It's Just Lunch! Reviews

The first date after four weeks, I had absolutely nothing in common with and he told me this had been his experience with IJL for the last eight months. There was no feedback from IJL afterwards. Weeks went by and I was assigned a new dating director. He was finally able to set up a date but after one postponement. I arrived at the restaurant and there was no reservation. The gentleman turned out to be someone I had said at the initial discussion I would not be interested in. I have complained numerous times to the salesperson about the lack of response from the dating director and was told I would have an answer in 24 hours. Not once have I received a timely response or have I ever received an apology for the lack of customer service from anyone.

Two weeks ago, I was told I would have the details of my next date within 24 hours and nothing. Since I signed up in late March, I have had two dates. I fully believe they are doing only the bare minimum so they keep to the contract. I had no illusions going into this about finding the one but for these prices, I did expect outstanding or even reasonable customer service. I will never sign up for anything again without researching it fully. It has been an expensive lesson! Everyone who has been following my story is disgusted with this company and I will never recommend it to anyone.

The following week, Amber sent me an email with dinner reservations meant for another person. I told Amber that this service was just not working for me and I would like to discuss a refund. A week later, she finally called but we have yet to resolve anything. I refuse to go on another date matched by this company and I cannot believe that a company would get to keep the full $2,600 for one date and one phone call with the company.

They ask for feedback and then continue to ignore it! When I mentioned that my dates were not matched in terms of politics or religion, I was told "Oh we do not recommend talking about this on the first date." Seriously? Also, in the fine print is you need 6 weeks notice to cancel or they will keep charging your card. Fortunately, I saw this in someone else's negative review in just the nick of time to cancel without extra penalty.

All the guys I met had the same complaints: IJL doesn't listen, matches them with inappropriate people, and obviously has more men than women in the 40’s age range because they heard the same complaints from all their dates that the women only had one per month whereas men really could go on lots of dates! I was initially scared to try internet dating which is why the idea of a personal matchmaker seemed so appealing. I was really ready to meet someone though and 1 (bad) date a month was ridiculous. So after the first month I got on some websites and before my contract was up with IJL, I had met lots of great guys online.

Different sites might work for different people but I was on match, eharmony, POF, and OkCupid and got consistently great contacts on OkCupid so I wanted to recommend that to anyone reading this. Save your money and go online (OkCupid is free too!). When I think of the amazing amount of money I wasted on IJL, I was mad at myself but realize it’s just my "stupidity fee" for not looking into their reputation first!

Many of my dates had no facts about me at all other than my first name. The matchmakers do not even have pictures of the people they are matching, but they tell you every girl is stunning or beautiful. Of course, none of the women were beautiful. Many were nice but absolutely no chemistry because the matchmakers have no compatibility factors to consider. There is absolutely no matchmaking to this service at all. It is simply matching people who are dumb enough to spend $2k on a service hoping for love. That got my money. Hopefully, they will not get yours. Hey, Dick meet Jane. She is your age and your race, should work out great. Oh, and give us $2,000 too for the finder's fee.

I could go on, but will just close by saying that I would personally recommend this service to anyone looking for a service that can help introduce people who may otherwise not cross paths, maintain discretion and do it all in a way that was productive and fun.

We have put our memberships on hold with It's Just Lunch and are looking forward to getting to know each other better! I strongly recommend Patty and IJL for people who are serious about meeting people they are compatible with, given the increased security and professionalism of the IJL process!

On a friend’s advice, I met with an IJL dating director in NYC. She spent an hour getting to know me and the “type” of women I was interested in meeting. I liked that both the males and the females paid the same monies. I found the dates I was set up with met at least some of my criteria. I also learned a lot about myself. I learned that certain characteristics I thought wouldn’t matter to me, did. I met very interesting people, women who I otherwise wouldn’t have met any other way. The ones that weren’t a fit I assumed likely acted very differently during their initial IJL interview (read: “8x10 glossy”) and I got to see the “real” person. But it truly was just a lunch, a lunch I was going to eat anyway. So why not eat it with someone else, why not get to meet someone new. If you don’t like the date, a simple “Wow, look at the time… check please.”

