exclusive steak place in Plano. We met, I told him I was just back from Madrid and London. He said oh, maybe I can get us tickets to the Laker game in LA and maybe go on a crusie. OH? He asked for breakfast the next day, and then I had to leave for Wisconsin the next day. Got an e-mail from him saying he loved me.

Then another saying his mom had died. I called him. Said his mom had had a reverse mortgage, he'd been living with her because of her age, but that he had had a large fancy home in Plano. I believed him. He said funeral was on FRiday when I was returning to Dallas. On Monday, I asked him for dinner, he felt bad, when I was in his new truck, I saw an IRS large white envelope and I saw the address. (I'm former IRS Revenue Agent) He held my hands at dinner and said he had something to tell me. That his ex-wife had not filed tax returns from 1997-2004. I said really? He explained he was made to think he had filed. hmm I reminded him that I was former IRS and still an enrolled agent and told him because of me 2 men went to Prison, one was an emergency room doctor. He stared. We finished dinner and i said let's have dinner at my place on Wednesday. He said no I have to go to NYC. I called him on Wed. and he didn't answer phone or texts.

I researched the address on the IRS envelope and I believe it was his mom's address. I asked my son to do a background check. My son said, Mom, that guy has more flags than the UN! from IRS to contractors plus, he just got divorced this year and not 4 years ago like he said. So I was furious and wrote to Stefanie and told her and she looked into it and said she was upset with the guy and was going to call him. I blasted her and said I wanted a Refund and she said I couldn't get it back.

She had told me they performed criminal and financial background checks, why was this loser on their site? She said that they only performed criminal checks. I know I had told her that my second husband was a college educated, financial loser and that was why I was hoping to avoid. Then I told her I'd gone out with the other losers and she blasted me for going out with them but I said how could I not after they have spent money like me?

Well, another member, Asian younger lady that I met also paid the big bucks like me. We figured maybe not everyone pays the same because the two blue collar guys drove poor looking cars. She said one of her dates had told her some things and she figured the men don't pay as much as the women. GE tries to have a large amount of men but they are not necessarily "secure or educated" as they claim. I had a date 2 weeks ago and the man came out and told me that he had paid a lifetime membership of $750! Some years ago. So GE targets those who make a good salary and gets the most out of them and then gets the rest of the members just to have bodies but who are not "quality" type of members. GE told my Asian friend that there were a good number of Asian men but she has only met one.

I told Stefanie I was seeking an attorney. She responded that she had a selection of 5 more men. They all were more elderly and not attractive and not worth my time. I selected one and he said he was not interested. It's a ripoff. They wouldn't let me browse thru the online to even canvass the population when they were pressuring me to sign that nite. If I could have browsed thru, I would have seen their backgrounds and noticed that there were a great deal who had no college or were not viable candidates. She wouldn't let me sign for a year or less. That date of mine said they let him sign up for months and then they'd press him to sign for more. It's not fair!

The 74 year old man didn't even own a cell phone! I figured he didn't have the money to sign like me for we met at a McDonald's. I have a mortgage to pay and other bills. Now my office is perhaps going to be downsized after our meeting last week and I'm paying for a worthless dating site.

Wow, I can't believe what I am hearing. I have not gone in to take my photo yet but after reading all of this, I don't want to. Now I see why the sales lady rushed the heck out of us. They give you a distracting form that requests info such as who you are, what you are looking for, etc., at the same time they put they pull out the contract. She told me and another guy that she was pushed for time and that she had another group of people that she had to do because she was the only person available.

My question is why are there different prices for everyone? How did they determine the annual percentage rate if my credit is frozen. I just notice that my amount is slightly higher than she stated. I am angry at myself for letting my guards down and signing something without reading it. I was tricked.

I was coerced into joining after being married for 15 years. I was told this was the only secure dating service and all members were screened. I would meet great professionals in a safe environment. After 1 month there was nothing but nerds and losers. Where were the goodlooking professional men in tthe photos all around the office? I sent a letter saying I no longer wanted to be a member but was told I couldn't cancel and I still had to pay the $5,000 fee. Yes! $5,000! I stopped paying and am now being sued.

Misled to join a dating service pitched to me as professionals such as "doctors and lawyers" and "I already have 5 men in mind for you".

My results:

. It is revealed after I signed the contract that to use the website I must pay an additional $20 per month "GE Online" fee.

. Zero dates.

. The "doctors" and "lawyers" members all have an "inactive" status - ostensibly "already successfully matched". You cannot filter out the inactive profiles while browsing members.

. I was told that if a member declines my invitation to meet, they a) must respond within 30 days and b) must provide a reason why. Of the 8 members I selected, one has not replied for over 30 days, two replied with "Other" or "Without Reason", three gave a legitimate reason, and one accepted.

. The one that accepted is unemployed, is likely disabled, speaks with a heavy eastern European accent, and desperate to meet "a lovely woman".

. Three members have selected me. One that I accepted (which reveals your contact information) has never contacted me. The other two I declined - one because of age (was 20 years my senior and wears a bad hairpiece) and the other as "not my type" (video revealed some very odd physical mannerisms)

. The website does not work on a mobile internet connection (aka Blackberry).

In or about late May early June 2009 I visited the Roslyn office of GE to get information on the services available by GE. I met with Ruth who advised me there were many perks to being a member including, but not limited to, background searches, matches would be based on my specific criteria, and that there were social events that would double the contacts of possible matches.

After I was told the cost of the services, I explained to Ruth that I was not able to extend myself being a single mother and having a daughter entering college this fall. Ruth then told me that she would offer me a three month plan with three months free for $1,495, and that I could pay that sum over the 6 month period. This amount included the photo session and video but I would have to pay the $500 up front in order to cover the costs of the photographer. On or about June 9, 2009 I contacted Ruth and told her I wanted to become a member of GE, and gave her my credit card information in order for the $500 initial payment to be made and scheduled an appointment for June 20, 2009 to have my pictures taken and video made.

After the photos were done, the photographer told me that only 3 pictures are provided to members and there is an additional charge to have 5 pictures posted, but Ruth was giving me all 5 pictures as a courtesy. She also told me not to discuss any details of my Contract or price with anyone. From this statement, it was obvious that the fees are varied based on an individuals financial ability, not the pricing schedule first presented, and that GE wishes to keep quite that someone was given a better deal since high-pitch selling was a strong point looking to get the most from those willing to pay.

Upon leaving the girl at the desk asked me to sign a document which she said was an authorization for the payment of the $500 which was dated June 9, 2009. I signed this on June 20, 2009 NOT on June 9, 2009. I was told at that time that the events were not included in the membership, that they were extra and would require additional payment if you wished to attend any of the functions. I was also advised that I would not become active on the website for at least 3 days.

On or about June 23, 2009 I became activated on their website and on June 26, 2009 I called GE to advise that I did not wish to be a member since I was completely dissatisfied and this was not what I had anticipated. The girl who answered the phone told me that cancellation was not an option. I called back and left a message for Kara, who I was advised was a Director.

There is nothing extraordinary that I am receiving from GE and I have not contacted any member, nor have I communicated with any member since activation.

I advised Kara that I had filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and that I would be disputing any further charges made to my account by GE.

It has been the delay on the part of GE as well as the deception of backdating my Contract that has left me with no option of cancellation when in fact, I did not execute the Contract until June 20, 2009 and not activated until June 23, 2009. It is very unfair to take away the right of cancellation before you even get to use the service. How can you make a determination as to how you feel about a service without getting any hands on of it? I do not believe that the service of GE is worth the extraordinary high fees charged. All that I have been given is the complete and utter run around and blind sided into payment of exorbitant fees for a service I would classify as a glorified match.com.

I was told during the "sales pitch" that these clients were strictly professionals, and that the photographer was also a "professional", and that "Oh! I know the PERFECT guy for you April!" etc,etc. I also had so many hrs to get out of my contract, but at the time hadn't realized that I would not have access to the website until way after that period had passed. When I was finally able to view and read profiles, I soon discovered that several of these clients were either "inactive" or far from professional!

When I was taping my video, I was told that we only had one try, and felt that if I didn't like it, then I was out of luck. It was not my best pose or posture, and if she had been professional, she would have noticed and posed me accordingly. I was never told until after pmt. was made and processed and time limit passed, that I would have to pay a large fee for ANY changes or extra pictures...for instance, I was under the impression that if I decided I didn't care for my pic (the one she talked me into) originally chosen, then I could not change it to one of the 4 others taken.

I paid $2,400 for this "service" which has resuted in 0 dates. I attempted to contact 2 clients, and heard nothing back (not their (GE) fault, of course) and had several attempt to contact me, most of whom I had no desire to meet for different reasons not excluding the fact that most were not "professionals". When I was ready to allow one who "hit" on me to contact me, it never happened, leaving me wondering if any of this was for real! I e-mailed the co. and asked them to please delete all of the clients I had no desire to meet, and they refused. I asked them to delete the 2 men from whom I had no response from for a few months, and they never did. I asked them about the person who was trying to contact me and they gave me the runaround. I was also led to beieve that they would have events in my area (monterey, Salinas) and there have been none.

I posted a complaint about my experience with Great Expectations of Fort Mill, SC on September 10, 2008. At this time I am unable to access any of the complaints previously posted about Great Expectations.

At this time, I'd like to update my prior posting about my dispute with GE.

My dispute with Great Expectations of Fort Mill, SC has been resolved and GE and I have reached a mutually agreeable settlement that does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing on GE's part.

You must pay to see other members out of your area, you pay to be able to send instant messages. I read reviews about GE saying the same thing but they called again and told me I should at least come in and see what they had to offer. I am less than 30 days into a 3 year contract and am not able to get out of it without it being placed on my credit report as an outstanding debt. Everyone was really nice and everyone seemed to have met their mate with the service. I would like more than anything to get out of the contract and not use the service again. This is why they make you sign for three years. They make a commission on each sign up. I paid $200 for a photography service, it was nothing more than one of the clerks with a digital camera and the same program I use at home. They said my pictures have to updated every two years and they cost over $300.

I have been taken in the worst way and have asked for my money back.

I will be out of close to $3000 and I will not be using the service. There is no way to get out of the contact unless you get married. I am being asked to take days off per month so this is a financial strain especially since this is a service I am surely unable to use. I will gladly forfit the down payment and first month. I am only wanting to not be responsible for the next three years of paying because they have not provided the promised products

Unfortunately I too fell for their presentation and ended up never using the service at all. Much to my chagrin, they've been charging me...TWO charges in the same day, and they will NOT refund me, nor tell me what this is for. The cost of the service never used (over $1000) and monthly charges. They do NOT work in good faith.

I filled out an inquiry on the web site singlesover50.org and later in the day received a phone call from Great Expectations. I don't find anything on the web that connects these two but they are connected.

I am a member of the Great Expectations Center in Richmond, VA and wanted to express concerns I have with the operation. When I was in my initial sales meeting I was told things that later turned out to be untrue and I think its really bad business that this sales team is selling a product that they are not delivering.

In my initial meeting I was told that everything was included in the membership cost only to later find out that the initial price was for the bare minimum package. The sales rep made claims that as a member I would be have free trips available to me through Club 1 which is a blatant misrepresentation of the truth.

Additionally, as they tell everyone, I was told that a GE rep would be making suggestions for contacts and working with me through the process. After 3 months as a member that has not happened at all. They promote various social events as being part of what makes GE different but they do not disclose that there are additional costs for the social events. The sales reps do everything they can to make you think all costs are covered in your membership cost. In my experience and in the experience of others I have talked to, the sales reps use high pressure, coercive sales tactics, misrepresentations and other deceptive practices to sell an expensive service that comes with no actual service.

Further, they have misrepresented that they have conducted a criminal background check on all of its members when actually they are conducting an unauthorized credit check.

I have talked to other members in the Richmond center and they have all expressed similar dissatisfaction because they were sold something they are not getting also. For the sales team to have to lie to people to get them to sign up its an indication that what they are providing does not warrant the cost.

I know that recently 3 states have sued Great Expectations for misrepresentation, violating consumer fraud laws, and unfair trade practice laws. This operation should be looked into for similar violations misrepresenting the costs and other key elements of their services. If necessary, I can provide a list of other people who would express the same dismay at this operation and the blatant lies told in the sales process regarding their membership benefits.

I responded to an ad in the local paper for singles interested in dating. I made an appointment with Kelly, a very dramatic, high pressure sales person. She represented that her agency was flooded with eligible men, all background checked, in my age classification of 55-65. At some point in the conversation she told me that she had a particular gentleman in mind (who responded negatively when approached). She assured me that they have thousands of eligible men to meet and date in my grouping and began a very high pressure sales tactic. She insulted me into signing an agreement or contract, which the company failed to perform in any manner.

When I contacted her again she did not respond for a lengthy time. After two more calls and an email, she sent an email accusing me of not doing my part. This is completely false, as she selected one individual, her staff Heather and Jaclyn selected another and both responded not interested. Additionally Kelly promised me local residents and no visitors only, which turned out to be completely false. Then I received an invitation to a speed dating possibility at an additional fee, with no idea of who attendee groups (age classifications) would be present.

Finally, it turns out that this is great expectations operating as that and "Precision Dating". I contacted at least six other "potential" dates. Each was either inactive or not interested. Finally, one person who lives in Manasquan, NJ expressed interest but does not even live here in my region. Then Peter expressed interest in me and telephoned my message center. He sounded nice but when I returned the call, he said his name is "Steve". the voice and the telephone number I called were correct but this was most certainly peculiar, to say the least.

At $4,000 a clip, I have done all that I am supposed to have done and not one individual has been produced. GE or Precision Datiing, or whoever these people really are, have totally failed to perform the numerous promises the saleswoman promised. Far from Utopia of dating, this is not a single individual to acually meet or date. NO THANKS!

I both telephoned Heather and emailed Kelly to the effect of the above mentioned matter and Kelly, said I should know better, read the contract, they needed produce and I need to pay. That is NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. I contacted my credit card company to dispute the charges on the grounds that they have a complete failure to perform. Additionally, they promised a professional photographer which was another untruth. Not one thing Kelly said to me has proven to be true, except that she wants to enforce this one way contract.

I love the great expectations in Houston, i have become a member and have had many great dates with professional and educated women. they are individually owned and not the franchised branch, My brother met his wife at the Houston great expectations and they have opened a practice together and are planning a wedding in the fall.

I meet w/ Andrea H. at Great Expections in Overland Park, KS. in March '09. Upon arriving I was not really sure what to expect. I was giving a very well thought out sales pitch that I believed. Unfortunately, I fell into their trap. I was told that there were thousands of members and that I have a great chance of meeting someone. I signed the $2,795 contract. After going home and thinking about it I called and left a message for Andrea. After a couple of days she returned my call and being in the fragile emotional and confused state I was in I decided to go ahead and give it a try. I had an appointment to come back in to get my picture taken. I was told by Andrea that the pictures were from a professional photographer which is not true. My pictures were taken and digitally uploaded to the computer, definitely not professional pictures.

Once my picture was taken then my membership started. I was able to log in to the website and see other members. My first log in I was very dissappointed. Most members were inactive and/or live in another state. I was misled on the number of members that were available. After two weeks and realizing I paid $2,795 that I can not afford anyway I called Andrea to cancel. We set up a meeting to talk I told her that I could not afford the service and would like to cancel. She cancelled my monthly membership dues but since I had used the membership I can not get a refund of my $2,795. After pleaing with her she said she will talk to the mananger and she what she can do.

I called her a couple of weeks later to check the status she told me I could not get a refund because I have used the membership. I again told her I could not afford the service and that I don't feel that I have "used" the membership and would like a refund. She told me she would again talk to the manager and get back with me.

A week later she emailed me that there will not be a refund. I feel that I have not "used" the membership and was misled regarding potential male members. Andrea also told me that the cost I paid $2,795 has been used on my pictures and membership. I know this is not true. I was in a fragile emotional and confused state when I signed this contract. I still can't believe I signed the contract!

I lost my husband to a brain tumor in Sept. 2004. I decided it was time to start dating. I searched the internet for speed dating. I found a form to fill out for Great Expectations. I filled it out. A day or two later I got a call from them. They said that they didn't usually sign people up that live more than 90 miles away. I live about 120 miles away. She said to come in anyway for an interview. I went in and it was rush from the time I entered their office.

I filled out a form and then they took me into a back office. They set up a video to watch. When it was done Isabell came in to explain about the program. She brought in some profiles of men to look at. She was constantly in and out. She then brought in paperwork with three packages on it. The lowest was for about $1300.00. That was a one year. The second package was for $2777.00. Total amount with finance charges is $3,683.72. The Third package was for $7,600.00 approximately. She asked me if I could put $1,000.00 down. I told her I couldn't afford that. She asked if I had a major credit card. I told her no. She then asked me how much I could put down. I told her no more than $200.00. She then asked me how much I could pay per month. I said no more than about $100.00. She then came back in with paperwork all filled out for three years at $2,777.00, with the grand total being $3,683.72.

She kept distracting me with various things like profile examples and profiles of other men. She said that they had about 2500 members and they had a lot of men in my age range. She then took my $200.00 down, left the room and then came back and said she needed $9.00 for taxes on my down payment. She left again, came back and said she made a mistake, she needed $9.00 more for taxes. I never heard of paying taxes up front on a down payment. That should have been included in the total amount due. She proceeded to tell me to sign in different places. She even brought in a little yorkie to distract me.

When I was done signing the paperwork, she said that she hadn't eaten and she needed to eat because she has hypoglycemia. She was trying to get me out of there. Then they told me I had to make another appointment to have my pictures taken and take a video. I made another appointment and had my pictures taken and found out that they needed $40.00 for that and if I wanted to have them on a disc, I would have to pay another $216.00. So I paid her. Then the girl who took the pictures told me she had another person coming in for pictures. I would have to hurry and leave.

A girl then took me into the library. The library did not look like they had 2500 members. She told me I would have to come in once a week to view the profiles to stay active. I told her I couln't do that because I live too far away. She proceeded to show me how to go on line to the program. She then said she would give me a password so I could access the program. Then she said that I would have to pay $60.00 just to get on the internet. Then she said that I would have to pay $21.80 per month after that to stay on the internet. But I would have to pay up front $60.00 plus three months worth of $21.80 up front which came to a total of $130.80 more. I told her that it had better not cost me any more money, because I didn't have it.

Then when she took me into do the video, I expected to have to pay more money. That didn't happen. I feel that I have been scammed. I was high pressured, rushed and didn't get the package that I had requested. Since then, I have contacted a tv station because I found out that 34 other people were also scammed. I also contacted the Attorney General's office. I just got an answer back from them. They said they had sent a letter to Great Expectations Dating Service and they had replied back with a response that was not true. They said that I had picked the three year package, but I did not. I picked the cheaper one year. In their response, they said that the three year was the cheapest. It is not. The Attorney General's office is not going to do anything. They have closed my file.

I have been in the program since Feb. 20, 2009. I have not gotten any responses from anyone to meet. I picked one man who responded that I was too far away. I believe that I will not meet anyone. I also picked another man that has not responded from the time that I signed up. Most of the men in my age range are inactive. I have been in contact with three of the thirty-four complaints, and they also would like something done. The high amount of money paid is just for the interview and for nothing else. After the high pressure, distractions and being rushed out the door, I didn't have time to even contemplate whether I wanted to do this. I don't feel very good about this. It was my first time in getting out into the world again and I was stupid. If you could be of some help I would appreciate it. If you need to get in touch with the other three people that I met, who also got scammed, I have their e-mail addresses. Thank you for your time.

I am on a set income and I don't have that kind of money just to hand over to someone for absolutely nothing in return. It's going to take me three years to pay this off. And all I want is out of my contract. I don't even care if I get the money back that I have paid into it already. I have only made one payment so far. I had paid money into a down payment and pictures and internet access, but I don't care if I get that back. I just want out of the contract so I don't have to pay anymore money. They sold their contract to Universal Account Servicing, LLC, St. Joseph, MO 64502-0147.

Just wanted people to know that Great Expectations of Austin has changed it's name to Connections Dating. This company still practices and operates exactly like Great Expectations. All that has changed is the name. If you are having trouble connecting to your account, you were not notified about the change. Good luck.

This is a consumer complaint: Great Expectations, which is a dating service located in Glen Allen, Va (Richmond Virginia center). This company is a ripoff for people that are expecting to meet someone. They promise you much and you receive nothing for the money that they charge you. I was charged $3,894.00 for a 3 year contract, plus a monthly membership fee of $29.08. They promised emails - I never received any emails for the first few months, I was contacted only a couple of times by representatives at Great Expectations.

I started making calls in regard to the membership and they still kept making false promises in regard to meeting someone. Plus when I told them that I wasn't receiving emails, not once did they check to see if they had my correct email address. I chose a few men, not once did ever anyone choose me. I realize that it takes time, but this is ridiculous. They told me that I could redo my interview, which would result in more cost to me. I told them that I had paid them enough money. All in all I paid $3,894.00 plus about $475.00 for extra monthly dues for nothing.

I had the monthly dues stopped in November 2008 temporarily and then decided to stop it completely in February 2009. I no longer pay monthly dues, because it just wasn't worth the headache anymore. But I am still our almost $4,500.00 to credit card company to my dismay. This company is a total rip-off with all the money they take from individuals. Plus they say that I cannot recover any of this money, because I signed a contract. Please be careful if you know of anyone who wants to sign up with this singles dating service.

There is something else. The last person that I dealt with at the company has a young child that knows one of my family members. This child told my family member that her mother told her that I (the member) was always complaining about the company and that I was not a good client. You know when a person pays good hard earned money for a service, one expects results. Plus an employee of a company has no business going home and discussing personal business of clients with her child. That is an invasion of privacy and should be considered a Breach of Contract.

The consequence is that I still have half of the contract amount to pay off and I have received nothing for the money that I payed in the service. I would like to have someone contact me, so this could be discussed in further detail, because I would like to talk to someone in regard to this.

I entered into a Contract dated 8/24/07 for dating service -- I paid them $4000! I went to the group in Summit, NJ, which apparently is not doing business now. They did not keep their side of bargain/contract. Their side was not upheld because the Summit group did not keep the office staffed - no phone service - no service regarding dating service. I feel entitled to a majority of the money back. I spent $4000 for 2 years service & realized about 2 months service.

lost $4000 - less the two months I used the service

I have a complaint about a company in Jacksonville and am appalled at the way I am being treated. I met with Ed Allen of Great Expectations (Jacksonville, FL 32216) on March 3rd to discuss the dating service they had to offer. The initial price was over $5,000, so I declined. He continued with his sales pitch...lowering the price several times. When I continued to decline his offer, he explained that they were desperate for female members as they had 7,000 male members in their bank and only 3,000 female members. While he lowered the price considerably to $1414.85, it was still a very expensive service to be lied to.

