Selective Search

Selective Search Reviews

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Reviewed June 12, 2023

I spent $40,000 and had not one single date. Afterward, meeting after they told me that they had lots of eligible men, they disclosed that all of the men they get are looking for women much much younger. In the past, that is not been my experience, at least, in more sophisticated cities, but apparently for them it is. I was delayed twice. Once for a broken foot and went for a surgery. So my calendar expired and they extended it for a month and managed to find one person who would have a phone conversation with me.

I cannot believe that $40,000 is just gone for absolutely nothing. But more significantly, the matchmaker was not invested in me, and did not know anything about me. When I asked her what she knew about me, she listed off the attributes that I was looking for in a match. This is not a custom matchmaking service, this is a take your money And do very little and not disclose that they are looking for women in their 30s only. They are not more Google reviews because that would become public information.

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Response from Selective Search

Selective Search is committed to delivering quality service to its members. During your membership we worked with you to carefully establish search criteria, presented many stellar candidates, and most were rejected without much consideration. Nonetheless, we remained dedicated during 7 months of unresponsiveness from you. We extended your services three times, and you acknowledged to us our fulfillment of obligations. We are disappointed by your experience but refute your inaccurate portrayal.

Reviewed April 16, 2019

I remember meeting horrible matches in NYC and finding out the girls were on sugar daddy sites. Big waste of money and felt scammed. Oh well, I now know all these high end matchmakers are playing the same game and duping clients.

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Response from Selective Search

Hello John, We take every Client opinion seriously. Due to our commitment to confidentiality, we are unable to respond to your claim in this public forum. We also have not been able to identify you as a Client and do not have any contact information. Please contact our Vice President of Operations, Kathy Smith. Kathy is authorized to address and resolve any issues.

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    W. increased rating by 4 stars.
    After a positive interaction with Selective Search, W. increased their star rating.

    Reviewed April 8, 2019

    Resolution Update 06/06/2019: I feel I was a bit hasty in posting my original criticism of Selective Search. They have shown that they truly care about their clients’ satisfaction and are willing to go the extra mile in order to achieve success. I have been very impressed by their effort and commitment, and I look forward to finding a special woman to share my life with through Selective Search.

    I want to start by saying that Selective Search appears to have built a very polished, profitable business model and they present themselves well. No one forced me to subscribe to their services. However, as a consumer I feel I have a right to express my opinion in the event I feel the service was misrepresented. The individual I worked with was extremely nice and I genuinely believe she did the best she could. However after $25K and 14 months I had six first dates that weren't even close to resulting in a second date. I am in my prime and was willing to fly well beyond my home state to meet these women, but ultimately had much better success from my own efforts for free, during the same time period. The company advertises that 87% of their clients find love as a result of their service, which I find to be an impossible statistic.

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    Reviewed Feb. 2, 2018

    Selective Search is a top notch company. All of the matchmakers are very passionate about finding you the love of your life and they are an absolute pleasure to work with. Sara recently introduced me to an amazing man. I can't say enough about Sara... she is a kind, sweet extraordinary girl and a consummate professional. She has a keen sixth sense which enables her to find you a perfect match. The man that I met is remarkable and he is truly one of a kind. I was amazed at how much we had in common and how strong of a connection we had. I definitely would have never met someone of such a high caliber without the help of Sara and I am very grateful to her! I highly recommend using their services as they take the time to truly get to know you and the qualities that you looking for, in a partner, in order to find your soulmate. Let the matchmakers do the work for you and they will find you love! Thank you Selective Search!

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    Reviewed Nov. 4, 2017

    Nicole ** at Selective Search LLC delivers first class customer service. She treats everyone she interacts with - even non members like me - with the utmost respect, attentiveness, and class. I would imagine that members of Selective Search are pampered with the same level of care which, in my book, reflects highly on both the company's integrity and its position as an industry leader.

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    Reviewed April 21, 2017

    I began the process of creating an account with Selective Search. When I got to the part asking about marital status & family, I didn't think twice... until they wanted to know the gender and birth dates of my children. I felt very uncomfortable supplying this information... Wouldn't just "do you have children?" suffice? I then decided to look up reviews of the service before proceeding, and after reading so many negative reviews, I decided not to complete a profile with them.

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    Reviewed May 12, 2015

    I would highly recommend Selective Search to any man or woman who is looking to find someone for a real, committed relationship. I am happy to say I met my husband through this company. I signed up with Selective Search over two years ago as a female in their database. The matchmakers were extremely professional and contacted me for a face-to-face meeting several weeks later, in which they had a discussion with me about my interests, goals, what kind of relationship would work best for me and what types of men I'd be willing to meet. The women I met - **, ** and others - were all very polite and kind and had good intentions.

    Later I was set up on several dates, before I was eventually introduced to the man who would become my husband. My husband is intelligent, handsome, accomplished, successful, kind and very loving. I feel extremely lucky to have met him. I would not have met him without the help of Selective Search b/c he is not the kind of guy who picks up girls at bars, and we worked in very different industries and would not have easily met through mutual friends or online. Yet we are indeed the perfect match.

