
It's Just Lunch! Reviews
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About It's Just Lunch! Reviews
It's Just Lunch is a personalized matchmaking service that caters to busy professionals looking for meaningful relationships in more than 110 U.S. cities as well as cities in Canada, the UK, Ireland and Australia. Matchmakers get to know members and use their dating preferences and relationship history to select matches. It's Just Lunch makes all the arrangements for comfortable and safe face-to-face dates, including the time and place. All members have to do is show up ready to meet their match. Potential pairs meet over lunch or after work for drinks.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Guaranteed face-to-face dates
- Free onboarding interview
- Customized membership plans
- Fully confidential
Cons
- Lengthy process
- Can be pricey
Bottom Line
It’s Just Lunch offers an alternative to online dating apps with its personalized matchmaking services. You work one-on-one with a matchmaker who finds potential matches for you and sets up the date.
It's Just Lunch! Reviews
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Reviewed June 28, 2012
Patty is a positive, trusting, energetic, and hardworking matchmaker who considers individual profiles before attempting to match 2 random people. Her telephone manner and communication skills are superior. She has a way of making you feel happy whether a match was set or not. She takes her position very seriously and attempts to keep clients active on a monthly basis. All the best, Patty. It was nice getting to know you!
Reviewed June 28, 2012
This company is a fraud. This company promised quality men based on a professional matching service. They set you up with whoever they have available and the men are not professional, not compatible, not attractive, and not anyone I would date. The dates are very few and far between, and the service is terrible. Any time you complain, they feed you the same ** lines over and over. Not only have I not met anyone I would consider dating, but my dates have been very unsatisfactory experiences overall. This is not a match-making service at all.
Reviewed June 27, 2012
I am so sorry I signed up with It's Just Lunch. The initial sales person had excellent skills and I eventually relented and signed up despite the cost being what I considered too high. It's been downhill ever since. The dating director had no client service skills whatsoever. She never listened to anything I said (for example only being able to meet during lunch on weekdays) and sent me emails with misspellings and did not know the difference between AM and PM.
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.
Reviewed June 27, 2012
Just a quick note to let you know that I have had a great matchmaking experience with the company It's Just Lunch. 2.5 years ago, the It's Just Lunch dating service introduced me to my now boyfriend. I had no success with online dating and it's difficult to meet eligible professional single men in my day-to-day life. I decided to work with It's Just Lunch to help screen the men I was dating and introduce me to people that were interested in a relationship. They made a match! Thank you, It's Just Lunch.
Reviewed June 27, 2012
I signed a contract with IJL (that name clearly appears on my contract). I stupidly went for the "elite membership" (that service is clearly listed on my contract). They gave me 3 IJL matches in 3 months. I went on hold for 5 months. About 6 months after initially signing up, I got an email from the new franchise owner. Then a few months later I found out that person turned the business back to corporate. Since corporate won't deliver the services of the "elite" portion of my contract (and the original "IJL representative" didn't get around to it either), I asked for a refund for that portion of my agreement. They refused. What really irks me is that they consistently try to tell me I didn't sign up with them, but in fact the agreement I signed clearly states (in several areas of the agreement) that the agreement is between It's Just Lunch and me. What happened is I got - well, you know what, and it wasn't with an IJL date. I would never recommend this company.
Reviewed June 27, 2012
The Washington, DC franchise of It's Just Lunch should be called It's Just Lies. They posted that they contacted me and resolved the issues described in my previous complaint in 2010. While someone from the company did contact me and asked me some questions, she never attempted to resolve anything. It has been over 7 months. I told It's Just Lunch that I expected a refund since they did not uphold their contractual obligations, and I was told that the owner would contact me to resolve the issues. They never provided the last date nor did they provide the services described in their contract for the first two dates. Mr. ** never called, and no written correspondence ever occurred, either to my mailbox or email. They kept my money and never honored the terms as described in their contract. There may be a few of you out there with positive experiences at some of the IJL franchises, but ladies and gentlemen, do yourselves a favor and don't waste your time at the DC franchise.
Reviewed June 26, 2012
My experience with It’s Just Lunch (IJL) has positively exceeded my expectations. IJL reps are prompt in returning calls, sharing dating tips, and addressing issues that have enhanced my dating experience. The matches are well thought out and meet the desired criteria. I recommend IJL to anyone new to the dating scene.
Reviewed June 25, 2012