Before the service is activated, a photo shoot must be scheduled. The earliest available appointment was March 13. The contract states that the consumer may cancel the contract within 3 business days of signing, but I did not have an opportunity to view the service or see that I was lied to. Upon the first day of activation, March 16, I immediately called to cancel due to the number of members and quality of members online. There were only a few hundred, which included every age range...no where NEAR 7,000! Not to mention that I was promised that the majority of the members were business owners and financially stable/successful people...also not the case.

When I left messages and sent emails without a response, I turned to the BBB for help. Once this complaint was filed, I finally received a call from Ed Allen. He was extremely irrate and yelling on the phone. I politely requested to have a manager present for the discussion as I felt he was acting unprofessionally and being extremely offensive. He said he was the manager (although his business card only states Membership Consultant. Since this is a national company, I asked for the next highest level - a Regional Manager. He claimed to be that individual as well. Then he told me I could call the BBB, American Express...whoever I wanted - I was NOT getting any money back.

$1414.85 membership fee.

Great Expectations (GE) made a lot of promises they never got delivered.

It became increasingly obviouse that GE checks credentials to find out if potential members have $$$ to pay for privledge of being on the GE site. The men that have contacted me have been a major disappointment and in many cases a joke. One guy could barely speak and it seemed like he was on drugs or something.

I went on zero dates through GE for over two years!

GE also told me when signing up a a GE would be opening in San Antonio in a few months - that has not happened. Another false expectation.

I joined in August of 2006 and wrote them to cancel my membership in November of 2008. Boom, they just dropped me off the website, no reply email -- nothing! When I wrote GE I did tell them I thought they are frauds.

I was ripped off. They got me enrolled in a 10 months package of $128 each payment monthly. I later realised that it is a scam but it was too late. The contract says that i should get it cancelled within 3 days of enrolling but in reallity they allowed me to access their website and database of members only after i had my pictures taken. My pictures were taken 2 weeks after i enrolled then i was given access to their website and database of other members. How could i had cancelled the membership within 3 business days when i couldn't even start using the service untill 2 weeks. I was fooled this way.

I am a male and i contacted 20 females out of which 12 rejected me and the other 8 didn't even care to login and see my profile just to reject also. I felt that this way i am not going to get a good famale companion so i called GE and told them that i don't want to continue with their services but to hear that i am already in contract and there is no backoff. I feel i did a big mistake but it was too late.

My first day at GE, i was brainwashed by their colorfull and slippery language. Unfortunately i fell into their trap. I have payed 2 installments up till now and have to pay another 8 more. I want a refund back and want to get way from this trap unharmed i mean without destroying my credit history.

I basically am a genuine and honest guy and i don't deserve to be treated this way.

In 2007 I contacted Great Expectations and went to my meeting with Robin. I signed the contract and paid $2500.00. I was not worth the money, (no people in my area, and they were not the caliber of people GE claimed I would find on the site) but I had signed the contract. I meet someone not through GE but keep paying the monthly fee until the year was up; I only paid for a year membership. I called repeatedly and mailed several letters stating I did not want to continue with their service since my year was up. No one would return my phone calls then I got the letter in the mail that they had filed for Bankruptcy.

I never heard from anyone associated with GE until December of 2008. I had been turned over to collections for the changes they continued to bill me for after I had asked for them to stop and they had gone bankrupt. I then found out that the Vienna location had been bought by a company out of Kansas using the GE name. I called and told them what had happened and they stated they would take care of it. I was still getting calls from the collection agency so I called back, the woman Ashley said it should have been taken care of and would make sure this time it was done for good.

So again I did not pay the balance. Well this Alternative Recovery Management Company is now calling, harassing and treating me to pay the balance. So I made one last call to the new owners of GE and Ashley no longer works there, they can not find my file and basically said there was nothing they could do to help me. So because I believed this new company was going to help me I did not pay the money and it is now on my credit report and has dropped my score. I am kicking myself for being so trusting; this was a complete rip off.

I have a personal experience with Great Expectations after spending too much money to join,.....after their dishonest implicationsts of what their service can provide. If you are a bright, attractive, honest women making a good salary......steer clear of this crowd. All they want is your credit car #. If you are not,....please ladies, beware. We all want love...I'm here to warn you to steer cleer of this. I wished I checked the web before I joined this.....then learned later of others' experiences. Please beware. It cost me a bundle, and I would not recommend it to the guys or gals checking this out. We may miss a few great men in the process, but I feel I am doing the right thing by warning all.

Well, I didnt' find this site till someone at work said, good thing you didn't give them a penny. Cause I said to them Love is free...why would i ever pay $9000 DOLLARS for a service where i can find men by myself. i am a very attractive person. All i wanted to do was do speed dating thing. Thats when Lori Called me just to do an interview. That was all!

Then this lady named Angie sits me down pushing me to pay them today! I didn't have that kind of money to put up front. So, I told them I had to go to work. And got out quick! And it was kind of odd that when they do a background check on you that, she came back in less than 5 min. It takes longer than that cause I know! Please people love is free so don't pay a dating service to do it for you.

My experience about the first-day visit and before is no different than all of you. In short, I was called multiple times before the appointment, was NOT given any idea of the subscription fees, and then during the visit they wasted 2 hours of my time with all the sales pitch. When I refused to join them, the representative made a RACIST comment -- as to how cheap we asians are. I didn't have the sense to react at that point (perhaps for good reasons), but I am furious now, and am planning to take some legal action. My mistake was that I gave in too much personal information (SS#, DL, real name, emotional background) BEFORE I saw the fees (which makes it an obvious SCAM). But, luckily, in my case, there has not been any monetary loss. Else, I would have ripped them apart (legally).

SUGGESTION: This part is more important. Other than just complaining and recovering the money (of course), we should blame ourselves (me included) for our stupidity and think of ways of GETTING BACK at them. I am seriously thinking of doing that. I will contact them with a false name etc., chat on phone for hours (just for fun, badger them with questions to embarrass them), set up appointments (at very inconvenient times), and NOT SHOW UP. Of course, eventually, I will show up and be very smart about the whole thing (ask THEM questions, not give my ID etc until I see the fees numbers, then walk away rudely, make insulting comments on what they are doing etc.). I certainly have time on hand and I will get back to them in their own game.

Angie debited my account for $169.85 as an initial start up fee.well before my 3rd day. i changed my mind and didnt want to be a member. i signed on jan.15 2009. decided to cancel on the 17th. i called and of course angie wasnt in (yea right). the lady cancelled my photo shoot right there. so i kept calling for the next 5 days till angie finally decided to return my call. i did cancel my memnbership within the 3 day period after i signed.

it is now feb.15 2009. i still have not recieved my money back. i would like some advice in this matter. should i get my lawyer on the case or what? the reason i cancelled my membership is that ive heard alot of bad things about that place and i wasnt going to waste thousands of dollars on a dating place that doesnt have that good of a reputation. all i want is my money bac because i did cancel within the 3 day window. it is not my fault that Angie didnt return my call till 5 days after the fact. i will try to get in touvh with Lori ASAP since she is the main manager but as of reading all the other comments on this page she doesnt have a good rep either.

Great Expectations Dating = Maitland, Fl. My scenerio is the same as all the numerous complaints filed online that I just read about this company' it appears the state of Florida has no regardfor its citizens as the business stays open and prays on people looking for a relationship. 3 or 4 states have shut them down due to complaints. I want my money back because I was raped by Lori and Great Expectations, and no one cares. Not attorney generals office, or BBB on Dept of consumer affairs, we are all voicing serious complaints but they stay open and our frusterations fall on deaf ears.

I paid $4795 for membership wth Great Expectations & wish I checked this site before committing. Like the others found out afterwards I could only cancel with Loir who conveniently was not in on the 3rd contract day. I discovered like the others,additional cost of $240. for home internet, $20. a month with a 6 mo. min. The committment. My list of dissatisfied reasons go on and on. I was basically told your screwed. They misrepresent themselves, and integrity is not one of their virtues. I am livid.

Wow! Thanks to everyone who posted here--you saved me money, hassle and heart-ache. I'm very sorry for all your losses, financially and emotionally. After reading your reviews, I promptly called the woman I was about to meet for my initial appointment with Great Expectations and told her what I read and to never call again. She tried to transfer me to a manager, but I promptly hung up! My suspicions came when I was asked for two forms of ID and told my passport was not a sufficient, but a credit card was. The women at the Fort Mills location, another state from me, also seemed overly cheerful.

So before I waisted time and energy driving so far, I tried to find their rates online to see if it was worth it. Instead, I found this site! OMG, I have never seen so many people scammed by a company that is still in operation and seeking more victims. Everyone should keep records of their expenses and a journal of their experiences so that when a national, class-action suit is brought against them, you'll be appropriately refunded.

I was spared economic and other damage thanks to this site.

Purchased a dating membership - 3 year - about $3000. Haven't been online for a few months - since October. Tried to log on, not way to log on, no Austin site available anymore; no way to contact them. Purchased a 3 year contract, got less then one year on the service, which was also totally misrepresented as a professional service and was full of laborers.

$3000 for a 3 year membership which lasted for less then one year --- loss of $2200 of membership by site functionally shutting down

I called Great Expectations one evening and spoke with a manager named Jennifer. The exact date was Feb.3rd and at approximately 7:30 PM. She was very rude and far from being a professional! I called to let her know that I was no longer interested in this service and could the daily phone calls please stop because I work night shift and it was getting annoying while trying to sleep during the day. She said OK but then proceeded to say Well, if you work nights and sleep during the day, it's probably difficult to meet that special person. I then told her to please not try to talk me into something because I had just told her I wasn't interested. She told me, and I quote, You are really nasty. I was shocked at what she said!

I was not nasty at all...I just could tell she was going to try to talk me out of not joining this dating service. (By the way, I had not even joined yet...I had just inquired about it online) I could not believe it when a manager of a business talked to a customer in that manner! The appropriate way to have handled that conversation would have been that she could have just said Okay, and if you're interested in this service in the future just keep us in mind . If she would have replied in that manner, I might have considered them in the future, but now I will NEVER consider them or recommend them to anyone!!! I will not rest until I know she is disciplined in some manner.

I have been a Member 1 year, spend over $5000.00 for a 3 year membership. I am a widow and did not have all that kind of cash, so I put it on my charge. So far I had 3 dates. I cannot even log in on this site. I feel I have been ripped off. Each time I try to log on and put my numbers in I am denied. Something is very wrong with this company. I hope someone is checking in on them.

I fell devastated of having spend so much money for nothing, that I'm still paying for

On 11-24-2008 after viewing the internet searching for local dating services, I was solicited by Great Expectations via telephone and met with L. Chandler of Great Expectations in Maitland Florida 12-01-2008. During this visit, I was lead to believe they were full service with members such as senators, lawyers, doctors, etc. Lori knew I was a professional and that I was looking for professionals and she lead me to believe she would match me with such. She even said she had two members in mind for me. After 2 1/2 hours of persuasion, I paid $4,295 to become a member. I was told my membership started 12-01-2008 but, what they didn't tell me until after I paid $4,294 is that I couldn't actually use their services, which would have made me realize I had been duped, until after my pictures and video were on their webiste. '

They very cleverly make you think you know what you purchased and have you wait until after the 3 days right to cancel to have the pictures and video taken. After the pictures and video were taken 12-13-2008, they sprang a $641.95 charge on me to effectively use their services and another $119.85 to view members online from my home. There was never any mention of additional fees at my 12-01-2008 visit. I had no idea this was strictly a service looking at members' pictures. They don't match you with anyone. You look at members online just as you do at Match.com or any other online dating service. Why would anyone pay $5,056.80 to view people online when you can virtually do it for a fraction of the cost at other websites or dating services?

There are no senators, no lawyers, no doctors. 99% of their 'clientele' are laborers and unprofessionals. More than half are inactive or have no picture or video which I was also told they must have to become a member. Immediately after realizing I had been duped/scammed, I composed an email 12-18-2008 requesting a full refund of $5,056.80 stating I was mislead and that they do not have the product they lead me to believe they had. The email was transmitted twice with no response. During that period of time, I left three phone messages for Lori three different days all of which went unreturned.

I constantly caught the front desk staff lying for her when I called. I would call in the morning and would be told she wasn't in that day and then call that same afternoon and be told she was out to lunch etc. In addition to completely lying about their clientele, they ran my credit without my permission. I even asked Lori point blank 'did you run my credit' and she responded 'No'. We are running your criminal background. I am a VP of a bank. I am not someone who doesn't use good sense.

I never ever would have signed their contract if I was told the truth about their services or clientele. Why would I have paid such an exorbitant fee? Lori said she would match me with senators, lawyers and doctors and that couldn't have been more of a bold faced lie. There are literally hundreds of consumer complaints against this company and someone needs to stop them. Please help me and stop them from continuing to rip people completely off. Thank you.

I have lost $5,056.80.

I have reentered the dating scene after a haitus following a disappointing breakup. Now in my mid-30's, I do not want to rely on the old methods alone--bars, work, etc. I thought I would try a few speed dating events, and found that I liked them. Last night, I searched for more speed-dating events on a search engine, and clicked on a hyperlink labeled "Speed-Dating Minneapolis." The link took me to a web page titled "Quality Speed Dating," with a caption "Comfortably meet quality singles in our local speed dating events." This was followed by a series of blanks for me to fill in information for the purpose of developing a profile. At the top of this was the heading, "At no cost or obligation to me, please have one of your specialists review my profile below and tell me more about being introduced to quality singles in comfortable speed dating events."

The next day (today) I was contacted by a representative of Great Expectations. I told her that I was interested in speed dating events and that's why I had filled in the profile. She said that members are exposed to a variety of dating experiences, one of which included speed-dating. I told her that I was primarily interested in speed-dating events at this point, but was open to other things. She said that I should schedule an appointment with an associate and, as it happened, I was off today and drove to Edina from my home in West St. Paul for a 4 p.m. appointment. I filled out a few forms and was shown a short video before I was greeted by Laura, who asked me to come over to the next room.

For the next half hour to 45 minutes or so I went through a bona fide, high-pressure, "get-the-sale now" sales pitch in which she was trying to get me to give credit card info and commit to a long term contract worth over $5,000. I said I would make no such commitment, at which time she offered me a "reduced" price of over $2,000 that would exclude a few of the services. At that point, I continued to be outwardly polite while internally disgusted that, had I not offered any resistance, she would have let me pay $5,000 when she was secretly willing to take a little over $2,000 for essentially the same service.

I continued to be polite, while making it clear that I was not ready to commit to a contract like that at this time. I explained that I wanted to continue trying pay-per-event speed-dating events for now and that I would consider Great Expectations later if the speed-dating did not work out. I told her that I had only just started, but that so far I had gotten a few second dates from the speed-dating events I had already attended. At the point at which it became clear she had no chance of "selling" me right then and there, she became condescending, saying that if she had known I was only interested in speed-dating she never would have interviewed me, and finally saying "I'm sorry you came in here to talk to me when you already had something else going," (there was no tape recording--I can't say that's a verbatim quote, but it's pretty close). Translation: "It's too bad you had to come in here and waste my time." !?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

As if I had, for kicks, come in and went through an interview with her when, in reality, I already had a girlfriend. Let's recap--I filled out the profile after clicking on a hyperlink called "speed-dating" which took me to a web page in which the term "speed-dating" appears FOUR TIMES at the top of the profile, and I WASTED HER TIME BY DRIVING TO EDINA WITH A MAIN INTEREST IN SPEED DATING AND NOT WILLING TO SIGN A $5,000 CONTRACT FOR ALL KINDS OF OTHER SERVICES? Great Expectations is a SCAM.

In October of 2006 I saw a lascolinassingles.com sign along MacArthur BLVD in Irving on my drive home from work. Knowing that I needed a positive change in my life I went to the website and filled out a brief informational form. I was then called several times by Great Expectations (a dating service) asking me to drive to downtown Dallas for an interview. After about the third call to my work phone I relented and made the trip to the Great Expectations office on November 7, 2006.

Prior to signing the contract, the saleswoman (Stephanie) asked me about my personal and work-related life, and filled me up with words of how great I was. She went on to mention that I deserved better. She promised me her service was the answer to all of my problems, and she would even look into new jobs for me (she gave me her cell phone number another thing she did to hook? me). She even said that I was very good looking and that I would have to be picky with women when it came to using this service. Other coincidences? were the supposed 2 customers? that were turned down from the company while I was there and her statement that not all customers are granted access to Great Expectations due to negative background checks; 2 more things I wanted/needed to hearit made me feel special. Basically, she sweet talked me and told me how great I was; something I needed to hear after living a life void of a girlfriend and other friends since my move from Wisconsin just over 1 year ago.

I almost walked out of that office without signing up for the services Great Expectations promised due to the high price, but was reassured that it was worth it in one last attempt to get my business. Sensing my impending back out, Stephanie gave me a special deal that no one else receives.? My service agreement was upped from the 1-year regular service to the VIP Package that lasted 3 years. The VIP package supposedly gave me free and unlimited access to all of the parties/events that the company hosts, and in her words this upgrade was a great way to meet single girls to date, as well as nice people that held similar desires for friendship. In order to take advantage of this great upgrade I had to sign-up for Great Expectations now and I also had to sign a different contract that stipulated that I would not mention the special? rate they gave me. (since Nov. 7 I have received 8 emails on 3 events and 1 was free to VIP members)

If this wasnt enough to get me back onboard, Stephanie relayed me her own experience with Great Expectations as a consumer some time back. She said she had the same concern about the high price, but signed the contract anyway. In fact, she met her husband through Great Expectations and from that point on she was sold on the service. Her confidence in the service reached a highpoint when she decided to go to work for the same company that brought her and her love of her life togethersomething I really question now.

On November 8 I called to get out of the contract after realizing the ramifications of what had happened (I still was under the impression that I could get out of this deal), but was told by her that I just had buyers remorse.? I then called her the following day (Nov. 9) and said that I really wanted to get out of the contract, and I was then told that there was nothing I could do to get out of it. She added that I should take advantage of the dating service since I was under contract and there was no way to get out of it. The morning of the next day (Nov. 10) I faxed, emailed, and sent a letter expressing my desire to get out of my contract. She called me back on November 11 and said that my letter more or less meant nothing. I have not spoken to her since November 11, nor have I utilized Great Expectations besides the initial interview November 7.

I am looking for a full refund of the $4,690.80 that was charged to my Capital One credit card.

After 3 hours of hard sale tactics and a long sales pitch from a lady speaking to me about how wonderful this program is, I told them there was no way I could afford their $7000 fee. The sales woman left to talk to her manager? and came back to tell me she could lower my rate to $3500. I told them that I still could not afford the $3500 since I was a graduate student with no income other than student loans. When I left I had not given them any authorization to charge my credit card and had not signed the contract.

When I went on-line to check my credit card account to the card that I used for ID purposes only, I found that they had already charged me $3500. When I called and told them I had decided that I was not joining, they said that there was no refund. When confronted about the unsigned contract, they told me that it didnt matter, there were no refunds. I dont know how I can be charged 3500$ to my credit card without signing a contract. I havent used any of their services and have fought with my credit card company and am getting nowhere.

I purchased the dating service back in September of 2007 and have NEVER received an interest from any of the members of the opposite sex. I too was coerced by a slippery salesperson to join the service and was not able to leave a small conference room until I said yes and provided my credit card. I was assured that if I was not satisfied I could get a refund.

I responded to a notice for Highland Park Singles; and was dismayed to hear it was Great Expectations, the first disception. To make a long story short, I was called back after a week from my interview with a price reduction of 1/2 and responded that was more like it, and was planning to work a deal whereby my two single daughters might be included in my deal. I had not actually talk to them but was told that she needed my credit card to hold this price. I gave her my card number thinking this might work, but was told to come inthe next week to have my interview and pictures done.

She set an appointment and asked that I reply to her e-mail to authorize the card. As soon as I hung up, I started having second thoughts, and later when I approached my daughters, they said No to the plan. I called back to cancel my appointment and also stated that my financial circumstances had changed in the past week and I would not be a able to accept their offer. I never replied to the e-mail either because it was obvious that we would not do it. I tried to be nice, but they insisted that we move the date back another week.

The next week I called again and cancelled and was told to just wait until timing was better and we would start when I was ready. Then I finally had to write a letter stating that I could not accept and that I had contacted my credit card company to dispute the charges. I had not even been billed at that time but the charges were removed. This was in July 21- August 6. Fast forward.... my credit card company could not obtain a credit and I had cancelled the credit card in October. They asked that I contact the merchant and explain that I had never seen a contract, much less sign one and had never been told anything about their company policies. After reading all these 90 pages of complaints of people trying to get out of this deal, I cannot understand why they have not all been closed down. I will do everything I can to see that the Atorney General hears of this company and their way of doing business. As soon as they get a credit card number they run the charge even without authorization and then refuse chargeback. It doen't matter to them that they do not deliver any service. This is extortion. Someone should call one of the TV channels and let them hear their story, and read these complaints.

I have paralegal training myself, and do not intend to pay for something that I do not get, or that I did not authorize. Everybody who has filed a complaint should call an attorney and see about a class action suit. After reading all these bad experiences, I would not want to do business with this company at any price.

This company is a rip-off!!! They coerce you by telling you about all the background checks that are done and how excellent their member base is and how many people they can match you with. It is all a lie to get you to sign up. I sent out interest emails to over 20 guys with no 2 replies. I was told the others were no longer active even though you show up as selections. I have gotten 0 dates out of this service and I have turned down no one because I got emails from no one.

Unfortunately, I am out of $4200 financed over the next 3 years. I have gotten nothing from my money but some bad pictures and false hopes.

Great Expectations is operating a fraudulent dating service in Tennessee and I think they need to be permanently closed. They have an excellent sales approach, make many false claims and prey on lonely singles. There are class action lawsuits against Great Expectations in CA, AZ, and KS.

Currently I am disputing the $3776.00 charge placed on my Visa card 7-26-08. I have contacted an attorney and the TN attorney general's office.

never, never, never go to a place like this unless you are desperate, sober and totally hopeless. I was getting thought a divorce and was very sad and a friend told me to call this place.Since I am a professional woman, I have hardly time to meet people. They looked very nice at the begining and very persuading. They convinced me to sign some papers "without" obligation. It turned out to be a legal contract where I had to pay more than 2,000 wanted or not. I never used their services, since i did't need it after all. These people, despite the fact I tried to give them some money( but not 2,000) to get ride of them refused it. I ended up in a collection agency.

I went there to obtain information and I was put in a room and even though I said no over and over again I was constantly bombarded with different sales people who vertually would not let me out of that room until I signed the necessary papers to sign up. I was very vulnerable since I had just come out of a hurtful relationship. The questions made me feel bad about myself and they vertually convinced me with this interrigation that this was for me in spite of my comments that I wanted to go home and think about this. I never used the service and no one contacted me after that they just took my money and that was that.

I lost a significant amount of money and in 2006 I learned there was a law suite filed and I did try to contact a paralegal over the internet but never got a response. I tried to contact. I sent a number of messages but never received a response so I gave up. I was cleaning my computer and found the draft so I attempted to contact that person again but it would not go through. I did contact the organization after that happened and I spoke to a man there and told him how I felt but he said he could do nothing for me. I truly felt raped by these people they did not have my true interest in mind all they wanted was a credit card and instant cash that was wrong especially when a person is vulnurable.

