It's Just Lunch!

I've been on this dating site since November 2011. I had one date with a man who spent the better part of the date complaining about It's Just Lunch. I had to travel over 40 miles to meet my date. The date started at 8:00. p.m. on a Monday night. Okay not a big deal until I found out that my date lived just a few miles away from our date location and Monday was his day off work. My date said the Ryan our IJL contact scheduled the time and location without his input. The date could have started earlier and been at a more centralized location given the fact I had a bit of a drive after the date and an early morning the next day.

When I had my face to face interview with the IJL staff, they spoke of all the men who fit my criteria, and I was told that if I wanted to meet a man, the right man I'd need to be the one traveling to locations outside my preferred area because I'd have a better chance of finding my match. When I asked why we couldn't make the meeting location something more equitable to both parties, I was told that they Inland Empire customers were part of the Orange County pool and that they would never make they OC clients drive to the IE. And then they added, besides the OC is much better who wouldn't want to find someone in the OC. She basically went on to say that we in the IE were less deserving and therefore we had to be the ones making the long commutes. When I told them this was impossible during the week because traffic was a major obstacle, I was told that was an issues I'd have to deal with to find the right man. When I asked if they would speak to my potential dates about meeting at a centralized location, I was told that was not possible. They never make their OC clients travel outside OC for a date and I would have to travel to meet the men... end of story.

Four to five possible men were notes as future dates. A very short review of each was given to me. I was told Ryan would be in touch with me to schedule my next date. Ryan did contact me but by then the holidays were here and I was told no one wanted to date during the holidays. A date was three weeks into the new year at a time and date that I could not make. I contacted Ryan to let him know I could not make the date and after many attempts to reach Ryan to date, I have not received any word from him except him confirmation that he got my message.

It's just lunch has been a complete waste of time and energy not to mention money. I wouldn't and will not refer anyone I know to this site.

It's Just Lunch! seems like a novel idea for those who are busy and really wanting to meet someone as it is advertised. But, everything that was spoken or written as advertisement seemed to get lost when it came to delivery.

The communication is horrible and you can never reach them unless you are the one constantly pursing a response. First, they will never answer a phone call. You will always get voice mail in my experience. And it is always some really good excuse. Emails go unanswered and they might claim they "never got it". They talked about matches that were available and, of course, they sounded like a great fit. But, you never get to meet them. Again, some other excuses tend to come out of a hat as to why they never set up a date and never called you or emailed about the proposed match.

Secondly, in my experience, you are to sit down with someone and validate your info and if anything have changed and they take your picture. A meeting was setup and I was met for that appointment. So, I just forget about it for a while and about 3 weeks later, they email they have a match. I then inquired that why would I meet a match if the mandatory step to meet me was never met? I got a surprise response and the tone was this is not a really big deal. I asked them to please follow the steps and do the face-to-face before sending me on another date/outing or whatever they call it.

Thirdly, there was not any indication of a special process to pick potential dates as I was told they discuss each member in depth to other co-workers, and etc. The same lines and jargon were spoken each time without any delay. And if matches could not be found, I was asked to look at people that were not in my interests or age range and told I really should be open about having a good time. And I agree with that somewhat, but I should be the one initiating that part of the conversation.

By chance, you will meet people that are looking for the same thing, but for the most part, the communication was difficult and there seemed to be no consistency or process in matching.

I posted a complaint to the BBB based on my experience with It's Just Lunch, due to the fact that their matches didn't fit any of my criteria. Their response to the complaint was to falsify my responses to their post-date interviews, in which they claimed that I said that I had a lot in common with the women they introduced me to, and that I found some of them attractive.

In other words, not only did they not do what they promised to do in the first place, hung up on me when I expressed my frustration with their inability to match me with anyone that met any of my criteria, and then suspended my account, instead of dealing with the issue, they then falsified my responses to defend their own business. They're a scam, plain and simple. It was a good idea, but at least the Seattle group is completely failing to provide the services they promise, and they're very blatantly lying about what really happened.

Please be advised that since my posting dated Jan. 8, 2012, I, the client, and It's Just Lunch have reached a mutually agreeable resolution to our dispute.

It's Just Lunch is an unbelievably unprofessional service with unethical business practices.

1. IJL does not match you with dates who meet your specific criteria. In four months I was set up on four dates only one of which materialized because of a number of excuses (out of town, found true love, working, etc.). The one date that did happen last one hour and was a nightmare. Not only was he geographically not a good match (lived 50 miles away), but he had not idea that I was a single mother and proceed to accuse me of lying to my dating director because he specifically asked for a match with no children.

2. My director Julia gave me the old bait and switch. After convincing me she had the "perfect man for me" during our 1st interview and getting me to hand over $1k, I have not heard from her since. Oh, and the perfect manwell, he never materialized. Surprise.

3. Basically they match you with anyone of the opposite gender that meets your age requirement, but not the specific criteria you have for meeting a mate. I repeatedly told my coordinator what I was looking for, and I was constantly set up with men who did not meet my personality criteria.

4. These men are no better than you find on online dating sites or in the bars. Some of the men are decent, but others are unbelievably rude, unsophisticated, and even unemployed (ironic for a dating service for professional people).

5. I would have no contact with my "coordinator" if it wasn't for me constantly calling and emailing to get updates. They have not lived up to their contract. I am currently seeking a refund and thinking of pursuing a lawsuit to get my money back. I am going to file a claim in small claims court in NY. If they were truly exceptional at matching people, they would stand behind their product like many of the elite match-makers found in NYC, Chicago, LA, etc.

In short, this is not an elite match-making service. It's an over-priced below-average service that does not deliver what it promises. IJL lacks a true understanding of the psychology of dating, fail-proof tricks of the dating trade to match compatible people, and the sophistication of a legitimate match-making service to attract quality members. Ladies (and gentlemen), please don't waste your time or your money. You will live to regret it.

To Gina of Austin, please go to the IJL reviews on Yelp to contact reviewers about your suit. We have no way of contacting you. I posted negative reviews about my IJL experience on the Internet and the company keeps calling me to harass me into taking down my reviews. I'm not taking down any reviews until they issue me a refund since their service is not as advertised. My personal experience with IJL:

1. My first date was with a man who was unemployed and was sleeping on a buddy's couch while he figured out what to do with his life. Isn't IJL supposed to be a dating service for professionals? He told me that he had been with IJL off and on for 10 years because the company kept offering him "freebies" whenever their male dating pool was low. So even though the rest of us were paying big bucks (in my case, $1,900), he was dating for free because the company could not attract enough eligible bachelors to send on dates with the women.

2. I was told by my date ** that IJL found him by searching through the county's divorce records (which are public) and soliciting him to join the service. The reason IJL has to go this route is because they don't have enough men who willingly join their service. If you're a woman, this is not good. This means the pool of available men is very small. It also means that men have to be "sold" on the service instead of willingly wanting to join the service.

3. I had a date with a man who reached across the table and ate half of my cheeseburger.

4. I had a date with a man who inappropriately touched me within five minutes of meeting (and no, he did not have my permission to touch me).

5. I had a date with a man who told me all about his girlfriends, his girlfriends' drama, and that he had no intention of marrying again. If I'm looking for a serious relationship, why in the world was I set up with someone who is dating half of the women in Austin and who has zero interest in a serious relationship?

The vast majority of my dates were with men who did not meet my dating criteria as clearly expressed to my director and coordinator. Some of these dates were even humiliating and overall were a waste of time in terms of meeting my expectations as expressed to IJL.

Here is what is lacking in IJL's service:

1. They don't have enough quality men in their dating pool. The men, for the most part, aren't any different than the ones you meet in the bars. But the catch is that you're paying a premium to meet guys you could meet on your own downtown.

2. IJL doesn't listen to your specific dating criteria and just matches you with someone who meets your age specifications or has the same interests as you. It's as if the IJL coordinators just look at your age and list of interests and say, "You travel. He travels. You work out. He works out. You're both the same age. Perfect match." Well, if it were that simple, we wouldn't need dating services. IJL looks at the superficial and doesn't pay any attention to the deeper aspects of one's personality or requests. This is a serious flaw in their business model. eHarmony does a much better job of matching you with someone who meets your personality criteria for much less money.

3. IJL is slow to respond to complaints and does not offer refunds. I finally complained to my coordinator after being set-up on numerous dates that did not meet my expressed criteria. I asked for a refund and to be contacted by a director immediately. My request was replied to with a snarky, "We don't give refunds! I'll have someone call you." Click. A more appropriate and professional response would have been, "I understand you're upset. And yes, admittedly, you've had a few negative experiences. Let me escalate your request to a director and someone will get back to you today or tomorrow at the latest."

Five days later, a director called me and said something along the lines of, "I'm making you my top priority. I'm going to make it my personal mission to set you up with dates who meet your criteria." Well, why was I not being set up with dates who met my criteria to begin with? Why did it take an entire business week for a director to call me and promise me what the company should have been doing all along?

After the negative experience I've had and IJL's refusal to refund my money, I posted reviews all over the Internet. This has prompted harassing calls by IJL asking me to take down the reviews because they were hurting their business. Too bad. If IJL were an effective, ethical, and professional service, then they wouldn't be the focus of poor reviews and lawsuits.

I signed up for It's Just Lunch in September 2011 in Sydney Australia and I was never told they did not have an office in Sydney. I have no idea how they were to understand (from California, USA) our culture, our slang and what I mean when I say I wanted an educated man who is professional and works in the CBD like me, so catch-ups are easily organised, especially if during the lunch hour. Owns his own business, very successful translated to has a room in a building an hour out of the city in a bad area of town. I was given three dates.

The first guy was nothing like his description and interrogated me when I refused to give him my number, ending in a huff with "you don't seem desperate, so I don't know why you're with this dating website." The second man (a month later) was drunk when I arrived, had another drink in ten minutes and then left because he "had to collect his car and drive it home". The third man had a child, a criteria I had been very specific about (I didn't want to date someone with children because if there's a breakup, kids are involved and I don't want that at all).

Further, the third date insisted on paying and they pressured me into giving him my number in front of two waiters and a table full of people. I have had to go through several layers of their management and no one is listening to me nor prepared to even meet halfway for a prorated refund, which I believe I am more than entitled to. I am not interested in meeting anyone else in their database because they not only completely misunderstand what I'm after but they are not listening to me. They do give refunds as a friend of mine has gone through the similar process but they refuse to acknowledge this has occurred. I am furious and want them to just give me my money back so I can move on and forget I ever signed up with them.

IJL is literally what everyone on here has said. I am posting this because I plan on filing a small claims lawsuit (suits for under $10k) this week and if anyone in Austin, TX would like to join me in this suit, you are welcome. I will pay the complaint fee ($100) and have them served by a Sheriff. All I need is anyone who is willing to go to the small claims court when the time comes and relay their experiences to the judge. I'd like to get everyone in Travis County's money back!

When she asked what my name was, I said, "Please call me Dave." She said, "Hi David!", which is a red flag she had no intention of listening to me. BBB in my area says they filed in 1998, but they are no longer taking complaints. In other cities, 33 complaints in fiscal period, 7 have been responded to. She told me looking for common interests and values was superficial and that is why I was single. I could see height, weight, hair color, as superficial; I do not consider chemistry and personality superficial.

I told her I liked baseball and which team I root for. She claimed matching me with my teams rival was better for chemistry than matching me with a mutual fan. Other complaints reference anywhere from $1000 to $1700 for the service as recently as 2011. She demanded over $2700, and repeatedly declared "no guarantees". If they are so good and clearly not a cheap service, why would they not stand behind their "product"?

I called from out of state, and said she called from corporate headquarters, but only knows about my local area. I am not desperate, just busy. There were too many red flags in the sales pitch to take the company seriously.

I signed up with IJL in April 2011. I too was pressured into signing up with this service, even after I asked to have a couple of days to think about it. After $2400.00 for 12 months and 7 horrible dates, I contacted my local director and also sent a letter to their Corporate office in Hallendale, FL, voicing my displeasure with their service. That was in November 2011, and I have not heard a word from anyone at IJL. They are very unprofessional and follow nothing to what they say in their initial speech to get you signed up.

It's Just Lunch is an unbelievably unprofessional service with unethical business practices.

5. IJL offers no refunds because they know they don't offer a quality service. If they were truly exceptional at matching people, they would stand behind their product like many of the elite match-makers found in NYC, Chicago, LA, etc.

In short, this is not an elite match-making service. It's an over-priced below-average service that does not deliver what it promises. IJL lacks a true understanding of the psychology of dating, fail-proof tricks of the dating trade to match compatible people, and the sophistication of a legitimate match-making service to attract quality members. Ladies (and gentlemen), please don't waste your time or your money. You will live to regret it.

Stay away from IJL! I sat down at my computer today to write It's Just Lunch about my complete dissatisfaction with their service. In trying to locate their corporate HQ address online, I found the hundreds of complaints against this service at ConsumerAffairs.com. Prior to now, I thought maybe my local office was the problem. But the posted complaints are from around the world, and as I read them, I see my own thoughts and experience echoed over and over again. It's Just Lunch at best, is Just Not Worth It.

I joined IJL on July 22, 2011 after a whirlwind, high-pressure sales meeting with the local director. If there is one thing I have to give IJL credit for, it is hiring convincing sales people that have no qualms about lying to your face and preying on the weaknesses that lead individuals to join these sorts of dating services in the first place. In the space of 45 minutes, the director was able to identify exactly what I wanted to hear and, $1,600 for 12-months later, I walked out the door with very high expectations of what this service could and would do.

It's been nothing but disappointment, anger, and frustration ever since. I've kept a fairly detailed journal of my experience, but to sum it up: they keep none of their promises. They do not adhere to nor show any respect for your preferences on a match. They do not return phone calls when they say they will. You do not develop a good, friendship-like relationship with one or two people in their office (I've spoken with so many different people at my local office that I've lost track and never once have I heard again from the director that talked me into this in the first place). They do not incorporate your feedback into selecting better future matches.

They do not keep careful nor accurate records (at one point, I figured out they had been telling my matches one of my interests was hiking, and that I had hiked the Oregon Trail. I clearly remember telling the director in my initial interview that I liked hiking and had done so both locally and in Oregon. Another time, when I was contacted to hear about my next match, the caller admitted she couldn't even decipher the handwriting in the file she was supposed to tell me about). They withhold information when it suits their purposes (like sending me to meet with someone not only well outside my stated age preference but 7 years my junior, without disclosing his age in advance despite my asking how old he was, twice!). I could go on, but that gives the reader a good idea.

It is only in hindsight and after my horrible experiences that I realize the contract I signed is designed to do only one thing: protect IJL and hold on to your money. There is virtually nothing in this contract to protect me, the client; there is very little outlining their promises to the client nor any way to safeguard a client's satisfaction. Further, through the process itself, there is no "right of refusal" for the client when it comes to the matches they suggest. Thus, there is nothing preventing this service from sending you out to meet your quota of dates to satisfy the contract no matter how inappropriate those matches might be.

I will be contacting their corporate HQ as well as my local office to request at least half of my money back. I will also be contacting my local newspaper as well as Oprah, two sources I trusted that recommended this service and need to get the facts straight.

I was lured by this company with the agreement of receiving a professional experience and service but instead the company took my money knowing. Thinking I was being progressive and working with a reputable service, I signed up initially in May 2011 and was assigned the rudest IJL director possible. After several calls and emails to myu initial contact, Joanna and corporate, another IJL dierctor contacted me, (that took several months), but by then I was turned off and put the membership on hold. I activated my membership again in September with Amber ** was the IJL director, initially she was responsive then after one total horrible date, I did not hear from her until November when I met a representatve face to face. It took them two months to schedule this appointment and another several months before Amber emailed about the meeting Fiona, their field rep. In spite of leaving several messages and emails to the Amber and Joanna, nothing, I have not been contact by the company.

Declining service. They set up with uglier dates. They set up with people who the matchmaker never met. They refuse to release the contract. I have to complain to the BBB. Most likely fraudsters. Everyone who got ** by this company should gather together and class action these fraudsters. We should get our money back.

IJL had contacted me to sign up with them. At first, I didn't want to but I was told about all the people that have joined recently due to their promotion. I was upfront about myself and what I was looking for. I asked for some profiles of some men who would fix me up with if I joined. She sent 3 profiles. The men sounded nice so I joined on a Wednesday. By Friday, I had dates scheduled with 2 of the men. On Monday morning, I received a call that says both men put their memberships on hold and my dates were of course cancelled. I was told that they had another introduction for me. I gave them my availability and 3 days later, I haven't heard back. This is fraud. The contract they sent me also said that I would be billed in monthly installments and yet they charged the entire fee to my credit card.

My experience with It's Just Lunch is the worst toothe worst customer service and people I had to deal with, not to mention the worst dates I ever had. Bunch of **. I will never pay this much again to go to dates that on top of paying their fees I had to pay for my own drinks and dinner. Cristina and Jennifer are the worst at the Austin office. Just do not waste your money with this people. They are not worth not even a cent; mind as well to just give your money to charity or buy and expensive purse because they are not worth it.

They contacted me. A "matchmaker" called and emailed and called and emailed. I finally agreed to join. She told me that they have over 7,000 members in the NY area. She said that they have lots of men in my age group, 37-50, and that I would get 11 matches in 6 months. I have been a member since March 2011. I have only been matched 3 times. Each time I call, I have to speak to a different person, because the person that was matching me is no longer working for the company. With each "match", it's getting worse and worse! There are weeks when I can't get anyone to call me back. The message says "Someone will get back to you within 24 hours." 24 hours of what? I called three times last week and twice this week. Still, no one has gotten back to me. As for the emails, they are on automatic response "I'm out of the office". Is everyone in the company out of the office?

My dating director is condescending, abrupt, pushy and relies on phone messages and email, thereby limiting discussion and effective problem resolution. Andrea ** only sets up date every 32 days. Why not more if there are as many men in the Ann Arbor area as was indicated before enrolling. I can't get the city where that man is from and I don't want to date men from certain areas of Detroit, so this makes me uncomfortable. My 3rd date out of 3 was a 'no show'. The phone message on the dating director's line says they'll answer within 24 hours. They need to change this message because the return calls are consistently well beyond the 24 hours.

I suspect that IJL started as a good service but has grown too large to operate well. So far, I don't recommend it. I did pay for it by check so don't have the problem with automatic withdrawals that others are experiencing.

I joined the service a few months ago with high hopes! The onboarding was lovely and I thought I was going to find the love of my life. I had one date. When I tried to follow-up with the dating director, she was non-responsive. It took almost a month before I heard back that it was time to setup my consultation. I responded and then did not hear back again for a few weeks. At that point, I requested a pro-rata refund and to cancel the service. I was told that was not possible.

As I said to IJL, if someone working for me had spoken to a client the way the dating director spoke to me, they would be terminated. The service was dishonest and misleading. They may have technically met their contractual obligations but the manner in which they did it was entirely unacceptable.

I even wrote a blog post about their awful service: **. I've had 4 different consultants in 3 months. They never return phone calls or emails. I had been with them in 2005 and they were great. Now they suck!

It's Just Lunch should change their name to It's Just a Scam! They misrepresented every aspect of their service! They get you on the hook by making false promises. Buyers beware! IJL needs to have a class action lawsuit filed on them!

If I could rate zero, I would. I was told that I would receive 6 dates within 8 months or would get my money back, $1700. Which is low compared to what I have read on this site. As to my experience - my first date was scheduled for drinks in NJ. The date never showed up. IJL maintained that they could not get in touch with the person to find out what happened. They scheduled a second date for brunch in NYC. Which entailed driving 1 hour parking for $30 etc. Again, no show and a $50 bill at the restaurant. Again, no real explanation. Then they said, I needed a face to face meeting which I had to go into Manhattan for. Again more cost. Nice person at meeting tried to placate me. Third try was at a restaurant in New Brunswick, finally someone showed up. Meeting a bar for drinks with a person who doesn't drink was a little weird.

Also part of the allure of this service was supposed to be the screening process. This guy lived in a basement apartment in Astoria. Not a bad conversationalist but still not the caliber that they promised. The fourth date was again in NJ for drinks. Nice guy that is well over the age I specified, is a blue collar worker that can never afford to retire and has just bought his first house at 65. He is currently working with at least 4 dating sites and spends all his cash on that. Again, not the caliber promised. I am a professional, have a Master's Degree and am financially secured. That's what I am looking for. This whole process started 12/10 and should have ended 8/11. I am 2 scheduled dates short of the contract specifications, really 4 dates since 2 never showed. I have repeatedly left messages to call and discuss refund and have not gotten any response even though the message says they will get back to me in 24 hours. Contract has not been fulfilled and I want a refund of the $1700.