If that’s the worst thing that happens to you in a given week, consider yourself very lucky. Besides, the upside is so worth the time and effort. I found the dating director responsive, prompt and very professional. Though I’ve never met them personally, I’d consider them my friends. As such, I’d sincerely recommend the NYC It’s Just Lunch service and team.

They had me sign the contract. I asked about the refund policy well. It says you have 3 days. Well this women were nowhere to be found for 3 days, never answer my phone calls and were not available. She said 3 dates. Well the contract says 3 introductions. Meaning, if they mention a potential date's name, that is considered an introduction. That is **. I am sorry I didn't read all the reviews first. If there is anyone who can help me put a stop to this and return my money, I'd appreciate it.

I’m seeking an attorney and clients of It's Just Lunch to sue It's Just Lunch for fraudulent business practices. For any client and/or former client who have been deceived by It's Just Lunch, we are planning to sue them to get our money back. Paying upfront fees and receiving poor service are unacceptable business practices. We experienced dates that did not match the qualities we asked for. Also, we went on dates where the matchmaker did not even meet the person. Also, they claim to be a matchmaking service on their website and are actually a dating service.

The day after I joined, I was called by the staff member who did my interview and was given the biggest pressure sell of all time to upgrade to the "Elite" membership. She made huge promises about the personalized service she would give me and began telling me about the great matches she had in mind for me. I do not know why, but I forked over another $1900 and was sucked in. As many of the others have written, IJL took its good old time getting dates set up and it was always difficult to get a response from them via phone or email. I was set up on three dates that were a complete waste of time. It was as if I had never been interviewed as the dates I was set up with were nothing like what I had described I was looking for. After 3 experiences that were a waste of time and money, I decided I wanted out.

I battled for two months and was finally promised in writing a refund of $3325 of my $3800 and was told that it would be credited back to my card in 30 business days. That amount, I felt, was ridiculous given the minimal work IJL had done. 30 days passed and no refund. After daily calls and emails, the owner finally called me and said that the employee who promised my refund did not have the authority to give refunds and was no longer working for IJL-Milwaukee. I had to start the fight for my refund again. In December, I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Wisconsin. The following day, the owner called me and proposed a $1900 refund and a new contract for a year of Elite membership and said that she would act as my personal "matchmaker" for that membership term. I agreed and was told that my credit card would be refunded $1900 in 30 business days. At the end of January, there was still no refund.

Multiple calls again and I was emailed a photocopy of the receipt for the credit. My card company had no record of any such credit and I was then told by IJL there was a "technical error" and they would investigate. Another week passed. In early February 2012, I was told that their legal team was involved and that no refund would be granted unless I signed a confidentiality contract and pulled my complaint from the BBB website. I am disgusted by the way these thieves take advantage of people who are just looking to connect with someone special. They make promises they cannot keep, they are unresponsive and stretch out the time between contact (convenient for them as the memberships are time limited), and they have gone back on written agreements on more than one occasion. I have no doubt that had I signed the confidentiality form and pulled my complaint with the BBB, I would still have never seen any refund. They have stolen my $3800, but they will not take away my freedom of speech. I am now on a mission to prevent them from stealing other innocent consumer's money.

Before joining, I did not read the many negative online reviews and I feel it is my responsibility to add my two cents. I got the feeling all they are doing is fulfilling their contract by ensuring members are given the minimum number of required dates. That is it. Nothing more. Now that I think about it, out of a pool of 800 people in the Denver metro area, there are not that many people for them to work with.

When I first talked with them, I asked about the percentage of men and women in my age range, but they were not able to give me an answer. Why not? Simple commands in Excel could have provided the answer. Also, when I went to meet with them, I noticed on the door there was a makeshift door bell and a peep hole. I thought, "Why do they have this?" My guess now is to not open the door to angry customers. I have not had luck with online dating as well. I am going to search for my soul mate the traditional way.

I found it strange that the "dating specialist" didn't plan to meet with me until after my first date. Also, the sales person assured me there were plenty of guys who met my criteria. She told me she can't get back to all inquiries because she sometimes has too many potential clients and won't be able to help them all (I took this to mean she has too many female clients and not enough male clients). How does she know this she has potential matches for me (I was told there was a guaranteed minimum of 12 and no maximum) if she didn't have any of my statistics? She mentioned two other employees who would be helping me with the process. I wonder if I would ever hear from her again after I paid my membership.