I was a member of Great Expectations for 4 years...right after my separation, as a single mom with a young child I found it difficult to find people for dating, I had a few hours to go on a date, what I didn't have was endless hours and weekends to run all over town looking and I found internet men mostly interested in cheap easy sex which wasn't of any interest to me. All the guys at GE treated me with respect which as a single mom I needed...couldn't handle a lot of drama with all the responsibility already on my plate... I met a man I could have easily married, unfortunately I wasn't divorced yet and emotionally wasn't really ready...hadn't left my baggage behind just yet. But they had a lot of really nice people and I really appreciated being treated kindly and respectfully and it was nice to know that I had an easy, quick way to find a date when I needed to get out...I would recommend it to anyone. By the way, I found the interview to be not pushy at all quite relaxed and they were very nice in my opinion.

When I passed on the $7000.00 fee they asked of me I was called a cheap loser. At first they only hinted at me being a cheap loser then pretty much came out and said it. Months later I'm still furious about the way I was treated. If you have lots of money give it a try, you have nothing to lose (I'm sure they'll charge you more then they tried to get out of me).

I should have realized their deception sooner. They advertise as fort worth singles not GE. I'm very curious about their answer if challenged on this.

We have filed a class action law suit against Great Expectations. The Charlotte center was operated by one of the same persons who is named as a defendant in our lawsuit.

I am a busy professional and was sick of meeting liars on the internet. At least if these people are taking the time to go into the local office then they would be more sincere. I went out on great dates and the quality was definatley there. I ended up meeting a great man and we got married. He passed away 1 year ago and now I have to re-join and spend the money again. I still would refer this to my friends.

I initially signed up with Great Expectations, and put $400.00 down. The next day I changed my mind about signing up, because not only were they grossly overpriced, but further they misrepresented their services. Hence, I drove all the way back to Seattle to cancel my membership. They refused to give me my $400.00 back. I walked away without it, not really knowing what to do.

I never heard another word from them, and here it is one year later and I am turned into a collection company for $688.00. What am I being charged for? I NEVER utilized their services AND I CANCELED WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.

Upon research of this company, I find that Great Expectations was sued numerous times AND that there are SEVERAL complaints about them on the internet. I am now forced to submit complaints about this company. My resolution will be a return of my $400.00, and a complete cancellation of this collection bill, along with a letter of clearance that this company will no longer be a problem to me.

Inflated number of women available. Does not deliver messages to women. Woman are required to repond with a yes or a no and do NOT follow policy. I paid for the right to send personalized messages which I can no longer do. They stated that they did not have that service and they never heard of it. I paid for it and had it available up until March 08. I signed up in Dec 07. Company cut me off the website access and I then got a notice in the mail stating that great expectations filed for bankrupsy. Didn't have access to the site and the local phone number no longer worked. There was knowone to contact.

I found out months later that the site was operating and that another company other then the Vienna Va/DC office location was serviceing the members. I was not notified and lost several months of service. Finally got a hold of someone in another state somewhere in the midwest USA. Site is operating but still the service has become even worse. I looked at my profile the other day and looked at the section that states if a women has received a what they call VPOP and olmost all said pending which means that they were not delived and I believe that a lot of messages are not.

VPOPS are pre selected messages different then the personalized ones I thought I had access to. I believe that fraud exists. I think some profiles are fake. Cannot prove that but the that's what it appears to be. I would like an attorney to contact me!

emotional damage? yes.

I worked for this organization for the past few months. The staff of women will make you feel so worthless by the time they spend 4 hours breaking you down. The other staff members are in an office listening to every thing being said on the intercom system and laughing at how desperate you sound. The price is made up by the Director by what your credit will allow.

There are no criminal background checks done and many of the men we sold...were felons. They allowed married people to join. And their member numbers are very inflated. If you ever read a good report about them...it was written by the customer service rep at Great Expectations. That was her job. It is worse than I can put into words. do not get suckered in by the sweet, flirty phone appointment setters. Once you are in your charge card is run, withour your permission.

I foolishly joined this service being PROMISED to be MATCHED with potential men. Yes it's my fault but I think the SIGNED CONTACT should be upheld even though this national company has scammed me. That's what contracts are for isn't it? Is there anything I can do like start a class action suit for Florida?

I am out thousands of dollars to be laughed at by this company making many many dollars from it's members.

Is there anything I can do like start a class action suit for Florida?

I am an educated professional, a physician, who too like so many others was fooled into signing up with Great Expectations which offered Nothing for way too much $$$ I have better luck finding dates on Match.com than their site and I do not consider myself hideous by any stretch of the imagination. I find their high pressure sales tactics and praying on emotional weakness of many of us searching for viable partners unethical and amoral. I feel like a fool for wasting $5000 on this useless service and think this company needs to be publicly exposed and punished for their dishonest business practice. One of the things that I found appalling was their refusal to give a refund period. They know what they are doing .

I joined the service Great Expectations in Boston in February 2008, paid in full, $2,395 for three years. During September 2008 I have contacted the ofice numerous times over e-mail (I have saved all my messages) and by phone, but the phone has been disconnected and obviously none of my messaged was attended. Accedentaly I found out that the GE has gone out of business in April, 2008. Tnere has not been any announcements, notes, contacts to the customers. I do suspect that they knew about the closing but still recruited people ( like me in February) and requested full payment.

I was trying to find someone from GE to speak about the issue but apparently there is no one to apply to. Also, after signing the contract in February 2008, I had learned that there was hidden cost for services that were not discussed or even introduced to me during initial interview. I learned about those services later as a matter of fact. They even were dishonest regading photographing (I made an additional payment) and number of pictures they will display.

It is very frustrating that people in such service ( personal, sensitive) are so irresponsible and in fact dishonest. The 'fine print' and unspoken rules had become obvious after they charged my credit card. Needless to say their promisses related to the clients they have were total lies. They did not have the clients they described during the initial interview. I paid $2,395 for three years; since the service does not exist anylonger in Boston, I would like to know whether there is a chance to recover some money.

I worked for Great Expectations in the Charlotte Center in Fort Mill, SC. I was not fired, so I'm not writing this to give them bad press.

Just as a side note. If you do go and you're waiting in the waiting room for a little longer than you should, that's because the director of the center and some of the staff members are across the street at the Chinese Restaurant getting drunk. They ask that we lie for them and state to the potential members that they are on a conference call. Nice business practice.

The best thing about GE is the fact that they do run criminal background checks on everyone who joins. They will refuse a potential client if they have a felony. What they don't tell you is, they're not running them when you walk into the door, but they run it after they already have your money. GE is located in SC due to the fact there is no 3 day refund clause. Once you sign the contract, you're liable for the money.

The Charlotte center is a little over 1 year old. They do have approx 2,000 clients, however a little under 924 are active. They do keep expired members and members who fought to have their membership canceled still on the site but they list them as inactive, please check again soon.

Most of the members are average working men and women who live pay check to pay check, however they state these are all professional people. There are some who make a very nice living, but if I'm paying money for a service and I'm making six figures, I don't think I'm going to want to date someone who dropped out of school and is barely making ends meat. Now not to say, he or she might not be a wonderful person or could be the love of my life, it's just not fair.

They typical price on the packages ranges in price from $4,000 to $5490. There is also a monthly dues of $28 a month. With this you get to use the website, have a video done by the front office staff and professional photos. Right now the photographer is amazing and he is professional, but before he came, they just hired someone to take sub-standard pictures. If you want more than one picture, you will be charged hundreds to thousands of dollars. To upgrade to global (you can select and be seen by all the other members in the United States, approx 56 centers) is an additional cost. To have a V-Gram which is a little email with your picture on it is another few hundred dollars. By the time you leave you're paying close to $10,000. Now if you're luck enough to meet your true love spending several thousand dollars isn't going to bother you.

When you walk in, they give you a screener which asks for your personal information and some useless dating information. The only thing they're after on that form is your social security number. They are not out to sell it, but they run your credit to see how much money they can get you for. If you though buying a car had some ruthless salespeople, try dealing with the Relationship Specialists. They feed on your emotional well being. Not everyone is even charged the same amount. They say the fee does depend on the length of your membership. That's a crock. You can have 6 people with a 12 month membership and they all can be paying anywhere from $595 to $2950, depending on their credit and how much of a fight they put into the 2 hour interview.

Once you become a member, you are invited to join in the events they have. The events are not free. Even the staff that goes to the events has to pay (and they don't get reimbursed). The events are fun, so that's a plus. Aside from the background checks and the events, GE is no different than match.com, plenty of fish, perfect match and all the other online dating sites out there, aside from the amount of money they get from you. You will stand a better chance using an online dating site.

Don't waste your money. When the telemarketers call and hound you, just tell them you recently became engaged or better yet, you've decided to have come out of the closet.

For some reason the address is incorrect on this review. This Great Expectations location is in the Baxter Village in Fort Mill, SC at 935 Market Street.

Great Expectations Richmond is a members only dating service which marketed itself to me as being exclusive and having a membership data base of approximately 200-250 men in my age range and area. After meeting with Sarah, the office manager, on two occasions, and verifying her answers to my questons by having her repeat the information to me, I chose to sign a membership contract.

The contract placed before me to sign showed a membership fee of more then $2000 than what we had discussed. Sarah backpeddled, saying that no membership of the description I reiterated to her exists with Great Expectations and that I must have misunderstood. After lengthy discussion, we came to an agreement, still at a greater expense to me than what we had originally discussed, but her sales pitch made it sound appealing.

I had no access to their data base until after I completed a photo and video session. Once that took place, and my profile was posted, I was given an access code and was able to view the membership data base. In my age group and location, there were less than 20 members who were within the broad parameters I set. I contacted Sarah within 2 days, and was told that their service involved a process that wouldn't take place over night. I countered that there is a vast difference between 20 and 200, and that I was deliberatly given false information.

I requested a refund, and was told that my contract stated that no refunds are given. Multiple suggestions that I would file complaints with a variety of consumer groups seemed to get their attention, and it was agreed that my money would be refunded in full. Meetings were set and canceled by Sarah several times-and eventually took place to complete the details, which included the signature of a document stating that I would withdraw any complaints filed against them, and agreed to not defame the business or portray it in a bad light, in exchange for a full refund. The refund was to be issued within 45 days.

A week prior to the end of 45 days, I began contacting the office by telephone as well as email to remind them that the deadline was nearing. 3 days ago, I was told that a charge-back had been done to my account. No money has been credited to may account as yet. The 45 day window has passed, and Great Expectations has breached the terms of the contract. I had a friend accompany me to the final meeting, and Sarah approached in an attacking manner, questioning the reason for me having someone with me, and refusing to allow him to sit in on the conversation with me. She asked several times if he was an attorney.

The business uses bait and switch tactics to entice consumers to pay an exhorbitant amount of money and cannot deliver what it promises. During time spent in the office,in my presence, an employee spoke beratingly about another member who was in the office for his video session, referring to him as creepy. The same employee was told to shoot his video, and she replied that she had never done one before. She was then assigned to shoot mine. Once it was about to get underway, the membership director walked in and moved the camera, changed my position, changed the interviewer's seating place, adjusted the lighting and told the young lady working with me what to do.

All in all, a company of dishonest employees who lack character and conscience, and were willing to play the game of holding out on a contracturally binding refund agreement until the last minute, and missed the deadline. Losers all around.

$1295 paid for membership. Refund agreed upon in exchange for not filing or verbalizing complaints. Refund not received within alloted time period. Contract breached by Great Expectations.

Thanks to everyone here that has posted. I was contacted today by the Scottsdale office, and I scheduled an appointment for this coming Monday evening. I am going to call and cancel the appointment after what I have read. I'm sorry many of you lost a lot of money going through GE, but thank you for posting on here, and helping others, such as myself, to avoid this scam.

I've looked up the people complaining and they are all unattractive members.

Honestly you have to be attractive to get good results.
Maybe you should take a look at what you are doing wrong.
I have had some great dates and love the events.

I was a member in Houston and hated it there. I wanted my money back. I moved to Austin for a job. I felt scammed from the Houston center until I transfered my membership to Austin

They welcomed me and took my photos for free. They won me over. They even called to see if I needed anything.

I will say that some members have dull profiles. You have to make yourself stand out, After being on match.com for 3 years I find this to be the best. The quality is great!

It's not cheap, but if you are on a few online pay sites you could be spending about the same for one service that works. I'ts nice to finally meet men that aren't one nighters and have good paying jobs.

The prices vary, but some people need more options than others.

I wish the website was more current and that they did weekly events unstead of 3 times a month, but other than that I'm happy.

I signed a contract and paid close to $9000 total and by the time I had access to the system my three day period where I could cancel my contract was over. Many things that were promised were not there. Pictures I was shown were no longer active. There are no social activities scheduled. I was told there were more men than women. That is not true. There are actually very few men available at all. And I saw very few I could even begin to be interested in.

A lot of deception and playing on the emotion of wanting to find a partner. If what was promised was there it would be a nice organization for meeting singles, which is why I was willing to pay such a huge amount of money.

Just more debt. I'm still trying to get money back, so I am leaving the service turned off. Trying to say within the three days I had access to the system I wanted to cancel the contract.

Deceptive marketing...the package they sold a VIP package cost $4,000 for a 6 year membership included social events to be organized by Great Expectations/Detroit to meet other members. I paid for my membership on March 25, 2008. At that time I was told they were in the process of moving to a better location in West Bloomfield, so when I didn't see any social events planned and dwindling number of new members, I attributed it to the move to better location. Now I find out they have just closed the doors. The alternative phone number they provided 248-351-0700 is being answered in Kansas City and their approach to questions is to take a number and say they will call back...with no call back. The alternate email provided: detroitge@gmail.com does not even acknowledge emails.

For all practical purposes, Great Expectations/Detroit has cut off any lines of communication and with the office being closed it is an easy guess that there will be no social events planned for the Detroit area. Since I didn't receive any of the unique benefits taunted by Great Expectations in their sales pitch and ads I have in fact shelled out $4,000 for a STALE listing of a highly suspect membership.

I filled out an inquiry online regarding meeting successful partners that have been through rigid background checks. Of course, after I pushed submit, a message says that I will be contacted by a couselor. I immediately went back to the screen and sent a 2nd request telling them not to contact me if this was going to include a fee for serviced. But they ignored that one and called me several times to make me feel like I was cheating myself by not coming in for at least an interview.

Well, after missing one appointment, I was actually stupid enough to go to the next one. Sounds like a great program, until they drop the financial obligation bomb. I absolutely said no way, then comes in the big guns (Dennis)telling me that he would really like for me to be in the program because I am such a quality person and he has so many men looking for such individuals. He hemmed and hawed and made it look as though he was doing me a favor by lowering the fee twice to $1500. I still was very reluctant to sign, while in the background he is saying that I owe myself this much to find happiness with a special someone in my life.

Well, I'm sure you have guessed by now, I (stupidly) signed the contract. I have not slept the entire night and I am sick to my stomach over this incident--I feel like I have been violated by a used car salesman. I called Mr D this morning, and told him I just can't go through with this transaction and he said I signed a contract and in the state of GA, there is no rescission law. GREAT for those of us who live in GA. Congress needs to change this little gimick to protect it's citizens.

Mr D had absolutely no concern for me personally, as he supposedly did yesterday. He got his money and that's where his interest is. He could care less if I use his shady service. I have a membership that is less than 24 hours old and it cost me $1500. I want an opportunity to go after Great Expectations for my $1500 back and to exploit their credibility to the public.

By the way, Great Expectations took it upon themselves to charge me $1500 twice on my credit card, which I found out when I tried to have the charge removed early this morning. Somehow, even though it is MY credit card, I do not have the right to remove a charge, even though it is NOT posted--something else I learned in this process. What has happened to the ethics and integrity in our nation?

I am out of $1500 (hopefully, not $3000). I cannot trust this organization due to the owner of the company. I cannot afford to lose this much money. I am a single woman and live on a very tight budget. Money is very important to me to survive day to day. I am sick over this and I can't sleep due to the stress it has created.

So, I signed up to the tune of $5,000 on my credit card. I Great Expectations back within three days and told them I wanted to cancel, and they said I couldn't do that, that the three day cancellation policy didn't affect their type of service. Yes, I was really told that! I was an emotional wreck, so I decided to not pursue the matter and let it go. I NEVER once used my membership, didn't activate it in any way, never pursued ANYTHING, just wanted to forget it. Now fast forward to August 2008. I have been married for nearly two years, and have really moved forward in my life. Never heard from Great Expectations which was fine with me because I never told my husband how foolish I was with my purchase of a Great Expectations membership. Yesterday, I received a bill from GE in the mail for $114 for membership dues and late fees for the previous three months! I have tried calling them to no avail about this. (Their phone is always busy). Today I am sending them a registered letter to cover my butt in case they threaten me. If this isn't taken care of, and they pursue their membership dues, then I will have to tell my husband about my foolish purchase.

Lost $5000 after attempt to cancel.

I moved to Virginia following divorce. I had tried other dating web sites with no success and decided to try something requiring its members to be a little more invested. I contacted the Vienna-DC office and set up an interview. It was lengthy, and for my time I was offered the opportunity to pay them $3000 for a 3 year membership. Initially, I had set up a payment plan as the $3000 was a little steep for me. Everything went smoothly. After 6 months of semi-active membership I decided to break from my search and start up again at a later date. I had a 3 year membership after all.

About a year later I was looking to switch banks. Knowing this would affect my creditors I made all the proper arrangements. The only company I had issue with was Great Expectations and their third party billing company. I contacted the third party biller, whose name and contact number appeared on my monthly bank statement. They were unable to provide me with any documentation on how much I had paid, percentage rates, or how many payments I still had left on my contract. All the normal items of information we take for granted with reliable billing and credit companies.

The third party biller referred me back to the office in which I signed my contract to make any changes to my billing information, or for payment/pay-off amounts.

Now the fun begins.

During Dec. '07 and Jan. '08, in which I switched banks, I made multiple phone calls to the Vienna-DC office in an attempt to follow up and continue with my obligation. I was consistently put on hold till dial tone, informed the person who I needed to speak with was with a client, and in the instances where I left a message, was never contacted back by the person who was in charge of my account. Over the next several months I was never contacted by an agent of Great Expectations or its billing company.

July 31, 2008

I received a phone call from a company claiming to be the collections agency for Great Expectations. I was notified that I am soon to be served legal notification of Great Expectations suing me for the remaining balance of my account. Yet since prior to Dec '07 thru Jan '08 I have not gotten any mail, email or had any phone contact from Great Expectations or it's billing or collections dept in an attempt to reconcile the account. Of course, if I pay the entire balance in full before I am served, it will not go to court and I will not be held accountable for the court fees and lawyer fees that the collections company will otherwise incur. Oh, and they accept only debit/credit payments over the phone. No statement to be sent until paid in full.

Currently the account has been passed on to the affiliated collections company who has only contacted me once by phone on July 31, 2008, to inform me of pending legal actions. I recently have checked with two credit reporting agencies for any accounts held by Great Expectations or their affiliate companies and found no trace of accounts or actions against me.

This is a dating service that solicited me several times on the phone. I ageed to an appointment. No costs were ever mentioned. During the appointment which was @ 3-4 hours long high pressure sales tactics were used in a very misleading manner. This company preys on the vulnerability of single divorced people trying to meet someone in todays hectic lifestyles.

A couple of hours were spent grooming me, for example talking about being single,hobbies, my previous marriage,difficulty in meeting men etc. At the start of the appt. I had been asked for 3 types of ID.My drivers lic. major credit card and other photo type.While filling out paper work Missy left the room with my credit card and did a credit check on me. I did not realize this until a couple of hours later.This company has a lot of personal and private information about me which later started to bother me. Especially with identity theft being a large problem now.

After a lot of smooth talking I found myself joining to the tune of over five thousand dollars.After more serious consideration I decided this was not a wise financial move on my part. This happened on Saturday July 19, 2008.

Today Monday July 21, 2008 I found out at work, that my employer was going to be offering early retirements of which I would be eligible. This unforseen opportunity has given me anxiety over my dating service membership costs. I called Great Expectations this evening and talked to Amy. I told her I wished to cancel my membership. Amy stated there were no cancellations allowed. I said that I had 3 business days to cancel any contract. Amy said she would relay my message to Missy the following day. I called my credit card company and tried to cancel this transaction. Visa said that transaction was pending and I could not dispute this until after it was posted on my next billing statement.

I do not need a five thousand dollar debt for a dating service that I knew nothing about.Their sales tactics are very sly and misleading.

After searching and clicking on a site for over 40 mating I was directed to a site called Great Expectations. I filled out the online form and submitted thinking I had nothing to lose. The calls started coming in almost right away, they were leaving messages which I did not return, the just started calling from various locations around the U.S. Unfortunately I answered one of these calls one day and it was a rep from Great Expectations pressuring me into going to the Southfield location to just check it out, what do you have to lose.

The woman I was speaking with happened to be living in Las Vegas, but by coincidence she used to live in Michigan (yeah right). I was persistent about what kind of pricing they had and was told that there are so many packages that they just can't quote over the phone. Each facility offers different packages all the time. So I reluctantly scheduled an appointment for May 28, 2008.

I went to the appointment and Amanda Keller started giving me the usual sermon about your life is important, why should you make the right choices for the men you bring into your life. On an on she went, then I was subjected to watch a video about the service. Quite boring if you ask me, and everyone was just fawning over what a great choice they had made by choosing Great Expectations to find their one true love. Well Amanda comes back into the room and then ask me what do you think, of course I said well we will have to see, what kind of price are you talking about. She begins with well you know you can't put a price on love and all the great things they offer, I again asked what kind of price are you talking about. She proceeds to write down an amount on a piece of paper and I almost dropped to the floor. They have 3 different packages to choose from 13 mo., 2 yrs, 3 yrs.

I told her with today's economy in Michigan that I really couldn't afford to pay over $3k for a 13 month package. I told her thank you and started to leave when she said, please wait let me see what I can do. Amanda comes back with a special one-time only price of $1900 which would include everything - photo, video, internet password. I was still reluctant but she told me that most of the staff found their spouses from Great Expectations and that the owner herself Lynn's husband was a Great Expectation member at one time.

I signed reluctantly! Amanda told me that I could come back at my leisure to take the photo and video as I told her my job was very hectic and couldn't always schedule appointments. I tried several time after that to make my appointment with no avail. Either they were extremely booked with no appointments or their times were absurb because I worked from 8:00 to 5:00.

On July 2, 2008 I called Detroit-Great Expectations to schedule my photo/video shoot and was told that the photographer was on vacation and would not return until July 14th. I made the comment that I was extremely upset with their tactics and that I was pressured into siging and that they never seemed to have a photographer available. I stated that I can't believe that he is that booked up. Pretty much her response was well that do you think, we have many new members.