Hello, I was referred to IJL by a friend in St. Louis. By all accounts, she had a great experience. Unfortunately, I have not. My expectation is that I would be matched based on preferences and background. The cost was $2700. That was fine with me. I base most of my purchases on the cost being attached to a reasonable value. It seemed this would be. I also had hoped to work with and individual who was experienced in working with the type of clients you would likely attract at that price point. I did not find the person I worked with, Ryan, to be helpful or successful. He actually seemed quite young, condescending (in his conversation) and not customer oriented. There did not seem to be an attempt to listen to any of my feedback (preference on meet times, etc). He didn't seem to take any direction on preferred times to reach me or even phone numbers. For instance, I specifically asked not to be called on my work phone, as patients call that number, but he used it more than once.

Until yesterday, I was not rescheduled for my first date. That also does not meet my expectation. I expected this to be a fun, laid back, "lunch type" way to meet people with similar background and/or interest. My last contact with Ryan was one in which he attempted to schedule my first lunch. I responded to the email stating that I'd like to confirm after I'd had an opportunity to speak to a supervisor about some concerns. Instead, he disregarded that request, called me directly and then refused to allow me to speak to anyone else, after having a very long, rude and completely inappropriate attempt to "get what your issue is, otherwise, you can't speak to anyone else." It was only after that exchange that finally, after two days, someone returned my call. I do not wish to move forward with the service. It doesn't seem to match my needs. I'm requesting a refund. Thanks.

When I signed up for IJL, I was assured that there were many eligible men in my area. I also spoke to someone over the phone and gave my "criteria" for I would like to date. I also completed the same in person.

After 2 dates, it was clear that this company was not going to live up to it's promise of setting up dates so that I wouldn't "waste my time" with men I had nothing in common with. Besides the fact that the men they set me up with had nothing in common with me, I continued to receive phone calls from my "dating specialist", Diana, for dates that were out of my previously set forth "criteria". Even after the first phone call where I made it clear to Diane that I was not willing to budge on my age range, she continued with this same behavior. She finally called me with a date that was within my age range and when I arrived, it was very clear that this service only sends you out with whomever is in their database, not who best suits you.

I tried to explain this to my "dating specialist" and when she obviously wasn't going to change her methods, I asked to speak with her supervisor. She proceeded to inform me that she was the manager and that she did not have a supervisor and any complaints had to go through her, which is completely ridiculous. After going through this for about 15 minutes, I decided to contact the company by different means. I contacted customer service and was called back by someone named Edna, which I believe was actually Diane, my "dating specialist". I was not satisfied with what she had to say so I was then transferred to Anton.

As with Edna, they both continued to try to cover up for Dianne instead of admitting their fault. I was still unsatisfied after speaking with Anton so I was then put in touch with Adrienne. I emailed Adrienne and let her know a convenient time to reach me (as per her request) and I did not receive a phone call (or an email letting me know that she was not able to speak at that time). I emailed her back letting her know my continued dissatisfaction, and she apologized for not calling/answering, but only made excuses why she didn't call. I then respectfully asked that she forward my information to her supervisor because it was obvious that she didn't take my complaint seriously. That was 2 weeks ago and I haven't heard anything.

This company should not be in business! I am not done trying to contact them and get to some sort of settlement on a refund or partial refund.

I carefully interviewed Sandra about the services of this company. I asked about the level of sophistication of the contacts, their life experience, their internationalism, etc. I was told, reassured, convinced and pressured that the situation was appropriate for someone of my background. (I am an attractive, international entrepreneur with very little time to meet people and my field is mostly women.) I explained that I didn't want anyone religious, nor overtly sexual in their objectives. They assured me (more than once, as I went on two appointments and spoke to Sandra several times on the phone) that their service was appropriate for me.

Dates were set up and then cancelled. I think they were bogus from the start. Then dates I did eventually go on went from bad to worse. The experience was horrific. One date was ogling me and told me how his wife hadn't touched him in a year. Another had never been married (one of my requirements was that they were widowed or divorced) and goes to church every day, I'm a non-practicing Jew.

The last 'dating directors' finally was blunt enough to tell me that she didn't want to lose her job, but that I should go with my gut and 'pursue the situation with the management', implying that I was not unreasonable in my horror at the level of dates that I was being set up on. Really, I felt like a call girl. The whole thing is preposterous. The person who signed me up, Sandra **, refused to take my calls when I was dissatisfied.

The date they fixed me up with was shorter, and older looking than I was expecting. He did not even make an attempt to dress up! To make matters worse, they set us up on a date in the Raddison Hotel! What cool, hip person would ever have drinks at the Raddison Hotel? It was totally embarrassing and really horrible. They will not refund my money, or allow me to transfer the membership to someone else. Totally inflexible. I think I am out $1,800. They should be stopped.

What a scam. I wish I had read reviews before I signed up. I have pages of complaint and will fight them until the end. Its Just Lunch should be put out of business. It is wrong. One of the worst scams going. I think another class-action suit needs to form. If anyone knows of a class action suit to join, please email me at **.

I want to sue them, it is only right to prevent others from being ripped off.

I had to terminate my account due to international relocation. It was clearly stated in the contract that the fees I paid will be refunded proportionally. I signed up with Micae ** and I was persuaded to sign up for a full-year plan instead of a six-month plan, which I had intended to sign up for. She made it very clear that I will receive a refund if I had to relocate. However, after my relocation decision was final in the summer and I sent in all of the required documents, IJL refused to get back to me regarding any information on refund. I've received the worst customer service ever for the $2,200 that I paid. Stay away at all cost!

My situation is very similar to other complaints filed here. I worked with Joanna at It's Just Lunch to establish dating criteria and provided a lot of information about my preferences. The dates have been a complete mis-match and waste of time. The feedback I provided on the dates have not yielded a response from IJL and as far as I can tell, they do not match to the criteria established and just send you on dates with whoever is available.

My complaint is exactly like the other complaints submitted to ConsumerAffairs.com. I joined "It's Just Lunch" in San Francisco based on the promise of many men in their database to fix me up with, as well as a steep discount from $2,800 to $1,700. Later, I received another discount of $200. As time and complaints to Lisa, the membership director who worked with me, have gone by, it's clear that she is not delivering the service that she assured me that they would. It is also clear that IJL does not have any compatible men in their database for me. I have asked for a cancellation and a refund, or even a partial refund. Lisa put my membership on hold in August and I have not heard from her (or anyone at IJL) since then. I want my joining fee refunded, less than $200, as their contract states.

I subscribed to IJL dating service over a year ago, to the tune of $1400. Since that time, I have only had 2 dates, the first was intoxicated, while the second lived 200 miles away from me in Warwick, RI. When I called or e-mailed the representative, they took weeks to answer, if at all. I would like a refund from this company and I would like people to know what a shoddy operation they are.

I was told about "It's Just Lunch" and I saw the Web site with all the places like Today Show to Forbes posted at the bottom. So, I called and talked to a representative in California. She took my information and said that she need a credit card before I could see the contract. But I was never sent a contract and was not told of the cost upfront. After speaking with my mother, she warned me about giving out information over the phone and suggested that it was not a good idea. So, I contacted Andrea of "It's Just Lunch" and told her that I decided not to join. She tried to convince me otherwise and told me that she already had several men lined up. Sure she did. I did not receive or sign a contract but the next morning, I woke up to see my credit card charged with $2,200.00--that has to be illegal. I am now in the process of trying to get my money back.

In January 2011, I urged my sister to try It's Just Lunch! after seeing their ad in an airline magazine. It sounded like a really nice and low-key way to meet people.

I spoke with a rep from the company and was assured that there would be plenty of men available in the Pittsburgh area that would match my sister's liking. I was assured that the local rep would hand pick men with suitable characteristics. The first date my sister went out on was decent, but the remainder were very unsuitable dates. There was no matchmaking involved. The rep, Susan **, only provided a male body. Susan frequently pressured my sister into dating men of other races when my sister made it clear that she was not comfortable with that. My sister was very disappointed and literally placed $1,800 into unscrupulous pockets.

I feel really bad that I pressured her into this. In September of 2011, I called Susan ** at It's Just Lunch! on my sister's behalf and told her that I felt responsible for pushing her into a dating service that turned out to be disreputable. Two minutes into the conversation, Susan disconnected the call. I wrote a letter to Susan at the Hallandale, FL, corporate office requesting a refund for my sister but did not hear back from them.

I was an employee for three weeks. I was hired on as a dating specialist, a salesperson with a different name. I started asking a lot of questions. What's the criteria for matching? I had a female "join" who was 37 and only wants to date men who want to have children. Apparently, that's not a "criteria" for a date. And she will be paired with men who don't want children, as well as people who do. They ask lots of questions: Will you date someone with children? Will you date outside your religion? Will you date someone who's been divorced, separated? What personality traits do you prefer? What kind of person are you looking for? These are 45-minute series of questions. And the only thing they base their matches on are age and availability. Men are matched with 5 years older and 10 years younger. Women are matched with 10 years older and 5 years younger. The dating directors are supposed to get people out on dates every 3 weeks. So, it doesn't matter what kind of person you've asked for, if you're due for a date and the other person is due for a date and you're the right age. That's your date!

On January 25, 2011, I spoke with Monique E. (They don't give you their last name.). I told her I lived near Asheville, North Carolina and asked if they covered my area. She told me they did. I signed up for 1 year. The initial payment was $600, plus the first month of $100, then $100 a month for 12 months. My first date was 2/9/11 in Greenville, South Carolina with a gentleman named Ted. During our lunch date, I asked him how he liked IJL; he told me they had just called him recently and gave him 3 months free -- due to the previous experience he has had with them. We had absolutely nothing in common. The next meeting I was scheduled to have was not a date but a face to face interview with Dan (once again, no last name) who was my dating coordinator.

I was told I had to meet with Dan before any more dates could be scheduled, so they could verify I was who I said I was and take a picture of me. I was to meet Dan on March 25 at 1:00 p.m. in Greenville. I went to the restaurant to meet with Dan, who never showed up. I called Monique -- all calls went to her voicemail. About 3 hours later, she called me back and told me there was a mix-up and wanted me to go back to the restaurant. I told her I had already missed over 1 1/2 hours of work and could not go back to meet Dan. Obviously, no date was scheduled for March. I questioned her as to when my next date would be. She informed me she had a man in mind that lived in Columbia, South Carolina. This is over 150 miles away from my home. When I told her I could not travel that far to meet someone for lunch, she informed me this would have to count as a date because this man would be able to meet me half way in Union, South Carolina which is within their 70 mile radius from Greenville.

I told her I did not live in Greenville and I did not consider this fair. She kept referring to my contract. I was at work and could not continue this conversation with her. She set up another appointment with my dating coordinator. I finally met with Dan, the dating coordinator at the end of March. During the later part of April, I received a call from Andrea who was quite rude, asking me why I didn't show up or call and cancel my date with a man named John. I had no idea I had a date with anyone. This too was going to count as a date. I tried to call my original contact person, Monique, for days, with no return calls. On May 23rd, I sent an e-mail to Monique asking why they were not fulfilling their contract. I received a response from Nathaniel N stating he was out of the office to contact Matt **.

At that time, I forwarded my e-mail to Matt. I never heard from him. Several days later, I received a call from Andrea (who is very argumentative). She stated that she had taken over my account and would be working with me from now on. It was June now when we were talking and still, only one date. I expressed how unhappy I was with IJL and how they had taken $1200 out of my account so far. I asked her when they would start fulfilling their commitment to me. She said she had a prospect but he was out-of-town. She called me back on June 15th to set up a date with 'Lonni' on 7/8/11 at 7:00 p.m. in Greenville, and sent a follow-up e-mail with location.

On July 1st, I received a call from my bank concerning fraudulent activity on my account. The bank recommended that I close the account. They would send me a new card within 5 to 7 business days. This account is the same account IJL is taking payments from. On July 6th, I received an e-mail from IJL stating they tried to process a payment and it had been declined. I responded that as soon as I explained my situation with my card and told them as soon as I received my new card, I would call and give them my new account number. On July 7th, Andrea called me about payment. At that time, she told me she should cancel my date on the 8th and reschedule after she receives my payment.

This made me really upset. I asked her about the previous 4 months with no dates and she said those dates would be added to the end of my contract. I told her that it did not sound fair to me. They had not fulfilled their commitment with me. She kept talking over me -- repeating their contract terms -- and would not let me talk. I finally asked her to stop talking and let me talk then she could explain to me why I had to keep paying them when they had not provided the service I signed up for. Once again she said they would add those dates at the end of my contract. This young lady has no customer service skills whatsoever. She started telling me how many times she had talked to me, etc.

She said she didn't want to just set me up on a date with just anyone -- she was looking for the right person. I asked her why all my dates were in South Carolina when I lived in North Carolina. She then told me the closest area in North Carolina was Charlotte, NC. This is 2 hours away. I asked her why they didn't tell me this when I originally discussed signing up with them. I would not have if I had known the travel involved. Once again, I told her I did not intentionally not pay them. There was an issue with my bank account; and I would call her as soon as I received my new information. She told me she would not cancel my date for 7/8 and would do her best to find more prospects. I drove for an hour to Greenville tonight and waited for 'Lonni'. He never showed. I tried calling her and sent her a text. This is a lot of money. I thought this would be safer than online dating.

I've had trouble with them from day one -- $1700 for a 6-month agreement where I was supposed to have a date within two weeks. They had great upfront sales but poor customer service and matching. Two dates were canceled with 1/2 hour notice, after I drove 90 miles. After signing up, they were suddenly unable to provide dates in my area. I tried the corporate office, but there was no response and no refund. After two horrid dates with guys that did show, I asked to review the criteria that they had on my profile; It was incorrect. The dating coordinator refused to correct the mistake. I have tried to reach a supervisor, but a supervisor is never available. This is one rip-off experience to avoid.

I signed up on Feb 1 following what became a high pressure sales call instead of a response to my information request. I was promised 14 dates or 12 months, whichever came first, and told that I could be dating in as soon as a week and expect meetings at my convenience as often as I was available, but generally 1 every 2-3 weeks. I had my first (terribly disappointing) date about three weeks later. Almost two months later I met date #2 who was of a different race - which I had indiated was unaccepatable to me when I provided screening preferences and "dealbreakers" at signup. I sent an e-mail to complain and got a call back from the dating director who fxed me up - stating that they don't screen on physical criteria or photos/appearances, that their purpose is to make as many introductions/first dates as possible. This explantion is contrary to the message content of the signup call when I was told they would match me with "like minded" individuals who matched my preferences as much as possible to maximize the chances of a successful date.

Many weeks later, I was informed of date #3, but as I was leaving my house that day, the dating director called to cancel, stating my date never cofirmed and wasn't available, but she would re-schedule and I would get an e-mail soon. Three weeks later, there has been no contact regarding re-schedule. In the interim, I contacted the corporate customer service number and a different dating director called me - stating my dating director asked him to intervene. He refused to refund my money, basically explained that they were doing what they promised and that I was just misunderstanding the things Andrea had said. I told him I believe the whole operation is a scam and I don't want anything to do with it anymore.

Subsequently, he sent me an e-mail confirming that "per my request, my membership was on hold"....but the countdown continues per the terms of the agreement and upon expiration of my hold time and the twelve months of promised active time the contract would be satisfied. I believe this operation is deplorable - they prey on vulnerabilty and charge exhorbitant fees, then provide horrible service and clearly don't care that customers are dissatisfied, they have your fee and they won't refund it. BEWARE!

I was set up on one day in November, but they were a no show. I spent $70 to go into NYC to have dinner by myself. The restaurant did not seem to be aware of any date arrangement which should have been handled by IJL. I received some email and communications about a date in December, but nothing which resulted in a date. In January, I requested a new dating director and I had one successful date in early February, who was not a match. I received one email from IJL in February and one email in March and nothing in April. Those emails were clearly an attempt to keep the contract from going into breach of contract, however, there was no real effort to actually perform the service according to the contract.

The sales call I received at the outset said that I would be on 6-8 dates over 6 months. The contract calls that a referral, so that an actual date does not have to happen. If they leave you a voice mail that they are "excited to have you meet" someone, then that fulfills the requirement of "referral". In my opinion, this is a total scan. As such, I challenged the contract as being in breach of contract sent a letter to IJL only to now have to speak to someone who only wants to reiterate that I will not get my money back. She wants to talk me into proceeding, but I have no faith in this company to provide me with any of the services I paid for.

I joined a dating service called Its Just Lunch in April 2011. However I went on my first date a month later. Also, was charged $1,300 for a three month non-refundable trial. I was sent on two dates. The first date was unprofessional and made racial comments about my skin complexion as well as used racial slurs with the waiter. The second date never bothered to show up. Hence, I requested a full refund and quit the service. I was told the money will be refunded due to contract. Also leaving the service was a 45 day process.

Here is the story. My boyfriend went to interview this dating service before we met and never followed up with them. We are now living together and happy.

Two weeks ago, we were sitting in the living room when the phone rang. It was "It's Just Lunch". I could hear the lady at the other end of the line talking to him and I could hear my boyfriend talk to her, so I know he didn't lie to me. What my boyfriend told them was that he had a girlfriend. They asked him if he was happy and he said yes. Okay, no worries, forget about it.

Fast forward to today, they called him again, offering a $300 deal of some sort. I was cuddling with my boyfriend at this exact time. Wait a minute, It's Just Lunch, was told two weeks ago that he has a girlfriend and they still called him to offer him this steep discount.

This service does nothing it promises. Two months now and not even one, was a promise of a date. The woman they described was exactly what I was looking for. I was suspicious then as it wasn't likely that a woman would be exactly how I described in my interview. After the initial contact, I heard nothing. I wrote e-mails, called and left messages and then called the corporate headquarters. I then received an e-mail telling me that the first date fell through and that there was no other woman I was to meet and that a time and place would be forwarded in a day or two.

Two months and still nothing, not even a response to e-mails or phone calls. I suspect that near the end of my contract, the "perfect" woman will be available but only if I would re-subscribe. There are so much fine prints in the contract that they don't have to honor their promise of X number of dates. They will fill your file with notes of how you were "unavailable" which in their eyes relieves them of their obligations under the contract. IJL, if you are reading this, then just fulfill your promises under the contract and communicate with your customers. You won't have so many complaints.

Many things went wrong with this service. I quit the service 2 months ago. Informed them via email and phone, that I was no longer interested in their service. I just wrote them again and called them to make sure they knew that I really was not interested in their service.

They left me a message saying that although they didn't have an "official" record of my terminating the service. When June came, the end of my 6 month contract, they would not charge me their monthly continuation fee. I just received a letter from them saying they were cancelling my service, but were charging me an additional $104 come this June. One last charge? Insane and offensive.

I just wrote them another email saying, "no" I am not interested in your service, and "no" I will not pay anything else! In addition, I don't think they performed their service. I was told I would have a "personal head hunter" for my personal life. They set me up with men who were far from being appropriate, including someone who wanted children, and I am unable to have children. That was when I ultimately quit the service. In addition, I don't drink and they kept setting me up with people for happy hour.

Unbelievable and nonprofessional. It was very sad and hard to get to know someone, and then have a very uncomfortable conversation about not being able to have children. I paid a lot of money for them to sift through potential dates, and they just set me up with whoever that was available. I would call them after the dates and re-iterate my criteria. The entire service is a scam, and I feel taken advantage of. I actually feel like they should refund my money, and not charge me anymore. I paid $1500 for 6 months for a personal head hunter for my dating. This did not happen or came close to happening.

I was contacted by a sales rep repeatedly (more than 5 times) and was told IJL offered a different service that I couldn't get from any internet dating site. I was totally misled. I believed that there were experiences "matchmakers" who would get to know me and match me with someone based on my preferences and personality. Instead, I was contacted by Richard. He was extremely rude and never spoke to me longer than 1 minute. He would insist if I wanted to speak to him that I should email him. When I emailed him, he insisted we speak on the phone. This would go back and forth for weeks without going anywhere. I believe this was a tactic IJL uses to basically eat up time while they try to locate someone for me to go on a date with.

As far as the date I went on, it as if I was set up by someone who plugged in a couple of prerequisites I had and told me "he would be great". I had nothing in common with this person. I believe they literally "plugged" me into their computer network and found a match, exactly what I can do on an internet dating site! I tried repeatedly to talk to Richard after the date but got the back and forth: send me an email, call me, send me an email - like I am an idiot and don't know what is going on? I told Richard I wanted to place my account on hold due to an unsteady job situation.