Maybe everyone on here should get together and we can form our own matches. I hope more singles contemplating this dating service read these comments before signing up. Thank you for being honest with your experiences.

After my first date on September 20, 2011 I did not hear from my dating director for over two months. At the end of November I sent emails and still received no response. Once I contacted my original sales person, I finally heard back from my new dating director. This was now the second dating director I had. Each time I spoke to this person she was disinterested in my needs, distracted and disorganized. At one point she suggested a particular match that enjoyed skiing, and added that he was nowhere near as good as I was since I was basically skiing at a professional level. I have never skied in my life. In fact, most of the matches she suggested had interests that did not compare to mine.

My second date was finally scheduled for late December. He was outside my age range and physical preferences, we had no interests in common, he came across as cheap and I learned that he had just traveled to the Ukraine seeking a potential bride. I was told that this terrible date was not my dating director's fault since my match had yet to go through the screening process that you are required to do only after your first date. I happened to be his first date. Part of the allure to this service is the screening process.

After weeks of not being contacted by IJL, I had to send another email asking about next opportunities. I was told about many but was finally matched with someone who was again outside my age range. When I arrived to the restaurant for our date, after driving 45 minutes from my home area, the reservation did not exist at the restaurant and the match never showed. I believe that this date never existed, or it was cancelled without my knowledge.

After complaining via email, I was transferred again to a new dating director that assured me she would turn my experience with IJL around. That evening, she scheduled a date for me without checking my availability or telling me anything about the potential match. She also thought I lived in a town 1.5 hours from my home town. She called it an honest clerical error when reviewing my profile. At this point I asked for my contract to be canceled and for a full refund since the service provided did not meet the contract obligations. I was told by a manager that refunds were against company policy.

IJL is a scam that preys on the vulnerable. They tell you exactly what you need to hear in order for you to spend a significant amount of money for a service that you are lead to believe is reputable and of high quality. Once committed to the contract that is designed to protect only IJL and not the participant, you are treated with disrespect, your matches are not of the caliber that you paid for and your dating director is not professional and is nowhere near the expert that the company claims. In my opinion, they are matching people based on availability and location, not on interests or preference.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Then the next date they scheduled 'canceled' the day of the date. IJL stated that she was sick. I could go on and on but my experiences basically match up verbatim with all the complaints on here. It has been a ridiculous experience, and how in the world can anybody take it serious once they feel they have been scammed? I’m out $1,400 with one ridiculous date to show for it.

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.

My advice to all of you is this, Don't ever, I mean ever pay some fee like that until you have checked them out on the BBB or Google reviews. (This is how I found consumer complaints).

I just got off the phone with one of the reps at IJL and she gave me the spiel and was talking 100 miles per hour. Whenever someone does that, watch out. It's a sales pitch. I remained quiet until she finished in which she asked, I bet you want to know how much it's going to cost right? Ha, ha, and I'm like, yes, that would be nice. Do I need to sell my car? She said, "No, no, 12 months for $2,200, with 14 guaranteed dates." And I'm like, "Are you serious? I can do 12 dates in one month standing on my head by myself with no help from anyone." She quickly ended the call.

If something seems too expensive, listen to your instincts. It probably is. I so want to protect people from parasites. Please be careful out there!

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.

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.

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.

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

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 did not attempt to ambush them. I stated the problem and said that I was requesting a partial refund. They are now rudely denying that they even know who I am. I would never recommend this so called service to another human being on this planet. I cannot believe that a business could be so actively, blatantly dishonest.

They require that you phone them to "give feedback" within 24 hours of your date. They told me that this was, so they could get a better idea of what you did or did not like about the guy, and they could apply this to find you a more compatible date the next time. It all sounded fantastic. The truth was, they did not have nearly as many people in their system as they had told me. They claimed they had 800 active members in Colorado. As I type this, it has been exactly 7 weeks since the last date they sent me on. And the contract is only 24 weeks! They have not even come close to delivering what they promised.