    To anyone willing to try a match maker, I would highly recommend this company. It's definitely not the same as Internet dating -- this is QUALITY vs. quantity type of dating. And of course they can't work magic -- if someone has a lot of personal issues or undesirable traits, I doubt they can wave a magic wand and make a relationship happen. That said, if you are a normal, healthy, successful, happy, adjusted person, and you've lost interest in the randomness of Internet dating and you don't have the time to chase strangers in bars, well -- this is the right match maker for you. I have no doubt that Selective Search can deliver and help you meet that special person who you've been searching for.

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    Reviewed March 25, 2015

    I hired this company in 2013, and was very disappointed at the results. I agree very much with the comments made by **. You are given huge promises but in reality; you get as close to this as they have in their data bank. The women pay nothing, and seem to be lead into thinking the company is working for them, and as the comments show, an attitude is often the result. I disagree with one comment that men only want arm candy; if so, wrong place with many candidates I viewed. It's a frustrating experience, but as the posts show, even with zero results, $20k less, some are still pleased. That is the gift of conning someone. It reminds me of people who paid thousands in real estate courses, made nothing, but still believed it will work.

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    Reviewed Aug. 20, 2014

    I have had two years' experience with Selective Search, and recommend them highly. While I have not yet had success in my search, they have been very attentive and sensitive in assessing matches, and in supporting the dating relationships. I have met most impressive women whom I would never have had the chance to meet otherwise. Highly recommended.

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    Chanda increased rating by 4 stars.
    After a positive interaction with Selective Search, Chanda increased their star rating on Aug. 21, 2014.

    Updated review: Aug. 21, 2014

    I just wanted to post an update about my interaction with Selective Search. After my previous post on 8/15/2014 regarding not hearing back from the matchmaker when she promised, the CEO, Mitchell Berk, personally contacted me. He was very gracious to take the time to ask my account of what happened. I was very impressed with his professionalism.

    Many companies would not take the time to do what he did. He understands true customer service and was willing to go above and beyond in order to retain a happy client. In my line of work, it is critical to keep in contact with clients and maintain those positive relationships. In business, reputation is invaluable and Selective Search has just proven that they value their clients, their reputation, and believe in what they do. Thanks to them for reaching out and making this customer feel important! I now give them a 5-star rating for their time and professionalism.

    Original Review: Aug. 15, 2014

    I signed up with Selective Search after spotting them in an airline magazine. I'm a very attractive female (a former model), divorced, professional in my early 40's. I never heard a word from them until 15 months later, stating that they had a potential match for me. In fact, I forgot I had even filled out a profile with them. After various e-mails and text messages, I finally was able to set up a time to chat with one of the matchmakers over the phone. The interview took over 30 minutes and basically asked me the same questions that I had already filled out on my profile. Then we set up a time to FaceTime so she could see if I matched the pictures I had sent. Ok, fine.

    The matchmaker gives me some information on him and then states that she will be in contact with the gentleman at the end of the week to give him my phone number to contact me. I never heard a word until days later when I received a text from the matchmaker asking if I was available the following week for dinner with this man. I said "yes", and she says "I'll keep you posted". Again, I have not heard a word and it's been 3 weeks since my interview, etc.

    Seriously, how unprofessional to keep clients hanging. Is this man no longer interested; is he out of town; does he exist? What takes 3 weeks for Selective Search to give my phone number to this man? They should have been keeping me updated as to what is going on and instead left me hanging and got my hopes up. This firm is a waste of time. Fifteen months and then weeks of hearing next to nothing? Time to move on......

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    Selective Search author review by Mark Brooks

    Selective Search is a matchmaking company that was founded in 2000. The company is considered to be the largest luxury dating service In North America.

    • Relationship expert: Selective Search is headed by relationship expert Barbie Adler, who not only has years of experience successfully matching couples but is also hired to speak and give relationship advice across the world.

    • Success rate: The company says that 87 percent of clients find a match they are happy with.

    • Membership options: The company offers a selection of membership options, meaning customers can tailor their experience to a level that suits them.

    • Holistic approach: The company uses both in-person matchmakers and an algorithm to find the best possible matches for clients.

    • Post-date evaluation: Both members of a date meet with the matchmaker after to evaluate its success, ensuring better matches and dates each time the service is used.

    by Mark Brooks Online Dating & Matchmaking Advisor

    Harvard Business School graduate, Mark Brooks, has been an expert in the Internet dating business since 1998. He is currently the CEO of Courtland Brooks, a consultancy agency for the Internet dating industry, and runs OnlinePersonalsWatch.com. He prides himself on being a New Media Futurist and can be reached at LinkedIn.

    Selective Search Company Information

    Company Name:
    Selective Search
    Company Type:
    Private
    Year Founded:
    2000
    Address:
    35 East Wacker Drive, Suite 1920
    City:
    Chicago
    State/Province:
    IL
    Postal Code:
    60601
    Country:
    United States
    Website:
    www.selectivesearch.com