Ever been in a situation where your romantic dreams are knocking on your door waiting to be fulfilled, but then suddenly something happens! Something has just bundled them off on a roller coaster. Now you are left with a huge chunk of bills and a cartful of dreams! Welcome to the world of bad dating services! Fortunately you can jump off the bandwagon of a bad dating service if you read the warning signals right.



Check before you leap

That's correct – don't rush headlong into any dating service just for the fun or challenge of it. Rein in your desires and do some background checking.

• What sort of reputation does it have?

• What sort of success rate does it have?

• Have any of your friends, relatives or colleagues used this service before? What do they say about it?

It's all about the Green

No, we're not talking about environment folks! Face it, dating services exist to make money. But some concentrate only on the money and push the rest of their job function under the carpet. You need to pull it out from under the carpet and make sure your dating service delivers. Make sure the bargain is kept in full – you pay the cash and the service provides you with quality dating services!

Protect your own

Don't worry! You don't have to beat your chest and roar to protect your cash! You merely have to exercise caution when dealing with your money! Money is valuable and when it's your own money, it is precious!

• Read the contract and privacy clauses of the service

• Always pay by check and never by credit card – this way the service cannot hitch a free ride and charge your card for services not rendered

• Keep records of your monthly charges

• Keep in touch with a customer service representative who handles complaints

If you cannot do this – leave now and save yourself a lot of trouble!

Uneasy communication

Does your service send out your email to every visitor? If yes, get out of the contract before it is too late! Sending your email address indiscriminately to anyone without your permission violates your privacy. It also exposes your email system to spam and virus.

Dating scams

Bad dating sites do not check potential dates. Sometimes the service works with a scamster to rip you off. The service hooks you up with an attractive date that gets to know you. You like your date and things go well. But then there is a roadblock - your date starts making excuses about not wanting to meet you and then emails you asking you for money for a personal reason. Don't give in and part with your cash – this is a scam and you must save yourself. Leave the service now!

A bad dating service resembles a deathly whirlpool where there is every chance of being sucked in. The trick is to detect the signs and jump out before the whirling starts.