After I had dealt with my work, I reached out to Richard a month later through email for a refund due to my dissatisfaction. I was then contacted by a woman (don't know her name) who explained Richard was no longer with the company but she already has "many matches waiting for me to go on an immediate date!" This is exactly what upset me about the company! I have never even spoke to this woman. All she knew about me is what is in a computer profile, and she was finding me matches - again, this is everything I can do on an internet dating site which is exactly what I spoke to Sandra about and she insisted is not what their services were at all. I demanded a refund from the woman.

She insisted there were no refunds. I explained to her basic contract law and adhesion contracts as well as that basic principles apply - if someone is misrepresenting services, this nullifies a contract. She told me she will have an attorney contact me. I then received a call a few days later from another woman who asked if this was a good time. I asked she call me back on Monday and that would have been approximately 3 weeks ago today. I have not heard from anyone from IJL since. I work as an attorney and if a company provides no services or misrepresents the services they offer, then a refund should be due for a pro-ration of the services rendered. IJL maintains the position that no refunds, no exceptions. I believe this is unconscionable and I should be afforded a refund based on their misrepresentations.

After joining this dating service, I was promised one date a month after two mediocre dates that did not match my profile requests. Several months passed with no matches. Then, when matches were given, two dates never showed up. The communication is horrible as no dating directors follow through on any promises. After seven months and $1,000 I have wasted my valuable time and energy and did not receive anything that this company promised. I am absolutely disgusted.

I saw the ads for this organization on inflight magazines and decided to look into it. I arranged an "interview" to see if I was worthy enough to be invited into the organization. I was "accepted" and asked to supply my credit card number. I said that now that I was invited to join, I wanted to explore if I wanted to join. I asked for a copy of the contract. She resisted (she wanted my money now! ) but, with some persuasion, agreed to let me have it. I reviewed it with my attorney. In essence, the contract is written in a way that all protections fall to their side and no guarantees (of anything) are offered to the client. It specifically addresses refunds and declares that they are essentially non-existent no matter what occurs. It actually doesn't specifically tell you what their service provides. Their obligations are worded as loopholes that let them off the hook legally. My attorney did everything short of laughing at the contract and strongly advised me not to sign it. A $2100 gamble (plus tax) was not something I was willing to take.

I was soon contacted by them as a follow up and I took the opportunity to explain that I didn't feel comfortable with the contract and asked if I could provide additional terms and conditions and, if they found these agreeable, I could sign up then. Since they are geared only to make money, this of course was unacceptable. As some months went by, I was contacted a couple more times to be persuaded to join. I again mentioned the contract and the conversation concluded soon thereafter. I was "bumped" up to a higher level manager who contacted me at the 6 month point after my initial interview. I was told that, if I expected to "go forward" with IJL in the future that I would have to interview again and that, if I did, the interview would cost me $100! Amazing! I again pointed out the issues with contract and I was told that she wasn't going to waste her time arguing about it. (I was discussing, not arguing) I pointed out a couple flaws with their contract and she said, 'It doesn't say that. I have the contract it right here in front of me."

I had the contract right in front of me too! She was lying. She stated that over 51% of the membership is attorneys who all agreed to sign the contract without reservation, etc. etc. I told her that this contract was the main reason I hadn't signed up and that I'd be willing to join if we could agree to terms of services performed and cause for reimbursement. She was unwilling to discuss it further. Bottom line was, if I wasn't going to sign over their membership fee here and now exclusively on their terms, she didn't want to be bothered with me. She recommended that I pursue "other venues". Even though I made a considerable trip to their office and discussed their company for a couple hours with them, she made no apologies and didn't offer to thank me for my time.

Conclusion: This is a company that is purely out for one thing, your money. Don't fall for it! If you don't believe me, take the contract to your attorney and see for yourself. That's good advice anyway, any time you enter into a contractual agreement which is what this is.

When I tried to refine my parameters to what I told Gayle (the director) in the beginning, what I was attracted to, I was told off and told I would not date each month and they put my account on hold. When I asked for a refund because obviously they were not able to provide the service, they told me to delete my prior complaint and that they would take me off hold and send me out on dates again. I filed a complaint with the better business bureau asking for a refund. They claimed that had recorded conversations without consent and that I was exaggerating my complaint. I asked for a copy of that illegally recorded phone call and they have yet to respond. I have retained an attorney to sue them and looking for others so the state can know this company is a fraud! To contact me you can do so at ****.

I just paid $1600 for a 6-month contract to "It's Just Lunch (IJL)" on February 21 in the evening. Nicole convinced me that there were so many men "perfect for me" in my area, and I felt pressured to sign a contract without thoroughly looking it over. She knew I had recently had a biopsy on my eye and also knew it was very difficult for me to afford the $1600 charge.

The very next day, I received a call from the doctor stating that my biopsy results came back. It is a basal cell cancer in my eyelid, and I will need surgery within a month. Just before the surgeon called, I also received a call from IJL describing my "first date." I promptly called the service to ask for a refund due to this unforeseen medical situation. (Typically, a quality company will allow up to 24 hours for "buyer's remorse.") I was denied the opportunity for a refund, and I was told that I could put my membership on hold.

At this point, I am not interested in putting my membership on hold due to the unprofessional attitude of the staff at this business, as well as the deceptive nature of this service. Aside from the health issue, my first "date" did not have one quality that matched my search criteria. I was shocked! The whole reason I joined was because I was convinced that there were many men my age with common interests.

They wanted to set me up with a 43-year-old man (I am 47, and I said I preferred men my age or a bit older) who has no kids (I have 3, and I specifically said I wanted to meet someone who also has kids), stands 5'10" (I am 5'8", and I requested someone tall), lives "down south" assuming it's South Denver (I live near Boulder, and I was told there were many matches who live close to me), whose favorite activities are live sporting events (I do not go to sporting events), and is a master scuba diver (I do not scuba-dive). And his travel interest is Ireland and Europe (mine is Africa and developing countries).

I paid a lot of money to utilize a specialized service to help me find a suitable match, and I felt like I was deceived when told there were so many men who lived near me who had similar interests and met the basic criteria I had desired.

To sum it up, I tried to get a refund in less than 24 hours of paying for this service, I did not utilize the service, and I feel I have been deceived by the service they had said they would provide. On top of that, Nicole had her "manager" call me, and she was extremely rude, telling me I'm a grown woman and should have known better if I couldn't afford this. And she also told me to go ahead and dispute the charge and to tell Tom ** (a local celebrity consumer advocate) she said hi. Seriously, very unprofessional.

A few ladies wanted to hear a man's side of things with It's Just Lunch (IJL). Back in December 2007, I interviewed with the local IJL. When I heard the price, I left thinking I would rather buy a flat screen TV for that price. Well, just after the start of 2008, IJL called me back to say I was very datable. They wanted to give me about eight weeks free. As others had reported, I could easily be dating everyday if I wanted.

On one evening, two women showed up! Several women told me that they had been waiting for dates. I then realized I was being used to fill IJL's needs. The real kicker came when IJL called and told me that a lady asked to meet on Saturday for lunch. Well, we covered a lot of topics. When we finally talked about religion, the lady indicated that she was a non-practicing Jewish lady and she specifically asked for a non-churchgoing man. It really became obvious that they were simply matching me with whomever. Needless to say, when my eight weeks free was up, IJL asked me to join and I said, "No thanks."

I called It's Just Lunch (IJL) because I thought it was a reputable company who offered valuable service. I have two complaints about the company that I would like to share. First, I had a 2-hour phone conversation with Rochelle in which resulted in me paying $1900 in agreement for 14 dates with men who met the criteria that I discussed over the phone. Within that conversation, I made it very clear that I didn't want to date a smoker, I definitely wanted to date someone who wanted kids, preferred to date someone who didn't already have kids, and to date someone who had a similar career background as myself. When Arlene called to tell me about my first date, she described a man who owned a consulting business who "was perfect for me". When I arrived at the restaurant for my first date, I had fairly high expectations.

Needless to say, my first date was with a man who lives an hour away, is a heavy smoker, has a son, definitely does not want any children, and was a construction worker. While I can make conversation with anyone, I made it very clear to him that he wasn't my type. He said that IJL had not called him in 8 months and he thought that his membership had expired until they called him for a date with me.

He also stated that they do not take any of your preferences into account when scheduling your dates. So after the first date, I sent Arlene and Rochelle an email stating what I was disappointed and wanted to focus on for the next date, to which I never received a response. At this time, I debated sending an email wanting to cancel my membership at and chose to give it another try. However, I didn't realize that my life was about to change completely which leads into my second complaint.

I was suddenly admitted to the hospital the first of December and learned that I have a rare, life-threatening illness. Unfortunately, this changes the way I have to live my life considering treatment options and coping with my illness. There is no possible way that I could begin a relationship with anyone at this point in addition to knowing my prognosis for recovery. I sent an email to Arlene & Rochelle to explain what has happened and asked for a refund, especially considering that I will be having to pay for expensive treatments and I only went on one initial date. I didn't think this was unreasonable. I just received a voice mail from the dating director, Kristen, who I have never corresponded with before, stating that they can't give refunds.

In my opinion, any reputable company should make customer satisfaction a priority and offer refunds in extenuating circumstances. I feel like I have been scammed by IJL and that the company was sold to me as so much more than it actually is. I will make sure to tell everyone that I can not to use this service. I was extremely embarrassed to be on a date with the man that I was first sent out with. And now, I have spent $1900 for one bad date and I can't get any of that back even though I can't go on any more dates due to my illness.

Similar to many of the complaints posted on this site, the original promises and contractual agreement was not delivered. After the first date was scheduled I had a very difficult time getting the dating director (Victoria) to respond to email or voicemails. I had to get the original sales person involved to finally get a response. Lots of promises were made, but very little was delivered. The in-person meeting didn't happen as scheduled because the IJL person didn't show up.

There was a long delay in scheduling the next date and when it finally happened, the guy was a no show. I suspect that it was a sham. When I last talked to Victoria, she said she had the next date set up; but I have not heard from her for 3-4 weeks after several emails and phone messages. I think this is a huge scam and they get away with it because people are afraid of looking stupid for having been taken advantage of. I am out a substantial sum of money for this service ($1900) with nothing to show for it.

I signed up on October 28, 2010. First date was cancelled at the last minute. Second date never showed at the restaurant. Staff hard to get in touch with, very hard to reach and non helpful. Still have not been on a date as of December 3rd, asked to speak to the person who signed me up, says she will call and does not. Am humiliated, asked for my money back and they said no. They prey on vulnerable people, take their money and don't deliver.

Sandra, due to your failure to respond to my complaint and request for a refund, please be informed that I will be filing a complaint with the IJL Corporate Office. I will also be filing a complaint through EVERY available avenue including ConsumerAffairs.com, Better Business Bureau, any TV station that will expose your scam including the TV program, Shame, Shame, Shame with Arnold **, reporter and consumer investigator, famous for uncovering cheats and swindlers. Additionally, I intend to report you, Dmitry and Victor to the police and I will also hire a lawyer, if necessary.

Please respond to this email by cob today otherwise I will be contacting the IJL Corporate Office regarding my email below. Again, I am asking to be fully refunded $1,000 that I paid for Its Just Lunch. I do not want to put my membership on hold; I want a refund and no further involvement with IJL. I cannot begin to express my disappointment and outrage with your operation and I intend to take action against you if I am not fully refunded. The service that you have provided is far from professional and I am left with the sickening feeling that this is nothing more than a horrible scam.

Almost 4 months after signing a 6-month/minimum 8 dates contract with IJL on 6 August, I have been sent on only 2 dates, the first on 30 August and the last on 22 September, after which, I emailed Dmitry with feedback and like Victor before him, there has been no response and no contact until last Friday, over 7 weeks later, when Dmitry left a voicemail and an email about arranging a date, to which I have not responded out of sheer disbelief and dissatisfaction with your service. This is unacceptable and I hope that you will resolve this matter immediately before I am forced to take action.

I had joined IJL (its just lunch) about 4 years ago and had a terrible experience. The people I was matched with were clearly not what I mentioned as who I was looking for. Well, I was so disappointed I terminated my membership without getting all my matches. Now recently I was contacted by the local director and was offered a promotional offer with a $200 discount but she never said the total amount. Then when I received the contract by e-mail, the price was outrageously higher than I expected even with the discount.

I called immediately to drop the offer but the director didn't want to take no for an answer and pretty much expected that I should have known their price. Well finally, I got it dropped and told her I am not interested. But now a few months later, I am getting calls again and now I feel like I am getting harassed as I told her I am not interested. I feel this company is only after your hard earned money and not really interested in matching you with a special partner. If she is so interested in matching me, why can't she give me the matches I never got on my 1st contract? I want others to be aware before you sign up

This "matchmaking service" advertises itself on its website as providing "personalized" service. It costs more than 10x the going rate for dating services and is beyond sub-par. The staff are hard to reach, do not respond to emails and act as if you are crazy for expecting anything more than being introduced to 8 random men. It does not offer anything personalized whatsoever. I was first told by a saleswoman who emailed me multiple times a day and called multiple times a week, that I could go out with as many dates as I would like with a minimum of 8 dates. However, the minute you pay them, they insist that you are only allowed to go on 8 dates and that's what the contract says. This company have been sued before and I fully intend to bring they to court for misrepresentation and false advertising.

The staff fight with you when you tell them your specifics and talk you into broadening your details of what you want, so that they can just send you off with any shlub. They cater to professionals and yet they can only schedule their required "interview" with you between 9am and 6pm and are inconveniently located at only 2 locations in the city (40s and wall st).

In the "interview" they basically just meet you and take a picture and send you on your way. To further its incompetence, one of my awful dates didn't even have a reservation made for it! We had to sit at the bar. What exactly did I pay $1000 for? At least on a dating site, you can see that the person is nothing like what you want before you decide whether or not to go out with them. IJL doesn't stick to any criteria when setting you up other than they are male. It seems they have a small batch of males to set you up with and the more detailed you make the criteria, the more they fight with you to broaden it, and the worse your date gets. I have not been refunded any of my $1,000. And I intend to bring a lawsuit against them, so also the cost of filing fees.

It's Just Lunch waited to the day of my first date within 2 hours of it and cancel my date. I was right in the middle traffic, rude manager Marcela etc. I refuse to type this over for the 3rd time. Please call me. Thanks.

They misrepresent clients. Some of the men were morbidly obese and they told me they were fit. They told me when I paid for the service that they had many men my age that had a bachelors degree or greater. Some of the men they set me up with had no degree at all. They told me I could give feed back and only go out with men I had chemistry with and just keep telling me to go out with men that don't meet what I am interested it.

I feel like I paid money for a service I did not get. I was lied to about being able to provide feedback and date people that are of interest to me.

Before paying money, their sales person (somebody called Lisa) said they would find me a perfect match before the coming weekend! She said they had thousands of beautiful ladies who matched me! I told her that I want to see ladies before 30 and are so on and so forth. Not only they did not find a perfect match within a week, they sent me to see an old spinster after 5 months! She was exactly who I did not want to see! After 6 months now, no date, no contact, nothing! I could attend around 20 speed datings by $1,000! I could register in approximately 20 dating sites by that money! Why should I pay $1,000 to see and ugly old woman?!

This company is a company that continues to steal people's money. They have you meet with one person who changes prices as she feels. She promises you 8 dates in 6 months, then after you sign you, they tell you know if you really look over it. it says 6 months or 8 dates. Then they change and say as long as it takes for 8 dates. Every thing is changed depending on who you talk to. Unfortunately, I did not read the blogs to find out how many people this has happened to . As for me I was stuck with a higher cost than most. They will tell you they can't give you headquarters number. I did find it but they will not call. If someone does call, they pretend they are in a different state. This has cost me $1600 for nothing and I can not get my money back.

I called It's Just Lunch because it sounded like a wonderful dating service with background checks and interviews with the potential matches. As well as setting you up with matches that meet your criteria. I signed a contract with this matchmaking service, $900 for six dates. I told them I was looking for man who has certain characteristics (very clear). I was set up on two dates so far. The first man was a black guide (never consider had a a date with one, not that have anything against, it's just not into my consideration). He mas more surprised than me. The second was drunk when I arrived (or medicated), no clue of what art was when I said that was an important part in my life.

Never travel, I asked a man with class (which I offered that). It appears they do not take my preferences into consideration. They totally ignored my non-negotiable list and set me up with whoever they had (maybe they do not have anyone). In short, they do not deliver what they promise nor even try to. I would like my money back! My guess is that both of the dates were just made up to appease me and to assure me that they were actually working on my behalf. This entire operation is a scam. Do not join this dating service unless you "just want to throw money away." The name IJL should stand for It's Just a Lie! $500 and three actual dates over a six month period is absolutely ridiculous, especially when there was a promise of so much more.

Wish I had seen this before investing my money. Signed up in June 2009 with IJL in Orlando. Horrible experience. After many times being stood up due to IJL's fault, even being stood up by the IJL rep, they would not let me out of my contract. They are rude, unprofessional, and have actually called me a liar. Unfortunately, I tried them because a friend had a wonderful experience 5 years ago, but apparently the original woman sold the company and now it's just seem to be a scam.

These dates have nothing that I had on my preferences list. They had my profile wrong. They've sent me all over town, up to an hour away, and then had the audacity to tell me, "Many of our clients drive all over the state to meet their love. This is your issue." Um, hello, I joined this service because I work a 50-hour week corporate job and have a child. I have no time to hang out in bars and I don't want those men anyway. Terrible service, rude reps, and they change my rep every month. I have called the corporate office, left messages for the president that go unreturned and then the same rude, unprofessional local rep calls me after that. The last rep, Danielle, was the worst, absolutely rude. Now I realize I was very frustrated at them setting me up with someone over an hour away from me (for the 3rd time), but she did not care.

She just kept saying, "This is your match. You have no choice but to meet him." Really? Isn't this America? He doesn't match my criteria, which the salesperson said would be considered. No, Danielle just kept saying, "It's in your contract, you should've read it better." I can't get a human on the phone, no returned emails, just bad. Stay far away. As I said, wish I had found this first. But I just want this behind me now so I can get this negative energy of this company out of my life. I'm out $1,300 and too many ruined evenings out with men who were not appropriate. I want my money refunded.

It's Just Lunch for Austin/San Antonio should be called "It's Just Crazy". I would've been better off taking the $1,800 from the ATM and asking random men on the streets to take me out for a drink than use this service. There were unbelievable matches which met none of my criteria. I suppose they were all men, so that's one. The only second date from the bunch ended up stalking me. I am thankful for one thing, the reminder, that single and sane is better than with these losers they set me up with. Thanks IJL. I can't say that your service didn't lead to a good **. The joke's on me.

It's Just Lunch boasts that it is a dating service for busy professionals. When I joined them in early January, they made big promises to offer 12 matches for $1,600. They assured me that the dates that will be matched will meet my criteria. But so far, I have gone on four dates in nine months. I mentioned specific ethnicity for my match and as soon as they get any new member from my ethnicity, they would set them up without matching the age criteria I listed. One of them was even older than me. I have had consistent argument with them and every time, they just try to stall the discussion by sending some new person on the phone to settle the matter.

I even sent the registered letter to their Chicago office which got returned back to me because no one picked up the mail. They are clearly a scam. When asked to refund the money, they said that as per the contract, it is only applicable during the first three days. I am seriously considering writing a letter to a local senator so that a scam like this be stopped. I think that they should refund the money if their member is not happy to show their legitimate business intentions. All they want to do is get your dollars and then do not care whether a date matches your criteria. Once you reach your number, they are done, and on to their next prey.

On Aug 10, 2010, I mailed the following complaint letter to It's Just Lunch at 801 East Hallandale Beach Blvd Suite 201, Hallandale Florida 33009. I contacted It's Just Lunch's Dating Specialist, Staci **, at 11 am on the said date. I was returning her call from last week.

Within today's conversation with Ms. Staci, I expressed how unsatisfied I am with IJL's service. I advised her that the sales presentation/membership that was sold to me was in fact not what the membership has been like. I told her that the first date that was scheduled with James on Sat June 19, 2010 at 6:00pm at Original Mikes in Santa Ana CA, I waited for James for about 45 minutes and he never showed up.

I contacted Ms. Staci immediately and she returned to her office to call James. She was very apologetic and advised that she indeed had verbal contact with James soon after I called and that he had forgot to set a reminder for himself and that he was truly sorry for missing the date. I was then told by Ms. Staci that this date would be re-scheduled and that it would not count against me on the number of dates or the start date of the membership. This date with James was never rescheduled.

I was contacted by Dmitry, where he briefed me on "Dan". After he briefed me, I received a follow-up email confirming the date with Dan at the Daily Grill in Irvine, CA at 5:00pm on Sat June 26. Soon after I arrived, Dan and I made formal introductions. He inquired if Dmitry had advised me that he would have to leave promptly at 6:00pm, he had another engagement to attend. His other engagement was to meet with his ex-girlfriend (aka his son's mother) and son so that they could attend a family event on his ex-girlfriend's side of the family. Since Dan is from New York, he mentioned he doesn't have any relatives here in Southern California.