The receptionist stated that she would call me back the following week upon the photographer's return to schedule my appointment. I never received a return call on July 14th. I began to call every day after (7-15, 16, 17, 18), leaving message after message. I sent an email stating my disgust with their company and informed them that I was contacting a lawyer to get my money refunded. I have also contacted the better business bureau in hopes of resolving this issue as well. I would really like my $2200 refunded as soon as possible.

male matches that they had paid nothing while my bill wss $4,000. They were trying to beef up the male side of the ledger and offered all kinds of incentives for men to join. When looking at the background info on the men, it turned out that much of the profiles submitted by the men were totally bogus. GE made many overtures to reup my membership to which I replied why would I even consider being screwed twice by your organization

I purchased my membership for $1800. The purchase price started at $7000. They went down to $1800, primarily because I told them their prices were outrageous. At that time, I was also told that what I paid for this service included everything. Everything included the online service, video, photography and tech support. When I came in to take my photos, I was told that the actual pictures were not included and was presented a choice between two packages. I stated that this was ridiculous. I was told by my representative that my membership was all inclusive which she defined as including photographs. The photographer also stated that the online service was included with the photos.

The photographer said that the online service that I purchased required that I come to the office to use the online. If I wanted to expand the service to include my computer, I would need to purchase the $435 package that she offered. This would also include so-called V-Pops which is all part of the online service that I was initially promised. Of course, I wanted to use this service from home so I purchased the additional product. By that time, I had invested $2235. This was clearly fraudulent.

I viewed 8 by 10 sized pictures of supposedly men on the system who were available for dating. I did not find any of the men I viewed on the data base. I do not know how many people are on the data base. I was recently told by Andrea that there were thousands of men in Phoenix. In my age category, ages 55+, the pickings are slim. Being a Christian is very important to me and I was told that there mostly Christians on the data base. I have found that most men in my age category are not affiliated with any particular faith tradition.

Finally, I am having problems with the technology. I called the so-called tech support number that I was given and there was no answer. I also called the office. Andrea informed me that they have changed phone numbers and will not give their new phone number to Great Expectations in Scottsdale for some reason. She encouraged me to email them and I have not heard back as of this time.

My major complaints are that I believe this dating service is charging large amounts of money for very little. There is gross misrepresentation in the sales area which are primarily lies of omission, leading the consumer to believe that what is actually not the case. My membership began May 19, 2008. At that time also, the sales representative, Pat, indicated that there many social events throughout the year. I was recently told that there would be a social in August but it is not posted on the Events tab.

Pat also told me that she would follow me and be available. I have not seen or spoken to her since the three days after my membership began which is the time period that one is able to rescing one's membership. During those days, she called me a couple of times just to see how I was doing and made the comment that all of her clients become good friends. She gave the impression that she really cared and even commented that she wanted me to meet someone in particular. I haven't heard a word from her since that phone call which occurred on May 20, 2008.

What has resulted is a financial loss of $2250. I have also had to spend valuable time and energy to get to the bottom of this stuff.

I was promised much but nothing delivered. Huge opportunities to date and then guess what? You can have photos for even more. I REPEATEDLY COMPLAINED BUT no refund was forthcoming.

I lost a great deal of money charged on my credit card. I tried to leave but wasn't allowed to until I finally gave in. Tried to cancel the next day but wasn't allowed that opportunity.

Breech of contract both oral and written, services misrepresented and not provided. I am looking into small claims court right now. Would be interested into looking into class action such as the Arizona case as I have heard similer complaints from other members

membership dues paid total 3,295.00 less than a year ago plus interest accrewed on credit card and loss of time and legal fees when they occur.

They wanted $5,000 to join,but redueced fee to $2500. Was told photos free but charged me $500. Was told high rate of marriages,lg dating pool,activities,background checks. told can cancel within 3 days.

Went back within first week to cancel membership but they refused any refund.

On April 11, 2008 I joined Great Expectations of Portland and paid $4,490.00 for a three-year, Platinum membership, plus $299.00 for a Photography and Video a session, and additionally, I agreed to a monthly Dues fee of $29.95, with the option of freezing the membership dues three times for two months each during the membership term. On approximately June 18, 2008, another member of this same Center called to let me know the GE office was found closed and locked by an employee who arrived for work that day. Since then, no phone calls can get through, the employee in question has not been able to collect her pay, there is no new traffic on the GE Website and, of course, non of the members have been notified of the shut-down.

I am 66 years old, divorced in 2007 by a husband who just...left. I live on a limited income, and alone. The money I paid was more than I imagined it would be, but desperate people do desperate things. To my great disappointment I did not meet anyone who was a suitable match, or even close; depression, financial loss, and self-esteem is the damage that has resulted for me. Now I see on the internet that this is a classic case of not checking first, as several States and persons for this very same behavior around the Country are suing GE. Thank you for giving me a place to come to with my tale of woe.

On 6/12 I was presented with a high pressure sales pitch to join and pay $6,000.00 for a membership to GE. I was kept in a room and shown pictures of men that were avaiable to date. I was told there was a membership of 2800 and 55% were men and the majority over 45. The price was reduced and the sales talk continued. I told them I had to leave..Pat continued to show me a picture of clients there were engaged and had met at GE, she said she met her boyfriend through GE, she then lowered the price to 2,999 if I signed then. I said I had to pick up my daughter immediately . She came in with a contract and said to sign and initial for the price. She would talk to me about it later. I said I had to leave ... she said it was just a standard agreement...also the lights were so dim in the room I could not read the small print in the dark.

There was no presentation regarding cancellation or anything about changing the contract. I did not even see the dates she had entered. One could not even read the signatures on the contract. In order to get out I signed the contract and was told how beautiful I was and that I would have so many dates. It would take a week to process and I had to have photos taken and do a video. She set me up for three days from that date. I received no further information except I was give a profile to fill out and a questionaie. She had asked for my social security number when the interview began--I would not give it to her. After the initial discussions she then asked to see my driver's licence to make sure I was who I said I was. She walked out with it and returned the license to me.

After constant high pressure conversation about dating and marriage she said I really needed to do this for myself. I would be so happy that I did. She gave me the contract and after I signed everything and gave her my American Express card she processed the fee in seconds and returne the card and a copy of the contract and I left. I returned three days later to have pictures taken. I was then told the pictures were to cost an additonal 350. to 1,000. I was shown a receipt from the women who had her pictures taken just before me who was said to have paid the $1,000..this would keep her from paying again in two years like I would have to if I didn't buy the package. I told her I couldn't. She said then for 250. she would do the picture..if not I would not have any profile or v-grams and overnight mail messages with pictures.

I didn't seem to have a choice. She told me this is how she met her husband too and she showed me her pictures. This was done on Sunday the 6/16, I signed the contract on 6/12. The contract was dated by Pat(no last names are given) for 6/9. This was not the correct date and I did not notice till I got home and could read the contract. I tried to cancel the contract. They also checked VISA instead of the correct charge card.

Since the lawsuit againt GE was announced I sent to emails to GE and called to cancel the membership. They have refused to cancel saying the allegations were false. The Attorney General's complaint reflects the fraudulent activites and the experience that I had at GE. I want a refund and I do not want to be a member of Great Expectaions.

I saw the Pennsylvania Lawsuit against this company. The allegations are exactly what happened to me when I signed up for this service in Scottsdale Arizona. I signed up in August 2007 & I was told the money I paid included everything. Then they charged me for internet access, photos, social events, etc. This was a total waste of my money & my time. If this lawsuit extends to Arizona I am willing to testify to my experience.

Over $2,000.00

After reading Harriet's complaint on this page, I wrote to Ms Aschfort and recinded my contract as provided by Florida law. I was barraged with emails, calls, promises and ultimatly allowed myself to be conned into joining at the cost of $5,000.00.Suddenly all the men I was shown in that very exclusive group For Your Eyes Only are no longer available.

Since then, Sheryel has not answered any emails and although 7 men have yes's on my page, none have called and I met three others - none of whom met a very specific criteria that we discussed. This place is a ripoff...and someone needs to remind Ms Aschfort that she is in a service business where the customer should be king.

I joined Great Expectations on December 15,2007 and told Ruth that I specifically wanted a Jewish man ages 40 -46. I explained that I was Kosher and observed the Jewish holidays so he had to be Jewish. She showed me pictures of men, to see what my type was and told me she would call 2 of them to see about introducing us. Never heard anything about that. Before I signed the contract I asked again if there are Jewish men, and she replied This is Rosyln, there are lots of Jewish men. I had photos taken, but wasn't allowed access online until Thursday December 21st.(6 days later I was able to see who was online) When I got online, there were only 4 Jewish men. Two were in my age range and 2 were over my age range. I contacted all 4 only b/c they were Jewish.

I called the office on December 27th and spoke with Lisa. I told her I was dissatisfied with the service, there were no Jewish men as Ruth had said . She told me the men I picked were nice (2 of them she knew), she didn't know what Ruth had told me. Ruth never called me back. I filed a dispute with American Express, the credit card I paid with and lost b/c I signed a contract and Great Expectations said I have to give the dating process a chance. I tried to contact Mitchell Brant before filing the dispute, but he is never in his office and didn't leave a message.

I don't attend there parties b/c I shouldn't have to pay extra money when they don't have that clientelle. They misrepresented their service. It is months later and they still have the same amount of Jewish men. I have contacted the corporate office several times and haven't gotten a response before contacting you. I sent a certified letter to Mr. Brandt and got no response.

I spent $3,490.00 for this service

I was presented with membership options ranging up to and exceeding $4000 at which time I stood up to leave. After multiple pleas, enticements, assurances, and many trips outside the office to 'talk to her manager', and negotiations that went on back and forth for an hour, I finally conceded and entered into an agreement for a service that was grossly misrepresented.

I was uncomfortable with the sales practices and misled about the service provided. I was told that the minimum price I could pay for the website was $500 to cover the cost of the video, pictures, and background check. I am aware that thorough background checks can run into several hundred dollars but that there are also background checks based on name and birth date. They came back with information on someone from another state so I know they did not run the thorough background.

I was also told that there were 'thousands' of men that met my criteria that were active members of the service in my local membership area of Baltimore, DC and Vienna, VA. This was completely false as I counted the sum total of them to be under 1000; they did not match my criteria and many were inactive.

I was also told that there were hosted events in my area which was also untrue. I was also not aware that the chain had been under investigation for years in multiple states and I was not informed that the location in DC had gone bankrupt and now belonged to another company. I was able to deduce the gross misrepresentation upon my first login and I have issued a stop payment with my bank and will take the matter up further with the BBB, the attorney general, and will seek to file a class action lawsuit for restitution.

I will be seeking damages of $500 and release from my contract of an additional $522.60.

I signed up at GE in Feb. of this year and less then two months later they go bankrupt? I know they had to have known what was coming when they took my money! Less then two months!!! Do I have any chance of getting any of it back? I was also told I would be included in the Hartford, CT and Providence, RI but that never happened either. Is every Great Expectations bankrupt?

I paid good money that I work hard for and for nothing. Not only did I pay the fee but also the pictures price. I am out over $2000.00 for nothing!

The Great Expections in my area(Boston) has gone bankrupt too. I tried calling the office with the phone diconnected. I have called my credit company to stop them from taking out the montly fees each month. No service..no money. I also called the attorney for Great Expections. If there is money owed when the bankruptcy goes through, there will be a form to fill out in order to receive money if any left over. Good luck everyone!

When I called to ask for info, they said I had to go there and meet with them. Then they put pressure on me and said if I don't sign today, I would not be able to join later. They had me sign the contract right there. Then provided practically no service and said that I had to do all the work myself. I asked to look at the profiles they had, but they refused to show me any. I was ripped off. There should be an opportunity to stop the damage once you are duped to sign a contract.

This cost me more than $4000--a high % interest was charged. I could have had better service with online services for $13/month! But once you sign, you are stuck.

I just received a short form letter that Great Expectations has filed for bankruptcy and they have closed the center that I joined. How can I get a stoppage on the outrageous membership fees that I pay since they are no longer providing the service that was promised (never delivered in the last 15 months that I have been a member)

They engage in high pressure sales tactics, charge outrageous fees and do not deliver on any promises. I am currently paying $185 per month for a service that I cannot get as the location is closed and the company has declared bankruptcy.

I worked at Great Expectations in the Boston Center. The memberships are way too expensive for what you get... I'm sorry for everyone who lost thousands of dollars. GE went bankrupt two weeks ago (April 08) and closed its doors. I was only at the company for two weeks when they told us we had to close the doors and leave.

1st their sales job is really smooth and very persuasive. However the product they deliver is not as advertised. They don't really screen people, they don't have anywhere near as many members as they say they do, and they don't really help you find a good match any more than other services like eharmony or match.com, in fact I would argue far less.

To make matters worse when I discontinued their service after a short haitus I found my credit card was once again being billed by them. This situation still remains unresolved with them threatening to sick a credit collection agency on me and me threatening to sick a lawer on them. So far it's all been telephone calls and no paperwork, but I'm getting to that point.

100's of dollars in losses due to false billing claims.

Great Expectations has not rendered any service pertaining to dating a suitable person as the Director, Lynn, stated. She said now is the time to get into the dating pool and that I wasn't getting any younger. She told me she had many men that were my age and who were looking for someone like me. She flattered me telling me I didn't look my age and wouldn't have any trouble finding a mate. She offered the price of $3,000.00 when I said NO she lowered the price to $500.00 down and $1,000.00 at $50.00 a month for a three year membership. I signed up in November of 2007,

It was 3 months before anyone contacted me and it was a man who had a lot of problems (Alcoholism). Lynn told me they screened these men and that there was a good ratio of men to women. The only men who contacted me were unsuitable. The interviewer, told me if I left the price would go up and that she could only give me this lower price at this time. They are draining my bank account and provide NO SERVICE at all. No one shows up to the events they have and they are canceled due to lack of participation.

When I called to get the Director, Lynn, last name the woman on the phone would not give it to me. They claim to have a lot of members but they are either on freeze or inactive. I think this is a big farce and a rip off of money that I could use to pay for groceries. I would like to find a group of people to file a class action law suit. I think this is a shame in this day and age that something like this is allowed to rip people off of their hard earned money. I went on one date and the man told me that I was the only person who responded in three months to his inquiries!

I am a widow, I have a son with Autism, he is 21 and lives with me. I am struggling to make ends meet and they will be draining $50.00 for 28 months and another $28.00 for 11 months! I want this to STOP NOW! they have gotten enough of my money I can't believe I fell for this scam, but I was lonely after my husband passed away he had been gone for 10 months when I went to Great Expectations

Buckling under extraordinarily high (and quite unaccustomed) pressure to sign up (sign today for the special reduced price, surely finding happiness is worth a fifth of what your car is worth, suggestions that my reluctance is the problem in general), I did indeed join Great Expectations. This, coupled with much flattery (I had read your initial application and could not believe it was you, you look so young and you are the perfect, sophisticated candidate etc.) and rather extravagant descriptions of the member pool (most of our members are serious, accomplished, professionals and there are a great many in whom you would be interested and they in you, in fact I have someone in mind who might be just perfect) made leaving without joining difficult. I was no match for what I now see as a carefully researched and rehearsed psychologically persuasive selling approach.

There was also much pressure later to buy the associated photo package beyond the one photo covered by the contract. Much of their pitch turned out to be completely untrue. I was told that all members pay the same amount when in fact my few dates (men) confessed that they had paid a small percentage of what I paid. I was told that I would know exactly what the carefully screened members look like as GE takes and posts the photographs so there would be no surprises like with other dating services.

One date, quite unrecognizable in person, had had his picture taken 10 years and 50 pounds earlier. The expansive listings are both difficult and deceptive. Inactive members remain listed and must be waded through. These are a huge percentage (more than half) of the total listings. If the inactive, the this member visits your area (not), the much too young/old, the undereducated, and otherwise unsuitable are culled there are only a handful of remotely reasonable possibilities. I had after all discussed, at great length, at their request, the sort of man I would find interesting. I have nothing to say about men in red jumpsuits and foot long ponytails who like to cuddle as I am sure that they are perfect for someone. Frankly, I can not believe I fell for their fraudulent pitch.

I wasted thousands of dollars and feel extraordinarily foolish. I would be happy to join in a class action suit.

As filed by numerous disgruntled members, I too had a very unsatisfactory experience with Great Expectations. In fact, the only thing great about this experience was the 'expectations' which were never realized. After several typical high pressure tactics like 'TODAY ONLY' pricing, and calling it a Valentines Special, I was charged $995, which, from what I have been reading, was cheap, compared to what most members were charged for their membership. The pictures were less than complimentary, and the video was horrid. I was living in NJ, and told them that my residence there was temporary, and that I was relocating to MD within the next 60-90 days. I was granted access to only local singles, and the selection was very limited, at that. I could not investigate any potential dates in the area I was about to locate to, except to see their profiles; no contact was allowed. I asked, several times via e-mail, to have my profile corrected.

There was missing information, such as my weight was listed, but my height n/a, which could mislead potential dates into thinking I was heavier than I was. (175 lbs, but I am 5' 11, which is about normal) I then relocated to MD, as I had told them I would do, and it took almost a month to get the transfer accomplished. Once transferred, I found that the reps in DC (Vienna, VA) were much more friendly, they communicated, and were actually setting up the 'events' that NJ promised, but rarely delivered upon. After only a week, I found that the DC location was closed down, all of the GOOD reps fired without notice, and that we (the members) were SOLD to another dating service. This service (The Right One, or Together) had an even WORSE reputation with the BBB! No notice has been given to the clientele even now! We were to be kept in the dark, and not even made aware that this sell-out occurred.

I only found out because of the close friendships with the displaced reps from Vienna. Otherwise, I would still be in the dark. I didn't sign up for this, I wasn't happy with what I signed up with, and certainly do NOT feel I should be held to any agreement with a company which switched me out, and sold me like Human Traffic. The only good thing about this service was the people I had the good fortune to meet in Vienna, which were tossed out, rudely, and for no other reason than the fact that they were trying to do the right thing by their customers. Apparently, this company cannot accept that! Refund requests were responded to only by saying that they have no refund policy! These companies take advantage of the temporary depression and loneliness of recently separated and single people, by promises of thousands of qualified singles with which they can be professionally matched up, by their staff of counselors. What a crock!

$995 member fees and detrimental impact to my credit score by going further into debt.

On 20 April 2008, I recieved a call from Shirley of Great Expectations, about an online request I made. I responded that I didn't know about the online request or this company. An appointment was made for the next day, I was promised that my introduction would be free and fun. I attended and met Kristen, who interviewed me. She spoke briefly about Great Expectations. When I was asked about my hobbies and interests. I told her many times I wasn't ready for this service. Kristen continually prodded me about why I wasn't interested in the service. I told her I wasn't ready to meet anyone, my new job would keep me busy most of the week. She said, I would meet many wonderful women who had the same interests I had. I still wasn't ready, nor was I interested.

But the pressure was on, I wanted to get up and leave several times. I wish I did. I ended up leaving after a very high pressure sales event, with a copy of a signed contract for $3300. My membership won't start until 1 May 2008, although that date has not been reached, my contract will not be terminated at my request. When I called to ask about terminating this agreement I was told by Kristen that my membership could be frozen until I was ready to participate, but I was still liable for the $3300. They could not terminate a legal binding contract. My Retail Installment Contract states I can have the contract terminated as long as both parties sign a written request.

However, on the Membership Agreement it says You understand and agree that G/E does not grant, and you shall not request, refunds, cancellations or rescissions of any kind, except as otherwise required by law. I can't afford an attorney to fight these people. Unless someone out there can help, I'm stuck with a service I won't use and $3300 to a bunch of thieves. I have read several complaints about Great Expectations on this site and a few are from the Las Vegas area.

On one week in Sept 2002 I was bankrupt and divorced. Everytime I think about it, I come to the conclusion, I don't want another relationship now. Thank god, I have my home and my kids. I don't want another relationship right now, I don't care how nice the woman is. I'm not ready! This was relayed to Kristen many times and many times she relayed that it sounded more like a financial problem and not an emotional one. Of course it does, I was in a bankruptcy, although I have no problems with my finances I get charge the highest interest for everything. This is both financially and emotionally troubling for me.

I work for Great Expectations. I started working here after I met a couple who met through their Cleveland location. I wanted to help people find what they found. I can tell you first hand that we are true to our word and run background checks on every single person who we sign up. I can not speak for every location but in Columbus a complete background check is completed on every member. What is not told on this website is the large amount of people who meet and find romantic success through our program.

We want our program to be successful and have a full staff in place in order to assist our members with accomplishing their romantic goals. This membership is like a gym membership and people who use it will get results. Like a gym membersip, it is not meant to happen over night. However, those who do not utilize the location rescources can not complain about no success.

Just a warning for people! I use to work at the location in Rockyhill, Ct. Rip off isn't the word! I feel so bad reading all these complaints. First off, they will nag you till you set an appointment to come in. Promising great men and background checks on all members! CROCK! No back round check is done, some of the members are even married! The only check they do when you come in is the credit check to see how much money to push you for, the better your credit, the higher the membership fee. If they see you don't have anything, they will push you out the door, by saying this may not be for you, etc. And they say you have 3 days to cancel...haha... They will avoid you like the plague. I even saw them mistakenly (yeah right) forget to give the member their copy of the agreement, so they didn't know how long they had to cancel. Please beware, this company is a scam! They show you members when you come in, just to let you know the pics they show you are not even members! Just hot guys and gals they paid to use their pics! beware!

I kept seeing signs posted around town for www.fwsingles.org, and ended up going to their website out of curiosity. The website didn't have a lot of information, but it sounded like a singles club. There was a form you could fill out to get more information, which I did. Someone named Sarah then called and introduced herself as being from Fort Worth Singles. I didn't have the time to talk to her, but she continued calling until I did. She told me they were a very selective singles club that offered numerous high-end services. When I inquired about pricing and other details, she said I would have to come in for a personal interview so that they could determine if I was eligible. I half-heartedly made an appointment, thinking it couldn't hurt to get more information. I googled FW Singles at this point, but couldn't really find any info on the company, good or bad.

About an hour before my appointment, someone called me to remind me of it, and gave me directions. Only then did I learn that the company I was visiting was actually called Great Expectations. I visited them on 3/12/08. It turned out they were not so much a singles club as a primarily online dating service. They kept me in the office for two hours, during which I was exposed to extremely high-pressure sales tactics that left me very emotionally upset. Basically, the saleswoman kept reminding me that my time was running out, and explained to me that Great Expectations were pretty much my only hope if I ever wanted to get married and have children. I repeatedly told her that I could not afford their services and in any case, did not want to rush into a decision to spend the kind of money they were asking for (initially $5000-8000 for a 3-year membership). The salesperson then began discounting the membership packages, the catch being that I'd have to sign up before leaving the office. I still refused, but after the salesperson had made me cry several more times, I stupidly let myself be coerced into signing a contract for $2995, for which my credit card was swiped immediately.