It's Just Lunch is really another It's Just a Ripoff. When I first went on interview with them, the sales rep told me they had tons of attractive women dying to meet someone like me. Of course, I knew this was a good sales pitch, but I thought "Oh well, let's give it a try." I didn't like their service from the first date. I asked ITL that I wanted out and to refund my money. They said that they couldn't refund my money, that I had two weeks to cancel, but the first date took place 3 weeks after I signed up so there was no way I could have known how bad of a service they had. I spent $1,300 for a membership. I went to 10 dates - none of them were good matches at all. Some ladies live an hour and a half from the meeting place. I must have spent an average of $35 per date, so that is another $350 down the drain.
Reviewed June 21, 2012
I changed my review on 11/11/11, and got one more mismatched date. After further complaints, I was offered a lifetime membership! I was told that they would let me know anytime a compatible man joined up. Since then, I heard nothing. So, in May, I said that I was very dissatisfied about this. I was then told that I was placed in an inactive file, and that was their policy, i.e., what they meant, for "lifetime membership". I wrote back and said that was not my understanding at all, and that I wanted a manager to contact me. No one has contacted me from It's Just Lunch.
Reviewed June 20, 2012
I just wanted to share that Patty from Its Just Lunch is very professional and is great at what she does. I believe her role is very challenging and Patty truly tries to understand her clients and does an amazing job. I would highly endorse Patty to find anyone a date. She's the best!
Reviewed June 19, 2012
Robyn at IJL is an extremely good salesperson and before I knew it, I was impulsively signing up for their services. After reading the reviews for IJL, I tried to cancel the membership two days later and was told by Robyn that there was a no cancellation policy for GA. Robyn convinced me that I was just nervous and after giving them a try, it would be money well spent. After only one date, I knew this service was not for me. My date told me about the problems he and the other women he had dated have had with this company. He told me the company told people the wrong times to meet, which they did to me as well. He also told me people had been sent to the wrong restaurants on the wrong days and so forth.
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.
Reviewed June 19, 2012
Sheri (the dating coach) did a great job of giving me some tips to make my dating experiences that much better. She was nice, knowledgeable and a pleasure to talk to. I highly recommend It’s Just Lunch to anyone whose job keeps them busy and unable to get out and meet new people.
Reviewed June 15, 2012
Patty is terrific. She takes time to listen to what I want and tries her best to match who I am looking for. Patty focuses on the positive qualities of others, which is an example we can all learn from. Patty is a very caring person and has taken very good care of me. I would not hesitate to recommend Patty and It's Just Lunch. Thank you, Patty.
Reviewed June 14, 2012
This company is a total scam! I had tried to make a complaint with the company through multiple outlets and even stopped by their office and called their corporate office. I did not hear from anyone nor could be directed to someone in the corporate office for 5 weeks! I finally disputed with my credit card company and miraculously, I received numerous emails saying that they have been trying to get in touch with me. This company has no customer service skills. They also tell you that you will go on one to two dates a month, but they give you the bare minimum to meet their contract needs. When I had my face to face, they told me they had two matches for me, but I didn’t hear from anyone until one month later. Then my dating director had no clue who those two matches were. The men that go on the service go on at least three to four dates a week. I was not informed that the people I would be going on a date with would be "serial dating”. This company is disgusting and a total scam. I’m still trying to get my money back. Buyer beware!
Reviewed June 13, 2012
This dating service is a scam! I blame only myself because I did not look at reviews before joining. Reading comments now confirms my experience. The following are just a few problems: They did not listen to me during the interview, or if they did, it did not matter because they proceeded to ignore all the things I said were important about matches. They blatantly lied about how many dates there would be. They said, "As many as you have time for! We are experts in scheduling so if you have the time we have the dates for you!" Of course it is my fault because I failed to read the fine print in the contract which says there will be a minimum of one date per month (which is exactly what they offered).
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!
Reviewed June 12, 2012
I am in Norfolk, VA. I signed up in 2011 for IJL. In one year, there have been three regime changes. Not very professional but I can deal with it. My general impression with IJL is it is not a matchmaking service. Essentially, if you pay to join, literally they match the age demographics and race preferences together. I am a 37-year old white male. I told them to match me with 30-40 year old white women, which they did. However, there was nothing more than that to the equation.
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.
Reviewed June 8, 2012
