We've all had our fair share of broken romances. Some we just grow out of, some just weren't Mr/Mrs Right and some got away.
So, thank goodness there are websites out there to help you find love- like match.com. But once you've found your perfect partner, it can be hard to let go...of Match.com.
(Do you have something to say about this story? Tell us what you think by emailing us here. Don't forget to include 'Match' in the subject line. Watchdog will publish a selection of viewers' comments underneath each story, both throughout and after the programme is on air. Please remember to include your name as you would like to see it published).
Two people who have used this site are Gemma Chapman from Dartford and Gareth Fox from Battersea. Gareth told Watchdog:
"I originally joined match.com because I heard they were running a promotion where you could take advantage of a three day free trial period. I signed up to the account and provided them with my bank details on the understanding that if I didn't cancel within those first three days I'd be charged 77 pounds for a six month subscription. On the second day of the free trail period I decided that match.com wasn't for me and returned to the website and clicked on my account and clicked on the link suspend my profile."
Gemma Chapman told Watchdog:
"Well, I signed up to match.com for a bit longer than that. I actually joined for six months thinking that I'd get six months free for my just under 78 pounds. And away I went and had quite a few dates - some were great and some were not so good. Until I met my partner. We really were a match and I clicked back onto match.com to suspend my account."
So there we have it. Gareth had a short sweet cheap fling with match.com and Gemma had a longer more fruitful relationship. Both had moved on. Or so they thought.
Gareth discovered:
"It came to the end of the month and I decided to check my bank account and it turned out that match.com had taken 77 pounds for the six months subscription."
And Gemma told us:
"So after suspending my account I didn't think anything else of it for a couple of months until January when I received a rather unfortunate 77 pounds on my bill from match.com"
So, what's going wrong? Well, scores of subscribers who've contacted Watchdog are in the same position as Gemma and Gareth. They think they've cancelled their subscription but match.com say they've failed to follow the correct procedure.
Gareth says:
"I sent match.com an email to explain that I felt that their cancellation procedure was entirely misleading and the website didn't make it clear as to what you're supposed to do. They replied to say they don't intentionally seek to mislead customers, but they felt sorry if I felt otherwise"
Try to avoid misleading customers? Well not quite hard enough. Because we've found a number of ways match.com could make this process a whole lot clearer. For a start there's no 'cancellation' button. There is a 'suspend' button so, understandably, some people press it thinking their payments will then stop. But they're wrong. It's only after pressing it that a warning appears, saying they'll continue to be charged. For those who notice that warning before closing down the page, there's no explanation of how to stop your payments. And when match.com send the email confirming the suspension, they don't mention they'll continue taking money from you.
All this even confuses internet whizz from the BBC News' 'Click', Spencer Kelly. He told Watchdog:
"It's not difficult to suspend your account, there's a really big shiny button that says suspend your account. But they should have told you before you press that button that your payments will continue - otherwise it's a real hassle to go back in set your account back up and then click through to where you're supposedly going to find the option to switch your payments off."
Match.com say there's an easy way to stop payments...by calling this number. But it's buried away elsewhere on the site. And members aren't advised to call it if they want to cancel. Of course, some people do manage to navigate the website successfully - and find how to cancel their payments online. So, is that them finished with match.com for good?
Well, it wasn't the case for Jo Perry from Hinckley. Jo told Watchdog:
"In March 2010 I decided to cancel my membership with match.com so I logged into my account on the website and looked for about an hour to try and find where I needed to go to cancel the subscription. I looked for a telephone number which wasn't available. Eventually after an hour of being really frustrated I managed to find somewhere I could cancel my membership. And then six months later I noticed some more money had been taken out of my account by match.com."
Oh dear, match.com. I know this must be difficult for you, but you must understand. You have to let us go. We've moved on....
Response from Match.com
"The majority of people are able to successfully follow the on-site instructions and contact our free 24/7 customer service number to cancel their subscription without a problem. We're sorry to hear that some of your viewers have experienced difficulties and as a result we've already modified the site to make it even clearer how to cancel.
In the case of Ms Perry, we can confirm that she did follow the correct subscription cancellation procedure, but was mistakenly charged due to an administrative error on our part. We offer Ms Perry our sincere apologies and have arranged a full refund."
Specific questions
1. Why doesn't the match.com website have two clear and signposted options of equal size, one to suspend the account, and one to cancel the subscription? Furthermore, why is there only a suspend option on the first page rather than the option to suspend or cancel?
Suspending, hiding, and cancelling a profile or subscription are different activities.
To offer members the maximum flexibility during their subscription, we give them the option to suspend, hide or cancel their profiles.
• Hiding a profile means that you cannot be viewed by other members and cannot search for members who meet your criteria. The hide option appeals to members who wish to remain temporarily inactive on the site, e.g. because they want to get to know their way around the site before allowing members to see and contact them.