As soon as I left the office, I realized my mistake. I could not afford spending this sum, nor did I really want the service. And I felt like a fool for having let myself be tricked into signing up for something I did not want. I called back to cancel my membership two hours after signing up for it (and also sent a written cancellation by registered mail the following morning). I requested a refund, but it was refused to me. The saleswoman I had met with pointed out that I had signed a contract stating that there would be no cancellations or refunds. And it is true, I did sign the contract.

So as it stands right now, Great Expectations has my $2995. It is true that I signed a contract stating there were no refunds. But I have several problems with this situation: 1. I was a member of Great Expectations for only two hours, during which I did not use the services at all. In fact, my services HAD NOT YET BEEN ACTIVATED - they were scheduled to be activated on or after 3/22/08. Therefore, I received NOTHING from this company for the sum I paid. I'm not asking for a refund for services rendered on the grounds that these services were not what I expected. I am asking to not have to pay for services that WERE NOT rendered and I did not want. 2. While I did sign a contract, it seems to me that I was coerced emotionally into signing an EXTREMELY unfair contract. A contract that allows a company to charge you thousands of dollars without giving you anything in return cannot possibly be legally enforceable. 3. I was deceived into coming into the office in the first place. If I had known earlier that the company was really Great Expectations, not FW Singles, I could have looked them up online before coming in, and learned what I now know - that this company is nothing but a big scam (I have since read hundreds of horror stories online). I was also led to believe that they were more of a singles club than a dating service; otherwise I never would have gone into their office.

I lost $2,995.00.

Follow-up to complaint lodged by myself on this venue 03-07-08. I have been in touch with the local owner, Dave Talbot, of Great Expectations, and I feel bad that I made a complaint without investigating all the facts. First of all, I have learned each Great Expectations location is locally owned. Secondly, I have found that one of the most reputable locations is the Baltimore location operated by Mr. Talbot. This location has very few complaints, and Mr. Talbot has offered to refund my $500.00 fee.

I feel very bad over the fact that I grouped all Great Expectations as one. In fact like McDonald's, these are franchised out; and it seems the Baltimore location has one of the best records of any service oriented business. The fact that Mr. Talbot sought me out to correct my misconception clearly indicates he is a man of integrity and operates a business based on integrity. To Mr. Talbot and his associate Courtney, I sincerely apologize.

I found this dating service while surfing the web. I can't recall what it was called, but it was not Great Expectations. I filled the form out online and within 24 hours, Carol called me numerous times. Our conversations consisted of great guys that you would really want to date, background checks, and then proceeded to tell me how many men were signed up to this service. I am usually not a gullible person, but I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, and believe them. Boy, was I wrong. The selection is very few. I was told to come back for a photo shoot. When I arrived, it took less than 15 minutes to record my voice and take mediocre pictures. I was then talked into purchasing my photographs on CD. Money is still coming out of my account monthly, and I don't have a thing to show for it. I have called several times to complain, but all I get is voice-mail. When I do get a human voice, I am told that someone will return my call. That NEVER happens! If only I had done my research on consumeraffairs.com, I would be in a much happier place.

I feel like an idiot for signing up with them. It hurts to know that they preyed upon me, knowing that the selection was few. It has been a hardship for me, because I simply cannot afford to keep giving money and not receive service.

As copied from my complaint with the better business bureau (of which they have yet to respond, and tomorrow, 03/21/2008, is the final date for them to respond by). I agreed with GE to sign up at a rate of $100 a month for approximately 20 months. I wished to cancel, as their schedule and mine does not mesh, and I am unable to use their services. I wrote them asking to cancel and as of January 17, 2008, I did not hear back from them. I assumed the matter was closed.

On March 3rd, there is a deduction of $100 from GE and a secondary one for $28 (what's that for?) from GE. Their reasoning is I am past the three day window to cancel. My reasoning is they did not tell me the only days to set up is Thursday, Friday and Saturday. As someone who works two jobs, one of them night shift, this did not meet my means. I am UNABLE to use their services, yet they insist that even though I will never use their dating service, I should be continually billed $100 a month for 20+ months.

When I inquired about the random secondary $28 charge, they failed to address it, but this charge is still on my account. This is a blatant abuse of having my card on file and not owning up to frivolous charges. My demands; I told them I will concede the initial $200 down payment and not expect a refund for it. My simple demand is that my card be no longer charged in the forthcoming 20+ months. I signed a contract, but with important details (re: schedule conflicts) withheld until I made the down payment and later tried to schedule an appointment. I think my demands are more than fair, as they were not truthful in terms of the full details of the contract, and I am willing to not demand a refund for the down payment; simply a refund for the 2 CHARGES (one for $100, one erroneous one for $28) and that my card/account no longer be charged. Thank you.

In July last year I got in contact with Great Expectations and unfortunately went into their trap! 6995 dollars poorer, feeling pushed into something that I wasn't sure about by a very convincing sales person. Oh, yes, nice rich guys would stand in line waiting to take you out! I just wish that I had read these pages before and I would never have visited their office in Maitland, east of Orlando! There seems to be no way the get the money back, but I DO WARN EVERYONE for signs along the roads, like www.Orlandosingles.com, Windermeredates.org etc. They all belong to this company. They use people at a vulnerable time in their lives and make good profit out of you. And by all means, refuse to visit their office.

Well, so far 8 months later nothing has happened whatsoever, except that I lost my American Express card and am still paying off the bill on my VISA card. I sure could have had a lot more fun for that money, like having spent Christmas with my children.

I thank God for consumer complaints and all of you who have written in. I filled out an online form assuming it was for Houstondating service. I received a call a few days later from a breathy Marsha stating she was from GE. I didn't understand who that was so I returned the call. We talked for 45 mins about my dating preference. I asked her if she could tell my how their process worked. She said I needed to come in for an interview, etc. She quickly schedule the interview for the next day.

The next day I had to cancel I called her and she exclaimed, This is your life! - Ok now I know something isn't right. Then she went on to say, Your not nervous are you?. So I rescheduled for the next couple of days, however she wanted me to come in the next day and I told her absolutely not. After my phone call with Marsha I jumped on this website to investigate. I will cancel my appointment ASAP!

I am so glad I read some of these complaints before I went to my appt. tonight at 7 pm. No way am I going now. I am sorry for all of you who got a raw deal, but rest assured voicing your complaints here definitely saved me from experiencing the same. And for that I thank you all.

The same deal as one other person: I clicked the link on Facebook, and next thing I know, I am bombarded with phone calls. I bought some software for my cell phone that I can block their numbers with and will add them to my block list on my home phone too. BEWARE!

Yes, here is another victim in the SCAM that is called Great Expectations. This company will be a Great LOSS OF YOUR MONEY! I have had one date for coffee--guess I should consider myself lucky. But the date wasn't worth the PRICE I paid for it which was $1,200. The agent said that it was the student's price, and that if I told anyone that they would take my membership away. And another thing was that I was never given a contract. I've asked for one, but I haven't received one. And that was without the photo package which was almost $300.00. I have chosen over 20 men in the past 5 months only to be refused by some, but then not even getting a refusal from the other Gents. I really felt pressured into signing up. Now I learned the the Center in Chicago, IL has moved to Schaumburg, IL, and I wasn't even told about that.

I also asked the young lady that if I didn't want the internet access, how do I look at the profiles? She told me that I would have to go out to Schaumburg IL. That's just way too far for me to travel, and internet access is $19.95 per month, taken out of my credit card. Well as the old saying goes, Live and Learn. Was this an Expensive lesson!

Originally I thought I was going to a web based dating service, but when I got to it I filled out a few questions and got a message that said I would be contacted in a few days. That week I got a call from someone who couldn't give me any specifics over the phone and couldn't make an appointment with me because she doesn't make appointments more than 5 days out. I was busy that week and couldn't make an appointment right away. When she called me back the following week I made an appointment. The day before my scheduled interview, I innocently went online to get their address to figure out how long it would take to get to their office from work. I typed in 'Great Expectations Cincinnati Ohio' and the search came back with multiple sites that had horrible things to say about the company.

After reading several of them and seeing NO good comments, I decided to call and cancel my appointment. When I canceled the girl was pretty nice, but about an hour later I had a message on my phone from her that she wanted to talk to me and had some ideas. I didn't call back. For the next couple of weeks I kept seeing a long distance number pop up on my phone, but I either missed it or couldn't take it at the time. Then finally today, they caught me on my way home from work. It was a different person than who I had been talking to, and again it was a long distance number even though they have a local office. She asked me when I was going to come in, and I told her that I had already talked to someone and told them I wasn't interested. She kept pressuring me, although I politely told her I was not interested. Finally I told her the truth, that I had seen multiple bad reviews on Great Expectations, and I just didn't think it was a good idea. I was still being polite at this point.

She started getting more pushy and asked my why I was 'so close minded'. I have to say I'm a pretty open minded person, so it bothered me that someone who didn't know a thing about me would call me that. When I told her I wasn't close minded, she made a point to tell me I was the one who contacted them. I reminded her that I had also called and told them I wasn't interested and started to tell her I did not want to continue the conversation, but she cut me off saying that 'she could understand why I'm single' and HUNG UP on me. Quite an unprofessional place. I'm glad I didn't go in for the interview, and I want to thank everyone who told their story. You saved me from making a big mistake.

The only thing they succeeded in doing was making me angry.

Buyer Beware! Any contract that offers absolutely no way out whether you use the service or not is a bad deal. During the initial interview (12/22/07) process I was presented w/ membership prices starting at $6000 min. differing by $500. While viewing what I thought was a very expensive complete pkg. for $6995, Stefanie Hogan swiped my credit card for $7400. At that time I inquired about the refund policy should I change my mind by the time I got home. Stefanie then told me that there was absolutely no refund policy. While I was bothered, I felt trapped. There is no mention of the NO Refund policy until after your credit card has been swiped.

Unable to view the membership database until after photos were taken the next week, I was disappointed to find 40% of the database included inactive members and very few African American clients. My disappointment lead me to search the web for complaints. To my surprise there are at least 58 printable pages of complaints about Great Expectations. It was here that I found out that I had been charged more than twice what others have paid for the same membership. GE will not deny that I have paid more than others for the same membership and has not offered any reason as to why I was targeted for this amount. I feel deceived and no longer want to participate in the Great Expectations Dating Service. Unfortunately, my attempt to dispute the charge on my credit card was unsuccessful. I have not gone a single date with any GE member and have repeatedly asked for a refund via email only to be refused.

Not only have I incurred unnecessary credit card debt, I feel like an idiot for signing the contract.

Great Expectations, in my opinion, is a huge scam that has been permitted to continue ONLY because nobody has organized all the complaints and court rulings against them and been willing to fight them in courts until they are completely shut down. All that is about to change because I have the stamina, intelligence, media connections, and financial resources to be the David to this Goliath.

I got caught in their skillfully orchestrated web of deceptive trade practices and improper use of my credit report. I properly disputed the $4163 VISA charge and won the first round citing Federal and Nevada Statutes. Merzi Group, Inc. d/b/a Great Expectations fought back. I suspect this matter will end up in a court within the next two years. Only question is whether it will become a class action case.

I want to give an update to a posting I made in 01/23/2008. An acceptable resolution has been reached between myself and Great Expectations Austin.

I still have 8 months remaining on my Great Expectations contract. I thought it a little odd that I hadn't heard from anyone in several months, but it wasn't until I received an e-mail from the Los Angeles location that I found out the Irvine location had closed! Los Angeles, through the goodness of their hearts, offered me a membership, but with significant charges. I signed a contract with these folks, and I don't know how to proceed with getting my refund money. I never heard from Irvine regarding their closing, and I'm very angry. Anyone else from the Irvine location with the same story?

I have lost about $1000 for 8 months never honored.

I called to inquire about the price and services. GE balked at relating prices and insisted I come in to review the packages, they said until they interviewed me they were not sure I would qualify and that they needed to suit me with a program that was custom made for me. They wanted me to come in that day, when I said I could not they immediately went to the next and then the next day. Finally, after work I showed up at 4:30.

They gave me a cheesy interview and used a 90's video that I watched as the lady, Courtney left the room repeatedly. Later I discovered she was doing credit checks on me. They started out with a $5,000.00 package which I insisted was crazy, then they kept dropping the prices until they came up with a package (Valentines Day Special) for $1,995.00. Again I asked for time to consider it and I was told that the offer would not be good later. There were many High Pressured sales tactics used.

I was misled into believing there were a significant number of people in my Home County, Allegany some 140 miles away that were members, I was also told that that very office had 2,500 active members (I am sure this is not true). Eventually I made the mistake of crumbling and signed a very tightly clad contract, however I was intent on immediately doing more research on the company and upon doing so I found they were not well received and had many complaints as well a a number of lawsuits pending. I immediately cancelled my membership and called my bank to cancel a $500.00 charge made to my credit card. I intend to stop them from making ANY more debits against my card and feel like I was high pressured into accepting a contract without all the facts being made clear, especially in light of direct questions I asked being answered dishonestly. Stay away, Yahoo personals and Match.com are better for a whole lot less money

$500.00 deposit may be lost, made me feel like a target due to my single status (self esteem). A contract I may have to fight in court.

I want to give an update on my complaint of Jan 18, 2008. I have favorably settled my complaint with Great Expectations, and I withdraw my complaint.

After joining for an enormous sum of money, they deliberately gave me the wrong meeting times of their events, charged me extra for their events, never let me know when I was selected, never notified the people I selected. They refused to refund any money at all, even when I calmly talked it over with the reps several times about the problems. I just want the name of the owner so I can take them to court--which, of course, nobody will give me!

They do NOT screen people before placing them as members! How do I know? Because they signed up my HUSBAND for full membership. You read that right- final paperwork showed up in the mail.

Charged him a pretty penny, I suspect on a Credit Card that I don't have access to.

I clicked on a link in Facebook and was jumped to a short questionnaire to join an organization to meet great new dating service for serious relationship minded singles. (I have tried to go back and get the url for the ad as it was not a Great Expectations site). However, after I completed the questionnaire the Thank You page stated that a Great Expectations representative would be contacting me.

I was called the next morning from the Sacramento office but told it was the Palo Alto office. She walked me through more questions which were all very similar to the ones I had already answered. Then she told me about the website and I said if it is online dating I'm not interested. She said it was not online dating, that they have lots of events and all their members are screened in advance. I asked how do they screen them? She stated they do full background and criminal checks to make sure people are who they say they are.

I was beginning to get a little skeptical of all this security and criminal checking so I asked how much the service cost. She of course, could not tell me and would not want me to make a financial decision prior to understanding the full program, so I would need to go into the office for an interview and consultation. Was I available in a couple hours? Seemed pretty rushed, I said no, how about Tuesday. She said I have an opening tomorrow. I said how about Tuesday afternoon. She made an appointment for 5pm on Tuesday. She was very clear that I would need to bring several types of ID with me, so they could be sure it was me and that a credit card could also serve as ID.

This sounded like a scam to me, so I did a few quick searches online and discovered I was not the only one to think their methods sounded like a scam.

They use typical, HIGH-pressure sales tactics with glittering generalities and cheesy testimonials. They were playing on my emotions the instant I walked in the door. Any time someone does a credit check before talking about price they are just seeing how much they can get you for. Unfortunately, I did pay a $100 deposit to hold the ....Fantastic.... price for one month. I won't fight the charge or try to get my money back because I am VERY protective of my credit, but that is all they will get out of me. I have sympathy for others who have paid huge sums of money for this service. When a skilled salesperson plays on your feelings the way that they do, making you feel lonelier than you really are, it can be hard to say no.

Fortunately, they only scammed 100 bucks out of me, but you can be sure that others in my area have been ripped off for a lot more.

Good luck trying to cancel within the 3-day period. Due to a change in my home location, I decided to cancel within the 3-day period. The staff was not helpful in explaining this process. The entire experience was like purchasing a car: they take your credit card and license and will not take "cancel" for an answer. Anyway, I confirmed in writing with Liz the Supervisor. A month later I received a charge on my debit card for photos! They also deposited my deposit check!

I have no choice but to contact the local BBB, etc.... Does anyone know how to contact the main office? Thanks.

I was told that applicants were screened for vital information. This is not done since there were people on there with restraining orders against them. They don't maintain current photographs of people. Some people were allowed to put their own, older photos up on the site. There were many fewer men in my area than was represented during the sales pitch. They charged me extra for the photos and I complained many times but they didn't call me back. I told them I didn't want to date men from other cities farther than 100 miles away from me, yet from the beginning most of the men contacting me came from mid-western and western US states. They charge everyone a different amount regardless of the package or service. They said I would get invitations to parties and events exclusive to members.

When I tried to get my money back, they make threats and say if you do that they will void your membership. They said I'd have a personal (matchmaker) assistant to help me meet the right person. This never happened. They offered personal service for the price but delivered even less than any other dating service charging thousand less. Their big selling point in their high pressure pitch is safety and screening. I know they didn't screen people. At least one guy I met had a restraining order. They wouldn't explain their screening process.

It cost me $5,000 plus $300 for photos. They didn't deliver on most of the claims and promises made in the sales pitch and in their literature.

I had gone to this place for an interview on how their dating service works. The package deals were widespread, and I had in mind to get a 6-month membership with a minimal photo package. Through Rena's discouragement about getting the minimum package, she said I wouldn't get much exposure so it would be better to get a larger package. I wanted to find one nice lady--not date a million women. This is where it appears to be a prostitution site. I didn't get a chance to get familiar with the website to contact some of these women, but in some of their comments on contacting me they are very forward. This is not what I was looking for. I was convinced to get a much too large a package with Great Expectations, and the Photographer also had the same sales pitch. I wanted the small package and he pushed me into a larger package.

The photographer was paid in full by using my credit card for numerous transactions that he made me sign and date all at one time. The end result is that I didn't use the website, and I feel that they have taken advantage of me. This is a very messed up situation here. I feel that they have done this to others, but some people just let it go but not me. PLEASE HELP ME.

They have turned me over to a collection agency that will not stop harassing me. I had a problem with somebody taking mony from my checking account right after this happened. I'm not saying that they did it, but it just seemed to be a bit strange. I closed the account so I have no more problems with that. They are on my credit report now which contributed to beating my credit scores into the ground. This can't be legal--paying for services that I didn't receive. Paying for something that they have forced me off of is wrong. They collected their monthly dues, they are demanding $4000. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.

I contacted a web site entitled woodstocksingles.com thinking it was singles in my area. After going to that web site I filled out a questionnaire and then it all started. I was called and called and called - well, you get the picture. They called at least 6 times to get me to come to their office. I finally, reluctantly agreed. I met with the GM Mr. Ware he informed me of what a great program they had and how if I joined I would find the love of my life. He went on to say I was part of this service until marriage. I listened to his 30min presentation and watched an old video (from the 90's) during which he left the room about 4 times. Once to run a credit and marriage check.

He came back with that info. and asked, "I bet you are wondering how much this GREAT service would cost." I said of course and he told me 4,995 dollars. I was appalled and should have left then. But you see he is a psychologist (so he says). He then asks what is this $3,000 dollars you have on this credit card. See the credit check is solely to see how much money you have. Mr. Ware said I will make you a deal, I will lower the fee to $2,995 dollars and call it a student discount. I am NOT a student! This proves my statement about the credit report. I said well let me think about it. He stated this is a once in a life time deal and I cannot offer this to you ever again. One of many signs I should have left then.

So I signed it. After that I went home and did a little research and I was amazed that these people are still in business. Great Expectations is involved in several lawsuits nation wide. I talked to a former employee who stated you are video taped the whole time and when the person leaves, they are going to a room where several people are watching you trying to figure out how much to charge you! I know that is hearsay but those are her words. Well the latest is I have disputed my credit card and won briefly but then the credit was reversed. I am now filing paper work to go to small claims court in Fulton County with them. And if I have to I will use my media resources to let everyone in GA know what kind of people and business they are dealing with. I would like to get all the GA people I can together and fight this.

I am out 2,995 dollars and have received no benefit what so ever (other than pics which I do not have). Also my credit scores have fallen.

High pressure sales tactics lead to my signing up with GE initially. The next day I decided to cancel my membership, within the 3 day cancellation period. I hand-delivered the required cancellation letter to the GE Walnut Creek office and was assured that the cancellation was not a problem. Subsequently, I've been charged $28 per month from June to current date. After numerous calls I was finally able to stop future payments, but have not received a reimbursement for past payments despite repeated calls. On the second to last call I was told that GE does not give reimbursements. On this last call I was asked to send the original letter in again (could not be faxed) and warned that corporate is very slow to reimburse. The woman on the phone said she emailed corporate about the incident, but didn't have any contact information to give me about whom I could follow up with or how. She also said even if she had corporate's information she would not be allowed to give it out.

$224 in dues, plus annoyance and aggravation.

I input the information they requested on line, then received phone call from Jennifer. I did ask about a fee, but she said for me not to worry about it--that we could work on that later; she just wanted me to see the program and see if it fit me. She emailed directions, and I went there on 1-26-08; the whole office looked fake. There was only one woman at the front desk and one other lady just floating around. After filling out a brief info report, the young lady put me in an office and told me that I was lucky I would be meeting w/ the CEO after watching the short video. Afterwards, she showed me into another office; he talked and I listened. He stated that they had been around 32 years.

After two hours, I discovered they had already pulled my credit, the cost was $5100.00, that they would finance me at 13% interest for 60 months, and finally dropped the price to $4100, which still I could not afford. I called my oldest son, told him, and after hearing myself talk I knew it was wrong. They give you very hard sell, tell you that you never get asked back, and that if I did not feel I was worth $50. a month I was not serious about finding my future husband. I asked the rate of success, and he stated 75%; for that kind of money I would hope for 100%. I did not give them one penny; however, they did get my SS number and ran my credit which bothers me greatly since I did not recall seeing anything to give them the right to do that. The CEO took several personal phone calls while in with me. They have to be the worst kind of place--taking money from women and men who feel bad as is, and then make them feel worse if they don't take their service, which in the end is no different than all other online services.

I am trying to get my money back from Great Expectations in Palo Alto. I was invited into their office to find out what it was all about. I was talked into purchasing the membership, only after I said there was no way I could afford it, they gave me discount after discount until it was half off. I ended up paying everything up front ($3300) so I would not have monthly payments. This was on 12/24/07. I wasn't scheduled for photos until 12/28/07 and couldn't even experience the website until after the 3 day grace.

The membership and the photo (it started out at $499 and ended up $150) sales were a nightmare. I felt I was buying a used car. The director made promises of speed dating and encouraged me to sign up for all the events that were shown in the lobby. When I attempted to sign up, there were too many women and everything was filled up. I didn't get an orientation so I went home after spending 3 hours trying to figure out what to do on my own. If you listen to the recording on their phone when waiting on hold, they state that they will help you with a profile. No one even cared how my profile was written. They just put it on exactly how I had written it. I got no professional help. I feel Great Expectations misrepresented their intentions and their business. Everyone who joins pays a different price. I feel if I had haggled more I would of gotten it cheaper.