I wanted to extend my gratitude to Sheri and everyone at IJL in making my experience with your agency all worthwhile. Although I have not met that one special someone, I have met many interesting and wonderful ladies. I am very appreciative of the way you accommodate my hectic and unpredictable schedule and the always pleasant phone calls I receive from my dating directors. Please continue to keep up the good work and I hope to continue to do business with your agency... just not for too long.
Reviewed June 8, 2012
I've been working with the team at "It's Just Lunch" for almost 6 months and I have truly enjoyed the experience. Pat and their team of professional matchmakers are professional, insightful, encouraging and a pleasure to work with. I would recommend this program to any busy professional who is serious about wanting to date.
Reviewed June 8, 2012
I joined IJL for dating services to find a compatible lifetime companion. My experience throughout the matchmaking and dating process was completely positive. IJL provides a full scope package. They take care of finding matches, scheduling the dates and making arrangements for the meeting venue. I have previously tried other matchmaking systems and found the quality and character of matches through IJL far exceeds that of the persons that use the typical online dating system. All of my dates through IJL were accurately portrayed, very interesting, and truly had the same objective as I did - to find a lifetime companion. I'm very excited to report I believe I've found my companion. Thank you Pat. Thank you IJL.
Reviewed June 7, 2012
I went to court in Sacramento. It's Just Lunch did not bother to show up. I won the case, but they never paid back the service that was not provided. I am still looking for my money back.
Reviewed June 7, 2012
I just received an e-mail from Consumer Affairs stating, "Thank you for submitting your review to Consumer Affairs on Nov. 5, 2007. It's Just Lunch! has contacted us to resolve the problems customers such as yourself may have had with them." It's Just Lunch has in no way rectified the situation. They would not give me back a pro-rated amount of my fee. They would not offer any resolution other than to keep sending me on lousy dates. They completely lied to get me to sign up and I feel their practice is entrapment. This has never been resolved. I would just like to make record of that here since the e-mail I was sent by Consumer Affairs was a do not reply e-mail.
Reviewed June 7, 2012
It's Just Lunch has done an excellent job of finding me matches that share my interests and live in my vicinity. Though difficult to find locally, Adrienne has gone that extra mile and I really appreciate the effort. I would recommend It's Just Lunch to any single person trying to meet the right man/woman.
Reviewed June 6, 2012
Great service. I have been pleasantly surprised at how thoughtful and thorough George at It's Just Lunch has been. I had read such negative reviews for this service. Part of me wondered if people with negative experiences also just had bad attitudes towards dating in general. What I know for sure is that any concern I have had, George has taken the time to discuss and answer questions immediately. I feel like he takes his job seriously and has sent me on some fun dates. I don't expect that I'm guaranteed to meet the perfect guy. But I do expect for my money to get personalized service, attention to what I like and don't like and thoughtfulness on the dates I'm matched with. So far that has been done in spades. George has managed to make dating fun again and that's exactly what I feel I paid for.
Reviewed June 1, 2012
Patty has been an absolutely tremendous person to deal with. She is always courteous and pleasant, has a good sense of humor. She does a great job describing matches and their qualities, very efficient at setting up dating encounters, always encouraging me for feedback and making every effort to find a match that is right for me. I highly commend her for her efforts.
Reviewed May 29, 2012
So this site appears to be one where complaints may be filed, but in my case, I'm writing for other reasons, namely to recap my positive experience with It's Just Lunch! As an extremely busy senior executive, I was looking for a way to have some assistance with the tedious effort of dating, while maintaining a high level of discretion that I mandate in my life. It's Just Lunch accomplished both! From the initial interview through the many dates that were set up, I can honestly say that the IJL associates were very professional and responsive. More importantly, I was on well more than a dozen dates that were set up with the organization and I found that the women were all very intelligent professionals who shared many of the same views I had.
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.
Reviewed May 25, 2012
"It's Just Lunch" is a great service. I have tried all the major dating sites (with bad results). Ryan at Just Lunch has taken the time to get to know me and arranged high quality dates with wonderful ladies. If you're serious about dating, go to "It's Just Lunch" and ask for Ryan.
Reviewed May 24, 2012
I have participated in the IJL program twice. My decision to return was heavily weighted by the fact that I would get to deal with Patty again. I found Patty to be professional, personal and very concerned with doing a great job matching up her people. I felt a strong personal connection to Patty and always enjoyed my chats with her. Most importantly, I felt that she was really on my side and was very successful at getting me only the best matches. In fact, her last match for me was a home run. We've been together for just over a year now. Thanks, Patty!