• Suspending a profile means that you no longer receive alerts from the site and are not visible to other members. It is more suited to members who wish to take an extended break from dating - perhaps because they have met someone on the site and want to see how things go before cancelling their subscription.
• Cancelling your subscription means that your paid-for subscription will end as you no longer wish to use the service now or in the future. At customers' request, the profile can also be deleted, but this means that it cannot be recovered or restored at a later date. This is the preferred option for people who have met someone on the site and are pursuing a long term relationship.
We make it immediately clear on the site to members who suspend or hide or hide their profile that they haven't cancelled their subscription, and if they want to, how to do it. The advantage of suspending or hiding your profile is that you can choose to become visible on the site again at any time without having to re-write your profile or lose previous contact records.
To cancel their subscription, members need to visit the 'my subscription' page and call the free-phone number which is prominently displayed under the 'manage my subscription' link and is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week to UK members. This is clearly signposted around the site, is highlighted to people by email when they sign up, and is made clear in the site terms and conditions.
2. Does match.com believe that the subscription cancellation process is made adequately clear on the website, bearing in mind we have identified a number of ways in which it could be made clearer?
We're sorry to hear that some of your viewers have experienced difficulties and as a result we've made some modifications to the site to make it even clearer how to cancel. We are constantly seeking to improve the on-site experience for our customers and welcome this kind of feedback so that we can make things as simple for people as possible.
3. The website does not appear to state clearly that the only way to cancel your subscription is to delete your account. Can you confirm that the only way to cancel the subscription is to delete it and, if so, why does you website not state this?
To cancel a subscription a member simply needs to call the free-phone number which is prominently displayed and open 24/7 to members in the UK. Details can be found on the "manage my subscription" page, or in the help section of the website. If a member wishes to delete their account because they no longer wish to use the service, our customer care team will do this for them.
4. Why is there an option to 'suspend' your account and what are the benefits of a suspended account when customers are still being charged for it?
To offer members the maximum flexibility during their subscription, we give them the option to suspend, hide or cancel their profiles.
Some members may wish to take a break from online dating - for example because they have started exploring a potential new relationship, but want to remain a member whilst in the early stages of dating someone new. This is why we give people the opportunity to suspend their account, meaning they no longer receive alerts from the site and are not visible to other members, but their profile, subscription and contact history are preserved and can be accessed at any time until they decide to cancel their membership and permanently leave the site.
We make it immediately clear on the site to members who suspend their account that they haven't cancelled their subscription, and that if they wish to do so they should follow the procedure outlined above.
5. What is the difference between a suspended account and an unused account?
A suspended profile isn't available to be viewed by other members. An unused account is simply that - it is an account which a member is not actively using but which remains searchable within the member database.
6. Why was Ms Perry repeatedly charged by match.com after she had received an email informing her that no more money would come out of her account?
In the case of Ms Perry, we can confirm that she did follow the correct subscription cancellation procedure, but was mistakenly charged due to an administrative error on our part. We offer Ms Perry our sincere apologies and have arranged a full refund.
Watchdog Viewer Responses:
Hi, I joined up with match.com over 3 years ago and I paid for the 6 moths, I paid for the use up front, In the first month i met someone called Suzanne Foreman, We are now married.
I have tried to come off match.com. I have emailed them and said I don't want to be on it anymore, But yet i'm still on there, And when Suzanne said I want to come off, They deleted her straight away.
I'm fed up with email's from other ladies, and so is my wife.
Phillip & Suzanne Thornburrow
So happy this has come to your attention. I have had my share of problems with Match.com. I initially bought a 3-month subscription. Bear in mind this isn't that cheap for a mere website service. As I wasn't satisfied with the service I wanted to cancel the account however I could not find a link on the website to cancel the account. I unfortunately presumed that I don't have to cancel as I did subscribe for 3 months.
I was surprised that my account was debited for about 90 pounds without any prior warning or pre-message. They just took the money. I queried the payment immediately by phone as apparently they don't have an e-mail address which is very strange for an online service.
Despite me contacting them within a few hours of them taking my money they still refuse to refund me.
I will never ever recommend Match.com to anybody else.
Martin McDowell, Haverfordwest, Wales
My wife and I have been together for 4 years, and married for 18 months. We have a lovely 6 month old daughter called Rosie. And we have match.com to thank for introducing us in the first place.
We will not thank them for how they treated my wife when she tried to cancel her subscription. She succesfully suspended her account (thinking she had cancelled it) but they went on to charge her another ~£80 for another 6 month subscription. By email they were unsympathetic and rude when she explained she had found love through their service and wanted to cancel. They couldn't care less, so long as they got their money.