Exactly 5 times, Jocelyn called and set me up for a date with my next match, only to have the gentleman suddenly leave town and have to cancel the date at the last minute. Three of the men left, went to the mountains, and were out of cell phone range. One left the country and was out of cell phone range. The other one left town at the last minute and didn't know when he would be returning. They always gave me some strange excuse as to why the guys had to cancel. I expressed my concerns to them numerous times on the phone. I even went in for a face-to-face appointment with Jen again to ask her what in the world was going on. I told her I would like to quit the service and be refunded back for the remaining time. It was because they were unable deliver what they had promised me, and I was tired of arranging my schedule and having almost everyone cancel at the last minute (if those guys even existed). Of course, they always refer to the contract, which states no refunds.

I am a business owner and also state that there are no refunds on my merchandise that people purchase from me. That is what I advertise. But any customers who come to me and are unhappy with the product they have purchased from me are refunded immediately, without question. This is the foundation of good customer service, and moral character as well.

This company is not qualified to be in the matchmaking business. The promises they make to the prospective members are for the purpose of putting money into their own pockets. The sad part is that Jen, Jocelyn, Erica, and Hope all know exactly how to tell people what they want to hear and are making lots of money lying to people day after day after day. Now I know why their office doesn't have normal glass doors. It is the only office in the entire building that has a wood door with a little peephole for them to look through and a doorbell! They are probably scared for their lives and they're hiding behind that door! Because I gave them a chance to make things right with me and they chose not to do so, I am also sending this report to Consumer Reports, the Better Business Bureau, and every other place online, and in all the professional networking groups I attend to get the word out. If I can keep one other busy professional, or possibly a single parent from wasting their time and money with this company, then I feel it will have done some good.

I was initially contacted by my dating director, MJ, on July 5. We discussed potential matches. MJ gave me very minimal information on each man. I had to play 20 questions to determine if each man was someone I'd be interested in meeting. One man whom MJ wanted me to go on a date with did not have certain attributes I look for in a male. When I expressed my disinterest in the man, MJ pretty much told me that I was close-minded and that I should give him a shot. MJ kept pushing me to agree to meet this man, even though I was uncomfortable with it. It made me uncomfortable that MJ kept hounding me about this man. I felt that MJ was out of line. I feel it is not the director's job to tell me who I should and should not be interested in, and definitely not his/her job to persuade me to go on dates with certain people. I held my ground and told MJ I was still uninterested.

The second match MJ wanted to make was with a gentleman who sounded nice. I will refer to him as "Tim". Again, I played 20 questions with MJ to make sure I would be interested in Tim--that he didn't have any of my "deal breakers".

After our phone conversation, I got an email from MJ listing my scheduled dates. In the email, I noticed that MJ arranged a date for me with the man I told her I was uninterested in meeting.

I found this upsetting and it made me lose confidence on my dating director. In my opinion, clients should not be matched with someone who does not meet their desires or be matched with people they have expressed disinterest in.

I wrote MJ a reply requesting that the date be cancelled. I added in my email a list of "deal breakers" to help MJ with the matching process.

The next day, MJ called me in response to my email. MJ told me that her friend said she should call and apologize to me and that she should not make me go out on a date with the guy I told her I was uninterested in. That's pretty much all she said. Didn't really come out and apologize genuinely.

I felt very uncomfortable with the fact that MJ was talking to her friend about my dating situation. My confidence and trust in MJ decreased significantly at this point. I decided to call IJL to request a different dating director. A man answered and placed me on hold. After being on hold for a few minutes, the line was picked up and it was MJ. I had no idea I was going to be transferred to her. The very first words she muttered to me were, "Do we have another problem?"

The attitude in her voice shocked me. I explained that I want a different director because I do not think our personalities mesh well and that I have lost confidence and trust in her matching abilities. MJ was rude to me during the whole conversation and was less than apologetic. MJ informed me that there are no other dating directors--she's the only one--and that there is pretty much no one else I can speak to about my disappointment. She said that there was no customer service department and that if I had any problems, anyone I speak with would just direct me to her.