I started calling and leaving messages on 1/2/08. I called 4 times and left messages and did not get 1 call back. Finally, I called and spoke with Heather and she ended up giving me a free event (I told her I wasn't interested). I just wanted my money back and would be willing to have it prorated. I then emailed a letter requesting my money back. I spoke with Dana with Z Management in Las Vegas. She was going to look into it and get back to me in a week. Of course no one called and I called back several times and finally spoke with her. She refused my refund and told me to do whatever I need to do. During this time, I received 3 calls from Sacramento Great Expectations trying to get me to join! I started this refund process within a week of the purchase.

I am very hesitant into trying any kind of dating service now.

I enrolled with Great Expectations 01/09/2007, I should have never agreed to their services.I finally agreed to come in . When I arrived in their office, one of their sales people, Lisa, put me into a little room with my back to the door. She showed me a video with happy, smiling people and gave me forms to fill out with personal information (including DL# and SS#) and your dating goals. When you get the forms, you find out that you are not at AustinSingles, but at a company called Great Expectations. When I asked about it, Lisa stated that they used a different name to advertise because of marketing strategies to promote that they are local.

The sales techniques that they use are incredibly aggressive. I have never been in a situation where I was put under so much pressure. And it works, because generally you are in a little bit of a vulnerable state when you show up. They don't tell you anything about prices until you've been there for at least two hours. Then it comes: they tried to talk me into a $4195 membership, which supposedly was a really good deal because usually their membership is higher.

I stated that was high and the the monthly fees of 29.00 was more money I wanted to spend. She waived the monthly fee. I have since learned that not everyone pays the same amount even though you sign up for the same amount of time. So I could of paid less if I negotiated more. I repeatedly stated that I felt pressured and that I wanted to think about it.

According to Lisa, I had to sign today or I would not be able to get a membership for this price anymore, and she really wanted it for me. She said that me feeling pressured probably meant that I knew I had to do it, I was just afraid of change. To my shame and embarrassment, I did finally sign the contract although I was uncomfortable about it.

On Monday, I started looking into the real company, Great Expectations, and found all kinds of horror stories from people having signed up with this company. I immediately called the company to cancel. The girl I talked to stated that she had to look at my file. I never heard back. I called again on Thursday and finally got to speak to the owner, Michael Miess. He stated that there are no refunds. He said that I was a grown woman and nobody had forced me to sign. I now have to try and get my money back through an attorney, but do not have high hopes after reading other peoples experiences. I have lost a $4000 and have credit card debt. In addition, I am extremely depressed about having been talked into this.

I am embarassed that I fell for their sales pitch and now am in debt. They play on your emotions. I am a single mom and they used that continuously threw the pitch.

Positive result. I just have to make sure they don't take the 128.00 out of my account going forward.

Sales rep refused to discuss cost until 2 1/2 hours of questioning had occurred. Very, very hard sell - psychological angles used to make prospect feel like they were less than if they didn't invest (6 thousand dollars) in dating. Sales rep even told me that some of my answers were wrong! I have never seen such a hard sell using such underhanded techniques.

A waste of 2 1/2 hours of my time. Left feeling extremely angry. Sales rep was still insulting me as I walked out of the office.

This company advertises with signs stating: Single? AustinSingles.org?. Well, since friends and family kept telling me to start internet dating, I finally decided to go this website and check it out. The website does not give you any information about Austin Singles; it is just a form to fill out. I did, and then I started getting phone calls to set up an appointment in their office. No information is given over the phone. I made an appointment and cancelled it later on because I was hesitant about the idea of internet dating. They kept following up, urging me to come in just to check it out.

I finally agreed to come in since I had just broken up with a guy I had been seeing. When I arrived in their office, one of their sales people, Melissa, put me into a little room with my back to the door. She showed me a video with happy, smiling people and gave me forms to fill out with personal information (including DL# and SS#) and your dating goals. When you get the forms, you find out that you are not at AustinSingles, but at a company called Great Expectations. When I asked about it, Melissa stated that they used a different name to advertise because of marketing strategies to promote that they are local The sales techniques that they use are incredibly aggressive. I have never been in a situation where I was put under so much pressure. And it works, because generally you are in a little bit of a vulnerable state when you show up. They don't tell you anything about prices until you've been there for at least two hours. Then it comes: they tried to talk me into a $2000 membership, which supposedly was a really good deal because usually their membership is $4000. Since I stated that I could not possibly afford that, Melissa kept going in and out of the office to talk to the owner about more special deals for me. Finally the price came down to $1000. I repeatedly stated that I felt pressured and that I wanted to think about it. According to Melissa, I had to sign today or I would not be able to get a membership for this price anymore, and she really wanted it for me. She said that me feeling pressured probably meant that I knew I had to do it, I was just afraid of change.

To my shame and embarrassment, I did finally sign the contract on Saturday afternoon although I was uncomfortable about it. On Monday, I started looking into the real company, Great Expectations, and found all kinds of horror stories from people having signed up with this company. I immediately called the company to cancel. The girl I talked to stated that she had to look at my file. I never heard back. I called again on Thursday and finally got to speak to the owner, Michael Miess. He stated that there are no refunds, even though no pictures have been taken and I don't have an active account. He said that I was a grown woman and nobody had forced me to sign. I now have to try and get my money back through an attorney, but do not have high hopes after reading other peoples experiences.

I have lost a $1000 and have credit card debt. In addition, I am extremely depressed about having been talked into this.

I was employed there. They lie and offer terrible service.

They don't deliver on their promises. They list members who are not active. There are no follow up calls at all.

It was a waste of my money.

I was contacted by a woman named Robin by telephone, and she set up an appointment for me for 11 am Saturday Jan. 5, 2008, to go to the address listed. I showed up at my appointed time, and no one there could find my name in the data base. It took over 45 minutes for someone to come out and tell me they were quite busy, and since they could not find my name in their data base I would have to wait until a customer service rep became available. In the meantime I filled out an application, and they asked me for my drivers license and a major credit card as proof of who I was. I finally met with a customer service rep, and she gave me the pitch on how good the program is and I could be dating right away. I asked her a couple of times for the price of the service, and she kept telling me she would get to that. She asked me how much I spend per week on socializing, and I told her less then $100.00. She asked me, "Wouldn't you spend thousands of dollars to meet the man of your dreams?" Comments like that about finances was a turnoff, and then she showed me a price list of services the GE has to offer.

Living on a strict budget, as I do, I told her there is no possible way I could pay the three payments she showed me. A year membership is over $1,500, Three years is over $2,500.00 and 6 years almost $4,000.00. The cost would be charged to the credit card right there if I were to become a member. Plus on top on that it would also cost $28.00 per month to be a member. I told her there is no way I could join for that type of money. At this point she became nasty and indicated something was wrong with me that I would not make an investment in my future and find my perfect match. I walked out of that place very upset, angry and tried to get my application and the copy they made of my drivers license and credit card back, but I was told they did not make a copy of my information. I left that office very upset and shaking my head that they tried to get me to sign up for that amount of money and wasted about three to four hours of my time.

I am not sure what is going to happen they have my application information, and since reading the Consumer complaints on your website, I will be calling my credit card company to put a block on my account today, just in case they try to charge me.

Missy Fink called me on or around Friday 12/28/07 to sell me a dating service. I tried to ask her a questions & she got very rude and told me she will ask the questions. At that point I told her I was not interested. I then asked her to take me off her list & not to call me any more. On Sunday 1/06/08 I received another call from Missy Fink. Again she was very rude. I told her and her Director, Traci Sarboro to put me on the do not call list, at which point they laughed and hung up the phone.

I clicked on a link on the internet claiming to be an all inclusive dating service with marriage minded individuals only. When I clicked on the link, it asked for my name, phone number and said your personal dating consultant will get back to you shortly. Two days later a woman by the name of Meladie called me from the Great Expectations office in Sacramento (I have the number on file). She talked to me initially for about 40 minutes. She requested that I come in for a full evaluation to see if I fit the criteria to join their dating service. I went in for an interview the very next day (Saturday 12/29/07).

The claim was that they have over 4000 members in the bay area alone, all members have been checked for background and no one was in recovery, and I would have no problem finding that perfect someone within their dating service. They claimed that they have an 80% marriage rate and a 7% divorce rate from that number. They also stated that the cost was reduced for me because I fit what a lot of the men were requesting so I should have no problem finding that special someone. I paid $278.00 down and agreed to pay $100 a month plus $28.00 for members dues per month for the next 24 months. The initial price that she pitched to me was $6,000 for a 3 year membership (not including photo shoots and videos). Sarah, my interviewer, said that the price was negotiable because I was a real catch.

What was I thinking? The next day when I decided to go through my paperwork, I realized they never gave me a copy of the contract that had the info on the 3 day grace period that you could cancel your membership. I only had the number to Sacramento and the Palo Alto office. And of course, there was no voicemail and I couldn't get in the door to give them the letter. I mailed a letter on Monday 12/31/07 and walked a letter in the office today requesting a full refund. I found a blog on the consumer affairs web site that just blew me away! I delivered a letter to request cancellation to the office today and they wouldn't let me speak to the director of sales. I wonder what I need to do to get this membership cancelled. I never took the pictures OR got a membership # or anything.

I can not loose 2800 bucks for nothing. My car is not worth 2800 bucks. It's way over my head and its not fair to me or my children to spend money on something of absolutely no value to our family.

I paid $5995 plus $748.75 for photos and V-Grams and did not realize I could negotiate these fees. Other members have told me that they negotiated for more fair fees. I felt highly pressured and promised all things.

I am 60 years old and feel this will get me into debt. I am suffering emotional and physical distress. I feel this is a scam. I am receiving negative responses from members after being told I would do so well and have so many positive responses.

I was highly pressured into joining when I went to the center. I was given much attention and time and promised this was sure to get me introduced to numerous, upstanding gentlemen. I was told that I was just what they desired and although I truthfully related that I was self-supported and have financial difficulty. I was assured that they cared about me and would see that I was taken care of. In fact, I was told by Sheryel Aschfort that there was sure to be gentleman who would in fact retire me.

I said several times during this meeting that I was vulnerable and sensitive and trusting and I could not take any lying or scam and I was very afraid of spending $3000.00 plus photo fees and monthly fees because it would put me in great debt on my credit card. I stated I did not have money anywhere near this amount. I was told it was an investment and I would definitely end up not only getting back on my investment but would have many available gentlemen to choose from. This was a ripoff and scam as I soon found out and now I'm deeply in debt, depressed and very frightened. Once they get their clutches into you, they cast you aside and go on to the next victim. I want so much to get out of this. It is a fraud and Sheryel, who was so caring, sweet, and became my friend who would take care of me, could never be reached once my money was taken. I am 65, working full time out of necessity to support myself, and now have become a victim of the fraud, scam and ripoff. It seems so criminal and should be stopped so that others do not fall into this trap.

I am in debt that I cannot get out of, am depressed, and am suffering abdominal distress and severe headaches from this situation. I have heart disease and am emotionally and physically ill over this situation.

I called to inquire about their services. Instead of giving me information about their services, they insisted that I come in and talk to someone. Once in their office, things went so quickly. After giving me their sales pitch and then coming up with an amount to charge me, I declined to join. After that, the lady I was talking to ran out and got her manager and they ended up convincing me that this service would work well for me.

It has been a year now. I have made numerous attempts to contact people on their service, but with no return calls. I am spending close to $4,000 for nothing. Nothing that was promised to me has happened. I am afraid to stop my monthy withdrawal due to credit purposes. I have tried to terminate my membership, but with no luck. They are charging me a monthly fee for access to the website on top of my membership rate.

On 9-8-2007 I went into the office Great Expectations. The Rep. Menta And I talked. She said its $500.00 Down and $100.00 a month there after. I told her I can not afford it and im not sure I want to do it. She talked me into filling out the paperwork and said Call me when we can take out the money. My mom came down with cancer 4 days later. I called them and told them I am not interested at this time. They said no problem. Call us when ready. On 11-17-07 They took $500.00 out of my bank account off my debit card. When I called Menta no longer works for them. And they will do nothing for me.

Great Expectations exaggerated the number of available single persons who belonged to their organization.

I paid $500 up front for photographs and a video. One picture was displayed and no video ever surfaced.

I should have known when I had to ring a buzzer to gain entry and all doors were locked that this agency wasn't above board. I think this is a scam and should be shut down.

By refusing to pay Duvera, the billing agency for Great Expectations, a $1700 debt was placed against my credit rating but I still refuse to pay because it's a scam.

After reading the blogs from other consumers in regards to Great Expectations my experience is EXACTLY the same. I feel I have been scammed. I want out of the contract and tried to cancel to no avail. I read that Penn filed a lawsuit against Great Expectations. Does anything like this exist in Atlanta? Does anyone know of anything I can do to cancel the membership and not pay the money to Conrad that I am required to pay for the next 30 months? I have beat up on myself for doing this. I feel like it was a very foolish decision on my part. The contract really covers them.

I signed on with Great Expectations after a heavy sales push and many promises of "you get what you pay for." What I didn't realize is you continue to pay. Once you pay for the overpriced 3-year commitment, then you get to pay more for pictures for the website, even more if you would like a copy of the pictures, and a monthly charge to view profiles on the internet. Believing this program would be more hands-on and the pictures that were presented to me were pretty decent, I signed up. Once I gained access to the website, I soon realized that the very expensive professional photos I was required to pay for were barely visible. The pic's were so small you could hardly tell what someone really looked like. Then I quickly searched for the prospects that were presented to me at sign-up, and once I inquired was eventually told their membership had expired.

I found very few people that I would have an interest in. I could have saved myself $4500 and monthly $19.95 fee. A real company who believes in their service and works to truly help their clients, would offer a trial period or at least a cancellation for a fee. It is a scam from the beginning; they get you by playing on your heartstrings and make you sign you cash away. Please do not fall for their trap. Don't even go in for the initial meeting.

Great Expectations is the biggest scam out there...after my initial inquiry, they persistently called back until I agreed to a meeting to see what they were all about. Since they advertised in my little town, I was dismayed to find I needed to drive 30 minutes away to find this place--in 5 o'clock traffic. Then I get this sales pitch, with these glossy pictures of some of their available men. Sounds good so far. But the lady keeps dashing out of the office--she's tag-teaming 2 of us with this spiel. Fine, however, if you have any questions, she dashes out to ask her supervisor, and doesn't come back for 20 minutes.

Then we get down to the money part. After finally getting a price from them, I about fell over...but, that's okay, she'll take off this and this, but needs to ask her supervisor...out the door she goes. Twenty minutes later, I'm really hungry and just want to get home, and she convinces me to put it on my credit card--the easy payment plan right? Yeah.

So anyways, after a month, I can tell you not ONE single person is from my suburb. In fact, most are not even from the city limits. In fact, most of the men are from an hour and 5 minutes away!!! More like Columbus + 100 mile radius. As a single mom, I don't have time for even a date halfway between us. Forget the whole thing!

I contacted Great Expectations by putting a profile on their website. I then received a call from Sarah to set up an appointment. She sounded convincing, but I couldn't help feeling something was not right. I got a follow-up call to make sure I did not forget the appointment. She said they were bringing in someone to interview me--just me. This made me even more uneasy. That is when I researched Great Expections dating experiences and found out their history. Thank God for intuition. I am 58 years old and it makes me very angry when people prey on older folks. Can't someone put these people out of business?

They completely mis-represented their benefits, ran credit report without authorization, falsely claimed that they check criminal/educational backgrounds of all members-to-be, present random membership charge numbers, unwarranted promotion of their services and benefits and past record of success (so-claimed), and they said they would run my credit card to check for financial bankruptcy background but instead charged me $1700 which I am unable to get back from them.

$1700, significant mental disturbance, and financial hardship.

I had been called for several months from this company a few times I just had to hang up on them. Then the last time this lady convinced me that I should at least check it out. So I made an appointment. They told me I would need my drivers license and another ID to prove I was who I said I was. Which that sound fine to me. As soon as I arrived the required me to fill out an application, preliminaries to be able to speak with them about their program. After talking to the consultant, who was not willing to tell me their cost upfront, I told them I was not interested in their program and would like my application back. They said the could not do that, by law they had to keep it for 2 years.

I said why do you have to keep an application if the person is not interested in your program, I did not want my personal information left there with them. You could not even so much as share with me your pricing. The director refused to give my application. Said she was going to call the police if I did not leave the property. I said that would be fine cause I would like to also file a complaint. Well I waited for a while and then I had to go. I have a dog at home that needed to be put out and could not stay.

They have my information, my social securtiy number for which there is not reason for them to have since after hearing about their service I was not interested.

Hopefully there will not be any economic problems stemming from this however, I do feel my privacy has been violated since I have no interest in becoming a member of their program. I did fill out the application prior to even knowing about their program, nothing was said to me that they would keep that on file for 2 years and would access my credit. I feel was not informed properly or I would have never filled out that paper.

They have ruined my credit. My checks are getting garnished in the amount of $3,000.00, court cost, and attorney fees. Why should I have to pay for services that I never used and tried to cancel within 48 hours?

Carol the high pressure sales lady told me that if I joined their elite dating club that I would have diamonds on my fingers in no time at all. She also said, as we speak I have someone in mind for you that is retired from Emory University that is looking for a nice attractive lady to take on a cruise.

She showed me and my grand daughter (24) a video of couples that they (GE) had brought together. She then asked my grand daughter if she was dating anyone and she said no. Carol then replied why don't you both join?. She took us on a tour and showed us the photo room and told us that the photographer was a professional. And that he would do a a short video and gave us some notes of things to say. She went on to say that the photographer was booked up for the next three days. So we would have to come back.

We then went to the room again where we were told it would be an interview to see what we were looking for. I told her that I was a newly widowed 70 yr old and that I was very lonely. She assured me that if I joined right now she had a man in mind for me.

She kept going in and out of the room and when she would come back she would say, I'm sorry but my boss says I'm spending too much time with you so you will have to make a decision now. My grand daughter and I agreed to join. Carol told me that if I joined for $4,000.00 her boss (the CEO would allow her to enroll my grand daughter for another $1100.

Feeling the pressure and the promise of meeting an elite gentleman took over my good common sense and I said o k. So did my grand daughter. She then turned a legal sheet of paper over on the back and had me put my initials on about 12 items that I have no idea what it was.

Then we were escorted to the office of the CEO and I gave him 2 Credit Cards.

Then were were given a code to get into their web site. I have had only one reply and that was from a gentleman that is a Paraplegic.

All I want is my money back. GE is a scam from the word go. I have written to Mr. Ware several times and he told me in the last reply that he was going to take it upon himself to find me a nice gentleman. I replied by asking him if he was going to go out on the street to drum up someone That there was only a few men in the computer my age and they were all looking for a younger lady.

I want me Five thousand one hundred dollars back.

This GE is a joke from the word go.

I paid $5995 for a 3 year membership, $2500 for pictures (cost of which I was not told about until after I had already signed up for the program & taken the pictures!) - total of $ 8495 for a service that mis-represented the number of members, the quality of members, a very poor technological website service and appears to have numerous consumer complaints.

Apparently the fees are negotiable, which I did not know, as I appear to have paid significantly more than most of those whom I see on the consumer complaint blogs, making me feel like even more on an idiot.

After a high pressure sales pitch I regretfully joinded Great expectations in Los angeles. They showed me photos of acctractive women that they claimed to be members. I never saw any of those women after joining. I was shocked by the limited selection of women. Most were older divorced with kids.

When I complaned about the lack of eligble women Elyse told me I should just pick one and stop complaining. After three years I only had one date and she was very strange. This place will take your money and forget about you. Avoid it and dont waste your money.

After three years only one date and it was bad. Not the quality of dating clientele they had promised. that was one expensive date, 2500.00

Overpriced dating,($3,990.00)didn't realize during sales pitch that the pictures required would cost extra -(hundreds) & each activity during following months there was a charge if you attended. Forceful sales pitch especially during the presenting of Photos so you could get your photo shown on the board in that room. This is for a 3 yr. term--not that many to choose from in the Portland area now. Not worth the cost.

As a recent widow, age 61, I was led to believe I could find a new soul mate through this organization. I was told countless things about how successful people had been with this dating service. I was told thousands of new members join every month. It would be no time til someone contacted me.

I'm not ugly, not unsuccessful, and had never had trouble finding a man. But I was insecure at the time, thinking this was the safest way to meet someone new. I joined in June, 2006, and to date have not received one person who has shown any interest. The members in my area have not changed over the past year. Very few new people have joined.

I lost over $3,000 to this service, with no real return for my money. Call me stupid, but I believe they took advantage of my vulnerability. When I tried to get out of the contract within the 3-day period, they coerced me into staying. It has cost me a lot of grief.

This started at the King of Prussia location. The high pressure interview promised that all clients are employed and without mental illness- this was a lie. I was told that if I paid in full immediately, I would get a special price. I was charged about $2000. For months afterwards, my credit card was still being charged monthly by Great Expectations, still they denied it. The charges continued until I cancelled the card.

The staff listed me as 'not wanting kids' when I clearly indicated that I did. They never changed my profile about wanting kids, even after I called several times. I lost my patience with them. I was called and screamed at by a staff member. I demanded that she at least notify the men who had rejected me for that error, that I really did want kids.

I got a nasty message from the staff member, stating that I was physically unattractive, and that was why the men rejected me, even though the men told me themselves that wasn't true.

I never met any man from the King of Prussia location.

I transferred to the Phoenix office. My contract stated I could transfer to another office for free, and King of Prussia even told me that as well. Phoenix said they would not deal with me unless I paid for another photo shoot. I still managed to access their website, and met two terrible dates that traumatize me to this day. One was on very strong antipsychotic medications, and lived off of social security for mental illness. Another man was really undesirable upon meeting, yet still tried to rape me on the day we met, in a public place. He continued to harrass me by phone, until I moved out of state.

I agreed to meet these two men because they seemed to have personality on the phone, and weren't thirty years older than me, like all of the others.

I initially told King of Prussia that I wanted to have a husband with green or blue eyes, I was told that I was a racist for that reason, and should agree to date men of all races otherwise I could not be a client.

Great Expectations is an expensive dating service advertising tailored lists of singles to busy professionals. I was told of huge numbers of clients signing up each month whom I would be able to date. I was suckered into signing a contract for $2695. The fine print was that I could never cancel my membership.

Immediately on joining I discovered only a very few women available to date between 25-35, in other words, women with whom I wished to begin a family. Most of the women available were over 35 (ca. 85%). Of the remaining women, few matched my interests and education.

I registered a complaint with the Better Business Bureau but never heard back.

I employed the services of Great Expectations on 10/02/06 at their Dallas, Texas offices. The sales pitch lasted about 2 to 3 hours with the video, questions and answers, portfolios, pictures of happy couples, beautiful women, etc. I had been overwhelmed at how hard this dating service was pushing to get me to sign up. I told Jesse that it sounded very interesting, but it was a lot of money and I would go home and think about it. She was very persistent and aggressive. I told her I didn’t think I could afford it and they had ran a credit check and she told me that I had enough money on one of my credit cards to put a substantial down payment that would offset the costs of the monthly payments.