Simon and Sally Adelman, Cambridge
Have you met your Match.com?
So, thank goodness there are websites out there to help you find love- like match.com. But once you've found your perfect partner, it can be hard to let go...of Match.com.
(Do you have something to say about this story? Tell us what you think by emailing us here. Don't forget to include 'Match' in the subject line. Watchdog will publish a selection of viewers' comments underneath each story, both throughout and after the programme is on air. Please remember to include your name as you would like to see it published).
Two people who have used this site are Gemma Chapman from Dartford and Gareth Fox from Battersea. Gareth told Watchdog:
"I originally joined match.com because I heard they were running a promotion where you could take advantage of a three day free trial period. I signed up to the account and provided them with my bank details on the understanding that if I didn't cancel within those first three days I'd be charged 77 pounds for a six month subscription. On the second day of the free trail period I decided that match.com wasn't for me and returned to the website and clicked on my account and clicked on the link suspend my profile."
Gemma Chapman told Watchdog:
"Well, I signed up to match.com for a bit longer than that. I actually joined for six months thinking that I'd get six months free for my just under 78 pounds. And away I went and had quite a few dates - some were great and some were not so good. Until I met my partner. We really were a match and I clicked back onto match.com to suspend my account."
So there we have it. Gareth had a short sweet cheap fling with match.com and Gemma had a longer more fruitful relationship. Both had moved on. Or so they thought.
Gareth discovered:
"It came to the end of the month and I decided to check my bank account and it turned out that match.com had taken 77 pounds for the six months subscription."
And Gemma told us:
"So after suspending my account I didn't think anything else of it for a couple of months until January when I received a rather unfortunate 77 pounds on my bill from match.com"
So, what's going wrong? Well, scores of subscribers who've contacted Watchdog are in the same position as Gemma and Gareth. They think they've cancelled their subscription but match.com say they've failed to follow the correct procedure.
Gareth says:
"I sent match.com an email to explain that I felt that their cancellation procedure was entirely misleading and the website didn't make it clear as to what you're supposed to do. They replied to say they don't intentionally seek to mislead customers, but they felt sorry if I felt otherwise"
Try to avoid misleading customers? Well not quite hard enough. Because we've found a number of ways match.com could make this process a whole lot clearer. For a start there's no 'cancellation' button. There is a 'suspend' button so, understandably, some people press it thinking their payments will then stop. But they're wrong. It's only after pressing it that a warning appears, saying they'll continue to be charged. For those who notice that warning before closing down the page, there's no explanation of how to stop your payments. And when match.com send the email confirming the suspension, they don't mention they'll continue taking money from you.
All this even confuses internet whizz from the BBC News' 'Click', Spencer Kelly. He told Watchdog:
"It's not difficult to suspend your account, there's a really big shiny button that says suspend your account. But they should have told you before you press that button that your payments will continue - otherwise it's a real hassle to go back in set your account back up and then click through to where you're supposedly going to find the option to switch your payments off."
Match.com say there's an easy way to stop payments...by calling this number. But it's buried away elsewhere on the site. And members aren't advised to call it if they want to cancel. Of course, some people do manage to navigate the website successfully - and find how to cancel their payments online. So, is that them finished with match.com for good?
Well, it wasn't the case for Jo Perry from Hinckley. Jo told Watchdog:
"In March 2010 I decided to cancel my membership with match.com so I logged into my account on the website and looked for about an hour to try and find where I needed to go to cancel the subscription. I looked for a telephone number which wasn't available. Eventually after an hour of being really frustrated I managed to find somewhere I could cancel my membership. And then six months later I noticed some more money had been taken out of my account by match.com."
Oh dear, match.com. I know this must be difficult for you, but you must understand. You have to let us go. We've moved on....
Response from Match.com
"The majority of people are able to successfully follow the on-site instructions and contact our free 24/7 customer service number to cancel their subscription without a problem. We're sorry to hear that some of your viewers have experienced difficulties and as a result we've already modified the site to make it even clearer how to cancel.
In the case of Ms Perry, we can confirm that she did follow the correct subscription cancellation procedure, but was mistakenly charged due to an administrative error on our part. We offer Ms Perry our sincere apologies and have arranged a full refund."
Specific questions
1. Why doesn't the match.com website have two clear and signposted options of equal size, one to suspend the account, and one to cancel the subscription? Furthermore, why is there only a suspend option on the first page rather than the option to suspend or cancel?
Suspending, hiding, and cancelling a profile or subscription are different activities.
To offer members the maximum flexibility during their subscription, we give them the option to suspend, hide or cancel their profiles.
• Hiding a profile means that you cannot be viewed by other members and cannot search for members who meet your criteria. The hide option appeals to members who wish to remain temporarily inactive on the site, e.g. because they want to get to know their way around the site before allowing members to see and contact them.