Reviewed May 23, 2012
I am very satisfied with my recent experience working with It's Just Lunch in Ft. Lauderdale and wanted to post a comment about my experience. The person they introduced me to has everything I'm looking for - brains, looks, money and personality. We've gone out twice and I can't wait for our next encounter! Hands down, it's been one of the best dating experiences of my life. I'm so glad I invested in this service.
Reviewed May 22, 2012
I am extremely pleased with my experience with It's Just Lunch! Patty is an amazing, energetic and enthusiastic lady, with whom I had the pleasure of speaking with every few weeks when she gave me a choice of partners I could go on a "first date" with. Over time, she understood exactly what I was looking for and succeeded in matching me with an amazing man, whom I am enjoying spending time with!
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!
Reviewed May 22, 2012
George is the first one in 3 years to do what he said he would. He matched me with someone who actually fit the profile of who I was looking for. Fourth date coming up soon and we'll see what happens from there. But I'm more hopeful now than any previous experience with similar businesses.
Reviewed May 18, 2012
I have found using It's Just Lunch to be a very positive medium for meeting like-minded individuals, who like my self, can't just seem to get time to meet others in social settings. The fee to join I felt would keep unwanted time wasters at bay and that only serious people would be interested in joining. So far, I have met some lovely woman, able to communicate, and is positive in life attitude. The opportunity to meet face to face far and away is much more productive than many, many emails or text messages through the standard internet dating providers. Yes, thumbs up to It's Just Lunch.
Reviewed May 18, 2012
I rejoined It's Just Lunch at the beginning of the year after being a member a few years earlier. While I did not have a lot of luck with the service, staff at IJL were friendly and professional. They listened and set me up with women I was looking for. I met a total of four women (one never showed up), and the dates I went on were with quality individuals. Since the odds of hitting it off with someone on a blind date are a long shot, I went back with low expectations. People should join IJL with the intent of having fun and getting dating experience instead of believing they will find Mr. or Mrs. Right. This is IJL, not Great Expectations.
Reviewed May 17, 2012
My experience with It’s Just Lunch (IJL) has positively exceeded my expectations. IJL reps are prompt in returning calls, sharing dating tips, and addressing issues that have enhanced my dating experience. The matches are well thought out and meet the desired criteria. I recommend IJL to anyone new to the dating scene.
Reviewed May 11, 2012
It's Just Lunch has exceeded my expectations. I have only been a member for three months and have already been on 6 dates, and have another one scheduled. I have met several interesting people and have enjoyed the "no pressure" environment. I would highly recommend "It's Just Lunch".
Reviewed May 11, 2012
I posted an unhappy comment here recently about not getting a refund. I'm happy to say It's Just Lunch refunded my initial deposit in full, just as they had promised. I'm ashamed I said bad things about them here. They did their best to help me, but the limited availability of matches in my area and my disability (vision issues) made it difficult for me to drive 200 miles to the nearest big city. If not for all the bitter, spiteful other comments about them here, I never would have doubted It's Just Lunch in the first place. Shame on me for believing the hateful words of people I don't even know and not trusting in the nice people I talked with at It's Just Lunch. I would encourage people to give them a try and just sign up for a short term contract on a monthly basis (I signed up for a whole year) so you don't panic like I did when things didn't work out as hoped. Please, please disregard my previous comments. They were made in haste, anger and disappointment.
Reviewed May 11, 2012
Great IJL Experience! On just my second first date scheduled by It's Just Lunch, I met an excellent match that I look forward to pursuing a relationship with. IJL took the time and effort to find someone that met my unique preferences and made all the arrangements for the first date, which made the first date very carefree and easy, allowing me to focus on getting to know my potential match. IJL is a great service!
Reviewed May 10, 2012
I met a fantastic guy on the first date! We had an incredible amount of things in common, lots of things neither of us had even disclosed! It was a great experience and I would highly recommend it!
Reviewed May 10, 2012
I was very happy with the service It's Just Lunch provided. They listened to what I wanted in a match and delivered. I can't say enough how happy I am and have recommended their services to many of my friends and coworkers.
Reviewed May 10, 2012
