Online dating websites - would you pay their hefty fees?

ffor99

Hello all,

I have been single for about a year now and have considered using an online dating website to meet someone new.

I don't really go out that much as I now have a child to care for so thought maybe this was a good idea to try as I'm not sure I would meet anyone otherwise.

However, they all seem to charge such high fees for the privilege.

Has anyone had any good/bad experiences and would you say that the fees were fair and acceptable?

Thanks!

Bazey

POF is free.

krlyr

I found my OH through a free one - plentyoffish. It does attract quite a few blokes looking for a fling, but equally there are genuine blokes on there too. I think the most important thing is being in the right mindset, if you go on there with low self-esteem then you'll probably get suckered in by the wrong kind of bloke, same as with any other dating site. Know what you're worth, be picky, and it's no different to bumping into your prince charming amongst a bunch of frogs in a pub/club/social group/etc.

Moggins_2

Plenty of fish is free and is where I met my husband five years ago.
No reason to pay at all

Person_one

Bazey wrote: »

POF is free.

...and you get what you pay for!

If you want to have a real go at online dating OP, don't choose the site based on price. Choose based on what sort of person you are and what your interests are, that way you're far more likely to meet somebody compatible.

(there are some genuinely nice people on POF of course, but you do seem to have to sift through a lot of b*****ds looking for a leg over.)

InsideInsurance

There are several free ones such as POF and FreeDating

If I were single again then I'd probably stick with them. There are probably less women that just want to get their leg over -v- men and so less of a headache of having to filter the dross out.

Paying may cut down on the number of people just playing but I would hope that a few minutes of chatting to someone you can work it out anyway and sometimes it can be fun to play along anyway.

ffor99

Thanks all,

I first tried match.com and after entering my initial details, I just ended up getting profiles of guys twice my age adding me to their favourite list! It was a bit off-putting and hence why I didn't bother subscribing.

Then I thought I'd try e harmony- I was quite impressed with all the initial questions they asked to build your profile but their matches seem few and far between. Therefore I'm thinking whether paying their fee is worth it.

I'll take a look at the free website. I just don't want my mailbox to be bombarded with pointless emails from people who just want a quick affair. Not what I want at all!

paulineb_2

Not everyone on POF wants a quick affair, I know three couples who met on there and who are still together. Tbh I think a lot of people go on the same sites, including POF and ones that you pay.

Ive heard some awful things about smooch, okcupid and also badoo.
Theres also a site called free dating.

Im sure theres another one called look its me and they have forums and Im sure social meets as well, as does POF.

Person_one

What are your politics? Most newspapers have a dating site, if you sign up to the one that best reflects your views you've got a good chance of meeting compatible people.

ffor99

I've had a look at the free dating website - it's ok for free. I guess it generates its revenue from advertising (similar to Facebook). Not really my types on there though so maybe I just need to get out more often!

SunshineButterfly

No I wouldn't pay.

I met my current partner on POF. It is free and has quite a good database.

Not everyone will find their perfect partner within a few months, some can take longer. I am sure for hefty fee's they are not going to have many members on there in the same boat.

Also there was a program on recently about how they were putting fake profiles on there and contacting members to try and get them to sign up as they thought they had interest, then once they had paid no one ever messaged them again!