When Match.com notifies you that another user has shown interest in you, is that user normally legitimate? When Match tells you that if you don’t meet “someone special” within six months, you’ll get another six months free, what do you have to do to qualify? The complaint for this class action alleges that Match Group, LLC lures people into subscriptions with messages from non-legitimate users, sets hidden conditions on the free-six-months promise, and makes it difficult to cancel subscriptions.
People can become members of Match.com and browse profiles for free, but they may not send or receive messages directly unless they have a paid subscription. Match sends free users notifications if another member sends a message showing interest in them, but in order to see the messages or learn about the senders, they must upgrade to a paid subscription.
The complaint alleges that many of these initial approaches are made by scammers looking for new victims. It claims that Match “has the capability of blocking communications from suspected fraudsters” and prevents them from contacting paid subscribers. “However, until approximately mid-2018, [Match] knowingly allowed such fraudulent communications to be sent to ‘free’ users” in order to entice them into subscribing.
Sometimes when members upgrade to paid subscriptions, and then try to view the profiles of the users purportedly interested in them, they find that those profiles are “unavailable.”
Also, Match promises that if paid subscribers do not “meet someone special” on the site within six months, they will be given another six months for free. But the complaint alleges that Match maintains hidden conditions and narrow time frames to get the free six months, which means that many users don’t succeed in qualifying.
Subscriptions automatically renew until they are affirmatively canceled. However, the complaint alleges that Match makes the cancelation process difficult and misleading, so that users who believe they have canceled may find themselves charged again. If they dispute the charges with their credit card company, the complaint alleges, Match may cancel the remaining portion of their subscription, including the time they have already paid for.
The class for this action is all natural persons living in the US or its territories who, during the applicable statutes of limitations, paid for a subscription to Match.com, and who also fell into one of eleven subclasses.
The subclasses have to do with: receiving notifications from Match about messages not from legitimate users; receiving notifications from Match about messages from users already flagged as potentially fraudulent; not meeting someone special yet not getting a free six months; trying to cancel and being charged for another subscription period; disputing a charge and having their account closed by Match before the expiration of the period they’d paid for; canceling their subscription and Match not deleting all their information; and a New York subclass of each of these. See pages 17-19 of the complaint linked below.
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Consumer
Most Recent Case Event
Match.com Lures to Subscriptions and Illegitimate Users Complaint
July 6, 2021
When Match.com notifies you that another user has shown interest in you, is that user normally legitimate? When Match tells you that if you don’t meet “someone special” within six months, you’ll get another six months free, what do you have to do to qualify? The complaint for this class action alleges that Match Group, LLC lures people into subscriptions with messages from non-legitimate users, sets hidden conditions on the free-six-months promise, and makes it difficult to cancel subscriptions.
Match.com Lures to Subscriptions and Illegitimate Users ComplaintCase Event History
Match.com Lures to Subscriptions and Illegitimate Users Complaint
July 6, 2021
When Match.com notifies you that another user has shown interest in you, is that user normally legitimate? When Match tells you that if you don’t meet “someone special” within six months, you’ll get another six months free, what do you have to do to qualify? The complaint for this class action alleges that Match Group, LLC lures people into subscriptions with messages from non-legitimate users, sets hidden conditions on the free-six-months promise, and makes it difficult to cancel subscriptions.
Match.com Lures to Subscriptions and Illegitimate Users Complaint