Here's the thing about IJL: they don't have enough members for it to work. They'll ask you what you're looking for and you'll say something like, "Oh, I don't have a type. I just want to meet people in my age range who aren't overweight." Almost immediately, you'll be set up on dates with people who aren't in your age range and are overweight. Why? Because their only contractual obligation is to give you 12 dates during the year-long membership period. If they didn't do that, they'd have to give you a partial refund. So instead, they set you up on dates with people who are nowhere near potential matches. The result is that IJL is much more of a crapshoot than online dating where people at least have to claim to fit your criteria before you'll meet them. Given that you'll just be meeting 12 random people, your money would be better spent elsewhere.
Reviewed May 10, 2012
My experience with It’s Just Lunch (IJL) has positively exceeded my expectations. IJL reps are prompt in returning calls, sharing dating tips, and addressing issues that have enhanced my dating experience. The matches are well thought-out and meet the desired criteria. I recommend IJL to anyone new to the dating scene.
Reviewed May 9, 2012
I purchased an 'It's Just Lunch' subscription last November and want to share my good experience with Consumer Affairs. This whole experience has been well worth it. After casting around on various dating websites for quite a period of time, I've found IJL to be a refreshing change of pace. The process works exactly as advertised and I've found their staff to be very personable, professional and helpful. Patty is a awesome coordinator - dealing with her has been a pleasure from the start. I wholeheartedly endorse IJL.
Reviewed May 9, 2012
Patty has been my agent from Just for Lunch who arranges the dates for me. She is very pleasant to deal with and has done an excellent job. I've enjoyed my experience with Just for Lunch and met some very nice people.
Reviewed May 8, 2012
I joined Its Just Lunch in Vancouver because becoming single at the age of 59 seemed daunting to me. However, the staff at Its Just Lunch have made entering the dating world comfortable, accessible, fun, entertaining, exciting and at the same time, kept it professional. The process was sufficiently simplified so my part was made really easy. My first date met my expectations and I probably would not have otherwise been able to meet this caliber of man on my own. I would not hesitate to recommend IJL to anyone in my situation!
Reviewed May 8, 2012
I have found the people at IJL to be engaging and friendly. Most of all, I have found them to be entirely dedicated to making painless what can otherwise be an uncomfortable and stressful part of life.
Reviewed May 7, 2012
I just wanted to say I didn't have the greatest experience with It's Just Lunch, but there was one person who helped me and took care of business unlike anyone else there. His name is George (coordinator for LA). George is by far the most together and organized person at It's Just Lunch. I told him what I wanted and he got it for me instantly and constantly. If it wasn't for George, I would be complaining and demanding my money back, but I must say he is a credit to that company. Thank you.
Reviewed May 7, 2012
Well, I must admit I was quite taken aback by the expense of It's Just Lunch. I almost didn't join because of the costs, but boy, am I glad I did. I met Troy on February 25 at the Wine Cellar here in Jacksonville. We immediately hit it off. We have been together every day since. We are planning our wedding; hopefully in September. Great job, everyone at It's Just Lunch; you helped me believe in love again.
Reviewed May 6, 2012
I’m new in town and wanted to meet women who had a desire to be in a relationship. I didn’t want to utilize the “no-cost/low-cost” internet dating sites as those women expended limited energies and expenses. I didn’t think I’d find my match there. I also considered “professional, high-end, matchmaking services”. I spoke to one. They immediately found "two perfect matches” and were eager to set us up. All it would take is $25,000 (women join for free or a very nominal fee). The 2 matches, both 20 years younger than I, neither had a full-time job and they both were described as runway model-like. Had the match making service even asked me about my preferred “type” or age, I would have described a very different person.
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.
Reviewed May 5, 2012
Coaching session - Sheri spent some time with me on the phone and helped me understand and structure dating enhancement strategies. She was very patient and conveyed her messages very clearly. She also gave me many opportunities to ask questions and additional resources. The talk with her has given me more confidence and altered my strategies for the better.
Reviewed May 4, 2012
It's not just lunch but an exciting way to meet people. Not all of them are perfect matches if there is such a thing, but they all are interesting and have something to share. How fun to have be set up with someone they picked out. You have to do absolutely nothing except show up. How easy is that? Great program. Perfect for elders. Where is a 60 to 70 year old to go if you want a dating service?
Reviewed April 24, 2012
This is a scam. They told me "we understand this is a trying time for you!". They were not upfront and misleading. I felt like a trapped animal. They have my money and they won't give it back. I never even went on a date. It was like a tag team and then when I was giving them a hard time, I had 4 people calling me and harassing me to use their service. To add insult to injury, I own my own business for 33 years and I can't believe I was taken advantage of. All the red flags were there. I even went to this sales person office to meet her and it was a shell of an office. No personal pictures or things that would indicate that this was a legit business.