She had checked with her manager about dropping the costs because I felt a lot of the services would not benefit me. I felt as if I were purchasing a new car. It is the only experience I can compare it to. Finally, she had explained that if I had not been satisfied after about three months, I could cancel my membership. Reluctantly and hoping for the best, I signed a contract.

The amount of women to choose from was extremely limited and did not actually comply with what I had been promised. After the three month period passed I did not request to discontinue the account, but I had remained inactive of the account of my own accord. I was still being billed, however, for the usage of the online account at $19.95 per month.

I'm indebted $6234.34 to GE with a balance of $4960.87 due to a collection agency. I'm extremely humiliated, depressed, and angry. On top of that, some of my female dates said they only paid 600.00 for a full 36 months! This service is supposed to help people have a better life and I know feel deeply violated and my trust exploited to the fullest extent.

After an inqury online, I received a call asking me to come to the office. When I got there, I got a hard sell. After being told there were lots of female members in my area and that I would find several that matched, I agreed to a 9-month membership. In reality, there are only a few members in the Akron/Canton area. Very few.

I spent $1000 on the membership and another $225 on pictures that were required. All this and no results.

SIgned up for dating service and tried to cancel. Lost $4700.

When Great Expectations called me to come in and talk about their services, I was reluctent. After much convincing, I decided to go talk with them. My one concern was that I wanted to be assured of no married men. I can get that result anywhere else. They told me they do background checks and if someone says they are divorved they know for a fact that they are. Well, I can tell you what I ended up with for my thousands of dollars, a married sex addict. How do I know this?? By talking with his wife!! Conversations with the director of the center got me nowhere. My suggestion-save your money and take your chances on a .com services for $30!!!

In October of 2006, I went into the agency to inquire of their services. After spending an hour or so there, I felt extreme pressure to sign up with them. I spoke on several occasions that I did not feel comfortable anymore and did not want their services at that time. I was informed that if I left that day, I could not come back. I signed on, only to feel horrible and change my mind the minute I walked out the door. I called them back within the hour and said I had made a horrible mistake. They said no refunds. I thought surely they were just standing firm and trying to talk me into staying. I went in the next day to talk to them in person. They humiliated me and my friend and tried to strike a deal with me for $1500. I said they were crazy and would fight it myself. I disputed it with my credit card company and they refunded the charges about a month later after investigation. Then, to my bewilderment, it was rebilled in February. When I called the card company they cancelled that card and opened a new one and turned me over to fraud. A new card was sent out to me, but also a letter saying that they had received papers from them showing a no refund policy and they had to uphold that. I was under the impression that we had a 24 hour limit on any contract to change our minds.

On Sunday February 25th I signed a contract for membership at Great Expectations. I was informed by your representative on his initial phone call that I could be scheduled to come into the office to meet with a representative for an hour and a half to learn more about the services that your agency offers. During my visit I discovered that my personal credit information had been accessed without my authorization or permission. I became very uneasy about the overall credibility of your company at that point. However, I was blinded by a high-pressure sales pitch that lasted for nearly 3 hours.

During the closing of this presentation I reluctantly signed the contract without so much as reading the oppressive and numerous stipulations. I left your offices feeling very uncomfortable about the whole experience. I also send a letter to Great Expectation on March 3rd stating that i wished to be released from the contract because i am not interested in membership and i do not want any funds deducted from my account.

I recently recieved a notice form Conrad Credit Corporation stating that all payments and coorepondence should be made to them. Also stating that i am responsible for a total $3k payable in monthly installments of $117 per month beginning March 26th and i do not comply my credit will suffer.

I purchased a package the next day, I decided that I did not want the package, called and was told there was no refund. I was also paying $ 29.00 internet fee a month. I wrote on Aug. 10th to put my account on hold. I asked again for a refund and was refused. Between May and August I did not use their services. I have not used the service, nor do I plan to and it is almost three years. I am out $ 3695.00 original fee about $90 for the internet access. I want my money back.

The fees of $4,090 paid on Jan. 10th 2002 and had several arguments with Rosemary about the quality of male members.Requested several times to withdraw from my contract but did not success in anyways.

Met several male members that harrassed me constantly.

As an EMPLOYEE of Great Expectations, I was prohibited from looking at our members "because it would ruin my confidence for sales". We looked anyway, pulled women seeking a man 35-45 non-smoker, and ONLY 6 MEN SHOWED UP. I thought that I was selling an elite dating service but what I have seen is they take anybody who can put down $250.00 and pay $100.00 per month.

I saw private information being thrown in the trash, such as copies of drivers’ licenses and credit cards of people who decided not to join.

On January 13, 2007 I attended an appointment at the dating service Great Expectations in Las Vegas, Nevada after submitting information through a website named "Men seeking marriage.com." After a 2 and a half hour sales pitch presented by Kristin where no price for membership was mentioned, I was finally told it would cost $4990.00 to join for 13 months.

I was speechless. But if I joined that day, they would take $1000.00 off to bring membership down to $3990.00. I then told them that I needed to think about it. She said she didn't want me to leave and the $1000.00 off was good just for that day only. I told her that I felt uncomfortable, my dad has cancer and I didn't have time to fully commit to a dating service and that my gut instinct was telling me to leave.

She said that her boss saw me in the lobby and wouldn't let me leave. She then said her boss needed to speak with her and when she came back I was told because they needed girls like me to join I could do so for only $1000.00. I agreed. Upon leaving the building I had buyer’s remorse, felt sick to my stomach and was crying. I got home and immediately called Great Expectations to tell them I had changed my mind. There was no answer, nor a voicemail system.

I went to the Great Expectations website to email, however I was unable to find a link to contact any employee. I then called my credit card company to have them dispute the charge while letting them know that I fell victim to a high pressure sales situation. I next composed a fax to Great Expectations stating I had changed my mind, did not want to join, would dispute the charges, but hoped they would release me from my membership voluntary and refund my credit card $1028.00. I have filed a complaint with the BBB and still haven't heard one word from Great Expectations.

Tried to cancel my membership and was strong armed into not canceling. Promised lots of attention and lots of dates - as many as I wanted. Well, in 6 months I have met one man that could only talk about the boils on his butt!

I called BBB and they contacted GE with a 50/50 settlement and was told "no way". GE even has a clause that if you complain about them, they can not honor your contract and not give you any refund.

They have thought of every way to get and keep your money, with out providing any service. I lost $3500. I feel it was a scam, and they know it would cost me more to get a lawyer and fight it than it is worth. I think they count on that, and more or less that is what their policy has written into it.

Was led to believe a great dating service, all types of promises where made, all lies,paid $5,995,00 and was completely taken for a ride.

Lost significant amount of money, lied to about their service and how the business was conducted....havn't heard a word from them since 7-8-06

Great Expectations is a dating agency in Newton, Ma. I am 62 years old and they contacted me. I did not contact them first. But they said they could find a compatible date for me for a long term relationship for a fee of 2395.00. I told them that I did not have the time to look on their site for woman. They said that it was okay because they would assign to me Eva B who specializes in finding women for men. I told them that I could not do this myself and that they would have to do all the work and they agreed. So I signed and they took the money out of my credit card. My credit card was declined and they tried different amounts with different cards until they got some money but they did not tell me what they were doing.

The credit card co did the following day when they called me to say there was too many tries for my money so they shut the card down. Great Expectations ran my card again the next day and it went through. For some reason my membership agreement is dated 09-03-2006 but my credit card was deducted on10-03-2006 and 10-04-2006 for 300.- 1095.- and 1000.

I came in for my pictures a couple of weeks later and a video and to meet prearranged Eva B so she could talk to me about the type of women that I was looking for. When I came in I briefly saw Eva who was supposed to help me but she said that she was busy. I then had pictures and video taken. I started calling and talking to the woman who sold me on the contract and got me in to sign-Ann N. Come to find out my video was never posted because they lost it.

I started questioning and calling about two months into the contract and I always talked to Ann N. The main reason that I was calling and after a total of four months Great Expectations never helped me even one time with one woman. Yes thats right, not even one woman. All I asked for is any woman over 45 and thin. They originally said there was no problem in finding a woman with those requirements. She called me once when I was complaining and said that I tried to meet a 25 year old but this is just a lie to make me look bad.

I asked her many times for my money back and Ann always told me that a refund is not allowed. They said that they changed my profile and wanted to change my ID# so woman would think that I was a different person but still after all this not even one female contact after four months. From the start I told them that I did not have the time and that they would have to do all the work. They assured me that that is why there in the business and Eva would be helping me. She did not see me when I was promised and I never saw here again. When I called she was never available. This company promised me alot of help but gave me nothing. I desire all of my money back. all 2395.00 of it as a credit back to my credit card.

One year ago I went for an interview at GE with Elaine K. I had belonged to a reputable service in a large city I had moved from so with GE being so large I felt they were the best. Elaine was very polite and friendly and she gave me the offer to join for $1500.00 for the year, but I said I wanted to make sure first that they had members I would be interested in as well as social interests and caliber. She spent 15-20 minutes and came back with 25-30 pictures of men in my age group that were available and dating.

Although I thought it was very expensive I thought it was a way to meet people in a new city. As soon as I was able to sign into site and start looking I found everyone of the men I saw were inactive.. I complained, they always said Elaine was busy but I could talk to my counselor.. I finally met this very young girl (21) wearing blue jeans and sloppy top. I am a business person in my 50's and this is not what I want to represent me.

I tried to participate in their activities and one I walked out of before it began because looking around the room there was not one decent looking man.(I had gone to this because they guaranteed their would be some very nice new people they were sure I would want to meet. To give you an idea, most men they were having call me were born in 1930 or less, a couple were in 1921! During quiet times in the office we would pull up GE and ROAR at the mens pictures and profiles!!

The last try I gave it was again because they called, I got to the Mexican Restaurant to find our Rep's greeting at the door, again in Blue Jeans and T-shirts, we were all put at a long table only about 25 were there , if I had not pre-paid I would have left -- 2/3 women and the men were questionable. The food was slop and unedible, these young girls had a list of GAMES we were to play during dinner. Believe me I left as soon as possible and have not been back.

I was burned by Great Expectations (GE)! High pressure sales and false misrepresentations. I was taken for $6,495!!!!!! I contacted GE via email within 20 hours of signing their contract (signed after 4 hours of high pressure sale at 6pm on Saturday December 2, 2006; sent email asking for a full refund at 2pm on Sunday, December 3, 2006). I contacted them 3 more times via email again on Monday, less than 48 hours of signing, and no response.

I hand delivered my packet and a refund demand letter to the receptionist on Tuesday, December 4, 2006. I made her sign the date and time I gave her the letter and returned packet (all less than 60 hours from signing!!!). FINALLY received this email Tuesday night from the sales person:

"Linda, Sorry to hear about your 'buyers remorse'. I just missed you when you came in today. I'm sure you know what I'm going to say but it needs to be said, there are no refunds. Buyers remorse happens to the best of us, however the contract stands. I urge you to remember what we talked about in our 4 hour meeting this past Saturday. We are just as commented to that contact as you are. You told me you were ready to date a better quality of sincere men and attend events to meet and socialize with other quality women as well as men. It's not uncommon to get cold feet, but once you start using the program and getting the benefits of improving your social life you will feel better about the financial agreement.

"Please do not be angry with me for following company policy. Remember I myself had 'buyers remorse' and tried to get out of my contract to no avail. Now, I not only married through this organization but I eventually went to work for them. There are several people who filed with the BBB and eventually used their membership and had success. My hope and prayer for you is that you remember why you joined and get started soon and meet someone special soon, maybe at the Christmas party. Sincerely, Eva Take care and God Bless"

I filed with the BBB, filed a dispute with my credit card company, and I met with an attorney yesterday. The attorney is mailing a demand of refund letter to Great Expectations today, costing me another $75! They feel we may have to file a law suit. GE has written the contract in a manner that they do not have to abide by the 72-hour cooling off period law!!! But we may have a case with the misrepresentation. I am looking at putting out $5000 to file a law suit, in hopes of recovering my $6495 and the $5000 attorney fees.

I signed a contract with Great Expectations dating serice,October25, 2006. They showed me two prices and I chose the lower price,2 year contract for $3990.00. I thought it was high but I felt it was very reliable and a safe way to dating. They took pictures, a talking video and a book explaining how to go about using the equipment, along with having some group get togethers with other singles. They said there would be many people to choose from. I have had four dates that they recommended and I felt that they were a plant. The men I contacted very rarely replied.

I have been with them one month and have already exhausted the alphabet of my age group. The men listed are either too old, too young or involved. On Consumers Complaints for Great Expectations I found numerous complaints like mine. I was never offered any other prices, as many other people were per consumer scams. This should be stopped, as they are praying on elderly people. I am fully aware of what is going on, and thought I was paying for intelligent, respectable, safe way to find a nice mate. I asked 2 of the men I dated if they had joined Great Expectations. One said it was too expensive and was offered 1year contract for $2,000.00. The other said he paid for 4 months.

I called Great Expectations and asked Jeanie if they had any other rates and she said oh no he was transferred from somewhere else. I feel as though they owe me a complete refund as they didn't show me the full price range. This is a scam. Thank you. Janet Otis

I am humiliated and don't understand how this can be happening when Consumer reports know about this. This is an insult to my intelligence.

Great Expectations made several promises to get me to sign their contract. One of the promises was for internet service. After trying their service by going through their binders I asked again and again why I never received a password for internet service. No one from this office would reply to my request. I did a dispute through my credit card company. Latter on I was sued by Fidelity Credit Management a collection agency that works with Great Expectations.

To avoid a Judgment against me I was forced to pay $6568.83. Great Expectations only goal is to get us through their contracts. They have no intention of providing a service. Great Expectations should be shut down! I now am in a debt management program

I was charged $4,000.00 for the dating service and was told that they had many people to choose from and they were professional. In the two years I had been with them I recieved no date and 98% of the men told me no and the ones that gave me phone numbers they were not working. I complained to the Attorney General and the Better Business Bureau and they took my pictures again and told me that I woud recieve a different number and the shopper would help me.

It did not work and all they had for activities were drinking ones and I am diabetic and therefore I should not be drinking. Also I am somewhat overweight due to a medical problem and noone wants to date a larger woman. I have since lost some of the weight but, it would not have changed anything. Also I really think there were a lot of fake people and I still have all the selections I made and their replys and the things I recieved back from the Better Business Bureau and the Attorney General. It is probly too late to get anything but, I compained from day one to no avail.

I am out of the money and have since gone into debt consolidation. Also, I have not recieved any or gone on any dates and my self esteem is quite low due to that fact. I keep wondering if I am really that ugly and stupid to fall for this and why not one meeting for a cup of coffee resulted from this.

A few months ago I moved to Austin and really didn't know anyone so out of curiosity I browsed the online dating services and apparently Great Expectations obtained my info. from doing so. The next morning i recieved a phone call from GE and they wanted me to come in for an interview to see if I qualified. I turned them down but repeatedly received numerous phone calls (they have actually used over 6 different phone numbers). I finally yelled at one of the ladies who called (yet again with a different number) when I was out of town for business.

They left me alone for a whole month and then returned into my life once again. I finally agreed to come in to get them off my back thinking there was no harm in doing so. Glen pulled me into a small, bright, hot room (the only exit being behind me) and I then knew what it felt like to be interrogated. He proceeded to interview me and used so many bad sales tactics. I smelled a scam from the get go. He first began with the we don't take everyone speech and told me how he turned away a heart surgeon becuase he was rude and wanted to protect his ladies. Glen the almighty protector kept refering to himself as my big brother and he wanted the best for me - then mapped out why I am single and how at my rate - I will never meet the right man.

I wasn't buying into his scare tactics. After sitting me in front of a cheezy video to do a background check which took all of five minutes (some check - I'm pretty sure it was only run on my finances) he came back so excited. Throughout the whole interview I kept inquiring about a price and he would never give me one. Now that he saw into my finances he had the magic number. A grand total of $4,800.

I looked at him like he was out of his mind. I'm sorry but I wouldn't pay that nor would I date someone who would. Glen wasn;t finished with me yet. He actually got smug - practically sat on top of me and firmly pulled out his mapping of why I'm single and warned me that if I left I would never find love. He then added well, you can afford it - so what's stopping you? I wanted to smack him. I kept saying no and wanted to leave but he wouldn;t let me go. I started to get nervous and he finally told me to wait here. He shut the door and I overheard him through thin walls telling his boss that I wasn;t going for it. He was practically yelling about it. Then his boss walked in - a petite female my age mid - twenties. I was relieved to see her.

She said she understood why I didn't want to pay and asked me what it would take for me to get a membership. SHe told me that she needed me - that her male members were complaining of the quality of women and that I was beautiful and successful and would do anything to get me. I said I wouldn't pay more than $25 and she agreed. From $4,800 to $25.

I felt bad for the men who paid the high amount of money and are apparently not geting the quality they had in mind. I also felt bad for the women who paid as well and weren;t getting any dates apparently. I said I'd come back the next day to pay but never returned. I wasn't contributing to that scam. I wouldn't do it for free. I hope someday these people get what's coming to them.

At my first interview with the facility's Director, Carolyn, I received the usual sales pitch, How I was worth it. Well, I succumbed to a 6-month trial membership, had my photo shoot, recorded a video. I was exempted from the monthly dues by Carolyn when I explained my financial circumstances. This all happened in May of 2006. Since then I have met not one person, have had no dates.

I thought perhaps a new video and revised profile might help. I faxed a new profile to the office; it never was posted. I called at least twice to see what was going on. Months later I decided to go to the center myself, record a new video and provide another copy of my revised profile. A week and a half later, I still had no profile update and no video at all. It seems, after a phone call to Diana at the center, that they lost my profile again, and that their computer was malfunctioning. Apparently, Great Expectations would not be aware that my video was missing unless I informed them. What kind of business is this?!!I emailed Jenna, expressing my frustration, explaining that my membership was expiring soon and Great Expectations was wasting my time and money.

I stated there were several gentlemen I wanted to contact, but there was nothing on my site for them to see. Well, I'm still waiting, and it's been almost two weeks since I was at the center to reshoot my video and update my profile.

My relationship with Great Expectations has been one of the most frustrating I have ever experienced. No phone calls were ever returned or followed up as a matter of professional courtesy. I'm out $1300, and all they have done is invite me to spend more money on additional photos and singles outings. One outing I had to cancel because directions were not emailed to me, as promised by Jenna, and of course no refund was permitted. I think they owe me money for all the time my profile site was not updated or was missing parts. They can't reimburse me for the hours I spent searching for those professionals. They just didn't exist.

I signed up online and after many, many, many phone calls from Denise, I agreed to meet in one of their offices. I took a long two hours to meet with Hilda in the New York office and, being a sales person myself, had heard these type of pitches before. I patiently waited for the time to ask for the price. I agreed to put down $500. This was a Friday. (Note: you have three business days to cancel per their contract) I found this site on Sunday and decided to cancel. Then the nightmare began. I followed their explicit instructions to cancel. I got the phone call on Tuesday stating that they had received the package and wanted to speak with me to see if they could help me. I didn't return that call.

One month later, I still had not received my refund although they had cashed my check that following Monday after the initial meeting. I started with calls to the New York office where I had met them. They put me on hold for twenty minutes...TWICE. Then said it was on the way. I kept calling every other day since I was ticked. Then I called the toll free number from where I was switched to corporate and you can only speak with one person, Cecilia. She spoke with me once and never answered her phone again. Her boss, Michael Levy, also never answered his phone at corporate although they were left plenty of messages. I feel everyone's pain here and I hope to one day get this resolved AND meet Hilda in the street.

I am a single mom and thought this was a good idea but after this experience, single mom-hood is just fine and wish I had that $500 back.

Oh boy was this a hard sell. They showed me all kinds of pictures of men in my age group. They gave the impression that they are very successful, not only in dating but marriages. They say they have 120 new clients a month. Turns out they have less than 50 in my age group. Two that contacted me were seperated. When I called and complained about these people's marital status, they said oh their marriages have been over for awhile.

They would not give me actual numbers of clients in the Indy office, nor numbers of members in my age group. They misrepresented their professional clientale and charged me $3700 for a 3 year contract. Everything didn't pan out after I attended the first social. Man, most of the people there were definitely not professionals. The people on each side of me had been with the dating service for over a year and had zero dates. That would be Zero. I myself went on one date with a man not in my age group. He said he sent 10 invitations and I was the only one who responded. He was nice, but not a professional, 10 years younger and he paid only $2000 for a 3 year contract WITH free internet availability, which they soaked me for $20 additional a month to have access from home.

On August 28, I visited the offices and was pressued into signing a contract for $3990. Under the Consumer's Right of Cancellation, I chose to cancel the contract by the 3rd business day. When I called to let them know, the woman in charge at first tried to offer a contract at a reduced rate, and when I didn't budge, she began making various personal remarks such as Perhaps this is why you're still single and referring to private information from the application form.

I have a postal receipt clearly reflecting that I gave notice of the cancellation by the 3rd business day, and I also returned all materials to that business. In the state of Florida, businesses have 20 days to refund the money; however, at least a month has passed, and no refund has appeared. I have had to notify my credit card company, which is now entering into full dispute mode. Consumers should beware!

Obviously, with the $3990 charge sitting on my credit card balance, I'm paying a lot in monthly interest fees.

I saw their ad posted along the road advertising singles dating service. When I called, they refused to identify themselves until they could call me back. They made repeated calls and it was high pressured sales. I agreed to meet with them. The 4000.00 membership had been reduced just for me for a grand total of 1500.00 which included 7 years, global use and contact, and limited to contacting 40 members daily. Then I was denied my ad, after I paid the money, until I had my picture taken by their photographer, as is required by all members.

They also said all members are guaranteed to be in good standing, not married, and thoroughly screened as I was. So after they got my money, I toured their members. I counted tonight. There are 80 members listed in the 40-44 age group, 27 of which are inactive, and overlap with the next age group. I know of members who are married, and I will gladly submit my name, and pass word so you can verify, there are members without pictures.

Also, I do not have global access. I can only contact people in Ohio, and after repeated calls to numerous persons, supervisors, managers, no one will return my calls. They have taken my money and run. They have scammed me and if you go in, you can interview people currently in their program, and they will tell you they feel the same way. It is false advertising, highway robery, and just down right foul play. Their promises for professionals to date, include maintenance people, truck drivers etc. Not at all what I was told.

I am a single parent. I have not had any success in resolving this. I cant even afford to find alternative dating options because of the cost of this membership. They also failed to follow instructions for obtaining the money, over drew amounts and caused checks to bounce. Their response was, oh sorry. I can provide membership info, which has the consultants name, and I also have some records of the dates Ive called, messages Ive left and get nothing. So now Ive sat here for over a year, of my 7 year contract and have nothing, but lies.