A few days later, I went on a date with Tim. This was my first IJL date. I came to find out that not only did Tim live over one hour away from me (deal breaker), but he also had two children (deal breaker). Tim's occupation was also a deal breaker for me. MJ specifically told me on the phone that Tim was divorced with "no children." I was astonished that MJ had set me up with man, knowing full and well from our phone conversation and my email that I was absolutely opposed to meeting someone who has children and opposed to dating individuals in Tim's occupational field. There were many other lies that MJ told me regarding Tim, but I will not get into that.

After the date, I emailed MJ and also called MJ and left a voicemail expressing my disappointment. Three days later, she sent me an email telling me to call her. I could not get a hold of her by phone until three days after that.

During our phone conversation, she was rude and uncaring. I expressed my disappointment in the date she arranged. Tim and I never should have been matched.

MJ was less than sympathetic. I told her I did not trust her and did not want to be a client of IJL any longer if I cannot get another director. I told her that she was not arranging dates based on my desires, goals, motivations--the way how IJL claims they make their matches.

I asked for the owner's contact information--the website had my local IJL listed as a franchise. MJ informed me that it was not a franchise and that there was no owner. I then asked for contact information of someone I could speak with about getting a refund. MJ said they don't give refunds.

They charge a large sum of money for their services, which they promised but do not deliver. It appears as though the It's Just Lunch in my area is a scam.

The second date was did not meet my dating profile requirementst at all. The third date said immediately when he met me "Oh no, they screwed up again."

Fourth date did not meet my profile specifics which included interestes in physical activity. His basic interest was watching TV and strolling in booksstores. Each time I asked for my money back. Each time I was switched to a new dating specialist. All my requests to speak to a supervisor were ignored. I told them their customer service was horrible and that it I would have much more success paying $24 on Match. They are a horrible organization and can't justify the $1,000 they charge.

My last date was a no-show and no one at It's Just Lunch responded to my phone calls or email until this month.

This month I am working with Kendra who made me retell the whole story and promised she would help only to be told that what she could do is not count the previous dates and start me over. This is after I told her I was recently mugged and injured and could use the money to off-set medical costs. How they are able to continue to operatee as a legitimate dating service is beyond me. Kendra also refused to let me speak with a supervisor.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 led 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.

After each date I would call in and try to talk with someone about my experience. I tried 7 dates with nothing but lies and poor customer service from IJL. The women were nice but they were not anything like what I had requested during my interview. I became so frustrated with their poor customer service that I just quit using their service before I even finished the dates I had purchased. I wasted over $500 of unused dates. I told them I no longer was going to waste my time with them because they were delivering nothing that they promised. I asked them to never call me again unless it was to apologize and offer to make up for the poor customer service.

They started to call me again about a year later. They wanted to sell me more of their services. I told them no and asked them not to call me again. They called me 3 more times in the next two years, again to sell me more of their services. Each time I explained my past experiences and asked for an apology. None was offered. They would just say, "We have these great women for you. All you need to do is sign up again." I was amazed and appalled.

I have now demanded for the fifth time that they not call me but they have continued to call. They called again today and said that they have new people for me to meet and I should once again sign up. I have asked to speak with the owner on a number of occasions and have never received a call. Beware. They want your money and they do not deliver on any of their promises. Oh, by the way. I am fit. I teach martial arts. I own multiple companies and am not a psycho. I am just amazed that this business can continue to mislead and operate with such poor customer service. Unfortunately, they will probably continue to survive because they prey on lonely hearts.

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.

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.

After additional research, I decided to cancel my membership. I have found numerous complaints online from other members across the country and in Canada. Membership fees vary from region to region ($1100, $1400, or $1600). I suppose that variance could be attributed to how large a city/pool of candidates is, but the one consistent issue is that everyone has been very unhappy with the service, either they're poorly matched, the members are not thoroughly or even marginally screened, etc. I read one story of a woman who had been set up with a married man!

Ultimately, I am a traditionalist and I just don't feel comfortable meeting men this way. I also found complaints from former employees who have stated that It's Just Lunch institutes discriminatory and deceptive practices, i.e. they do not accept ** or overweight members. Their directors are encouraged to sign up as many members as possible regardless of whether or not they think they have suitable matches and they do not set up members on their first date until after three business days, which is the grace period to cancel the agreement without penalty.