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.
Reviewed April 5, 2012
I have complained about the performance of the service with BBB and a local government consumer affairs department. IJL continued to preach what they told me and convinced those organizations that they are here to help. Based on their performance, they have not. I have been set up with dates that don't match my qualifications and also was set up on a date where the matchmaker did not meet the date.
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.
Reviewed March 24, 2012
I never applied for It's Just Lunch. There's no way to remove this just perfect dating site. I never applied but they fluster my emails for no reason and they have no cancellation page. I want this to stop. I am a woman and a senior and do not need to see dirty women looking to have sex.
Reviewed March 3, 2012
I had never used any type of dating service before, I was hesitant about putting my personal information online and the advertisements for It's Just Lunch (IJL) that I heard on the radio made it sound like a great option for me. I made an appointment in early August 2011 with the Milwaukee-based IJL branch. I was interviewed, decided to join and was charged $1900 for a standard membership. I wish I could turn back time and would have read the complaints on this website before I allowed them to bill my credit card. It has been an utter nightmare since August.
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.
Reviewed Feb. 20, 2012
Don't waste your dollars. I joined It's Just Lunch hoping I would find my soul mate. I am a professional scientist who keeps in shape and is above average in the looks department. Of all the dates I went on, I was only interested in one of them. After I expressed concern about how most of the dates were unattractive and overweight, the number of dates they set me up on started to decrease.
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.
Reviewed Feb. 20, 2012
So glad I read these reviews before I handed over $2,700 for an annual membership! I'd like to know exactly how many active clients they have if 95% are referrals. Reading through these reviews, I don't see how any of them would have made a referral.
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.
Reviewed Feb. 16, 2012
I joined IJL on September 9, 2011 after a very pleasant but high-pressured phone conversation with a local director. After 45 minutes and $2,500 for a 12-month contract, I had high expectations that this service would provide me with the exact dating opportunities I desired. It was wonderful to hear that even though I did not live in a big city, I would have just as many opportunities as everyone else to find my perfect match. I had no idea that this sales person had convinced me to sign up for a service that is based on fraud.
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.
Reviewed Feb. 11, 2012
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.
Reviewed Feb. 10, 2012
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.
Reviewed Feb. 9, 2012
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.
Reviewed Jan. 30, 2012
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.
Reviewed Jan. 23, 2012
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!
Reviewed Jan. 14, 2012
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.
Reviewed Jan. 13, 2012
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.
Reviewed Jan. 7, 2012
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.
Reviewed Dec. 27, 2011
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.
Reviewed Dec. 22, 2011
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.
Reviewed Dec. 16, 2011
I feel completely scammed by IJL Norfolk. I was sold on a Tuesday and was given 3 detailed profiles of women I was going to meet starting within the week. Now it is two months later and I have met one person, who was not even one of those three. And I believe she was an 'actress' herself. She pretended as though she was not supposed to exchange contact info with me for the second date, but rather go through IJL to schedule the second date. I knew she was bluffing, so I let it go and never heard feedback from IJL.
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.
Reviewed Dec. 16, 2011
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?
Reviewed Dec. 12, 2011
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.
Reviewed Dec. 5, 2011
I have to weigh my 2 cents on in this. First of all, thank you for posting your experiences. Listen, after what I have read here, I think a class action lawsuit might be in order. You all ought to get together and shut this company down (Its Just Lunch). It would be totally worth it. On top of that, you would have peace of mind because they took your money and did not deliver what they promised.
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!
Reviewed Nov. 30, 2011
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!
Reviewed Nov. 30, 2011
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.
Reviewed Nov. 29, 2011
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.
Reviewed Nov. 16, 2011
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.
Reviewed Nov. 14, 2011
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.
Reviewed Nov. 11, 2011
explained that I had requested a hold to extend my membership, and didn't realize that she wouldn't be matching me while I was on hold. I have spoken with Lisa and the other dating coordinators quite a bit since I wrote my complaint, and I feel more optimistic that they will help to find me the match I am seeking.