I attempted to make small-talk with Dan, I inquired what he did on his free-time to which he responded that he doesn't have much free time, but when he does he likes to spend it with his son. I immediately got the picture he was giving me the cold shoulder and that is okay. I attempted to make light of the event and I picked up the tab for the two beers we had over our conversation. It was apparent that I did not meet Dan's criterion of what he was looking for in a date.

I advised Ms. Staci that I was contacted by Dmitry on Tues July 20 at 10:33 am. He left me a voice-mail about a potential date with a gentleman named "Ted". Dmitry then followed up with an email on Wed. July 21 at 1:55 pm, the date was set for Monday July 26 at 7:00pm at the Manhattan Steak and Seafood Restaurant in Orange CA. By now, Dmitry was aware that my work schedule is Monday-Friday 3:30pm to 12:30am - so this date would conflict with my work schedule. I called Dmitry back on July 21 at 4:05pm and advised him I would not make the date due to my work schedule. He had agreed he would cancel the date and apologized for any inconvenience.

To my surprise, I received a follow-up call from Cassie from IJL whom was covering for Dmitry on Mon 7/26 at 4:32pm leaving me a voice-mail that "Ted" would not be able to make "tonight's date" which I had previously canceled on Tues July 20, 2010 at 4:05pm. Makes me wonder does the right hand know what the left hand is doing?

On July 22 at 12:50pm, I received a call from Dmitry. He then briefed me on another date with a different gentleman "James" (not the original James that didn't show for the IJL date #1). I was to meet James at Porter's Prime Steakhouse at the Doubletree Ontario at 5:30pm. I drove out to Ontario to meet with James who was a very nice man but we didn't share anything in common nor was there any compatibility. It turns out James drove to meet me from his home in Moreno Valley, now by looking at a map, the location of the date could have been set at a more convenient place to either one of us. It turns out James has actually driven to Stanton, CA to meet with a date set by IJL. I am only a few minutes from the Seafood Palace in Stanton. Makes me wonder why we were both scheduled to meet in Ontario, CA.

Now, I shared conversations with my first date "Dan" and "James" and we had shared common experiences with IJL. Either no-shows by other members and then not having the date re-scheduled with initial no-show person, or lack of compatibility. "Dan" expressed that he had been set up on a few dates with foreign women with whom he had trouble communicating with due to the language barriers and that since IJL-Orange County- had disbanded the services where not what they used to be. He mentioned that the Operations Department was scheduling dates out of Florida. Therefore, the dates set were mostly in inconvenient locations to us local Southern Californians.

Dmitry did contact me on Wed July 28 at 3:00pm. I missed his call because soon after my date with James, I left the country (Thurs July 29) on a vacation and was unable to give Dmitry any feedback on the date with James, which turned out to be a great opportunity to inquire how IJL operates and his point of view. While out of town, I was contacted by Ms. Staci. I advised her that I was out of the country and wouldn't be able to touch bases with her until my return. She inquired when I would be back in town. I responded that she could reach me after Sunday Aug 8.

I contacted Ms. Staci on Monday Aug 9 at 3:02pm and she let me know that she was unable to chat because she had an appointment coming in at this time. I followed up with Ms. Staci on Tues Aug 10 at 11:02am, I advised her that I wanted to cancel the membership and I want a full-refund. She informed me at this time that the only way that I would be eligible for a cancellation is if IJL didn't have any matches for me, well based on my prior meetings with other IJL members they are not any type of match. We didn't have anything remotely in common nor common interests. I mentioned that I may have a better opportunity meeting a compatible date on my own, or by joining a dating service like "eHarmony.com", to which she responded that she was apologetic about my experience and that she would discuss my membership and experiences with Dmitry. I told her something to the effect that meeting with her in person gave me the inclination that the dates would be hand-selected based on compatibility not just drawing names out of hat.

In conclusion, I am dissatisfied with the selection of candidates there has been to date. I feel that there has been no match to the criteria I specified when I joined IJL. The amount money ($2,200 for 14 dates). I have invested in finding a quality potential match is plenty, to add insult over injury, plus the amount of time I have invested, initial meeting with Ms. Staci, and telephone calls with Dmitry, emails I've had to read and respond to and the commute time to said dates. I honestly don't feel that I am getting the results I was made to believe I would have. Therefore, I would like to officially request a reimbursement of my fees.

Its Just Lunch lied about the services it provided and also submitted an unauthorized withdraw from my bank account, resulting in over drafting my account and numerous overdraft fees from checks that would not have overdrawn, had the IJL not charged my account. Also, the company said it would offer me 6 lunches, but I only had 2.

When I called to inquire, the representative I was dealing with no longer worked there, and no one else would speak to me about my account or who my new representative would be. I finally got in touch with the owner, who refused to provide me a refund, and said he would personally see to it that I would get the remaining lunches. However, that never occurred. They also lied about the type of clients they had, and how/who they would set up the lunches. My preferences were not considered. I have several other friends with similar experiences. This company should be sued for fraud or forced out of business. The economic damage was about $750.00 worth of fees and related charges. It also resulted in a negative effect on my credit score.

What just happened? I am absolutely stunned at how overtly rude I was treated by Molly ** and her colleague at the Seattle, WA branch! It all started with a decent consultation which seemed to go well, until I told Molly that I was not going to sign up for the $2,000+ fee for their service right then and there. I wanted to think about it over the weekend and into the next week.

My life is busy and following up with the "It's Just Lunch" consultant, I am sorry to say, is not any where near a priority for me. I was very busy. Molly left a few VMs. The last voice mail she left was an arrogant scolding of "how unprofessional I was for not getting back to her when I said I would" and that "she couldn't believe how much time and effort she put into my case, that I would be so unprofessional as to not call her back." Excuse me? I am the client--no, I am the prospective client and I really don't need Molly ** calling me unprofessional and scolding me for not getting back to her on her terms.

A month went by. She left another message and I did call her back the next day. In addition to telling her I remained interested in the service, I took the liberty to give her feedback on her last VM expecting her to just take note and we would move on. That was not to be. I was talked down to again. She told me that I was again "unprofessional" and essentially was denied the service and hung up on.

I called back and got "Julianne," the Executive Director on the phone, and I tried to explain to her what had happened--fully expecting that I would finally be treated like a prospective client that was about to spend $2,000+ on their service and some understanding. To my surprise, I got the same line from her supervisor. I barely had a chance to explain my complaint before Julianne was grilling me on, "Well, did you call her back?" It is unprofessional to not call Molly back." And then, Julianne told me I was not professional and essentially hung up on me with not even the slightest bit of interest in how I felt, what I was trying to explain, that I was the customer and they were providing a service, and that in spite of all this--remained interested.

What the hell is going on over there at the Seattle IJL office? It might be a good service, but I pity the poor soul that fails to return a VM from one of their sales people fast enough to not be insulted and riddled with belittlement! IJL Seattle, you have a lot to learn about customer service and how to treat prospective clients. People live busy lives and what is a priority to you, (making sales) is not the number one priority for people that have busy lives. And where do you get the notion to treat people like that? This IJL experience was one of the worst and strangest negative customer service experiences I have ever had.

I've never particularly liked working with the dating director, a person I've never met. She just doesn't seem to prioritize the customer experience, in my opinion. I would use the subjective phrase "has an attitude at times about some issues" if this were an informal description, and frankly, I've heard from at least one date things like "I don't think Monique likes me." Her supervisor Richard is a little more polished, but neither seems to care much about customer service and certainly fall short of the aspiration "The customer is always right."

I suppose they are probably paid to work numbers more than to keep customers satisfied. Although word of mouth must be important, I suppose a business that attempts to make itself obsolete by getting two people married isn't exactly expecting a repeat customer. My hunch is that this company has become overly corporatized, and treats its customers as numbers. How else can you explain why it is that I've never met the person/persons setting me up on dates? Or why they would dock me a date for not wanting to date a person of a particular description (my personal preference) rather than make things right?

Well, the crux of this matter is that I wrote Monique to change my preferences and status about six months into the membership. I believe I have a right to do so, and I don't read in my contract that I do not have that right. The bottom line is that my preference was ignored. I also "lost" a date because I chose to stick by my principles that I have a right to tell them what kind of a woman I would like to be set up with. I would say that it is poor customer service if a member changes preferences once in a year and then not only do you not honor it, you dock them 1/14th of their membership. I see that there is a paragraph in the contract that "IJK introduces its members based on the judgment of IJL's employees..." , so I suppose it comes down to customer service. I know IJL spends a lot of money bolstering its image in the media, but for every one person who takes the time to type a complaint about a company such as this, it counters 100 commercials paid for and aired by the marketers and lawyers at IJL. I would urge you to think very carefully about whether or not you join. I am now having mixed results, and I've met some women who are straight-up disappointed by the quality of their matches.

Having read through some other complaints, I realize that I'm not the only one who questions their commitment to customer service.

2. The in-person interview would be done at a time and place convenient for me.

My first date was with a gentleman from Rhode Island, which is another state, not the Boston area. The in-person interview hasn't happened because now the procedure is that I have to travel to Dedham, MA or Brookline in order to meet with a woman named Beverly at her convenience. The meeting hasn't happened because she is never available at times that work for me. I was willing to travel to Brookline, one-hour round trip for me, as a compromise, but again it's taking weeks to schedule.

The company has misrepresented itself and I can't get them to make up for that. I don't trust them.

I joined for $250 and was promised 2 great matches right off the bat. I got called the next day and was told the matches were "unavailable". I was told that they had a large database of matches in SLC and have not heard back in several weeks. Several calls left for Randi in the office (which is actually run out of Portland Oregon) went unanswered. Wow, what a strange experience. I got my money back from the credit card company and would recommend staying away from Its Just Lunch.

They are discriminating me due to my age. At first, she said that she would not accept me (Tabitha) due to my age. I sent a picture of myself. I am 50 years old. I decided, after seeing my picture, that I am an attractive woman for my age and that she would accept me as a client for only a 3 month membership. She sent a contract through email. The contract was never signed by me. She said that the age range that I wanted was not acceptable due to the fact that I was overweight by 15 to 20 lbs. and that men would be seeking younger women. My first request was for divorced single separated men, aged 45 to 52. She said that I would have to rethink that strategy and accept an older man up to 58 years old. I did not want that.

They called me about 2 men, and the first man had never been married, aged 54, and fudged his background to me and I was leery of it. The second man was divorced and described to me as working as a manager of legal documents in Downtown DC. I live in Alexandria, VA. He lives in Germantown. They wanted me to meet him in Tysons corner at 7 pm at some restaurant. That made me leery as well. I asked why they would make an odd arrangement like that. He lives in Germantown, I live in Alexandria, and it is after work. It makes no sense. The company is called; it's just lunch.

The director talked over me and I said that she was not listening to my wants and desires. She argued back and said that I must take a man whose age is up to 58 and that was that. She was pushy and said that I was required to pay the 3 month fee. I said I was willing to pay for 1 month but felt this was not a service for me and that I did not like her or her manner. She said that she was going to charge my credit card and that I am bound by this contract which was never signed and I never went on a date. I was only introduced to two people and did not go on any dates. She said that I was unable to get out of my contract. I have the contract and I will call my bank to block them from using my credit card. Basically, I told her that I did not like her and then I hung up the phone.

This service is a complete SCAM! They took my $1,000, did not respond to my calls and emails until after months and the staff is a complete and total misrepresentation. They lied!

I signed-up with IJL in December 2007 and paid AUD$2194.50 for 12 dates. The first date was with someone who was totally incompatible - obviously IJL did not do any of their promised "matching" - i could just as easily have met this guy at a pub for much less. There was no news from IJL for a few months and everytime i tried to contact IJL, one of the Customer Service officers would respond quite rudely that they were busy and would get back to me when they had another date for me. I filed a complaint with the Office of Fair Trading in Australia and after a few months, eventually found out that the franchise owner for IJL in Australia had absconded and could not be located to be made accountable for his franchises's actions.

Apparently the US HQ for IJL took over the Australian operations and i received a call from a Director in the US called Sheri who asked me to give IJL another chance to redeem itself. I was finally matched for my 2nd date in November 2008, about 10 months after signing-up. The third date was set for January 2010 (13 months after signing-up) and the date did not turn up at the appointed restaurant. IJL were arrogantly unapologetic and in fact, quite rude on the phone when contacted about it - said it wasn't their problem. They in fact offered to fix a replacement date with the same person - after he had stood me up! That was 2 dates in 12 months at a cost of around AUD $1000.00 per date - courtesy of IJL!

When asked for a refund of the balance, they became quite abusive on the phone. I have asked for all further communication to be via e-mail and they have refused to do so. Obviously, they have something to hide and cannot document their behaviour and actions in black and white. In fact, they have informed me that my account has been put "on hold" and once my "official" package duration expires, then i can decide to take legal action should i chose to.

As the current IJL office for Australia is operating out of the US, Australian Tribunals have limited jurisdiction over them. I am shocked that in today's day and age, corporations such as this can get away with such blatant misleading and unprofessional behaviour and cheat hard-working people out of their money. The Australian website for IJL is misleading (even suggesting that there are 6 difference locations/offices in Australia) and does not inform any viewers that they are operating out of the US and cannot be held accountable for their actions in Australia.

I hope that by posting this, other unsuspecting Australians can be made aware of these underhanded activities by IJL and have appropriate information at hand when making their decision to join or not. AUD $2194.50 in fees. Time and money wasted on the "unmatched" dates and much personal anguish at having been cheated and mislead and trying in vain to obtain some justice.

They sign you up for "unlimited" dates based on your specifics. After you sign up, they tell you it is 2 dates per month, that is not "unlimited". The first date spoke very poorly of the company and was not what I would consider a match based on the profile I gave them, I wanted someone who was ok with me having children, he said he was not interested in children, nice. They also DO NOT return phone calls once you sign up. A closer comes in and after they've got your money there is NO customer service and they stated to me their policy does not allow correspondence thru email, so there is no way to get answers from them. This is a scam in the purest form, a true consumer rip off and that they are allowed to continue in this vein is rather mind boggling.

In November I signed up and paid $1000 for 8 dates with the dating service advertising that they cater to "busy people" called It's Just Lunch. It is now the middle of June and they have set me up on exactly one inappropriate date so far. I had asked for only a few criteria in a date: the man should have children (like me)and at least a college education (I have a few advanced degrees. The one set-up date had never been married, had no children and did not finish college. Since that time, the dating counselors have phoned with only 2 other matches and proposed tentative dates to meet. However, they never called back to confirm the dates and set a meeting place. "Busy people" do not enjoy reserving time for dates that do not happen. My experience is very similar to that of "Leslie from NY" who has also posted a complaint. Perhaps we should join together and form a class action suit.

My contract for the "12 month or 14 dates, whichever comes later" was initiated on 1/14/10. I had been on 2 dates that went well but were not matches. I was then sent on a third date 03/11/10 that went well. I actually put my contract on hold within a week of dating him, unfortunately a week after that it fizzled. I called Brandy at the OC IJL office to notify her to put me back on "active status." She questioned me what had happened with this gentlemen and then assured me that she would work on finding my next match and make my account active. I NEVER heard from her or anyone at IJL again. I called routinely and left messages, no return phone calls. Eventually when I was calling there was not even a voicemail system setup, and recently the phone numbers have all been disconnected.

In order to even have a conversation with an IJL rep, I had to call several numbers that would either lead me to a persons voicemail (no live people), or disconnected numbers. I have been in contact with the last gentleman that I had dated from IJL service about this situation and he has not heard from anyone either, however he did speak with someone a few months ago who lead him to believe that he would be taken care of by dating directors in Florida (the company who bought out the OC location). Again, he never heard a word and this is not the service either of us had signed up for. It was sold to me as a personal service where one on one interviews are taking place with all candidates and the setups are being done by a person who knows both parties.

It sounds to me like this is still the service IJL would like to say that you are providing, however it cannot be. There is not an OC office, and by the time IJL gets this whole OC offices mess organized and systematic my membership will be up. EITHER WAY, I've been burnt and have lost trust. I would like my money back!

There is a "Relocation" clause in my contract that mentions what would be accountable if the client moves away or relocates. I would like to think that a company that has been in business for 18 years and has over "10,000" clients could take some responsibility when one of their franchises "relocates" or goes under.

I signed up with IJL (It's Just Lunch) because it sounded like a wonderful dating service with background checks and interviews with the potential matches, as well as setting you up with matches that meet your criteria, unlike the typical less expensive dating services. However, I signed up last November. 5 later months, I have had 2 dates. Following up with 2 months of no response at all from the "dating director, Mariel", she wouldn't return phone messages or respond to emails.

It wasn't until after I disputed the cost of the service with my credit card that they set me up on another date, which, needless to say, was the total opposite of the criteria I set up originally. There were also 2 canceled dates that were never rescheduled. After the first canceled date, I could not get a response from the company at all. The second one, Mariel called to say had something come up at work, and the date wasn't going to be able to make it, but the date was scheduled for the following day, which totally threw her. I asked if something came up for the following day, at that point there was a lot of back pedaling going on and some made up response. And there was never a reservation set up in the first place. My guess is that both of the canceled dates were just made up to appease me and to assure me that they were actually working on my behalf.

This entire operation is a scam. Do not join this dating service, unless you "just want to throw money away". The name IJL should stand for It's Just a Lie! $500 and 3 actual dates over a 6 month period is absolutely ridiculous, especially when there was a promise of so much more. The It's Just Lunch program is a scam. Unless you "just want to trow money away", don't use this program/service. Stick with ones that don't have 24 pages of bad reviews!

I am from a small town in Northwest Illinois, and was very excited about dating after my initial meeting with Erica. I was promised eligible professional men in Rockford (1 hour near my town) and was told many of my "dates" could be set up in Rockford to make sure I wouldn't always travel four hours round trip for a 1 hour date.

I had one date in the Chicago suburbs that I drove too late on a cold winter night. We had very little in common. Three others cancelled at the last minute after I rearranged my 3 teenagers schedule and my own to try to make the four hour drive. None were set up in Rockford, nor would the "professionals at IJL" listen to my pleas. All of the men in Rockford were "unavailable."

A complaint letter produced no results, except to be placed on hold. Sarah (the district manager) told me that she had matches for me too, and just to give her a call when I was coming into the city! Basically, she told me I was ridiculous for complaining about the driving to get to these dates. What a disappointment, I am mortified that I wasted that much money on believing someone's promise. Please don't let anyone else be taken in by them. How I wish I had that money back to help pay for my daughter's braces. Thank you for listening.

I'm so glad I read the other complaints about IJL. What an unbelievable rip-off! I paid $800 and got three awful dates. One man was so old, he could hardly get off the bar stool and had a very difficult time walking back to the parking lot where he couldn't remember where he parked his car. I don't think he should even be driving a car. Another date was horribly rude from the very beginning and told me his friends think he should date much younger women. Are you kidding?

Nobody in their right mind would go out with this guy. He was not only rude and obese but crippled and could hardly walk with a brace on his leg. The third one told me he had been on tons of dates, which is why it took two months for me to get my turn. Also, everything they told me about him was incorrect. I actually think they had him confused with someone else. I started to realize at this point that this dating service is all for the men and the women just get robbed. I thought this was a service for professionals, however, all of these men were retired and I was the only one with a busy career.

We ladies should all band together and get our money back. I think they scrape up the worst men they can find. I'm a single mom struggling to pay my property taxes. I couldn't afford to throw away $800, not to mention what the dinners cost and the gas and wear and tear on the car. Please ladies, don't give your hard-earned money to this awful organization. Economic damage? They stole $800 from me.

As with others who have posted on this site, I consider my experience with IJL a total scam. In fact, when discussing with my friends, we call it "It's Just a Joke". I joined in the fall of 2008. The first date couldn't have been more opposite of what I was seeking, the 2nd date lasted 10 minutes. The guy had obvious preferences, and I wasn't it. Subsequent dates indicated that our "dating coordinators" had no real personal interest in making the right matches, nor took the time to actually understand the interests of clients.

I had made it very clear that I was interested in someone who is active, likes spending time outdoors, enjoys good food and wine, and is my height or taller. One date, guy lived 4 hours away, was lying to IJL. IJL (according to them), another guy, when I asked him about hiking, he indicated he could probably follow a paved trail but prefers to read and play video games.

