Most of you already know that I have tried various online "relationship" sites since I can't seem to find Mr. Right through any of the traditional methods (hardware stores, friends-of-friends, weddings, church events, rodeos, grocery stores, parks, pet stores...). Some sites I have tried on more than one occasion.
My most recent (paid) subscription at a certain site with a very long introductory survey was rather disappointing. I wrote a letter and their response was so overwhelmingly disappointing, I decided to post the whole lot of it. Notice they failed to truly address question one; I sent them another letter. Maybe my math isn't so good but things don't seem to line up very well.
Dear Customer Service,I am considering renewing my subscription but am not sure that it is worth the current rates.
During my last 3 month subscription, I had 55 matches - of which an overwhelming number (43) were closed within 24 hours. There were only two individuals (less than 4%) with whom I completed all stages of communication! To increase the number of compatible matches, I even went so far as to retake the personality profile questions. However, this did not appear to make any difference.
I realize that perhaps you cannot guarantee match numbers but I would hope that match quality could be improved.
Questions:
1) Is there a way to improve my match quality? Is there a way to tell how much the personality profile results differ between each time I have taken it? Do I need to retake the personality profile again?
2) Other than your standard subscription offers, are there any other subscription rates that you have available?Lastly, it appears that you have removed your customer assistance phone number from your site. I would strongly encourage you to consider returning it. I, and I assume many others, would prefer to contact you through that method.
Best regards,
The response:
Thank you for contacting Customer Care.I'm really sorry to hear that your _____'s experience hasn't been as positive thus far. I also understand your frustration and want you to have a more satisfying experience with us. Finding the love of your life can take time and a great amount of patience and you have definitely come to the right place. We use the [really long survey results(R)] to find you those matches that you will be truly compatible with and set you in a type of forum while you and your matches can get to know each other on more personal levels; to see if there is chemistry. This process can take time and _____ is here to hold your hand and guide you on an adventure of a lifetime.
We don’t want you to turn back now that you’ve come this far. We want you continue on the path and find that special someone. We have had many members that have felt like giving up. They decided to continue on and found their success.
I would like to suggest that you visit our Success Stories section of the website. There is a specific area marked “Nearly Gave Up.” ... These stories will truly inspire you.
We screen your matches using criteria that are vital to creating a stable, long-term relationship, but are usually hard to discern when first getting to know someone. We bring matches to you only if they are compatible according to the [really long survey results(R)] that we know account for 85% of what determines relationship success.
Then, it’s your turn. Your responsibility is to judge the chemistry of the match. Although we all put a lot of emphasis here in the early stages, chemistry really only accounts for about 15% of what makes a relationship last. It could certainly be the case that a match from _____ meets our compatibility requirements and fails your personal chemistry test. Occasionally, members don’t even like their matches. This is a normal part of the process.
Since you were a previous _____ member, we’d like to encourage you to take advantage of these great discounted subscription options and let us help you find your soul mate.
...
If you are interested in any of these offers, please log into your _____ account and purchase a subscription at the regular price. Then, once you have completed the sign-up process, simply reply to this e-mail, and we will be more than happy to apply the extra time for free.
It is our pleasure to get you started. If you need any assistance, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at _____ . Our Customer Care department is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
_____ is proud to report that an average of 236 members get married everyday through our service and we are confident that our service will work for you too.
We look forward to helping you find the love of your life.
Sincerely,
Kurt B.
Customer CareWe have recently introduced a new service called Refer a Friend. If you would like to share the joy of helping your friend find the love of their life, please select the following link: http://www._____.com/refer/. We can send your friend a message so they can experience all ______ has to offer.
Wow ... that's a useless letter! So, are you going to renew? (joking here)