Reviewed Nov. 9, 2011
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.
Reviewed Nov. 7, 2011
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!
Reviewed Nov. 4, 2011
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.
Reviewed Nov. 2, 2011
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.
Reviewed Nov. 1, 2011
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.
Reviewed Oct. 14, 2011
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.
Reviewed Oct. 5, 2011
It's Just Lunch does not honor their contracts with consumers. Like many postings on this site, I signed a contract for 24 dates in one year. In that year, I have received 7 dates. They do not return phone calls, ignored me for weeks at a time, and now suddenly, there is no one who knows what is going on in their office because of "staff changes". Today I had an appointment to meet with a "director", but the person setting up the meeting refused to give me a name. She said that she wasn't sure who would meet with me. I showed up at the appointed time. The "director" who was there actually, physically blocked the door and refused to let me in because he said I didn't have an appointment. He stated that he didn't know who I was even though I had spoken with him several times on the phone, and told me that he would give my information to "the owner", followed by saying, "but you know how owners are".
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.
Reviewed Sept. 25, 2011
I joined It's Just Lunch in Denver, CO in June 2011. I completed my application. I had an interview with Jen **. I explained that I was new to Colorado and was interested in meeting new people. I said that I was going on some fun dates with professional men aged 37-50. I gave her some guidelines that definitely were not unreasonable. I wanted to meet a guy that hopefully played golf and/or snow skiied, had his life in order financially, and wanted at least one child in the future. In the interview, I asked whether they had enough male members who would be compatible. Before I signed the contract with them, they assured me that they had many men in their database to fulfill what I was looking for. They quickly ran my credit card. I paid them $1600 ($200 off the regular price of $1800) in advance for 6 months of their service, based on their promises to provide compatible dates for me. Jen assured me that I would be introduced to at least 2 men per month.
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.
Reviewed Sept. 19, 2011
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!
Reviewed Sept. 13, 2011
This is not even worth rating. This is a huge scam and something needs to be done about this business. They offer a service and there is nothing but lies and misleading information. They refused to refund money, yet continue to give a very high pressure talk. I am totally frustrated and irritated that such business can continue to exist. All I want is my money back. They're not the "quality professionals" they claim to have clients.
Reviewed Sept. 10, 2011
This is a complete scam. I was suckered into subscribing to this service the same way as everyone else. This company prays on the emotions of singles everywhere and do not provide the services they promise upfront. They draft contracts entirely protective of themselves and not at all of their clients. What I don't understand is if there are so many complaints about IJL, why can't this company be shut down? There are definite breach of contract issues here. Does anyone know of any recourse that we can take?
Reviewed Aug. 28, 2011
I signed up with It's Just Lunch and they charged $1,300 on my credit card for 2 month. I did not hear from them. I tried to reach them, and they said they had a match for me then they said they didn't. This went on for months. I was getting new people dating coaches to talk to. It seems like they can't keep any employees too long. I requested a refund. They refused and said they would put my membership on hold. I want a refund. I am willing to take my case to small claims court, but no one will call me back and give me their address. This company is a scam.
Reviewed Aug. 3, 2011
It's just lunch is a total scam. I paid over $1600 and never got a live person on the phone. There was no way to get in touch with customer service and email response said: Automatic out of office for 4 days. Details galore. I'm a single mom with no outside family. I was told I would speak to my dating director within 24 hours and have a date by the next week. I reserved a babysitter that I will now have to pay despite not hearing from my dating director.
Reviewed July 15, 2011
I signed up for It's Just Lunch dating service in late June 2011. The service claims on their website to match clients based on their "desires, goals, motivations..." This statement appears to be untrue.
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.
I am currently in a battle to get my money back, as IJL falsely represented the services they provide and the process they use to "make matches."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.
Reviewed July 13, 2011
My first date, was a no-show. I immediately asked for a refund and said I wasn't interested in their services. After Geri Evans promised me she would personally take care of me I was quickly switched to someone else. They refused to let me talk to anyone higher up the chain.
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.
Reviewed July 9, 2011
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.
Reviewed April 29, 2011
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.