The experiences continued. In June 2009, I had a date; again it was no match. I did not hear from them again until September when I received an email that they had been repeatedly trying to reach me and if I didn't respond in 24 hours, they would drop my contract. Hmm, my numbers nor email hadn't changed so why couldn't they reach me? I responded accordingly in my email. Hmm, a new dating coordinator. I had a match. It took 3 weeks, and my complaining to get the date set up; I sent my follow-up. I never heard from IJL again.

Oh. And this time they sent us on a date on the other side of town, a 45 minute drive when my date and I live 10 minutes apart. So I called and emailed repeatedly when the communication again was dropped. Finally, I got a message that I had reached my date limit and I was welcome to rejoin. They seem to have some issues counting. I'm sure I didn't reach the contracted number. But I have no desire to continue to deal with such ineptitude. When I see their ads now, I just laugh. Live, learn and lose too much money. My membership itself cost $1300.

I purchased IJL's introductory plan for six months or three matches for dating. After an hour and a half of lengthy information giving, I was promised that I would receive a match within a week from a local director. Rochelle was in-take person and the person I would deal with from then on is Brittany. Due to my preference for highly educated professional person, I asked, before paying for it, what the chances are of receiving those matches. Rochelle stated they have 10,000 members in Portland area and that it was 'no problem.'

On the following, Brittany emailed me about a match to meet this person in Vancouver, WA at 6:00PM. Vancouver is a city across the river from Portland, a bedrock city with unbelievably bad traffic at rush hour. I told her it was totally unreasonable for her to expect me, a Portlander, to drive to Vancouver at afternoon rush hour where I could be sitting for one to one and a half hours on the road. I asked why she had to send me to Vancouver if she had 10,000 members in Portland area. She didn't answer except that this person was my best match. I told her I would not go at rush hour but will be fine if she can set it later in the evening when rush hour is over.

A month went by and she never called me back. By then, I learned that IJL doesn't have physical office in Portland and she was operating from Florida from lack of business. And possibly, their saying 10,000 membership was a lie to get to pay. I called back and left a message that I wanted a refund and was cancelling membership. I sent an email to that effect, but there was no response or call.

I disputed the $500 charge to my credit card, but the credit card company restored the charge for the reason of 'lack of information.' I managed to reach Rochelle on Feb. 26th and raised the complaint. She said that she would address it and have someone call me back about refunding. I have not heard back from them. I believe IJL's intention is to ignore me and take my money without providing the service they promised.

I signed a contract with It's Just Lunch (IJL), a dating service, after seeing an ad in an in-flight magazine. At the time, I was living in a small city, and having difficulty meeting men of interest in that area. I wanted to be able to meet compatible men in Charlotte, which is the closest large city. I drove down to Charlotte on 8/1/08 to meet with Sandra ** for an intial interview. The office was at **. I was impressed with Ms. **, and she promised me that given where I was living, they would find places to meet that would be halfway between both parties.

I signed a contract with them and paid $1,395 for 14 "dates". On the first arranged date, I was told to meet the date at a location an hour from where I live. The gentleman was pleasant enough, but did mention he lived 10 minutes away, and after an hour he said he had something to do with his kids and left. There was enough interest on both parts, that we did go on 2 more dates. I had difficulty getting IJL to listen to my concerns, and they consistently gave me grief about finding a halfway point that was convenient.

I went on 3 more dates, but kept them informed of my concerns about distant meetings, and continued to request better service. At the beginning of 2009, I learned the IJL office in Charlotte had been closed, and I would now be dealing with someone in FL. I found this to be ridiculous, and let them know the contract stated that they would "refund to the buyer at least ninety percent of the prorated cost of any unused services, within 30 days of request thereof, if: a. is irrelevant, b. also irrelevant, or c. the seller relocates his facility more than eight miles from its present location, or the services provided by the seller are materially impaired.

Given how unsatisfied I was with the services received, and that they closed the Charlotte office, I requested a refund based on this portion of the contract. I was told (after much difficulty) that I would have to go after Gray Sky, Inc., and that IJL Corporate was not responsible. I have a letter from Maritza, coordinating supervisor, dated 2/16/09 stating that "per your request, we are sending you the franchisee information. You must contact the Department of Corporations: Jessica, Gray Sky, Inc."

Needless to say this was an impossible task. I tracked down Ms. ** to a residence in Charlotte NC 28277, almost in SC, but was never able to get any response. I placed my membership with IJL on hold on 1/13/09, hoping they would either come to their senses and refund my money or improve their service. I made several calls over the next year to find out if they had opened another office in Charlotte, but they did not. I ended up moving to the Charlotte area on 10/30/09. I made contact with IJL when I moved here, and was told they had a rep in the area, but no office. They had her call me. She left a message. I returned her call, and left her a message and then never heard anything else. On 1/11/10, I took my membership off hold, because on 1/13, it would have been a year, and I would have just lost the money I paid them. I thought I would give them a chance, and see if things had improved.

My new contact, Lindsey, completed a phone interview to update my information. At the end of the interview, I was asking about their process, and she told me that "everyone goes through the same process". I corrected her, because when I signed on, I had to complete an in-person interview, before going on my first date, and now they do a phone interview, first date, then in-person interview. My point was they could be setting me up with someone they had not even met face to face. She promised she would do her best to not set me up with someone who was on their first date. When I received the information for the date, I was alarmed to see it was in the SW corner of Charlotte (at least 30 min away), while the location they kept wanting to send me to before, was now only 10 min. from my home.

I sent Ms. ** a polite email saying I wanted to "confirm" this location was a halfway point between us. She called me and said she had not checked that before, but now realized we could find a place to meet that was closer. Turns out, the gentleman and I only live10 minutes from each other. Once on the date, things went fairly well. Although he did tell me it was his first date with IJL. There was a decent connection and we decided to walk around the corner for coffee. We had been talking for almost 2 hours, when I asked him how long he has been divorced. Well, he's not divorced! He's separated, and the divorce won't be final for 6 months! So, now I've been out in the community on a date with a married man.

I sent Ms. Willis an email after the date letting her know that I was upset. The response was a call from yet another rep who was replacing Ms. W. She stated her name was Zahara. She looked at the gentleman's file and confirmed they knew his marital status, "his file says he's married, but separated". When I found the consumer affairs website, along with reading the complaints, I also read the response from the company. In the response Ms. Irene ** states, "if clients have spoken with the owner of their local offices, and remain unhappy with the service they are receiving, they should call us directly at the It's Just Lunch Support Office at **.

We can't fix the problem if we don't know about it!" I called the number on 2/22/10 (Monday). Ms. ** left me a voicemail message that afternoon, in which she apologized and stated she was passing the information to Julie **, and they would "get your issues resolved right away". Later in the message, she said she would "get everyone working on this right away". I received a call from Mariel within an hour. She listened to my summary of concerns, and informed me I was not eligible for a refund, because "we have matches for you". My complaint had nothing to do with whether or not they have matches for me.

She said she needed to look into the matter, and wanted to arrange a time to speak the next day (Tuesday). We coordinated this, and I offered to forward her an email my attorney had reviewed, which I planned to send to a local news station consumer investigations. I forwarded her this email the next morning, but never heard from her. Finally, on Thursday, 2/25/10, I called Ms. ** and left her a simple message letting her know I had not heard back from Mariel. I received an email from Mariel that afternoon stating "hi Catherine, you and I had spoken on Monday, and I have not yet received the documentation you had planned on sending me. I was out of the office Tuesday and Wednesday. Please give me a call, at your convenience, to further discuss your membership. I am in the office between the hours of 9AM and 6PM, Monday - Friday.

I look forward to speaking with you". I did not delete her last name from this email. It is only signed with her first name. I compared the email address and found it to be the same as where I had sent the message 2 days before. I resent it, and requested confirmation she had received it. I also stated I would call her the next morning. I called her at 9:30 AM on Friday, 2/26. There was no answer, so I left a message, and sent another email. Incidentally, the recording on the voicemail for the number on her email says that the "call will be responded to within 24 business hours".

I heard nothing by phone or email and on Monday at 11:30, I tried the number for Mariel again, when she did not answer, I called and left yet another message for Ms. **, letting her know the above, and that if I was not contacted by the end of the day, I would move forward with seeking resolution through other means. Ms. ** called me back a few minutes before 5 PM that day, again apologetic and stating "this is not how it is supposed to be". That evening, I received another email from Mariel saying, "hi Catherine, I'm sorry I couldn't reach you today.

I was tied up in meetings. Please give me a call to further discuss your membership, or, provide me with a time when it's most convenient to reach you. Also, I still have not received the information you were referring to. It would help me greatly to have as much information regarding your account. Please send it to the email address below. I am in the office between the hours of 9AM-6PM EST Monday - Friday. I look forward to speaking with you",

I responded that she could literally call me at any time, and if I was not able to pick up I should be able to get back with her in 20 minutes or less. She finally called me on 3/4/10, more than a week after the day she was originally supposed to call me. She stated she had not received any of the 4 or 5 emails I had sent. I suggested there may be someone else in her office, whom I could send the email to, to see if that would produce a better result. She asked if she could call me the next day at 10 AM.

I said that was fine, and we could see if the email went through, and if not, I would try sending it by fax. Well, it is the next day at 3 PM, and again no call nor email from Mariel. So I am posting this here for multiple reasons, so other consumers can be warned, so Mariel can see it, and get the details needed to respond to my complaint and so that Ms. Irene ** can recognize that her suggestion to contact this other phone number is not resulting in better, or even good customer service. I am so frustrated in dealing with this company. All I am asking them to do is live up to their contract, and refund my money (only the portion I am due $768.22).

Unfortunately, the service has not performed its end of the contract, because I have had no dates. I am disappointed, because my emails and phone calls to the company are not returned. The two dates that were arranged did not show up, and I traveled in excess of 240 miles total. In addition, while waiting for forty minutes each time, I suffered from embarrassment. The service that I have paid for was misrepresented, and not performed.

I was reminded today of my dealings with IJL and have read some of the complaints and feel that I should share my experience with you. It was a long time ago, but it still bothers me every time I think about it and the money I wasted! I joined IJL in 2003 and was charged $1100 which I really could not afford and was promised 6 dates in 6 months. I had a face to face interview with Denise in the Fort Lee, NJ office and paid the fee with a credit card. Denise said she had a number of clients that suited my needs and would be in touch. She had a date for me the following week. We met and he seemed nice enough and I reported back to Denise. Like all the other women, trying to get through to their office took time.

I always got voicemail and it could be a day or two before I got a return call. There was a lapse in time before I had a second date. He was a nice guy, but he was at least 6 years younger than me and was separated. I reported back and waited to hear from Denise for my 3rd date. We spoke a couple of times and I waited and waited and waited and heard nothing and then the 6 months was up. This company was supposed to do the work for me, dating for the busy professional, and nothing happened. I was very busy and I let it go and kicked myself for wasting so much money and chalked it up to experience.

Every now and then I would be reminded of this bad episode and just wanted an explanation, so one day a couple of years later, I called IJL in Fort Lee and, of course, Denise was no longer there. I told my story to the girl who answered the phone (her name escapes me) and she said she would have to search for my file and would call me back. She didn't call back so I called her again. Needless to say she didn't search for my file so I had to explain again. She suggested that I rejoin as my membership had expired and that maybe they could do something.

I said absolutely not, my contract was not honored the first time, I was owed 4 dates. I knew a considerable amount of time has passed, I told her, and I wasn't looking for a refund. I just wanted to know why Denise didn't do her job as promised. I had 2 dates at $550 a piece! She said she would have the branch manager call me. I am still waiting for that call. Every time I think about it, I feel like such a fool to be taken in like that!

I had signed up with It's Just Lunch Tampa and cancelled my contract within the allotted time (as they offer a three-business day grace period in which you can withdraw from the agreement, no questions asked). When I spoke to the woman who signed me up (Lee **), to discuss the cancellation, she turned completely Jekyll and Hyde on me. (She was actually very polite to speak to during the phone interview process).

I gently explained to her that I had changed my mind because I had gone online the night before and read endless complaints via many different websites and didn't feel comfortable handing over almost $1,000 to a company with a poor reputation. She got very nasty (I'll avoid the boring details, but let's just say she was not nice!) and ended the conversation by informing me that, "You'll get your refund in two months."

It's no secret that it shouldn't take any corporation 60 days to process a refund! It's almost as if this is my "punishment" for canceling on them. Guess what, IJL? I am not responsible for the thousands of poor reviews posted all over the Web, and apparently, they are there for a reason!

I called their corporate office (in California) several times and was not surprised none of my calls were returned. I did receive an email on January 29th which read: "We have received your refund request and it is in process. We will email you with a status update within five days." It is now three weeks later and I haven't heard a peep from anyone. What a nightmare--I just want this all behind me and have just filed a complaint with the BBB. I should have listened to all of you out there before I signed on the dotted line!

I informed this company that I would not be interested in using their services after I spoke with them. Now they hound and stalk me on my cell phone at various times of the day and night, despite every time I have demanded they remove my information from their database. And worse, they have shared my cell number with other dating services, so these other services are also following suit!

I hope that people read some of these complaints before signing up for It's Just Lunch. I did have a few good matches or what I would call "normal" matches. But like the others who have complained, I had some that were creepy, uncomfortable, nerve wracking or just too far off the mark of what I would consider a match. I did not use up my whole year or "dates. " The last date I did with them was really bad. It was so bad that I was angry, upset, hurt and I felt I took a big hit on my self esteem. I also felt really bad for the guy they set me up with and any future women they set him up with.

He was "OCD", low self-esteem, looked 10 years older than what they said his age was. We had nothing in common and he could not carry on a conversation. If IJL thought that was a match then what do they think of me? Come on, get real. I called the next day and told them how disappointed I was in that match and that I did not want to be set up on any more dates. They had no response. I should not have been so polite.

I signed up with It's Just Lunch and have had the worst customer service from them that I have ever received in my life. I paid $1,000 of my hard earned money in a bad economy and feel now I have been taken for a ride. I was concerned with the company's customer service immediately after I signed up with them. I have voiced several complaints with their corporate office in Florida and with my customer service representative, Cassie ***. I paid an expensive fee to have a 12-month membership with them and have been extremely dissatisfied with the response time and customer service and the dates have been horrible. I am terrified to go on another date with their company. They set me up with dates that are the extreme opposite of the preferences I described to them upon signing up. They told me they had plenty of clientele that fit my preferences and the very few amount of dates I have gone on have been horrible. I see my date and I want to run out the door.

I sent a letter. I sent to Julie *** on October 16, 2009 (7 days after signing up with It's Just Lunch) to xxx *** *** boulevard, Suite xxx Hallandale, FL 33009 via UPS. "Dear Ms. N, I signed up with It's Just Lunch on 10/09/2009. At this point, I have had no rendered services with your company. I have had a very bad experience to start and at this point have no faith in the services your company could provide me with."

I went further to explain to Julie that I wasn't getting returned phone calls. I went further to explain that my customer representative sold me on a dating service where I would sign up for a 12-month membership and she would get me out often to meet single men meeting my preferences and that changed the week after I signed up to an attitude of "Well, technically we only have to send you out five times." I felt scammed and lied to. They told me they would send me out right away to get me to sign up and after I signed up they told me the first date could be set for a month away.

After this correspondence, they made some more promises and I gave them a chance. Well, it has only gone downhill from there. They have sent me out three times since October 9th and I have yet to meet a guy to fit the description of what they said they had available. In fact, they said they had an abundance of clients that fit the description of what I was looking for and the guys they set me up with I have wanted to run out the door from. I feel sorry for them so I don't run out and I suffer through a date that I am embarrassed to be on.

Here is the email I sent to my customer service rep on 11/17/09: "In regards to my lunch date on Sunday, I was really disappointed. He was the exact opposite of the person I described that I would be interested in meeting. Jerry was nice but besides a possible friendship I would not be even remotely interested in dating him. He was outside the age range, ethnicity and physical appearance of what I described to you. Please let me know if you would like to go over my preferences again and I would be happy to get them to you."

Her response was that she was sorry I had a bad date and that she would contact me in two weeks to set another date up. Over a month later after not hearing from her, I sent the following email: "I haven't heard from you since mid-November. The last message I got from you was that you would be contacting me in two weeks and it has been a over a month and a half without a word."

After this she contacted me with my next date which is the worst date I have ever been on in my life. I was so embarrassed to be out with him. He looked terrible and it was torture. Here is some of my following email to Cassie: "I am mortified! When I was interviewed about what qualities I am looking for in a guy I wonder if your company kept track of even one of my preferences."

It's Just Lunch has been the worst consumer experience I have had in my life.

I joined IJL after a payment of $1,000 was made for eight dates or six months, which ever comes later. I have experienced nothing more than poor customer service and dates that do not fit the characteristics discussed with the so-called dating adviser. It has been seven months, and I have had two official dates--neither of which came close to having characteristics I described. For example, I ask that I am set up with dates taller than myself because that's very important to me--they have all been shorter than me. I was actually given a "complimentary" date (not to be included in the eight) because I complained so much about their failure to return calls or emails in a timely fashion. Again, that date was the same as the other two.

The representatives continue to ignore phone calls and emails. I have not heard from them for four months despite my phone calls and emails. I am in the process of filing a dispute with my credit card company for reimbursement. At the rate I'm going, it will take at least 28 months to complete all eight dates. This service is fraudulent. Do not waste your money. Once they have your money, they do not follow up, nor do they take into consideration what you are looking for in your dates. It is a complete waste of time and money. It is supposedly a service for professionals, yet they are most unprofessional in the way this business is run.

I paid $1,100 for the dating service. After 9 months, I went on one date with someone who was not a match. I started requesting my money back after 20 days on contact; I still don't have my money. I even had Bank of America try to get my money with no success. I left over 50 messages that never got returned.

I called IJL to ask either for a refund on my services or to role the remaining months and dates (of which there are a lot) over to someone else.

Nicole was unhelpful, verbally abusive and generally unhelpful. She stated that no refunds were available. THis was never mentioned during my 2-hr long interview with the company.

Many of the things that IJL promised were never delivered on. They frequently failed to contact me after my dates, never seriously asked for feedback.

Nicole did not allow me to finish my sentences, or even finish asking questions. Her manner was extremely rude.

I paid $500. in June 09' and have yet to have a date. They didn't contact me after the initial phone interview and signup. I contacted them after 4 months and I had obviously been forgotten about. I was told that the Des Moines IA office had just been opened and there were no matches for me and was told to put my membership on hold. I have not been contacted since. They had no business signing me up when first they have no presence in Eastern Iowa where I am at and I stated very clearly I did not want to date people out of Des Moines which would be a 2 1/2 hour drive from where I live in Eastern Iowa. They are a big rip off!!!!! It appears the people you deal with all have pseudo names like January and Autumn.

Today I recieved my credit card statement and she had gone ahead and charged my account the fee.

I contacted her again today and she told me that she would "see if she could get the paperwork started to issue me a credit". She was rude and refused to let me speak to her manager.

I have called my credit card company and I am disputing the charge. Besides getting my account credited, my primary concern would be to warn others of the unprofessional aspects of working with this company. They will say anything they can in order to get you to sign up. Once signed up it only goes down hill from there.

I joined Just For Lunch in Calgary in Nov 2009. The women I dealt with were very excited and continued to tell me how I was the perfect match for their program. Within a few days I had my first date, nice guy but when I asked about his experience he stated in the 2 years in the program, he found the descriptions and match information to be wrong and appeared to be quite relieved that his contract had ended.

The next step is to set up the face to face consultation with staff to discuss the date, I received a email confirmation with date, time and place. Upon arriving at the restaraunt, no one showed. The hostess contacted IJL office but they were closed. I attempted to call both the Calgary office and 1 800 numbers and both were full. I then emailed my Calgary consultant and the US consultant and received no response for a number of days. It was not until I had threatened to go to the Better Business Bureau and demand my money back that they got back to me. After some e mails, I finally talked to a new consultant who admitted that I had 'fallen through the cracks' and that the process would begin again. I responed with an email with expectations that I wanted things sorted out by the end of the week. I have not heard from anyone since Nov 18 and therefore I have made a complaint to the BBB and attempted to get Visa involved. I have also contacted local media with the hope that they will expose the company as a money grab and scam artists.

Well, why are there 150 women to every 5 men who sign up for this type of service? And I assure you, that is NOT what you are told when they take your $1700. I heard from dates; they PAY men to date; one man admitted he was still married; WHAT???

Sad, but I am busy and an executive who trusted this service. What a sham.

The agreement says the customer has to return calls within 48 hours, but apparently the "dating specialists" don't have to return calls or set anyone up. I'm not at all impressed. I really thought it was going to be more professional, but now feel totally ripped off. I will never recommend It's Just Lunch to anyone. The fee was $1500 which I thought would bring a high level of professinalism, but now feel scammed.

