The Ideal Match

Since Unilocal cannot allow negative stars, I had to choose this rating. I will quote from another member, Patty B because it sums up what I have grown to understand since being pressured to sign the contract: It is NOT RUN BY THE RECRUITER! She may be nice, but SHE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE NIGHTMARE THAT WILL FOLLOW!!! First, they ignore you. Then, when you do hear from Ideal Match, they have men call you that cannot form complete sentences, «want to meet at the mall,» and «love gay pride (because I’m gay)!» I KID YOU NOT. I can do a better job, tired after work at Starbucks. Don’t sign the contract! They should pay YOU for this experience! That nice recruiter? SHE IS BAIT… unaware of just how horrible this company really ‘does its job’, and what a waste of money this experience is. OK Cupid even did a better job at finding matches for me, if be they only friendships out of the deal! So, Patty B, I am in total agreement when you write:
First, I noticed that a very long list of negative and a few positive reviews have been removed, so I thought, ethically I need to weigh in. I went through the entire process of the interview (5.5 hours yes, you read correctly, I was in a room alone with the sales woman who was charming, friendly but with absolute pit bull focus on only one this, to get me to sign the contract.) I was food deprived, and exhausted and felt that there was definitely something wrong with this kind of interrogation type interview regardless of the level of caring and friendliness.
Thankfully, in California we have a three day right to cancel these types of contract, so in order to exit unscathed, I did sign, but cancelled within the legal period. And, here’s why.
1. The contract is written to protect Ideal Match. After 5.5 hours of discussing my hopes and dreams and desires, the contract clearly states that «preferences are just preferences» and the company is not obligated by agreement to fulfill you preferences. If they give you 10 people who are breathing and show up, they have fulfilled their obligation.
2. If you should sue, they write the contract so that the largest portion of the money paid goes to initiation fee so that only $ 1,000 of my $ 2,995 fee went to the actual membership fee. The balance of $ 1,995 was allocated to «initiation fee» which would apparently make it more difficult to get back in a lawsuit. I thought that was very manipulative and showed that they expected to be sued.
3. The contract also makes it clear that the sales person is not the matchmaker. In other words, they may be relating to you, connecting to you and understanding your pain, but they have nothing to do with picking your partner.
4. The process is not computerized which really is alarming when you consider either there are so few people in the population of my potential group that they can do it by hand, or that they are really out of touch with technology. I’m not sure which.
I concluded that sites like OK Cupid are probably a better way to go and no, I don’t have any investment in it, nor are any of my friends invested in it. It’s a free site and I haven’t found a date yet, but at least I have no money invested and hopefully eventually I’ll meet someone I might be interested in. But, the pictures, answers to important questions are all available before you bother making a date. I’m new on the site, so I might change my mind over time. But, my point is that technology is your friend.
Most of the people that turn to the matchmaker companies have been online on other sites for years, and in fact you will probably meet some of your old rejects. You aren’t going to magically meet a whole new range of people that have somehow been unattainable until this moment.
Do Not Sign The Contract. It is 100% skewed towards the Company, not you.
I am a professional CPA and am currently retired. I am educated, and evaluating this unemotionally.
Good Luck. I truly hope you find your match.

First, I noticed that a very long list of negative and a few positive reviews have been removed, so I thought, ethically I need to weigh in. I went through the entire process of the interview (5.5 hours yes, you read correctly, I was in a room alone with the sales woman who was charming, friendly but with absolute pit bull focus on only one this, to get me to sign the contract.) I was food deprived, and exhausted and felt that there was definitely something wrong with this kind of interrogation type interview regardless of the level of caring and friendliness.
Thankfully, in California we have a three day right to cancel these types of contract, so in order to exit unscathed, I did sign, but cancelled within the legal period. And, here’s why.
1. The contract is written to protect Ideal Match. After 5.5 hours of discussing my hopes and dreams and desires, the contract clearly states that «preferences are just preferences» and the company is not obligated by agreement to fulfill you preferences. If they give you 10 people who are breathing and show up, they have fulfilled their obligation.
2. If you should sue, they write the contract so that the largest portion of the money paid goes to initiation fee so that only $ 1,000 of my $ 2,995 fee went to the actual membership fee. The balance of $ 1,995 was allocated to «initiation fee» which would apparently make it more difficult to get back in a lawsuit. I thought that was very manipulative and showed that they expected to be sued.
3. The contract also makes it clear that the sales person is not the matchmaker. In other words, they may be relating to you, connecting to you and understanding your pain, but they have nothing to do with picking your partner.
4. The process is not computerized which really is alarming when you consider either there are so few people in the population of my potential group that they can do it by hand, or that they are really out of touch with technology. I’m not sure which.
I concluded that sites like OK Cupid are probably a better way to go and no, I don’t have any investment in it, nor are any of my friends invested in it. It’s a free site and I haven’t found a date yet, but at least I have no money invested and hopefully eventually I’ll meet someone I might be interested in. But, the pictures, answers to important questions are all available before you bother making a date. I’m new on the site, so I might change my mind over time. But, my point is that technology is your friend.
Most of the people that turn to the matchmaker companies have been online on other sites for years, and in fact you will probably meet some of your old rejects. You aren’t going to magically meet a whole new range of people that have somehow been unattainable until this moment.
Do Not Sign The Contract. It is 100% skewed towards the Company, not you.
I am a professional CPA and am currently retired. I am educated, and evaluating this unemotionally.
Good Luck. I truly hope you find your match.

This company is a scam. They have one office in Palm Desert and one in San Diego where they were AKA «The Right Match» They had to change their name due to bad reviews, etc. They have 100s of bad reviews on Unilocal for the San Diego location. They are rated F by the BBB with 100’s of complaints. They have over 30 pages of complaints from Consumer Affairs. I unfortunately signed up also like the girl with the other post here and paid $ 2,000 in Feb. 2012 and after almost two months and after threatening them got a date with a man that only lives in my area 3 months out of the year. They are not «match makers» they are money takers they do not care who they set you up with they do not try and meet your requirments or preferences. When you first sign up they try to get $ 8,000 for their service from a high pressure saleswoman that knows how to go in for the kill. When you are going to walk out she keeps coming down until what she says is her last offer of $ 2,000 for 10 matches. They know all the loop holes in the law and try to evade it with their contracts. BEWARE-​. Do your homework on this company!!!
Do not give this company money to match you! You would do better with Craigslist!