I saw a recent report on this company, and realized I'm not the only one who has had trouble with them and decided to let you know what happened to me. I went to Great Expectations just to find out what it was all about. In those days it was important to me to find a companion, (these days it's the last thing on my list, and wish I would have felt then as I do now.) I was presented with the company's sales pitch, shown what they had to offer and asked if I wanted to give it a trial run. What I heard at that time seemed like it might be a good thing, so I thought a trial run might be ok.

Upon signing the papers, I was asked for my credit card. I asked them why they needed my credit card and was told it was company policy that the card would not be charged, but used as a second form of identification. I submitted my card along with my driver's license. This was on a Wednesday evening around 4 PM. On Friday morning I went to my bank, (Bank of America) to withdraw funds for gas money through the ATM. I was unable to do so, and the ATM said there was a problem, and that I should speak with someone in the bank. When I spoke with a manager at the bank I was told my account was over drafted. I asked how that could be possible and they showed me the account transactions.

There was a charge for $2500 on my account from Great Expectations, and this was more than my account had in it. I explained to the manager this was an unauthorized charge and wanted the transaction cancelled and my account re-instated. (This was rather difficult, and took quite some time, but eventually, they did get everything put back after many checks bounced, and I had to pay many charges out of my pocket, which eventually led to a bad account history and the bank forced me to close the account later.) I immediately went to Great Expectations that day, and launched a complaint. They told me I would need to speak to their finance officer who was out sick, and would be back on Monday.

I returned Monday, and was treated like I had the plague and was basically removed from the building. Tuesday I returned and the finance officer in question (a woman whose name I cannot remember) was there and she did come out to speak to me. She told me that I had 72 hours to cancel membership, and I did not do so within that time so the membership charges would be applied. I explained I never authorized a full membership, but only a trial run and was told my card would not be charged. I also explained that I was told she was out sick, and could not launch a complaint with anyone except her and would have to wait until she returned. She then claimed she was never out sick, and no one there had a record of me attempting to launch any complaint or retraction of membership. She would not hear anything I had to say, but insisted the membership would be charged to me.

I launched a complaint with Great Expectations headquarters office and made many phone calls after that in an attempt to get some resolution to this issue. They continued in their attempt to collect and then put this $2500 charge on my credit, and eventually sent it to a collections agency. I spent years trying to fight it with those agencies and calling both the office where I attempted the trial membership and their HQ office with no results or no response. To this day this charge is still on my credit report and I have never once used any of their services at all.

Why should I have to pay $2500 when I never authorized it, never used their services, and why should my credit have to be damaged because they are greedy? After some years I just ignored the fact that this was on my credit and I could do nothing about it, however recently I have begun a quest to clean up these types of things from my credit. I have disputed these charges with the credit report companies, which apparently awakened the sleeping giant. I am now receiving demands for payment of this illegitimate charge again.

I filled out a questionaire that was sent to me via email. The email was sent asking if I was interested in meeting other Christian singles. Within an hour someone from GE called me. They described the service and it sounded good so I made an appointment. I got the phone call on a Saturday and my appointment was on a Tuesday. I received another call from someone else in the office that same day after scheduling the appointment. I received a phone call at least once a day on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday making sure the appointment was good, asking whether I had any questions.

I went in and was scammed into forking over $1700. The salesman made it sound so great. He let me know they do a background check on everyone. He said most people who come in to interview aren't even eligible to join because they have strict requirements, which I met, but I didn't inquire as to what they were. I guess I figured that I was a professional with an above average income and education that those things were part of it. Of course I wasn't allowed to check out the site at all until I signed up. He told me that most men pay over $3000 for the same service that I was getting at half the price because they were targeting women in my age group.

He made it sound like most of the men had great jobs, of course only referencing the lawyers, doctors, and business owners that use the site. I told him a little about my experience with other dating sites and was told that out of 100 people, maybe 2 would be compatible with me. Well, saying that made it sound like they had a lot of men to choose from. He also said I shouldn't be looking for someone more than 30 miles outside the radius I live in. I think I've found 2 people that live within that radius. I've got 98 more to go to see if I can find the 2 I'm compatible with, according to the salesman anyway.

I went in for my pictures and video. I was told to bring 3 or 4 outfits but when I got there was told I had to choose only 2. I was also told there was no practice or viewing of the tape after it was done. I would have to wait and see it online. She also offered to give me a CD of the pictures she took for an additional fee. I declined. The photographer handed me a survey of her services and asked me to fill it out before I left. She stood right there the whole time. Most things I gave her a 10 on (scale of 1 - 10) One thing I gave her an 8 and I could see her grimace. Not very professional. One of the questions asked if I was pleased with the video and given the opportunity to redo it. I put N/A. I asked her why that was there and she said it shouldn't be.

After getting the info to log in after doing my pictures and video I went home to check out the site. The search options are horrible. Other sites that are much cheaper have search options that are 100 times better. For $1700 I couldn't even put in the exact ages of the men I wanted to search. IT was 18 - 35 or 36-40. What does a 35 or 36 year old do with that? Not very user friendly. Many of the members that did come up in my search were Inactive, so I couldn't contact them anyway. I also noticed that many of the men are uneducated with low incomes. Of course income level is not specified but a store clerk isn't going to be making a whole lot. I feel bad for those guys, they really can't afford this service.

That's when I decided to really check my contract and it seems that there is basically no way out of it. I haven't asked the company. I did call and complain that I couldn't contact someone that went to a different GE center but lived very close to me. They added that center. I also don't know where a lot of the places are. I'm new to the area and don't know where towns are located, they don't even put the state. There's nothing that says how far a person is from me. Overall, I'm not pleased. I went on one date so far and it was ok. I'm going to try to make the best of it since I paid for it but I'd rather not. Oh and on top of the $1700 I paid for I don't even know what, I have to pay $29 a month as well.

They reel you in by assuring you that there are many single men signed up with their company which is more than worth the high cost of their service.

They started of with a $6,000+ figure and then slowly came down to what I thought was a deal, at $3000. Later I found out, through some of the people I met, that they paid from $1500 to $500! Someone like myself, who tends to think that what they are quoted is what the price is, soon finds out that they were taken advantage of, which isn't a good feeling.

I was looking for a matchmaking service on the Internet until I came across Great Expectation. I filled out a contact form and received a call from a customer service rep few days after that. The representative set up an appointment and I met with some woman whose name was Joanna. She had a small chat with me and then asked me to sign a paper to get me started with the matchmaking program. During the meeting I was never told about the cancellation process. I left the place hoping that I just signed up with a casual dating company.

After I get home, I took a look at my receipt which had a notice on it that says: sorry no refund! I was very frustrated -- I tried to call the company, but nobody was there. I had to cancel my debit card because I became very suspicious. The day after that I sent a letter to the company and asked them to cancel my membership. Two weeks later they sent me a letter stating that tried to withdraw money from my account, but they couldn't! I explained to them that I did not like their service from day one and I was no longer a member.

Then Joanna called me and told me that they did not received any cancellation request and I was obligated to pay them in full. I was very upset with Joanna and told her that first of all, she never showed me how to cancel my membership and second of all, I had already sent the request to them. Joanna threatened me that she would take the money by doing collection action against me and asked me to get ready for it.

After reading some reviews online I called to cancel my initial appointment. The lady I talked to was rude and when pressed for the cost she did kept changing the subject. I just asked for a price range but she even refused to reveal that. I am very glad I didn't go into the office and waste my time.

Went to Great Expectations with great expectations, but was swindled instead. Prior to committing to an appointment, I pressed them over the phone for a price, but they refused. I went in and was given a high pressure sales pitch. Following the pitch, I was shown a price of $6,300 (or something like that). Told them nicely that I could not afford a dating service that cost over $6,000, so they lowered the price to $2995. I was running late, so I agreed and was told that they would call me back the next day to set up an appointment for pictures etc. They never called and I couldn’t sleep that night, because I couldn’t afford $2995.

I read the contract and sent them a certified letter within 72 hours rescinding my membership. They called me and asked if I would join for $1,500 - I said no. They called me back again and asked if I would join for $900, at which time I asked how is it that the price had gone from over $6,000 to under $1,000 for the same service?

I monitor my credit closely and today I noticed that on 6/03/06 (the date of my original appointment) GE had run a credit check! This means that before pricing the service they ran a credit check!!! My guess is when they found out that my credit score was high, they put a $6,000 price tag on the service.

I joined Great Expectations in March. It was a hard sell when you walked in the door. I asked if I could go home and get back in-touch and she took all the deals off the table. It was a large investment 2,000 plus. I was excited about the many social events that would be offered through their services as well as the possibility of meeting a quality individual to date. There has only been one social event since I joined in March. The other events are either a few hours away or workshops on dating.

I was told and even have the paperwork to back it up that they offered weekend getaways, wine tastings, dances, and girl’s nights out. There has only been one event offered and it was poorly attended. They claim to have a very thorough process qualify candidates for their program, but some of the men at the dance were socially inept. Which would not be compatible for me and they are a match making service. They also offered roses for all the ladies (salsa lesson), which were not available. The event cost $20 per person.

Recently they hired someone to handle events in the area, but still nothing going on. She sent an e-mail asking for our input. When you join you fill out a questionnaire asking what you are interested in attending. Why are they not utilizing the paperwork you are asked to fill out when you join? I was told when I went to make my video that I would be able to watch it and redo if needed. They would only air it with your approval. When I got there I made my video and they told me they were not capable of letting me view the video. This claim is also stated in their handbook and paperwork passed out when signing your contract. I think that is called fraud. The photos promote are very professional looking, but mine look like they belong in a high school yearbook. The quality is not very good.

Your bio is requested to be e-mailed to GE before your photo appointment. I e-mailed and still there were typos and paragraphs changed. No proofing took place and the bio was uploaded for all to see. I had to proof it while it was posted, it was already proofed when I sent it, and then call and ask them to edit it. Why didn't they use the e-mailed version or proof before uploading? I was told there were plenty of men signing up in my area and even knew of two off the top of her head she was going to fix me up with. After I signed the contract I never heard from her again.

They charged me $1500 for 6 months with an add'l 3 months, if I hadn't found someone yet. They also promised me help and advice in selecting gentlemen who would be excellent for me from their extensive list of eligible men. Obviously, that never happened!!

The first gentleman they recommended called me. While on our date, I discovered that he had recently been released from a mental institution, was still in therapy, was still on medication and, in addition, was self-medicating with alcohol. I was not pleased.

One of GreatExpectation's major selling points is that they provide an extensive screening process, and was what sold me on signing up. They said medical history is not included in that screening process, denied having any knowledge of his situation and I have not been able to get any calls returned since.

This was an expensive lesson, but one I have learned well. If my experience can prevent just one other person from being taken and hurt, then I will feel that it served an even better purpose.

On 5/10/2006 I was scheduled for appt to see how they work. When I arrived It was worse than buying a car, I couldnt see what I was buying I had to sign contract first.The contract was explained so fast and everything was done in a hurry like they was closing. The contract was explained so fast with all false details of small print I couldnt see till I got home using a magnifying glass. And it would take in truth a person that could see the small print about 20 to 30 mins to understand it.

I wanted time to understand what im paying $1400 for plus $29.08 for monthly dues.Then before signing I was told this is an internet dating service according to contract I have to do everything there. So I was lied to again to my face. Im out $1900 plus $29.08 a month for something I can't use. I'm sick over this whole deal.

On January 10 th 2006, I enrolled with great expectation, and promised by their very skillfull salesman Glen Brown that through this service I would have the possibility to meet the women I was looking for. It turned out that this service was not what it was described to be. over 40% of the women contacted where either inactive(all of a sudden) or did not respond. several members misstated their age and in general the pool was much older than stated during the sales pitch. I would strongly recommend to interested parties to stay away from this very shabby organization. At a cost of $7,000 including an unnecessary service of $2,000 for mailgrams that no one bothers to answer , I feel I have been cheated. I contacted the company to cancel my membership less than 30 days and get some refund...I was totally ignored.

I was called by Renee and was told, during the conversation, that there were appx. 3000 members in NH with about a 50/50 split between men and women. 3/2/06: I met with Beth and she stated that there were “thousands” of members in NH. And, there was a $28.00 monthly due to sponsor member activities.

3/11/06: (evening), my profile was put into the database and I could search the member directory. I discovered that there were only 92 women members of witch only 9 were under the age of 35 years. At that time I sent an e-mail to the Bedford center expressing my concern. 3/14/06: I hadn’t received a response, so I called the center. I spoke with Beth and she said, “I should be seeing more, and she would look into it.” At that time I also brought up the fact that there were no member actives in the NH area, and there haven’t been any in the last year. She then asked if there had been any in MA. I told her of only a few, the last being in Sept. of 05. 3/16/06:

After 2 days of trying to reach Beth, she called me and described that it was very busy and she couldn’t return my call. I asked her if she had found out why I wasn’t able to see the large amounts of members that I should have seen. She said that she did a search, and the amount of people that were displayed was accurate. She then told me that there will be member events going on in NH but couldn’t tell me when. At that time I asked her for a refund or a cancellation and refund of my membership.

After perusing the Great Expectations website and offering my name and phone #s in order to be contacted, I received a phone call from "Kristen". Kristen spoke to me briefly and scheduled me for a "mtg." Thankfully, I decided to research Great Expectations prior to attending our "meeting". Once I read about the experiences of many other folk I decided I did not want to form a relationship with GE and Kristen. I did not show for the appointment.

I received several phone calls on my cell and also received a message. Kristen was very "concerned" about me. She also left a message on my home machine. She called again and I picked up. She informed me that "everyone" was waiting for me and that she was very concerned. I informed her that I researched her company and have decided that I do not want to form a relationship with her organization. She started harassing me and verbally abusing me. A direct quote includes "it is no wonder you are still single". I anticipate continued phone calls and emails. I will partner with the authorities if this occurs. DO NOT become involved with these folks. DO NOT give them your email address or phone #s.

In September 2005, I decided to take my lack of dating under control - sort of put my money where my mouth was - and went into interview with Great Expectations. They had been calling me every few months telling me how much they needed women in my age group - 56. They said they were overloaded with men my age and needed more women. They appealed to my desire for a man in my life. I went in and found out the price. I said no way - couldn't afford the $5000 or $6000 they said.

Well, they had a cheaper package for a 9 month membership for $2000. Well, that sounded still WAY too much, but it sounde a lot cheaper than $6000. She brought in the files of available men. Men that looked great - sounded great - and which I never found on the website again. I was promised all this stuff that sounded a lot like a "dating service" but which is actually less than Match.com or simulars. I have not been emailed once - no one - not one man has emailed me. I have emailed over 30 and out of that I have gone out with only 4 men - and none are here today.

All the other men responded with weird pull down menu options such as: No Thanks, Reason, No Reason or the wonderful No Thanks, Reason, Physical Chemestry. Physical Chemestry from a 2 inch photo. I am furious. I have been ripped off.

I went in for what I thought was an informational interview and was hard-sold, and I was a salesman at the time, so I know what a hard-sell is. I was offered a one-time-only discount that expired once I left the office. They bargained with me until I agreed to a multi-year contract at roughly $2500, or $50/month. I was assured that new men joined every day, that careful screeneing went into every membership, and that there were numerous candidates for me, a 40-year-old professional who was looking for marriage and children.

They matched me with men who were religiously my opposite, politically my opposite, or who had hobbies to which I am morally and philosophically opposed. I wrote an explicit self-description, so this should not have happened. They promised me an hour-long photo shoot (for an extra fee over $100, of course) and told me I'd have time to wear four outfits. I took four but arrived 10 minutes late, and even having called ahead, they trimmed my session to 30 minutes, made me choose two of the four outfits, and I had to decide on which photos to use RIGHT THEN. I was not given an opportunity for a second shoot to make up the docked time, despite having paid for it and having asked for the extra shoot. I sought use of the internet service since I do not have time to go to their offices every day and sort through books of photos and shelves of video tapes. That cost extra.

They also promised regular contact about group events and that they would fix me up, in addition to me choosing my own dates. I got no contact unless I wrote an email and asked for it. I did not receive updates for months at a time, and in one case, by the time a man who had shown interest in my profile and I were finally notified about one another, it turned out that he had left the service in dissatisfaction. And he was my political opposite!

I was misled by this company in regards to the services that they offer. They membership in the NYC area is limited and I was lead to believe that there are approximately 5500 members currently which there is not. I signed up with Great Expectations and was completely mislead. I was a victim much like the other people who joined. I was incessantly called for weeks after filling out a form from them by someone named Jan in Florida and on numerous calls I expressed that I was not interested at this time. Jan kept calling me and finally I was pursued to go into their Roslyn Center where I meet with Rosemay, the center's director.

She did her 3 hour interview, asked me if I was a heterosexual because they only cater to heterosexals which I am and then asked me if I was ever tested for HIV. I told her I'm not sure and that I get regular annual blood work done with my annual checkups. The questions are out of line and no real testing took place. Is this questioning against strict HIPA codes for patient confidentially? Rosemary finally presented me with a form with 3 tier pricing. One program for over $6,000.00, another program for $5,000.00 and a third program for $3,990.00. She told me that if I didn't sign up that evening the cost would be higher.

I did sign up and had my photos and video done a few days later on December 11, 2006. I realized that the membership library is limited in my area and that I wanted to cancell my membership which included $1,000.00 for testing, interview, processing and evalution as well as the photos and video. While I am willing to pay damages for my photos and video I am not willing to pay for services that I did not use and cancelled 2 days later. Also, $2,990.00 of the $3,990.00 were charged for a personal shopper that I have not met and never scheduled an appointment with. These are considered future services.

I want all of that money back. I have the contract, certified letter and e-mail letters to the center that they received from me. I have a detailed report of my experience with them and I have asked for my photos and video back which they are refusing to release to me which I contracted for and paid for upfront and I know in a court of law will take notice. Also, they are not incurring any damages for the future services of the personal shopper because I never used this portion of the service. Rosemary Mazzulo also put 12:00 on my contract, no am or pm. On my purchase receipt is clearly stated 9:08pm.

They did not deliver what they say. I am out $3500.00 and my experience is similar to the other complaints. They need to be put out of business.

In September 2005 after a hard break-up a friend suggested a dating service in the Houston area and I went on-line and filled out the info. I received a call within minutes of completing the info and they insisted I come in that day after work. I did and they asked to see forms of id and Valerie went through her encouraging sales pitch I knew the cost was going to be high, but was more interested in the service they would provide. I was told they do a thorough background check for felons and addicts.

I asked specifically while I'm bi-racial I prefer to date black men, how many black men do you have in the membership? She said they have hundreds of black men a lot of them are basketball players, doctors, lawyers. What about Christian men, I inquired? She said several Christian black men some are pastors. I asked the price and it was an astronomical $4,000.00 plus for life-time membership. I have three kids and wasn't paying $4K right then, so they asked for $400. that night and a little over $1000.00 per month.

Shortly after I encountered a devastating family situation and wasn't ready mentally or financially to move forward and contacted them as I hadn't taken pictures or video. My account was referred to Dennis who said in order to get out I'd have to pay $1,500.00! I explained my situation and he very compassionately advised me how to handle my personal situation and encouraged me to stay by lowering my monthly payments to $553.00 per month. I then went for my pictures and video in October and was a little discouraged at being rushed through the event and expressed my dissatisfaction with the video portion and the videograher snickered at my request to retape as he his next appoint was near.

He also talked me into the on-line access for another $541.25. I lived 40 minutes away so access on-line was conducive. Immediately that night I asked my first member out and he called me the next day, I was so surprised and excited! He wanted to meet me immediately and we made arrangements to meet at a local restaurant on my side of town. He was nice looking, educated and well spoken. As we felt a chemistry building he became very forth-right and mentioned that there were some quarks in his history that he must explain. I was taken aback.

As I do background checks as a part of my living I with his permission had one done on him and found that he was not only a recovering drug addict, but a convicted felon for counterfeiting currency! Great Expectations never did a background check. As I am very very nice and very much a Christian we continued to talk and he explained he told them right up front of his background and that they proceeded.

Went for an interview 10/05/05, not knowing the cost of the service. After an hour and half interview I was told I was the perfect candidate and should definitely become a member. Wasn't able to afford the service but was told it was the best investment I can make, not to worry, my next companion will pay it off, it happens all the time. I chose to sign contract for $3990.00. Was told to make an appointment for pictures and video, which I did.

I went 2 weeks later and ended up paying an extra fee for the pictures. I was then told to come back for orientation. A couple weeks later, on November 19th, before I even went to orientation or became an active member, I came to the conclusion, I really could not afford the service, had unforseen expenses, was persuaded in this fairytale drama and wanted to cancel. I was never made an active member and never utilized or was provided with any services. I inquired about a refund and was told they do not do them under any circumstances. I told them I had yet to utilize the service and have not incurred any expenses for them. I told them of my financial difficulties and being persuaded to sign contract and was not comfortable with it. The same response from Rosemary, a refund is not an option. Therefore, I have decided to sue.

I was having no luck meeting people with my busy work and college schedule so I heard some ads for Great Expectations and decided to give it a try. When I went into the office, they showed me a bunch of videos and interviewed me for about 3 hours. They told me it would cost me $5000 to join for a year to which I told them was ridiculous. They assured me there were plenty of singles in my age range in my area. I agreed to a 3 year contract for $300 down and $100 per month.

I have had 2 dates with people who were more socially inept than anyone I've ever met in my life. It took 8 weeks to get someone to return my call about even getting my ad posted saying they were "in between" photographers because they had to fire one. No one returned my phone calls when I tried to ask for help in getting more responses. I have now spent

$1000 not to mention the remaining contract amount and I have no services to show for it. They say they assist you, basically set you up on dates. All it is is a VERY expensive contractual version of online dating such as match.com. I want this contract cancelled and I want my money back. I have already filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau of Milwaukee to which they have had many complaints. I cannot understand how they are still in business.

I signed on for the usual service that they offer. They promoted themselves as being a place that presents individual profiles to people -- a sort of match making service. They don't. In addition to the thousands of dollars they charged me, they were also charging a monthly fee. Inside of a year, I didn't meet a single person. When I complained, they suggested that I grow-out my hair and wear contacts -- and perhaps get a new photo. There was never anything they offered to do themselves. I decided to cancel my membership, to save myself from further monthly fees. I haven't joined another company like this, for fear of the same kind of scam.

I thought mine was an isolated incident back in early 90s. I heard their ad on the radio and called for an appointment to hear their sales pitch and what they had to offer. Everything looked and sounded great until the sales lady asked if I'd like to sign up right then. Well, I was just looking into it and had already decided I wouldn't make a decision that night, especially after finding out shocking price tag. After I told her, "I want to think about it", she kept increasing the pressure to sign and I kept insisting I wanted to "think it over". When she realized that I wouldn't budge she exploded in an outburst of anger and yell at me "If you don't sign up tonight, we'll prevent you from signing up, EVER! Alright, get out!" By the looks of things I escaped, but by a narrow margin!