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Negative Great Expectations Dating Review

I saw a corrogated plastic sign along the street outside my health club with a website for dating in that city. When I got home I googled the website and could not find it, but I did find one called dallassingles.org.

I went to the site and all it had on it was a form to submit for dallassingles.org. Since it was a .org ( which usually indicates non profit), I figured it was a free or close to free service). Over the next two weeks a girl named Heather called 3x a week and a left a message identifying herself as calling from Dallas singles. After the 6th time I decided to call her back. She asked me to make an appointment to meet her to talk about Dallas Singles. She emailed me the address.

On the evening I agreed to meet, I went to the address to discover that it was in the office of Great Expectations. I told the girl at the desk I was there to meet with Heather. She gave me a clipboard and form to fill out. I filled it out and a few minutes later Norine, not Heather came and led me to a back office. She started a video of success stories and left the office. She came back later and started her sales pitch. She would not tell me the price, but said if I signed up that night I would get a substatial discount.

I told her I had just eleminated my debt, and did not want to get back into it, and that I do not make decisions without research, thought, and discussion with those I know. She went on to say that if I did not sign up that night that I wouldn't be back and I would never meet someone and I'd single and die old and lonely and so on.

She finally showed me the prices. There were three levels. The basic level was for like $5k for one year, and the singles mixer parties I would have to pay for. The next level was like $5800, and I would have to pay for the mixers again, but I would have 5x I could put my profile on hold (or unavailable) if I had met someone I wanted to date.

The third was $6,500, I would not have to pay for the mixers and would have unlimited holds on my profile. It was also good for six years. I told her it was too much money, far above what other dating services charge and that I was in control of my finances and did not want to lose that. She went back to belittleing me telling me I was getting to old and that I would never have children and would die alone.

She said that not signing up right then would be the biggest mistake of my life. Someone she convinced me to give her my credit card. I should have just walked out but I didn't. She came back and the credit slip showed $7500. I asked her why it was $7500 when she showed and told me it was $6500 and said there was not tax. She said $150 was the initiation fee to use the members webpage. $250 was for photos and a video interview (that I never agreed to).

She said that I was required to get photos there. I don't know what the rest of the charges were for. I asked her, and she said they were necessary, and then went back to her sales pitch and labeling me a loser. She gave me a packet and I left. When I got home I googled "great expectations about dating" several of the pages were just about how GE was ripping people off all over the country, and how people who used the service were not satisfied. Many peoples stories were identicle to mine.

The knot in my stomach got extremely tighter. The next morning I called my CC company. I told them I signed up for this service last night, but I have not used or intend to use. I asked that they not allow the charge. They said the charge had already been made and I could not dispute until it posted to my account. I've checked my account the last coupld of days and have not seen the charge yet. I don't know how long it takes. The CC company also said I need to first call Great Expectations and tell them I did not want the service. I called GE early that afternnoon. The girl who answered asked who I interviewed with. I told her Norine. She transferred the call to Norine. I told Norine that I was not going to use the service and wanted the charges reversed. Norine told me that I signed a contract and they would not reverse the charges.

I told her that I signed that contract last night and they had not provided me with any services yet. She said that did not matter, and they were not going to reverse the charges because I made the decision to hand her my credit card, and that they were doing so for my benefit. I reminder her that I had told her twice last night that I did not want to make a decesion so suddenly. I had also reminded her that the fee she told me and showed me on paper was $6500, and she charged me $7500. She went back to her sales pitch, saying I would die old and alone and calling me a loser.

I told her I did not call to discuss, but that I wanted the charges reversed. She tried to sales talk to me again, but I cut her off sternly this time. She said I would have to talk to another girl named Stephanie who would not be back in the office until Monday. She said Stephanie would have to authorize, but she wouldn't either. I told Norine that was not happy with how they are opperating their business. I told her its deceptive and manipulative. I said I was going to fight them if the charges show on my account. Has anyone else been through this? Can I get some help going after them or getting the charges reversed? Thanks!
- Michael, June 2007

If you have other comments about Great Expectations dating service, please let me know. Of all the singles dating services I looked at, I was attracted to Great-Expectations.com because of the fact that it does not promote gay relationship.