On 1/21, I wrote a letter, which I faxed and mailed on 1/22 notifying Ms. R of my decision to cancel the membership. I further explained that with the demands of my job and heavy travel schedule, I would not be able to maximize the potential benefits, and if I couldn't do so there was no point in continuing the service. To be fair, I deducted the $200 administrative fee and since I was unsuccessfully matched on one lunch date (1/20), I prorated the incurred expense of $142.86. These figures combined amount to $342.86. I asked to be reimbursed for $757.14.

Late in the day on 1/25, I received a call from their coordinator Lindsay to schedule a conference call with Ms. R for the next day. I gave Lindsay two available time slots: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Lindsay never called to confirm an exact time. The following morning (1/26) when 11 a.m. came and went without a call, I assumed that Ms. R would call me at 2 p.m., but by 2:05 p.m. when I had still not heard from Ms. R, I called her. Ms. R explained that they have a no refund policy and offered to put my membership on hold. I explained that I was resolute and that if I felt uncomfortable today, I would feel the same two weeks or two months from now.

I also confided that I had recently rekindled a former (serious) relationship, but she insisted on placing my membership on hold. I could not understand her inflexibility. What if I were to marry my ex-boyfriend? Would my membership remain on hold indefinitely? Unfortunately, I signed this contract during an especially vulnerable time and if they are never compelled to reimburse me, that will be one very expensive date and lesson learned. Nevertheless, I wanted to bring this issue to your attention because at the very least, I think their agreement needs to be modified. I am hoping that an attorney of interest will read this letter as I would be willing to join a class action lawsuit. I have found their behavior deplorable, unconscionable and question the legality (at least) of their actions and most certainly the ethical and moral implications of being forced to go on dates against my will!

Ms. R then offered to speak with her management team and call me back the next day. Late afternoon on 1/27, I received a voicemail from her that she discussed this issue with her manager, but that she was about to go into a meeting. I called her on 1/28, but she was at lunch, so I left a voicemail. She never called me back. I called her on 1/29; she had already left for the day, so I left another message. I received a voicemail from her on 2/1. I called her back straightaway, but she was unavailable again! Oddly enough, each time Ms. R has left me messages, my mobile never rang. I suspect that Ms. R was surreptitiously calling me from a mobile instead of her landline to avoid speaking with me directly.

I joined this service and attempted to quit one week later but I feel as though the employees at It's Just Lunch are trying to drag out the process until I give up or too much time passes. It's a matter of principle. I should not have to pay for a service I never have any intention of using. I have also filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau (Oakland, CA) and the State Attorney General and will move forward with arbitration, if necessary, but I have no desire to continue this service and they shouldn't be allowed to hold onto my money. I would appreciate any assistance or intervention you, any fellow members or attorneys interested or in the process of litigation can provide on my behalf.

Unfortunately, after volleying emails back and forth with Its Just Lunch San Francisco franchise owner, Amy B, the BBB case has been closed and I am awaiting a response from California AG. On 2/24, I followed up my complaints with an email to Irene ***, which was interestingly enough intercepted by Ms. B, wherein she actually had the audacity to threaten me with a collections agency if I do not pay the balance of $1,100 by March 13th. Do they really expect me to throw good money after bad? Do they actually believe that I would want to remain a client?

Quite frankly, I have a very demanding job and have been traveling heavily over the last month. I resent the fact that I am forced to write letter after letter and file complaint after complaint; I have much more important issues/priorities to be addressing just now, mainly an ailing mother and teenage brother to look after, but I will continue to write letters and file complaints because ultimately I question and challenge the immoral and unethical practices of this organization. I will never go on another date arranged by this organization.

I want nothing more to do with them. I regret ever setting foot into their offices and wish that I had listened to that little voice in my head telling me to rip up that contract and run away as fast as I can! And whether or not anyone can assist, I hope that for the other members my letter will provide a sense of empathetic frustration and for those considering a membership, this should serve as a cautionary tale and if you have the slightest doubts at all, please heed those subconscious warnings

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 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