It's Just Lunch is a matchmaking franchise that sets up people on dates based on personal interviews specifying certain criteria. Even though, IJL has sent me on dates where the majority of my dates did not meet my criteria, I can forgive that. I cannot forgive S. FL IJL breach of contract with me. For the bargain price of $1900, I am supposed to have membership for 12 months or 14 dates, whichever comes later. This is according to my contract. I have had only 11 dates, but S. FL IJL claims I had 14 and closed my account. For the last 4 months I have been leaving messages at the S.FL office at 305-405-8900 with no call backs. I have left numerous messages for the S. FL Team Leader, Penny, at 954-602-0430/20 with no call back.

According to the president of IJL, Irene LaCota, "maintaining an open dialog with clients is a crucial ...". There is no communication w/ S. FL IJL. Finally, I called the main # 800-335-8624 where the sales reps there sent Penny multiple emails to contact me and she never did. One sales rep was actually able to connect me to Victor, dating manager in S. FL, who told me my account had been closed since I completed my 14 dates. I told him that only had 11 dates. We reviewed the names of my dates and found that 1 date never happened because I was stood up and told that date would not count. IJL seemed to fabricate the other 2 dates because I never went out with those people. Victor could not even verify if those 2 dates even happened. I always give feedback on my dates which it what is supposed to be done. Had I not been diligent and keeping track of my dates, IJL would have cheated me and not full filled it's contract to me.

As well, the 2 dates I was linked to probably are having the same issue and not even know it. No one even called me to tell me account had been closed. Victor is now trying to back track and states they are willing to "grant me 3 more dates" like he is doing me a favor even though I am entitled to those 3 dates because I paid $1900. Of course I declined his ridiculous offer and asked for a partial refund which he told me cannot be done even though IJL breached their contract with me. I asked Victor what happens when someone finishes their 14 dates, and he said that they call the client and get feedback and see if they would like to sign up again. No one ever called me when my account closed which is suspicious since they made up 2 extra dates that never happened and closed my account. I have called to world headquarters at 760-779-0101 and left several messages since on LaCota posted on Consumeraffairs.com to call if have problems not resolved by local office. Still no call back from them either. IJL is a scam and I am determined to get my partial refund even if that requires legal action. IJL is a class action lawsuit waiting to happen.

I signed up for IJL's service for $900 on 9/23/09. I mailed (certified signature) a request for cancellation on 9/25/09.

Their contract states "You, The Buyer, May Cancel This Agreement, Without Any Penalty Or Obligation, At Any Time Prior To Midnight Of The Original Contract Seller's Third Business Day Following The Date Of This Contract, Excluding Sundays And Holidays. To Cancel This Agreement, Mail Or Deliver A Signed And Dated Notice, Or Send A Telegram Which States That You, The Buyer, Are Canceling This Agreement Or Words Of Similar Effect."

I met IJL's strict cancellation requirement. When I called on 10-21-09 to follow up on my refund, I was told by Penny that "refunds take up to 7 weeks" rather rudely.

Even though their contract says "Client may cancel this contract without any penalty or obligation at any time prior to midnight of the third (3rd) business day Following the effective date of this contract and by giving written notice of cancellation by mail, telegram or deliver to ijl at the Address specified on the first page of this contract. If client cancels this contract under these circumstances, then within ten (10) Days of ijls receipt of clients written notice of cancellation, ijl shall refund to client all payments made to ijl pursuant to this Contract."

I called IJL again on 11/19/09 and was told by Marlene she "wasnt sure why I havent been refunded. And to check later next week."

Please tell me what I need to do legally to recover my money. Thanks.

To piggyback on all other complaints, I had a very similar experience. I was open to the opportunity to try this service but was disappointed in the salesmanship and professionalism of the organization. Sales 101: When a company tells you they can meet with you that same day, raise the red flag. They tell you that are super busy with meetings every hour on the hour, yet can sneak you in whenever. From the outside, it appears they try to get as many people into the offices as possible.

The director discussed that she is my friend and could potentially take me on as a client. Gave me the spiel on guiding me through the process and the evaluation of each date. I decided I wanted to hold off for now so called to leave a message on their generic voicemail. They seem to give you "peronal numbers" yet you never get their voicemail or line. After realizing I wanted to hold off on the meeting, she called me to re-discuss my feelings. When I called her back, I was put on hold for about 5 minutes, then spoke with her "assistant." After explaining to her assistant that I had to cancel the appointment, she also put me on hold for 3 minutes before another director came on and said she could possibly assist me and meet with me that same day.

Overall, if you are looking for these individuals to listen to you to assist in finding your ideal matches, you can learn a lot by the way they handle their phone calls. They are NOT listening. Trust me and the others in saving your money. Take a nice trip instead.

One man made sexual overtures over dinner and I politely (I thought) dealt with. He followed me out to a dark parking garage, he was a very large strong man, I was scared but managed to get into my car. When I called IJL they blew me off about it.

The second made a very coarse sexual advance, placing my hand on his crotch during dinner. We were seated side by side in what could have been a romantic experience. NOT. I got away from him quickly. IJL said because it was our second date, they were not responsible. They set this guy up with a friend of mine, too, she never actually ahd a second date with him. The kicker was, he was in a committed long term relationsip. NOt married but might as well be.

I think they do no screening of these folks, men or women. Their model is flawed because no one sees a photo beforehand. The men seem to think it's a 'date', it's not a date, you don't know the person. At least on Internet dating sites it is clear you are on a screening meeting to see if there is something there to pursue. I strongly urge folks, don't use IJL. It's a disaster. The two other friend who are on it (we compare notes on men) call it It's Just Pitiful. I have asked for my money back and have been denied.

I contacted this company in Aug of this year. The initial interview for dating was done on the phone and contract for 6 dates within 6 months was emailed to me which I signed electronically and paid a fee of $800.00. I gave them very specific info as to what I was interested in date wise. The NY/Nj dating directors arranged at date about 2 wks later, it got cancelled due to bad weather and rescheduled. I was sick on the day of the date and called the restaurant as directed to cancel. I also left several messages for Sheri, Penny etc. . I didn't hear anything from them despite my leaving messages that I never went on that 1st date. I finally conected with one of them who gave me al sorts of excuses about not getting any messages( I later found out they don't accept incoming calls at any of the numbers and do not call back). I told her of the situation and she said she would contact me to set up anther 1st date.

About a week later I get an email that stated that now that I had my first date I need to set up a face to face interview with them as is their protocol. Again I called and emailed to tell them that I never went on that 1st date. I hit the same dead end. By this time it was into Sept and after they told me "We are sorry" you did tell us you never went , and all the emails asking for a fece to face done after the 1st date they finally scheduled another date with a different person. That date got rescheduled again because he couldn't make the first one. During my conversation I mentioned the Jewsh Holidays and that we wouldn't want to do it on a holiday. They knew and were told several times I wanted someone Jewish and I reiterated that I didn't want children. Finally went on that 1st date in October , needless to say the man was Catholic and told me he wanted children and never told them otherwise.

He was as annoyed as I was. He also said that the NY,NJ office didn't answer phone calls and there were other problems. I had asked for a refund deciding to forget the whole thing before the date because I could see the writing on the wall. I was very upset over this and again asked for money back. I spoke to a telephone oper who kept telling me it was up to the NY,NJ directors who I couldn't reach at all they would never call back. I after about two weeks of trying I spoke to Penny(Pnina) and told her the whole thing .They claimed they never knew I wanted to date someone Jewish and that the man they set me up with never said he wanted children.

They were lying they had screwed up. They still wouldn't return the money. Because of the 1st missed date said they would start my 6 months in Sept and give me an xtra date because of the screw up with my first date we then set up the face to face meet with Jennifer their rep in NYC at the end of OCT. I met her as planned and told her everything that went on I met her on a Sat and she said they would be in contact with me by the next week. 2 weeks have now passed and once again it is now the middle of Nov., I have tried call headquarters as well as sending emails to both Penny and Jennifer.

At every phone number this company has there is an answering machine and nobody returns calls. At this point I just want my $800.00 back , I can't take the anxiety and these games anymore. I know the contract is not finished but they are not doing anything not fulfilling them. I have an elecronic copy. This company should be shut down.

I just signed up for IJL dates (5 for 700). I did research the company, but did not find this site until today. OH HOW I WISH I HAD FOUND IT EARLIER!!!!!!!!!! I had my first date last night, and Lee, my consultant based in Florida (I will meet with someone local after my 1st date) told me was a biopharmaceutical rep with an advanced degree, along with a physical description and his interests.

I gather from reading everyone else's comments that it is worthless to fight to get my money back. The only way to fight IJL is to make sure they don't get additional customers...so I will continue to describe my dates and experiences here. If we can all keep one more person from joining this sham of a service, maybe they will go out of business once and for all!

9/18/09 (next morning) Approx 11AM I called Shan to cancel. I changed my mind and decided I couldn't afford the $500 she came down to (from $700-after talking to her manager). Shan informed me how disappointed and that it would take 3-5 weeks. I said that sounds crazy. I asked her to send me an email to confirm the cancellation. She said she would and would call me later in the afternoon with confirmation.

2:02 PM I called her again to see if it was completed yet because I seen my bank statement and they took up $700 instead of the $500 agreed upon. I got her voice mail. And there was no follow up call in the afternoon to confirm cancellation, nor any email.

That was Friday.

9/22/09 (Tuesday) Shan called and left me a voice mail. She processed the $200 refund.

9/23/09 8:26 AM Incoming call. A woman to tell me she had a match for me. I explained that I cancelled. "Oh let me check into that". I never heard back.

9/25/09 9:05 AM Incoming call. Same scenario. "I have a match". I said I just talked with you a couple days ago and told you I cancelled. Don't you have notes in your computer. "Let me check."

12:26 PM I called Shan again. No answer. Left voice mail.

10/06/09 Shan called to tell me that she was mistaken and there is no cancellation policy for Detroit area and that the $500 was a discount". I said have your supervisor call me because you lied to me and told me there was a 3 day cancellation policy and you didn't call me back and there was no email to confirm my cancellation". She stated that she sent it. I said "well, forward it to me, send me proof that you sent it". If I would have known that I would have never given you any money." I'm not that spontaneous of a person. She said she would have her supervisor call me. No one called this day.

10/08/09 Lynn called. She asked me if I had spoke with Shan recently. I told her "yes and that she told me there was no cancellation policy for Detroit". She stated that is correct". I said "what is the cancellation policy for New York, Chicago?". She stated she didn't know, that is not her area". I told her I wanted a refund. She stated "that there isn't one". I told her that "Shan shouldn't have told me there was a 3 day cancellation policy if there wasn't one." I told her I want my money back. She said that doesn't happen. I told her I wanted to talk with her Regional Manager. She said to send her an email and she would escalate it, but that nothing will probably happen.

I am tired of dealing with this fraudulent business. They are a scam and I am not happy they have my $700, which they told me was $500 and a 3 day cancellation policy, which I cancelled within 18 hours. I don't have time to deal with this. I was working with my bank where the money was pulled out of my checking account, but they are still investigating. Please help me get my money back off of my debit card. This place is a scam that deceives people.

On 9/4/09 I talked to Brandy about becoming a member of It's Just Lunch. I spent 2 hours providing her information for my profile. The contract states you have 3 days to cancel if not satisfied. I began calling the company on 9/8/09 to determine if the company actually had the matches Brandy indicated were available. I left message after message with no response. Ashley called me about a match. She stated she was the rep. for my area. It was obvious she had not read my profile. The match she was telling me about was out of my area and she expected me to drive to him.

When I asked her about the matches Brandy had indicated were available she said they didn't want to date in their age range. She implied young guys don't want to date up and older men don't want to date in their age range. So where does that leave me? I joined this organization to met professional men not to be humiliated. I have not heard from her since 9/14/09. I followed up with an email and sent the company a letter. I have not had a response to either.

I have filed a claim with the BBB and disputed the charge with my credit card company. The company responsed to the BBB that they had returned my calls and I declined the match. This is not true. Ashley never finished setting up the match. I have called everyone in the company and no one will call me back. Somehow they are always in a meeting. This company is a fraud and needs to be stopped!

i joined its just lunch, of course with the reassurance that after talking with me, they had at least 200 women that fit the profile. i had one date within a few days, and then i didnt hear from anyone. i was supposed to have a face to face intwerview with someone immediately after my first date, but that didnt happen till i made multiple phone calls and emails, and eventually ahppened after 2 months. i got my next phone call for a date 5 months after joining....... this is a service that is worth $1400? i asked for my money back bc i had lost interest in dealing with them bc of insulting and disrespectful service, and i was explained that there is no time limit on when they are supposed to provide me the 8 dates promised, so i cant get my money back just bc they are providing my with one date every 5 months.

I joined It's Just Lunch in Naples on 1/30/08,I paid an extra $1,000 (maybe a little more, my records aren't with me at this moment) I paid it to have a multi city membership because I live in Ohio for a couple of months in the summer and wanted to have dates in Columbus Ohio. I had 3 dates in Naples, then the end of May 2008 I was heading home to Ohio, I called and asked them to have my dates from Columbus, until I notified them that I was heading back to Naples. They told me they had no It's Just Lunch that they were associated with in Columbus, I then said you owe me money back then, it was $1,000 or just over that. She said she would have to check, never got back to me, then I tried again, kept getting different people and no one could give me an answer, I am still trying today to get a reply from them...can't get anyone to call me back! I had reinstated my membership in May so that they couldn't say it was past the one year that they allow you to be on hold. They also promise you 14 dates within one year and needless to say, they aren't even close to that with me. Also, they hooked me up with really old men and I asked them not to. Never got a date after that.

Prior to my meeting with the then top Manager of It's Just Lunch, Stacy, whom I am now told no longer works there, and I had several phone conversations explaining their Matchmaking Services and how it was not just a simple selection of people from a general data base to be placed together. This was a true MatchmakingService where people after being interviewed are then matched based on compatibility factors, and the degree of success for their company of making Matches through this process is incredibly high. It was stated that they had a success rate of over 50% in the first year. She even stated in the last two months she personally matched two couples on a first meeting and their discontinued the service, saying how it was worth the $1,800.00 paid even for a one time meeting because they found the person they were looking for! And they owe it all to It's Just Lunch and her skills as a professional Matchmaker. From our conversations I went to the office on January 16, 2009 to meet with Stacy and discuss in depth what their service would provide.

We then discussed in detail what made their company so different from the typical dating web sites and other services of similar nature and why the reasons why their fees were so much higher. Your typical dating web site is approximately $24.00 a month their fee was $1,800.00 for services rendered by a trained team of professionals with an incredible success rate. This is what you are paying for. And it was stated they had thousands of people in their data bases to choose from....So along with being successful and the fact that they too were looking for that very special someone the service sounded amazing.

Based on appearance I do not have any trouble meeting men, this was not what brought me to their service. In my lengthy and in depth meeting with Stacy we discussed exactly what it was I was looking for. I joined because she said she had several men for me to meet based on my general description: I was interested in meeting that One man that had it all, great looks, successful business man, strong personality, intellectually stimulating, good values, family oriented and an open heart hoping to meet someone the same. We then talked about more specific personality traits required, such as Honesty, Integrity, Monogamy, Positive attitude, Confidence, Old Fashion or more to Traditional Values, An Intellectual Conversation level needed for compatibility and someone either with or interested in someone who has children.

After my description of what it was that I was looking for in a mate she became very excited because as she said she had just interviewed someone she really thought would be an incredible Match, He was a 8 on her scale, but she was incredibly picky, he stated to her almost exactly the same things as far as values and was so warm and caring, she said as far as conversation goes she couldn't believe how easy he was to talk to and he was a 90% on the positive scale really looking forward to what life had in store for him. Stacy said this was just one of many men she had in mind for me and when she really sat down with her staff and went over all the files and interviews and pictures she knew she would get it right. She explained how she could see the value of person I was and knew exactly what I was looking for, I had certainly come to the right place! As she said you get what you pay for, a leap of faith in putting myself in her hands for only $1,800.00 she will do her magic, a small price in the end for what they had to offer me.

I am demanding a full refund from It's Just Lunch. They have completely failed to provide even 10% of what was described to me by their then number one Matchmaker through numerous phone calls and meetings. They have completely misrepresented their services and available clientele. After signing onto their service I went on a total of SEVENMatched Meetings. I allowed them the opportunity to Work their Magic but was completely disappointed on every occasion. I called after every meeting and explained why the person chosen was nothing like what they said they had available to me and what my specific needs were and promised by them to deliver, were not even close.

I gave them many opportunities and all of their chosen Matches were nothing like the description of available men described. They did not and do not have the people promised and they did not provide this extensive Matchmaking Service that only professionally trained Matchmakers can provide. Their described service is a scam, I don't believe they went any further than taking files from a file cabinet not even looking at the names and put them together.

I have tried on numerous attempts personally with It's Just Lunch to get a full refund of $1,800.00 but have been unsuccessful. I hope this letter better describes the reasons for my insisting a full refund and that by now putting it out there in the public, and now also taking them to small claims court, I hope to receive the refund due myself and help others against this fraudulent corporation.

I had heard about It's Just Lunch from a friend who saw it on tv. I called and inquired about it and spoke with Liz who said that I would be perfect for their program. She set up an appointment with me and I drove into Chicago (which is 2 hrs away from me). I met with Liz who was a complete airhead and I should have just walked out of there because I smelled trouble. I told her what I was looking for and she told me she had a ton of guys for me to meet. She asked me for $1700.00 and I would get 12 dates for the year. The very next day Molly called and said that she had two guys for me and they would be perfect. She arranged the dates. The first guy was totally not what I was looking for. I am a very athletic person and play alot of different types of sports. The guy was 6 years younger than me (I wanted older), not athletic at all and had no hand! I was not told about him losing a hand. Needless to say the date lasted 25 minutes and I was out of there. I talked with Molly the next day and she was surprised that I didn't like him and that there was no informaion about him not having a hand. (What a liar!!)

The next date was disaster number 2...nothing in common, shorter than me (I'm 5'6" and I want someone taller), and told me he has no time to date anyways. The next day I told Molly what happened on date number 2....she was very upset at me for not taking the time to get to know him better. I contacted It's Just Lunch to get my money back...no way do I trust their judgement anymore! Sara hounded me day and night for over a month, with harrassing phone calls and messages that they needed to talk to me right away and that they once again have tons of guys to fix me up with. I was ready to contact the Police about the calls and messages. They would not give me my money back, so I filed a claim with the Better Business Bureau. What a waste of time, two months going back and forth with them and they settled in It's Just Lunchs' favor. And on the BBB website they list alot of complaints from people about It's Just Lunch. It's Just Lunch said that they would put my account on "hold". No thanks from me, I wouldn't tell my worst enemy about them. They are complete frauds!!

Since joining to the tune of $1600 I have encountered nothing but deception and lies. I asked if I could speak with other members for references--even anonymously and was told no, they don't do that. Red flag? Absolutely. But when you read that they are backed by Oprah and Dr. Phil and they are opening in every major city in the country you tend to think that they are doing something right.

You go for an interview during which you describe your dream man. I told them that I have no trouble dating, but I have trouble dating men that are financially stable and not carrying a lot of baggage. I also described the characteristics of the type of men I prefer with a big issue being age. I was told by Brenda lee that as "attractive as you are you'll be dating all the time. We have many, MANY men matching your specifications". Well, if "all the time" means once a month than yes, I'm dating "all the time".

You are also given a four page list of member establishments that your date will be arranged with. When I enquired why all my dates are at the same two places I was told that they only have a handful of restaurants that they work with. I asked why then was I given this four page list with over 25 restaurants? Answer: Uh, uh that's the old pamphlet; you should not have been given that. Only problem with that is that Brenda L. and I discussed a number of the restaurants represented because I had been to many of them and was impressed by the quality of establishment; none of which are current members. More deception.

They have a 12 date minimum meaning that you will go out at least 12 times over your contract. I questioned Brenda L. about that because 12 dates for $1600 is NOT a good deal. She said don't worry about that, you'll be dating all the time. The 12 date minimum just protects IJL from members who are clearly going to be difficult to match. Of course, according to Miss Brenda L., that did not apply to me because remember I'll be dating ALL the time! They have TONS of men who will be PERFECT for me! I was also told that after the first date, and periodically throughout my membership, I would meet again with Brenda L. and fine tune my dating experience with her.

The first date I went on was with a man that was nowhere near my age range or physical characteristics--none of them have been. He spent the entire time staring at my chest and making obscene comments. When I called and told them how unhappy I was they pretty much promised to do better but no--I did not need to come in and meet with Brenda L.. In fact, I would NEVER meet with her again but that little bit of information was never shared.

