eHarmony - rip off cancellation policy - £65 for 10 days use

MattMattMattUK

Just use the free version of Tinder and Bumble, fairly easy to get dates in normal times, I know that eHarmony's hook is that it will find you better matches, but I do not think you can profile that, you have to go out for a drink with someone to know how you feel in their presence. 

Unicorn79

Update from me - I have applied for a chargeback, I will keep you posted if I am successful.

angeczar

eHarmony_warning said:

I'm a long term MSE user and forum contributor but to protect my identity, signed up with a new username so I could highlight an issue with eHarmony's dreadful refund policy.

After being single for a few months, I signed up to eHarmony for a year to expand my social circle. I carefully read the T&Cs, especially the 14 day "cooling off" period where they state:

If you cancel your subscription within the 14-day cancellation period, we will refund to you all payments that we have received from you for the cancelled Premium Membership without undue delay and in any event no later than 14 days from the day on which we were informed of your decision to cancel your subscription. We will provide this refund using the same means of payment that you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; and you will not be charged for this refund.
However, please note that if you have started to use the Premium Membership within the 14-day cancellation period, we will be entitled to retain from the refunded payment a reasonable amount (value compensation) to account for that portion of the Premium Membership that you have already received.

Fair enough, there may be some charges. I paid £143.40 for a years membership, a "50% off" deal too ;-0

After just a week, I realised that I wasn't going to meet many people there, the people they thought were compatible lived miles away and there are quite a few people registered in Asian countries looking for partners in the UK. That wasn't what I was looking for so I cancelled my membership well within the 14 days only for eHarmony to now tell me I must pay £130 for the personality profile they produced for me, but out of goodwill, I can have a 50% discount, so they will charge me just £65 and take this out of the fee I paid prior to refunding me.

I'm livid about this and taken it up with them, but they are not interested, they just spout the same reply. I offered a full months membership fee towards their "reasonable costs" but this was rejected. Next stop is my credit card for a charge back, but I wanted to warn people that there is no such thing as a cooling off period with eHarmony, they certainly want their money if you sign up then try to leave when you find their product isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I got myself in the same situation ... and feel absolutely deceived and scammed by eHarmony! They charged me £65 for “unique personality report “ I didn’t even asked for in the first place. It was not mentioned to me I will be charged for it if I cancel my subscription. I decided to cancel my membership after 10 days as there is no matches around and I don’t wish to have virtual dating experience with people from other parts of the world. 

They decided to charge me on the spot £65 without even consulting me first. That is way too much for “ value compensation”. 

I used PayPal which now is not able to help me since I signed the agreement with eHarmony. Has anyone was able to get the money back from PayPal? 

My bank cannot help me and PayPal is reluctant to assist me as well. 

Unicorn79

Did the funds come from your PayPal funds or from your bank via PayPal? If the latter is raise a case with your bank.

Unfortunately PayPal are useless for anything they are responsible for. I have an ombudsman case open with them now for something else.

 And agree, eHarmony are shocking!!!!!!! You just have to look at trustpilot reviews which I didn’t see until after this issue!

Unicorn79

Also.. to note, I asked eHarmony if they would revoke my subscription instead (I too paid for a year up-front) and they said they ‘couldn’t. Shocking service not to give me that option!!

angeczar

Unicorn79 said:

Did the funds come from your PayPal funds or from your bank via PayPal? If the latter is raise a case with your bank.

Unfortunately PayPal are useless for anything they are responsible for. I have an ombudsman case open with them now for something else.

 And agree, eHarmony are shocking!!!!!!! You just have to look at trustpilot reviews which I didn’t see until after this issue!

The funds ( pre- authorised payment) will come out from my bank via PayPal. The only thing the bank was able to do for me in the meantime was to cancel DD with PayPal. However, they also added that  PayPal may take the payment anyway. 

I opened the case with PayPal, but they said that I agreed to eHarmony T&C therefore they cannot really help me ... to which I said - it is the service I am unhappy about - it is like buying a product which isn’t as described. If that had been an eBay item I bought , I would have been protected under
 “ money back guarantee” . Let’s see what is going to happen. I did , what I could.  I still hope I will still be able to get the money back through PayPal. Dealing with eHarmony customer service took me nowhere. They are like no mercy mafia. 

I totally agree, I should have read all painful reviews about eHarmony on trustpilot prior to signing up ... It is so shocking to read how many people got scammed the same way. That site and company should be banned.  They take advantage of vulnerable people who hope to find love ... and they advertised themselves as the most successful dating site for serious , long term relationships... 
I’d rather stay single or go to nunnery than have anything to do with that site and ruthless customer service of eHarmony ever again! 

Unicorn79

Update, e-Harmony cancelled, charge back received 3 months ago. Now I receive an email from eHarmony with an invoice, ironically for the same amount as the chargeback! They are instructing I pay this. How should I manage this!?? 

MattMattMattUK

Unicorn79 said:

Update, e-Harmony cancelled, charge back received 3 months ago. Now I receive an email from eHarmony with an invoice, ironically for the same amount as the chargeback! 

It is not ironic. You owed them the original amount, you had that amount taken off them via the Chargeback process, they are pursuing you for the money they think you owe them, you think you do not owe it, the only way that can really be decided for sure is if they take you to court. 

Unicorn79 said:

They are instructing I pay this.

That is what they will do with a debt.

Unicorn79 said:

How should I manage this!?? 

That depends, I am not sure what the consensus was on here as to if you were entitled to the refund you felt you were, but you went down the Chargeback route anyway. Chargeback does not absolve you of the amount, nor does it supersede contract law. Your choice of action will be based on how far you think they will go in the debt collection process and what you think your chances are in court if it goes that far, but remember that the court will decide based on the law, you feeling that you were due a refund has no bearing on the proceedings. 

Unicorn79

That is what they will do with a debt.

WiIl this affect my credit rating?

Unicorn79

Has anybody been taken to court by eHarmony over £65!?