Company will contact Consumer directly.
Reviewed April 19, 2011
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.

Company will contact Consumer directly.
Reviewed March 28, 2011
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.

Company will contact Consumer directly.
Reviewed March 22, 2011
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.
Reviewed March 2, 2011
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 ****.

Company will contact the Consumer directly.
Reviewed Dec. 16, 2010
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."

The Company will contact the Consumer directly.
Reviewed Dec. 8, 2010
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.

The Company will contact the client directly.
Reviewed Nov. 16, 2010
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.
Reviewed Oct. 28, 2010
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.

The Company will contact the client directly.
Reviewed Oct. 27, 2010
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?!
Reviewed Sept. 28, 2010
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.

Company will respond to the Consumer directly.
Reviewed Sept. 18, 2010
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.
Reviewed Sept. 16, 2010
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.

Company will respond to Consumer directly.
Reviewed Sept. 5, 2010
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.

The Company will contact the Consumer directly.
Reviewed Aug. 9, 2010
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.

The Company has contacted the Consumer directly.
Reviewed July 8, 2010
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.

Company will contact the consumer directly.
Reviewed June 16, 2010
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 okay with me having children, he said he was not interested in children. 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 through email, so there is no way to get answers from them. This is a scam in the purest form, a true consumer ripoff and that they are allowed to continue in this vain is rather mind-boggling.

Company will be contacting consumer directly.
Reviewed June 15, 2010
In November, I signed up and paid $1000 for 8 dates with It's Just Lunch advertising that they cater to busy people. 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 have 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.

Company will be contacting consumer directly.
Reviewed June 8, 2010
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 gentleman 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 representative, I had to call several numbers that would either lead me to a person’s 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 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.

The company is contacting the consumer directly.
Reviewed May 24, 2010
I signed up with IJL because of their great promises, including meeting people with similar interests. They did not deliver on any of their promises. I was set up on a date with the same woman twice. The restaurants never knew anything about us when we got there. The dates were with woman whom I had nothing in common. One time the restaurant/bar wasn't even open when I arrived for the date. One of the dates wasn't interested in dating anyone at all, she just wanted to be able to go on a few free dates (her words). She said she was too busy with three teenagers to be able to date.
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.
Reviewed May 11, 2010
I signed a contract with this matchmaking service, $1000 for 8 dates. I told them I was looking for a man who is Jewish, formerly married (as opposed to never been married) and around my age. I was set up on 2 dates so far. The first man was not Jewish and the second had never been married. It appears they do not take my preferences into consideration. While I believe I shouldn't limit myself in the dating game. I believe they totally ignored my non-negotiable list and set me up with whoever they had. In short, they do not deliver what they promise, nor even try to. I would like my money back!

Company is contacting consumer directly.
Reviewed April 15, 2010
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.
Reviewed March 11, 2010
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.
Reviewed March 10, 2010
On 1/13/10, I joined the dating service, "It's Just Lunch." I met with Director Tsuki R who interviewed me and decided immediately that I would be a good candidate. I had some doubts, especially given the exorbitant annual membership fee of $2200 and had wanted to think about it but felt pressured by Ms. R to make a payment before leaving. While I did sign a contract that Ms. R completed on my behalf, I was still a little uncomfortable and hesitant and offered to only pay 50% ($1100) on my debit card.
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
Reviewed March 8, 2010
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.
Reviewed March 5, 2010
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