What happens is you meet with one person for your intake interview and then are passed off to consultants that have never laid eyes on you or spoken to you. All these poor consultants have to go on is a very poor quality Polaroid photo and the notes provided by your interviewer. These consultants theoretically have monthly meetings during which each member's wishes are discussed and they are matched with appropriate dates. Yeah right! I had no idea I was going to be photographed and had no make-up on and my hair was a mess. No wonder they can't match me!

My second and subsequent dates were no better. Since joining I've only been on five dates. The second to last date had a full beard (hate facial hair), was grey with receding hairline (don't like that either) and had SEVERE gambling and alcohol issues. As he is telling me that he's a recovering alcoholic he is simultaneously ordering his 3rd glass of red wine because wine isn't really a hard liquor! He follows that with the fact that at one time he lost nearly everything due to gambling and now can't even drive by Potawatomi without feeling the pull. I felt bad for this guy because he truly thought I'd be ok with all of his issues. The final straw was my last date. He was still MARRIED! Apparently they not only don't screen but they don't even ask if their clients are single!

Curious to know the men's side of IJL; I've asked my dates if they'd be willing to share their IJL experiences. Each man told me they could date every night of the week if they were agreeable to it. The first four averaged 20-25 dates per month. I averaged ONE. Mind you every date I've been on with IJL has asked me out for another date. Not only have they asked me out again, but each told me that until meeting me, they were ready to give up because the quality of women they were being matched with was VERY poor.

When I asked why I was dating so little when the men I had been paired with were dating so much, I was told that basically the men were all liars! That IJL pulled their files and they'd only been on maybe half as many dates as they claimed. Well that's still two to three times more dates than I've been on! My suspicion is that they have many more women than men and continue to sign on more lonely women knowing that they can't match us. This so called matching process consists of nothing more than pairing us with the next man through the door!

So what do you get for your money? Mismatched with men who are just as frustrated as I am. No fine-tuning of your profile. Lied to about the number and quality of men that they have available for matching. Basically NO matching process. Passed from consultant to consultant. Sent to the same old same old restaurants over and over. And when you call to complain--told the problems are with me and my unreasonable request that they honor the promises they made when they signed me up.

I'm so angry at myself for letting myself be sold a bag of tricks. I'm sure that there are many women out there that are too humiliated to come forward and complain. So I'm complaining for all of us. I hope you will look into this matter. No woman deserves to have her heart played with in this manner.

I signed up for It's Just Lunch in May of 2009. As I have read in some of the numerous complaints, I have also been very unhappy with the service. From the beginning, I was hesitant to sign up for IJL as I had been with another company in the past and had poor results. However, after hearing several advertisements, I decided to schedule an initial meeting. I met with a director, and was assured that the service was different. I was told to expect to meet attractive, successful business "professionals". Up to now I have had 5 dates...only one even led to a second. The other men, although very nice, were not at all what I had requested as a "match" for me. One showed up in a trashed out tshirt and shorts for a very nice Saturday night dinner, and others were not able to hold an intelligent conversation, etc, etc! When I questioned why IJL was not listening to my feedback...I was told that sometimes I am more the match for the other person, and that it is trial and error! Why should I waste my date count on someone that is not a "mutual" match? I do not have time to complete someone else's "quota"....

In addition to what I felt were very poor matches, I am also very unhappy with the business side as well. Let's face it, you spend $1800 and you expect to have phone calls returned, honesty from the employees, and a true effort to meet your needs. All that I received was the run around, lies as to what happened to the director that I originally signed up with, and excuse after excuse as to their less than stellar business methods. I have complained about these issues since the first month I was a member...but they have continued. Several times I was contacted about a "match" only to wait weeks for that person to supposedly return a phone call to IJL...but was never rematched (or contacted by IJL) in the meantime! It should not be my responsibility to follow up with IJL to see what is going on...plus, it appears that the employees are going through a rotating door at our local office. How can you be succesful when your turnover is so high?

It's Just Lunch is the biggest SCAM! I joined for a year without successful having a "true" match. They matched me with a lot older men, even a man that was married. After a year I was automatically put on a month-to-month charging my account $100.00 per month. I cancelled this the first month it came out and requested my money refunded. Nicole in the Florida office said she would take care of it, she left the company instead.

The next month I thought it was taken care of because they had not contacted me for two months, but instead they just charged my account for $100.00 again. I have spend two days trying to speak with a live person. I have sent emails and left messages-- no returns.

Finally I spoke with Eric who told me I was owed 2 matches since they didn't match me in July and August. I told him I cancelled in July with Nicole...he said Nicole who? I demanded that he at least refuned $100.00 that was charge in August he told me he would have to check and get back... that was yesterday.

Today he told me that I was approved for two matches. What about "NO" doesn't he understand. I don't matches I want my money back. He is suppose to call me back in 2 hours and let me know what "they" decide. I have asked him several times to let me speak to his supervisor/boss and he always says "they are on the phone". I even asked for the name and he said "there are several manager".

I will not stop calling and complaining until my money is refunded. This scam will cost me $100.00 to $200. More money if I can't stop it or I will have to close my acccount at the bank to stop the draft. This is mainly about the principle of the company and how they are scamming people out of money with promises. Take my advice DON'T DO THIS, you can find a better match at the grocery store.

I signed a one year contract and was told I would receive 12 to 14 dates during that time. I have been with the service for 3 months and have had one date that I would not consider a good match in 3 months. I have tried to contact the company through many different avenues but employees refuse to return phone calls consistently. My loss is of 1600.00 paid in June 2009

I met a man through It's Just Lunch (IJL) in Atlanta, a matchmaking agency with which the man had signed up sometime the first half of 2008, and which I joined in June 2008. IJL told me the man was divorced, described him and proposed him as a match for me. The man told me he was divorced, as well, on our first date, arranged by IJL for June 27, 2008 at South City Kitchen in Vinings, just outside of Atlanta.

We dated steadily through April 2009 -- and then were on again/off again between then and early July because I had begun to think his behavior was odd. Friends encouraged me to confirm the marital status he and IJL had presented to me, and I began to investigate and learned the truth.

Long story short, I just obtained a copy of his divorce decree from Cobb County, GA Superior Court (issued just last week, by the way!). It shows that he was NOT divorced at all the entire time we dated. He was separated on or about January 22, 2008. His first date with me -- at which he and IJL represented him to me as a divorced man -- was June 27, 2008. The divorce decree shows that he filed for divorce July 21, 2008, and that his divorce was final ABOUT A WEEK AGO: August 14, 2009. He told me that he had dated other women IJL set him up with before he met me, too.

I called L. White, my Atlanta matchmaker, twice and she never returned my call. The last time I tried to reach her was Aug. 19, 2009. On Aug. 19, 2009, I had a very hilarious conversation with an IJL salesgirl named S. Gifford via the number at IJL's website. She actually asked if I wanted more dates! I told her I wanted a refund and she was just plain rude and ridiculous. Long story short, I told her that if I did not hear from a manager from IJL by 3:30 p.m. Aug. 20, 2009, I would begin posting my experience online -- and thus, you are being contacted, as well.

I also have just left a message with IJL's world headquarters that I would like to speak to the president of the company. (I'm sure she'll call me back, immediately.)

I spoke with my attorney and I cannot be charged -- I mean, I'm a young widow, and he was presented to me as divorced by IJL and on his own words! But if this man's now ex-wife found out about his actions and wanted to make him miserable, she could call me as a witness.

Financial Damages --$2,100 in fees to IJL to get introduced to a man they represented as divorced who was not divorced. --The cost of 2.5 days of unpaid leave from my job to deal with the shock and horror, obtain certified copy of the divorce decree that proved IJL represented a man to me as divorced who was not (I will not present this amount at this time, but willing to share if contacted). --$66.50 to have a vital records search done in Wisconsin for evidence of the divorce that the man said he had obtained -- and that IJL said he had obtained -- only to find he was not divorced.

$142.94 for additional online searches that also showed he was not divorced, as IJL and the man in question claimed. --$34.50 for printed, certified copy of the divorce decree --$167.25 for changing locks at my home -- this man never had keys to my house, but I am concerned for my safety because he has a lot to lose if his ex-wife finds out and takes him to court to charge him with a felony. I have alerted at least 70 friends, family members and colleagues and posted his profile on dontdatehimgirl as protection in the event anything happens to me.

The following is a copy of a letter I'm planning on sending to a local news station. I'm a recent divorcee and after 30 years of marriage I had no idea of how to get back into the dating scene. I tried the usual on-line dating services but after reading about It's Just Lunch and hearing that they were on the Oprah Show as well as Dr. Phil, I decided to give them a try.

The membership fees are very expensive so I did my homework, or so I thought. Since joining to the tune of $1600 I have encountered nothing but deception and lies. I asked if I could speak with other members for references--even anonymously and was told no, they don't do that. Red flag? Absolutely. But when you read that they are backed by Oprah and Dr. Phil and they are opening in every major city in the country you tend to think that they are doing something right.

You go for an interview during which you describe your "dream man". I told them that I have no trouble dating, but I have trouble dating men that are financially stable and not carrying a lot of "baggage". I also described the characteristics of the type of men I prefer with a big issue being age. I typically date men younger than myself--no I'm not a cougar; just prefer men a few years younger. I was told by Brenda l. that as "attractive as you are you'll be dating all the time. We have many, MANY men meeting your qualifications". You are also given a 4 page list of "member establishments" that you're date will be arranged with.

When I enquired why all my dates are at the same 2 places I was told that they only have a handful of restaurants that they work with. I asked "why then was I given this 4 page list with over 25 restaurants?" Answer: "Uh, uh that's the old pamphlet; you should not have been given that." Only problem with that is that Brenda L. and I discussed a number of the restaurants represented because I have been to many of them and was impressed by the quality of establishment; i.e. Capital Grille, Umami Moto's, Carnivore--none of which are current members. More deception.

They have a 12 date minimum meaning that you will go out at least 12 times over your contract. I questioned Brenda Lee about that because 12 dates for $1600 is NOT a good deal. She said don't worry about that, you'll be dating all the time. The 12 date minimum just protects IJL from members who are clearly going to be difficult to match. Of course, according to Miss Brenda L., that did not apply to me because remember--I'll be dating ALL the time! They have TONS of men who will be PERFECT for me!--not! I was also told that after the first date, and periodically throughout my membership, I would meet again with Brenda Lee and fine tune my dating experience with her.

The first date I went on was with a man that was nowhere near my age range or physical characteristics--none of them have been. He spent the entire time staring at my chest and making obscene comments. When I called and told them how unhappy I was they pretty much promised to do better but no--I did not need to come in and meet with Brenda L. In fact, I would NEVER meet with her again but that little bit of information was never shared.

What happens is you meet with one person for your intake interview and then are passed off to "consultants" that have never laid eyes on you or spoken to you. All these poor consultants have to go on is a very poor quality Polaroid photo and the notes provided by your interviewer. These consultants theoretically have monthly meetings during which each member's wishes are discussed and they are matched with appropriate dates. Yeah right! All they have to go on is a crappy photo taken at your initial meeting and word of mouth via the person that sold the membership and her crappy notes. I had no idea I was going to be photographed and had no make-up on and my hair was a mess. No wonder they can't match me!

My second and subsequent dates were no better. Since joining I've only been on five dates. The last date had a full beard (hate facial hair), was grey with receding hairline (don't like that either) and had SEVERE gambling and alcohol issues. Very nice but c'mon--gambling and alcohol issues? As he is telling me that he's a recovering alcoholic he is simultaneously ordering his 3rd glass of red wine--because wine isn't really hard liquor! He follows that with the fact that at one time he lost nearly everything due to gambling and now can't even drive by Potawatomi without feeling "the pull". I felt bad for this guy because he truly thought I'd be ok with all of his issues.

Curious to know the men's side of IJL I've asked my dates if they'd be willing to share their IJL experiences . Each man told me they could date every night if they were agreeable to it. The first four averaged 20-25 dates per month. I averaged ONE. Mind you every date I've been on with IJL has asked me out for another date. Not only have they asked me out again, but each told me that until meeting me, they were ready to give up because the quality of women they were being matched with was VERY poor. One man told me that--I was feeling hopeless and then there you were! Another said I was the "creme de la creme". I'm not blowing my own horn, I'm telling you this because IJL can't say that I'm difficult to match or that the men don't like me.

When I asked why I was dating so little when the men I had been paired with were dating so much, I was told that basically the men were all liars! That IJL pulled their files and they'd only been on maybe half as many dates as they claimed. Well that's still 2 to 3 times more dates than I've been on! My suspicion is that they have many, many, many more women than men and continue to sign on more lonely women knowing that they can't match us. This so called "matching process" consists of nothing more than pairing us with the next man through the door!

I've complained LOUDLY after each date and have basically been told--"men want to date younger women". I know this is generally true--but if they could see a photo of me, many would be willing to make an exception. I have no trouble dating younger men when photos are shown but since they don't use photos they can't possibly match me. I'm not asking to be paired with a 30 year old but I do prefer men in their mid to late 40's and have had a lot of success on Match.com and POF (Plenty of Fish) meeting men from 35 to 55. BECAUSE THEY SEE A PHOTO! In fact, the quality of men I've dated on Match and POF has been very similar to those IJL offers if not better. As I mentioned, my reason for going to IJL was not because I can't find men to date--it's to help me find financially stable men. Not men who will pay MY bills, but men who have the financial means to keep up with me. I love to travel and want someone who can afford to travel with me. I love theatre, fine dining, arts--and want a man that is able to enjoy these things with me.

So what do you get for your money? Mismatched with men who are just as frustrated as I am. No "fine-tuning" of your profile. Lied to about the number and quality of men that they have available for matching. Basically NO matching process. Passed from consultant to consultant. Sent to the same old same old restaurants over and over. And when you call to complain--told the problems are with me and my unreasonable request that they honor the promises they made when they signed me up.

I'm so angry at myself for letting myself be sold a bag of tricks. I'm sure that there are many, many women out there that are too humiliated to come forward and complain. So I'm complaining for all of us. I hope you will look into this matter. No woman deserves to have her heart played with in this manner.

Update: Decided to give them one more try. Tonight's date wasn't even divorced yet--not even close! Without sounding superficial he didn't match any of my other date "wish list" characteristics either--not even close. So sad. A VERY nice man who doesn't deserve to be matched with someone that IJL should know isn't going to be happy about. Nor, should he even be accepted as a client until his divorce is final! He also said that if he would allow it, IJL would match him up every night of the week for as many dates as he would physically be able to endure! Again, I was asked on a second date proving that I am not the problem.

IJL is a sham--they aren't matching anyone with anyone. They are simply playing on peoples most basic needs and capitalizing on it. Shame on them. I'm out a huge amount of money. In no way can I afford to lose $1600 on a scam. I thought this would be something that would help me date "safe" men. So far I've been matched with "gropers, alcoholics, gamblers and MARRIED men!"

I was coerced into joining IJL by a lovely woman who promised she had the men of my dreams in her "file." They were just waiting to meet me, all I had to do was pay $1,700. She called and called, and made me feel like if I passed this up, I would be alone and lonely forever. As soon as I paid, I never heard from her again.

I went on 2 dates. TWO. The first was with an uninterested guy, who acted like he was being paid to be there (I think he might be their 1st date guy, because he was cute). The 2nd date with with a short, bald, divorced man, the age of my father (I had specifically told them NO to all of these qualities). After, I put my membership on hold, because it was going so poorly.

After a year, I wanted to take it off hold and use it up (since I paid for it). I called IJL and they informed me that my membership had expired. I asked why I never received notice or a phone call to that effect, and they said they don't do that. I requested that they reinstate my membership and they HUNG UP ON ME.

If you're reading this, you might assume I'm an ugly, uninteresting person, and you'll be different. NOT TRUE. I thought that too when I read reviews, before signing up (about other people/bad reviews). On the contrary I am a 25 year old, pretty, slim, attorney - I'm just saying. If you think the bad reviews are only from un-datable people, think again.

I joined It's Just Lunch dating service which costs $1600.00 and have gotten a complete run around and have found that it is a desceptive business that is fraudulent organization who took my money and have lied about everything they have to offer.

Essentially I had 1 date that costed me $1600.00 who was not a professional, had no manners, was disrespectful to me and used vulgar language. I had to meet with a membership consultant who coincidentally that was his first day on the job. He told me that there are 30 participating restaurants and that he was not able to get a listing of them. I was to hear from Dmytri with in 24 to 48 hours after meeting this membership consultant--- and he never called me, I had to call him.

They also lied and said that all the men are interviewed prior to any dates and that is also untrue. Dave told me that everyone gets interviewed after the first meeting. Lastly, the person that I was introduced to had NO qualities of what I described in my 2 hour phone interivew of what I was looking for!

Several main points of the misrepresentation are listed. 1. I was told that the company (IJL) now had an office in Wil. NC I told him I hadn't joined in the past and would not join if it didn't have a base in Wil. 2. I was told my contract would start after my return to Wilmington, on June 19, which L. my representative was clearly informed. I was in Wyoming working until then, 2,000 miles away. 3. When the contract was sent via email, I noticed several irregularities (dates etc.) , and upon questioning this, the representative assured me that it was showing up correctly on their companies computer for all of their staff to view.

4. On May 29th I first learned of the inconsistencies and tried to get more information. I was not able to get communication with anyone to resolve the situation. 5. A contract that was signed via email states that Under this agreement you agree to pay $0.00 for the non-refundable interview fee and a $100 per month for the initial term of (1) month (direct quote) and dated May 12, 2009. My American Express card was charged $600 on May 12 and again $100 on June 12.

6. I have disputed these charges on my card and in response to the investigation Julie Novotny Director of Operations for IJL in the companies only defense said about the situation " She refused to travel to meet her matches. However, her contract clearly says she will have to travel outside of her geographical region". To me, this does not answer any of the questions that I brought up. I left 3 messages for Ms. Novotny on Aug. 3, 4 and 7th with no returned calls again trying to resolve the issues prior to filing this complaint.

This has been charged on my AMEX card which is handling a dispute and hopefully it will be taken off as a charge. I have spent a lot of time distressed about this situation, and trying to resolve it with this company to no avail and I cannot afford to throw away $600.

I post a complain back in '08. If you read this you should thing very careful before giving them your money. I sued them in small claim court in Sacramento. not to memtion the court dates and the run around with the legal system. I learnt a lot but would not recomend you going through it. Anyway, I won. Now i have to get a collection agency to get my money back..possibly at a 40% fee.

I called the Omaha office repeatedly. The voice mail said "Autumn" was with a client and would return my call. She did not return three requests in seven days. I called the number again and reached Monica who was clearly at a call center. I asked if she was in the Omaha office, saying it sounded like it was a call center. "No, I am in the Omaha office. Here, is this better?" I told her she still sounded like she was in a call center. I asked for the former receptionist and the consultant with whom I had worked a few years ago. She had no idea who these women were. I explained my situation and she said she would return my call. This was a Wed. and she had not called back by the following Monday afternoon.

I reached her again, and this time she admitted she was "assigned" the Omaha territory and she was actually in Florida but had been told to say she was in Omaha. She said the Omaha office was closed and the corporate office in Florida would take care of the Omaha office. A representative would come to Omaha and interview the participants and then the matches would be made. In the past, the receptionist and the consultants were very helpful and provided decent matches. I said this would not be personal service and I could no longer recommend IJL. My request for a reactivation of an expired membership I had never used (met someone days later on my own and we were together for a few years) was denied via an email from Julie N. to Monica, and neither contacted me. They did not care that I had referred three men who purchased memberships. (The men who used IJL told me they had more dates than they wanted-- they were clearly short on men and sent them on too many dates and the matches were not always good.)

I will never recommend IJL again.

I went to It's Just Lunch in Chicago, IL on June 19 at 2:30 pm at met with Liz to see what this dating service was all about. Liz made it sound wonderful and that she had alot of men that she could fix me up with. I told her specifically what I was looking for and what features I wanted with a man. It is now July 20 and I have been on exactly two dates and with men that I did not describe to them...one did not have a hand, which I was never told about and the excuse from Molly was that it was not in his profile...come on! You don't miss not seeing a person without a hand. The second one was no taller than me and said he didn't have time to date anyone. I have NEVER heard back from either Liz nor Molly now for 3 weeks. I spent $1800.00 for this service and it is a SCAM...I WANT MY MONEY BACK! They do not promise what they preach!

My complaint is similar if not identical to other clients who feel taken advantage of and were promised social introductions to other professional singles with attributes and interests described to IJL during an one and one half hour interview.