• Suspending a profile means that you no longer receive alerts from the site and are not visible to other members. It is more suited to members who wish to take an extended break from dating - perhaps because they have met someone on the site and want to see how things go before cancelling their subscription.
• Cancelling your subscription means that your paid-for subscription will end as you no longer wish to use the service now or in the future. At customers' request, the profile can also be deleted, but this means that it cannot be recovered or restored at a later date. This is the preferred option for people who have met someone on the site and are pursuing a long term relationship.
We make it immediately clear on the site to members who suspend or hide or hide their profile that they haven't cancelled their subscription, and if they want to, how to do it. The advantage of suspending or hiding your profile is that you can choose to become visible on the site again at any time without having to re-write your profile or lose previous contact records.
To cancel their subscription, members need to visit the 'my subscription' page and call the free-phone number which is prominently displayed under the 'manage my subscription' link and is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week to UK members. This is clearly signposted around the site, is highlighted to people by email when they sign up, and is made clear in the site terms and conditions.
2. Does match.com believe that the subscription cancellation process is made adequately clear on the website, bearing in mind we have identified a number of ways in which it could be made clearer?
We're sorry to hear that some of your viewers have experienced difficulties and as a result we've made some modifications to the site to make it even clearer how to cancel. We are constantly seeking to improve the on-site experience for our customers and welcome this kind of feedback so that we can make things as simple for people as possible.
3. The website does not appear to state clearly that the only way to cancel your subscription is to delete your account. Can you confirm that the only way to cancel the subscription is to delete it and, if so, why does you website not state this?
To cancel a subscription a member simply needs to call the free-phone number which is prominently displayed and open 24/7 to members in the UK. Details can be found on the "manage my subscription" page, or in the help section of the website. If a member wishes to delete their account because they no longer wish to use the service, our customer care team will do this for them.
4. Why is there an option to 'suspend' your account and what are the benefits of a suspended account when customers are still being charged for it?
To offer members the maximum flexibility during their subscription, we give them the option to suspend, hide or cancel their profiles.
Some members may wish to take a break from online dating - for example because they have started exploring a potential new relationship, but want to remain a member whilst in the early stages of dating someone new. This is why we give people the opportunity to suspend their account, meaning they no longer receive alerts from the site and are not visible to other members, but their profile, subscription and contact history are preserved and can be accessed at any time until they decide to cancel their membership and permanently leave the site.
We make it immediately clear on the site to members who suspend their account that they haven't cancelled their subscription, and that if they wish to do so they should follow the procedure outlined above.
5. What is the difference between a suspended account and an unused account?
A suspended profile isn't available to be viewed by other members. An unused account is simply that - it is an account which a member is not actively using but which remains searchable within the member database.
6. Why was Ms Perry repeatedly charged by match.com after she had received an email informing her that no more money would come out of her account?
In the case of Ms Perry, we can confirm that she did follow the correct subscription cancellation procedure, but was mistakenly charged due to an administrative error on our part. We offer Ms Perry our sincere apologies and have arranged a full refund.
Watchdog Viewer Responses:
Hi, I joined up with match.com over 3 years ago and I paid for the 6 moths, I paid for the use up front, In the first month i met someone called Suzanne Foreman, We are now married.
I have tried to come off match.com. I have emailed them and said I don't want to be on it anymore, But yet i'm still on there, And when Suzanne said I want to come off, They deleted her straight away.
I'm fed up with email's from other ladies, and so is my wife.
Phillip & Suzanne Thornburrow
So happy this has come to your attention. I have had my share of problems with Match.com. I initially bought a 3-month subscription. Bear in mind this isn't that cheap for a mere website service. As I wasn't satisfied with the service I wanted to cancel the account however I could not find a link on the website to cancel the account. I unfortunately presumed that I don't have to cancel as I did subscribe for 3 months.
I was surprised that my account was debited for about 90 pounds without any prior warning or pre-message. They just took the money. I queried the payment immediately by phone as apparently they don't have an e-mail address which is very strange for an online service.
Despite me contacting them within a few hours of them taking my money they still refuse to refund me.
I will never ever recommend Match.com to anybody else.
Martin McDowell, Haverfordwest, Wales
My wife and I have been together for 4 years, and married for 18 months. We have a lovely 6 month old daughter called Rosie. And we have match.com to thank for introducing us in the first place.
We will not thank them for how they treated my wife when she tried to cancel her subscription. She succesfully suspended her account (thinking she had cancelled it) but they went on to charge her another ~£80 for another 6 month subscription. By email they were unsympathetic and rude when she explained she had found love through their service and wanted to cancel. They couldn't care less, so long as they got their money.
Simon and Sally Adelman, Cambridge
Have you met your Match.com?