'They ghosted me' - Complaints about matchmaking agencies on the rise

Main issue centres on companies becoming unresponsive after packages had been signed

- Shermaine Ang

Complaints about matchmaking agencies here have crept up in the last few years, with clients saying that the companies became slow to respond after they paid for packages, leaving them to chase for dates.

Clients also said the agencies did not introduce suitable matches based on basic criteria they had specified, such as their religion and whether they want to have children, despite having paid thousands of dollars for these services.

One customer, who wanted to be known only as Mr Yang, paid dating agency Lunch Actually a non-refundable deposit of $324 for a promotional offer. It was supposed to include a free date even if he did not eventually sign up for a membership.

This free date offer was never fulfilled, said the 32-year-old, who works in the IT sector. The agency's consultant ignored his texts about the date for over a month, until he filed a claim with the Small Claims Tribunals.

"It was very ironic, because they are a dating agency, but they are doing the ghosting themselves," he said.

In response to queries from The Sunday Times, Singapore's consumer watchdog said it received 54 complaints about dating platform Love Group - which runs the Lovestruck dating brand - in 2024, up from 35 in 2023, 29 in 2022, and 24 in 2021.

For Lunch Actually, the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) saw 36 complaints in 2024, up from 24 in 2023, 15 in 2022, and 17 in 2021.

Overall, at least 93 complaints were lodged about the matchmaking industry for the financial year ending March 2024, higher than the 82 in the previous financial year, according to Case's latest annual report published in June 2024.

Case president Melvin Yong said consumers' complaints about matchmaking agencies generally centred on the companies becoming unresponsive after packages had been signed, with some citing the companies' failure to introduce matches based on their specified preferences.