My intuition was right. Lester was exactly what I was expecting him to be and was very disappointed. He showed up to our date in jeans, tennis shoes, and striped shirt. Told me that he was not a manager and didn't know why they (IJL) always told people that. He worked on a factory line at the cardboard box making factory in St. Paul. He told me about his cabin (mobile home) on 120 acres up toward Duluth (I dread Duluth) with no running water, sewer, or lake. We had nothing in common, there was no attraction, and he was not who they represented him to be. He said he was not impressed or pleased with his experience with IJL either and that some of the women had been outright rude to him.

I also asked for additional dates and asked why it took so long for them to set me up with another person. Why could I not be set up with two dates in the same week? They said they wanted feedback before they set me up with additional people. At every corner I was met with resistance when trying to communicate my frustration with the lack of expertise they advertised and bragged about in the market of match making.

I did try to research the company before signing up. I asked several friends and friends of friends. Some were ambivalent others had success stories. It is only now, three months later that I found your website with stories of disappointment and complaints. I wish I would have seen it sooner. I was also intrigued by the state limit for what they were allowed to charge for their services in New York and other states. I would be interested in finding out if there is a way for me to recoup some of my fees or to make a more public announcement of the scam I believe this company to be so others will not waste their money or time. Dating is not easy or necessarily fun and can be discouraging. No one needs to pay to have those disappointments exaggerated.

I appreciate your time and the work you do to help consumers. Feel free to contact me. I would love to get to the bottom of this. I have had several dates(and names)who feel the same and would like to see something done.

There should be a guidebook on "What to Know About Your Dating Service". My first surprise was Bachelor #3 a pistol-packing cop that had me wishing I hadn't parked on a side street all too convenient for assault, just minutes after he's told me that IJL does no background checks whatsoever. I did call to let IJL know that I was concerned enough for my safety to refuse any future evening commitments. Absolute unconcern was the response--guess the canned flip tele-marketing handbook response to that was unavailable. The next amazing response was when I took a pass on their recommendation, "You are not allowed to say no because we've worked so hard to make these matches."

As so many have pointed out here, a dart is about as accurate. After I pointed out that Bachelor #4 was on my list of will-not-considers, she relented ungraciously and cooked up a new alternative. I was clear that the dates have been very uncomfortable and even threatening in that one instance and requested a refund, to no avail. The only option offered was to put my activity on hold, which only prolongs the misery so I'm still going.

After #5, which lasted 20 minutes, I requested that this not count since it was so clearly outside either party's comfort zone but that was rejected as well. My assumption has been that they have a women to men ratio of about 400:1 that means sending the women out with whatever warm body is available since the dates have all told me that they go out weekly instead of monthly like I do. Finally, I'd asked to refine my profile and was told no, that "I was accepted as a client on the basis of that and no changes were permitted". So I can't say no, I can't ask for better and I can't get my money back. My goal now is to spread the word as widely as possible about this scam.

So the Guidebook should ask:

How much background investigation is done on the candidates? They should at least make sure the parties are not married!


What is the ratio of men to women?


How is the feedback used to improve the outcomes of future matches?

What recourse is available if the results are clearly unsatisfactory for a specific match and for the service overall?

After posting or complaining about IJL here on this website, they did call me. Stacey from one of there offices called me and we did talk about the past dates I went on. Stacey was very nice and its trying to resolve the issue here. They did fix me up with another date, her name was Micki, she was 49, we meet one Sunday night, we seem to hit it off, but , as you know it drama., stuck its head out again, she gave me her number to call, told me to call her anytime, but she never called back. Why, she gave me her number to beging with? God only knows why?

I am waiting on another match, from IJL, I havant hear back from them yet, its been over a week now, for another match? Micki was match #19 ., I am waiting to see if they will extend, my membership for all the dates they sent me on , that were not my preference?

I hope by writing this someone will learn from mine and others experiences about all dating services, not just IJL , they are out to make money, they are a business, just like any other. The dating service business is a tuff business to be in, the most challenging I think to be in. Sometimes, it just cant be fixed, if the right person youre suppost to meet is not a member.

I signed up for the year membership which costs $1, 800. I decided this would be a good investment into my future to find a wonderful woman to spend the rest of my life with. The dating world is not easy here in Chicago and the typical "bar" women are far from the best. So this was another option other than the online dating scene.

Anyway, throughout the year membership I went on over 25 dates with different women, so I feel I am experienced on how this works. IJL leads you to believe that they have the perfect matches for you, which they don't! They call and tell you about the new match: What they like to do, their looks, their activities, their travels, etc. After hearing basically the same description for each woman, I eventually told them to not waste their time in telling me about the details. Every one sounded fantastic, until you went out on the date! Out of these 25+ dates, I would say that only 2 were good looking. Only a few (6) could hold a conversation, and many had completely different views/likes etc. and weren't even close to a match.

It is very frustrating to go through that many dates throughout the year and not find 1 woman that I would like to date. This service had no idea of what I was looking for, after several conversations stating what I was in search of. They only meet with you once and somehow they "know" you. You have to explain your likes/dislikes over the phone to someone you have never met. Supposedly, there are a group of people who sit in a room and go over all the different profiles to match you up. I think they just grab the closest match and that's who you will be meeting.

There was never a good match and then after complaining several times, IJL had the nerve to ask me to sign up for another year! Crazy! I haven't even spoken to the woman who interviewed me initially (Since I signed up). You would think that she, being the one who "knows" you, would do her best to advise or help in any way possible. She explained that she knew exactly what I was looking for, and I believed her. Unreal.

IJL doesn't even show you a picture of the person you are about to go on a date with. If they did that, it would have saved the woman and I a bunch of time. There were very few good looking women, and the ones that were good looking, couldn't hold a conversation or didn't have the same likes/dislikes as I. And I'm sure that everything is vice versa as well...if I wasn't the woman's type, it would have saved her time/money. Several dates (10) that I went on said they hated the service as well and they weren't listening to what they wanted. Some tried to cancel the membership, but IJL wouldn't let them. Throughout the 25+ dates, there wasn't 1 compliment about IJL. Only complaints.

IJL DOESN'T FULFILL...SIMPLE.

IJL has been more of an annoyance than anything else. No one seems to know what they are talking about and they are just reading profiles. you could do that online for much less than $1800 + all the food and drinks that you have to spend when you go on these dates. Back to the real dating world...in fact, already have 2 dates lined up WITHOUT the service! Good luck.

I wish all of these reviews had been up a few years ago when I joined IJL. The good reviews are probably just from people that work there and are trying their best to stay in business. I am based in NC, and when I first joined the service, I really liked it. Since then, it is a common theme that many of the locations are closed and everything is now through their corporate office. There, the people who answer the phones (sounds like a call center in the background IF you get a call back), are very rude, do not call you back, and if you try to complain, they try to railroad you!

I had a so called unprofessional "director" with no communication skills tell me that "no wonder you are single; you are uncooperative". This was after calling and trying to explain to her that I was reaching out to them due to the fact that the Raleigh number no longer had the IJL message on there and that when leaving a message, no one was calling me back. I have been on 3 dates since last December and have been on hold most of that time due to my work schedule. The 3 dates were really bad. Since asking to be off hold, that is when I realized that this is a big scam b/c there really is no local office and the people (wherever they are) from corporate don't even have the files for the Raleigh branch. They claim that they don't have the information in front of them.

There may be a local person that will meet you at a Starbucks or somewhere if you want to sign up but even she will take your initial call and money and you won't hear from her anymore. These people truly are thieves. They will not return my $695 though b/c they claim that they are still operational. The people from corporate keep interrupting you when you call, they are abrasive, and when I started to stand up for myself (since I am not going to take any junk from a dating service wanna be professional sales person), she called me a ***** and hung up on me.

They claim that they have doubled their number of clients in the Raleigh-Durham area, but if they were so booming, they would return phone calls and want to get people dating. They are just running themselves in the ground, and it's not me b/c all of the sites have similar stories.

I was a member at It's Just Lunch and they are horrible! You fill out an application and tell them what you are looking for in a mate. They tell you that you will only be matched with people that meet your criteria and they guarantee you 13 dates. You go on your dates then give them "Feedback" on your date, what you liked and disliked and they say they will keep that in consideration for your next date. Well that is just a flat out lie!

I would say that 90% of my dates did not meet my criteria. Even after repeatedly telling them that. I got talked into renewing by them saying that they had a lot of new members that met my criteria, still 90% of my dates did not meet my criteria. So I am not only out the $1500 for the initial membership but another $1700 for the renewal. And when I tried to get them to cancel my membership, they would not; they put my membership on hold instead of canceling it. They even sent me a letter confirming that my membership was on hold. I believe they set you up on these dates so that they can keep their guarantee, not to match you up with someone. I am out about $3200 from this so called "dating service"

I am very upset with the Cleveland, Ohio office, I meet with Cathy B, there director at that location, when I signed up back Aug of 2007, we meet, face to face one evening during the week, she asked, me what type of ladies would you like to meet and I told her, slender ladies, in the age range of 35 49 years old and they not to live too far from me, thats about it, well., I guess, I was talking to the wall, the very first 4 dates , they all were all over weight ladies, but nice.

I reported back to the girls at IJL, and I told them, that I wanted to speak with Cathy, we did talk and I told her about the weight issue, and to be more careful next time, she agreed too.
I did meet a few more, just a few of the 16 ladies that , I meet were slender, about 4 maybe., she set me up with this woman, named Denise, that claimed to be 49,, LOL. She was much older then that maybe 56 or 57 and she was very much over weight as well, we did have a second date, the second , well she WAS very boring.. nothing in common, I called IJL and told them, please watch the weight, Denise was date 13 or 14, lost count, I was very upset with IJL at this point, very much so, so they fixed me up with this Jill , when we meet that one Sunday night, well, I had to take a breath, or

I was going to faint onto floor, in walks this red head, 55 tall, very much over weight, I was shock, that IJL would even take her on as a client . Cathy told me that, IJL does not take on clients like that, just the fact, that it would be hard to fix someone up with a weight problem.

By this time, I WAS SO SO UPSET WITH IJL, THAT I WROTE AND called again, how you just dont listen to me! I paid 1600.00 to be fixed up, with slender women. I was on the phone with one of the girls for about one hour, explaining DONT YOU UNDERSTAND I do not want to be fixed up with overweight women!

They finally listen. They set me up with 3 more ladies, that were slender, but was not interested in dating., finally, they set me up with this post office lady, she was 31, a bit young for me, I am 45 years old, but I meet with her anyhow, she was very slender and nice, we had a great time, for the hour we were together, she gave me her number and email address and agreed to a second date..LOL , well, thats what I thought., We were to see each other later that week, for a second date, well? She write me a day later, saying she just join IJL and wanted to date a few more guys and not ready to get close to anyone right now and she went on to say, that she need to talk to Cathy about going out with me on a second date.., she is 31 years old. From that point on , I knew this service was a Joke and I was not going to get anywhere with this service at all. I wrote Cathy telling her again, what kind of service are you running here, that someone needs to get a okay from you to go on a second date.LOL

I can go on and on about IJL, but I wont, myself, I took every date that I went on serious, thats why I join IJL, to meet someone special not to be friends. I always showed up early, with flowers for my dates, everyone of them, received, them to show them, I am interested in meeting someone nice and special, I always had a positive attitude when I meet with my dates, at all times, I even paid for their dinners, just to be nice, and hoping to meet someone., I was always dress to impress, clean shirt and pants, well groomed and nice cologne on

They completely mislead me and took my money.

I paid $1000.00 to meet Men in the Rochester area (where i had just moved and knew nobody)and expected to meet Men with similar interests or even Men with interests at all. I had told them that I was looking to date someone between the ages of 30 and 39 but would go as high as 40 as I was only 32 at the time. They insisted on setting me up with men well into their 40's because my last long term relationship was with an older Man. I told them i did NOT want to date older men.

the first one i went out with, Samantha accidentally switched his profile with someone else's so i was trying to talk to him about things that he had no clue about. It was extremely uncomfortable, but not as uncomfortable as when i told him i didn't want another date and he tried to force himself on me in a parking lot. The last one I had (they say they guarantee 8 dates in 6 months which they did not, my contract ended February 26th and my last date was yesterday)he said he was 43 but acted and looked like he was 48. He also had been married, divorced and had a child which Maria neglected to tell me.

I feel as though I was taken advantage of and my money was taken without a thought to what I was looking for. Why did they even bother to interview me if they weren't going to look at my profile again? I had told them in my interview that my Sister was a professional Ballerina in Europe and they actually told one of my dates that I used to be a professional ballerina in Europe!!! Maria slao tried to set me up with a man who lives in Binghamton...3 hours away!!!

This company is a rip off and they should be closed down. I have also heard from men that i have met on these dates that they have been charged anywhere from $1000.00 to $1600.00. What is their scam here? to take your money and still leave you lonely in a new town where you know nobody. It is a disservice to those of us who are simply looking for a companion. Again I say, they should be closed down immediately!!!! All i wanted was to meet someone nice with interests like mine who i could talk to easily and eventually have a relationship with. this has cost me $1000.00 plus the money I spent on the actual dates which would be around $200.00. Not to mention the gas money to travel to the dates.

As many other women have stated, this was without question the biggest waste of $1500, or any amount, I've ever spent. They have you fill out a detailed questionnaire - and then proceed to completely ignore it. EVERY "date" I was ever sent on completely failed my specified needs. Everything from age to geographical location was ignored. The last "date" they tried to set me up on disregarded three of my requirements, and when I refused it they tried to make me the guilty party saying he was supposedly looking forward to meeting me. If I ignored my clients needs half as much as they did mine, I would have been bankrupt years ago.

The Raleigh office closed and I am sure it was due to poor management and customer service. For most it is a cost of more than $1000 for one year. I have not heard from them in over three months with 8 phone calls to several different people. The first response you get is "YOU WILL NOT GET YOUR MONEY BACK" even though they have not fulfilled their contract. How does this happen?

After researching the internet I have found that Raleigh is not special, this is happening everywhere. Obviously they hire young people that are conditioned to repeat things and take their paychecks and go home without guilt of knowing people are getting swindled out of their money. Disappointment is one thing, losing your money and not receiving a service specified on a contract is another.

I signed up. Had my first match. Called them as instructed to give fee back. I also requested to have another match. I have called 4 times. Cheri never answers her phone, and never returns your call. I paid $600.00 for one date. I have yet to be set up on another date. I feel as though it was all a set up. I paid a lot of money for a phoney date. Each time you call the main number off the web site you are also only instructed to leave a message and of course no one returns your call. I spent $600.00 for nothing.

They called me with the fourth date and I (for the VERY first time) went with my gut and said no. They were shocked and upset with me. It has now been one month later and the only call I have received from IJL is to gather my next month's payment (which I paid,then promptly canceled). Apparently, if you turn down a date with IJL (which is allowed, according to the contract) then you will be punished. Don't expect to ever hear from them again. I was a loyal client, referred three full paying clients to them ($1600 each), sang their praises, then they thank me like this? $150 for one month, and NO dates. Nice. Thanks, IJL, for showing me who's boss.

I signed up for this service in June of 2008. I was excited but the first date they sent me on was a mismatch and Kate lied about her appearance and hobbies. When I called to complain and give feedback, I left a message with Anna the scheduler, she supposedly talked to Kate , my matchmaker . She lied on the phone again about my second, date. I also met another women who they lied about her interests too! I complained again, Then I had a 3rd date and they left out details out about her appearance even after I told them I what I want! I contacted the ops supervisor, Lyn and she lied, pressure me and sugar coated everything. I asked about other women that I was going to meet and she told me" we cant keep track of everyone, we have 1400 clients! THAtS CALLED BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE. I was refused a refund and was put on hold. Im currently seeking an attorney! I also called the headquarters 5 times and never got a call back!

There are several reasons that I believe this is a poorly run company, but the biggest is why I cannot go back. Pamela and her daughter both work at the Columbus location. I went on a date with someone that I met at IJL. After a few dates, he told me that Pamela set him up on a date with her daughter that worked there. For whatever reason, that did not work out, but he had conversations with her about me. It is embaressing for me to go back and get dates. It is unprofessional for Pamela to use this as a personal dating service for her daughter, specifically since her daughter works there. After I started dating the guy, Pamela called him personally to find out why he wasn't dating her. After that point, I was sent on one more date - with someone that I would never be attacted to. A few weeks later, IJL called me saying that Rachelle wanted a photo of me. I no longer trust them.

Additionally, the specific points that I gave them in the beginning, they did not adhere to. Ex. I told them that I would never go out with someone with children. Immediately I was sent on a date with a guy with 2 kids. There were several instances like this for me as well as the people that I dated. I only went on 6 dates. I feel that I deserve a partial refund - at least 50% for their lack of professionalism and lack of ability to deliver. I paid $1600 for a years subscription that I can no longer use

Its just lunch week of June 9th, 2008

Wednesday June 11th got a call from a 954 number asking if I had a date that
night with a man named Steve. I was a little alarmed and said, No, not
that I was aware of? and she just said OK and hung up. Thought it was weird
that I was getting a call from another state asking about a date in LA.

Thursday June 12th at lunch I got a call from a private number. I did not
pick up as I was in the middle of eating and didnt know the number of
course. Right after lunch I called my voice mail to hear the following

message that was so fast as the person was obviously reading it and speaking very unclearly (I had to replay it about 30 time to get every word):

I immediately called the office number I had in my cell phone 310-277-9494
to get a recording that it is disconnected. I called the number several
more times on Thursday to get the recording that the number was
disconnected.

Now I am totally upset and have no clue what is going on and fear that the center went bankrupt and I lost all my money or something. So I was now back
at my office and started hunting on the Its just Lunch web site for any
contact info I could find where I could speak to a person. No luck. I called my
friend Tracy who is a member of the Its Just Lunch up in San Francisco (because of me suggesting it!). So
I called her franchise. I spoke with Meghan there and she said she has no
idea what is going on but to try calling this corporate number. So I did and spoke with Amber. Amber said the center I
joined was turned into a corporate center and for me to now call the corp
number. Which I did to find out its just a voice mail line.
So I left a message here.

Now its Friday June 13th and have heard nothing back from anyone I called
the day before. So I called the 954 number again and left another
message. Then I called the 760 number to try to reach Amber again
but was only able to leave her a message. I go back online to find more
numbers to try calling. So I called 866 and spoke with Lisa who
was of no help at all and insisted I leave another message at the general
corp voice mail number again. I called the disconnected number again to see if it
was back up but it was still disconnected.

Friday late afternoon I get a return call (first one ever) from Michelle at the
corp office in Florida (954 phone number). I told her how upset I was and
that now I just wanted a full refund. She started doing a very hard sell on
me saying that the service would be much better now that the corporation
bought back the franchise. I simply stated the nature in which everything
happened has completely ruined any confidence I had in the service and to
please refund me my money. She explained that my file was now in Florida and
they are ready to set me up on matches. I explained that the whole point to
the service was the one on one? relationship with my match maker in LA and
clearly now that my files are in Florida the one on one service cant happen
as no one knows me there and Im quite sure they wont know anyone they are

setting me up on a date with.

Monday June 16th I started calling all the same numbers again. I left
another message for Michelle. I called Amber at the 760 number and actually
talked to her. She promised me she would get a woman named Claire to call
me back. Friday afternoon at about 5:40 pm Clair did call and asked me to
tell her what was going on. This is now the 5th person I have had to talk
to. She was much nicer than Michelle and said she was sorry to hear that I
was so upset and that she will see what she can do to help me. She said that
I had to give her some time, to give her till Tuesday June 17th and she will
call me back.

I tried calling my the Century City office number that was disconnected last week and
now it says the number has been changed to another 310 number that is a
voice mail line for the coordinators? of that office. No humans answer that
line either.

Tuesday June 17th around 1 pm I call Clair again in Florida. Some one else answers the
phone and says that Clair is out running around?, that she would have her
call me back. I waited 2 hours and called back again at 2:30 LA time and
after being put on hold for about 5 minutes I finally get to Clair again.
Now she is explaining that they will not give a refund if they have matches
for me, and they have plenty of matches for me. I explained that I wanted a
refund because this company has the worst customer service I have ever
experienced last week and I was panicked for over 4 days thinking the office
I signed up with was out of business and I lost all my money. I then
explained over and over how much torture I went through calling over and
over to get no response or help in any way and to just get the run around.
That I want a refund because their customer service was absolutely horrible
and I certainly dont feel like paying $1900 to be treated like that.

At 3 pm LA time Clair said they only will give refunds to people they dont
can't match on dates completely ignoring the whole reason why I am so upset. She
then said she will see what she can do? to get me a refund but that its

basically a long shot.

I am now desperate to get the resolved I hate the customer service with this company and need help to get my money back.