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All about eHarmony’s guarantees and refund policy

We here at eHarmony Blog love eHarmony, but, yes, we agree with you — eHarmony’s Refund Policy is crapshoot. Does eHarmony guarantee anything at all? We scoured their website for every single guarantee they have, and here they are:

UPDATE 1: At least as of June 2008, eHarmony stopped providing the first two guarantees in the article.

UPDATE 2: Read also How to get a refund from eHarmony

The Three eHarmony Guarantees

Guarantee #1 – The 7-day Risk Free Trial

Short version: If you are not 100% satisfied with your initial membership purchase, for any reason, you may close your account within the first seven days and receive a full refund. (this text is found in the Choose a Plan page.)

Long version: If you are not 100% satisfied with our service, for any reason, you may close your account within the first seven (7) days of your membership, and we will issue you a full refund. Your 7 day Risk-Free trial period begins on the date of your first membership purchase. At any time during the first 7 days of your membership purchase you may request and receive a full refund. Please note, this offer is limited to one free trial per household. This offer is not applicable to membership renewals and subsequent memberships purchased after your initial eHarmony membership. All purchases are subject to the eHarmony Terms and Conditions of Service. (this text is found in the eH help system.)

This is crap in sheep’s clothing, as explained beautifully by Beth Kujawski of Chicago, IL (dated 3 June 2005):

Beth KujawskiWhen you quit the service, you are given a 1-800 number to call for your “confirmation” number.

But of course it’s not about calling for your confirmation number that you’ve quit within 7 days and will be receiving a credit for the $49.95 you charged to your credit card to sign up in the first place. No, it’s a chance for them to get you to change your mind.

So Chris wanted to know why it was I was quitting after being a member for only six days. Because Chris, I’m sure, isn’t just a customer service rep … Chris really cares about my future happiness, right?

I told him that the price was a big factor, that $49.95 was pretty steep, given that I only really had a week to try out the service, and that it was taking some people days to respond. And that you couldn’t sign up for another plan, thus lessening the financial commitment, but still get out of it. I told him that I was suspicious that I’d gotten so many matches in just six days from a service that touts how exclusive it is. I didn’t tell him that eHarmony’s screening process is crap, since I was matched with a guy who listed “guns” as one of the Five Things he can’t live without.

Ah, but here’s the juiciness: Since one of my gripes was that 7 days wasn’t long enough to actually accomplish anything (even though he jumped right in to tell me that I can bypass the “stages” of communication and start writing to people right away), Chris was willing to extend my membership an additional two months for the same fee, so instead of $49.95 a month with monthly renewals of $39.95, which is what I signed up for, I could have three whole months for $49.95. Three months for the price of one. (If you sign up for three months right off the bat, you’re gonna spend $99.95, and it’s non-refundable.)

I told him that I still wanted to cancel. That’s when he put me on hold, and said he’d have my confirmation number when he came back. It took several minutes. (I’ve finally gotten my confirmation number and hung up.)

All totaled, it took nearly 20 minutes for me to end my relationship with eHarmony. But if you want to pursue one, use what I’ve learned: Sign up for the $49.95 plan, cancel within 7 days, and then take them up on their offer to extend your membership to three months for $49.95, and save yourself the 50 bucks.1

eHarmony Blog can attest everything Beth said. Now the question is, how long did it take eHarmony to refund her money? 4 weeks?

100% Guarantee

Guarantee #2 – The Match Guarantee

1. 12 Month Membership – The eHarmony Annual Match Guarantee

eHarmony guarantees to provide 12-month members a minimum of 12 matches throughout the course of their membership. If we fail to provide you 12 matches we will either refund* your membership fee or provide you with an additional 3 months of service at no cost to you — at your discretion.

*Annual match guarantee refund will be equal to a pro-rated membership fee based on the number of matches that a member has been provided. For example, if you receive 6 matches during the course of your membership, you will be entitled to a refund equal to 6/12 or 50% of your membership fee.

2. 6 Month Membership – Match Guarantee

During your 6-month membership we will provide you with as many matches as we can but guarantee that we will provide a minimum of 6 matches. If you do not receive this minimum number of matches, we will extend your membership in 3-month increments at no cost to you until we have met this commitment.

3. 3 Month Membership – Match Guarantee

During your 3-month membership we will provide you with as many matches as we can but guarantee that we will provide a minimum of 3 matches. If you do not receive this minimum number of matches, we will extend your membership in 3-month increments at no cost to you until we have met this commitment.

4. 1 Month Membership – Match Guarantee

This plan does not include a match guarantee. (this text is found in the eH help system.)

This one is half-crap. Nowadays, in US cities, all it takes is around three days to receive twelve matches. The only possibility, we think, someone can get a refund is paying twelve months and living in the middle of nowhere (like Koyukuk, Alaska) or outside eHarmony’s core market (like China), and then excessively restricting one’s Match Settings. Even then we foresee a long conversation with Customer Service who will suggest that one ‘try’ searching “Anywhere in the World” first.

Guarantee #3 – The Jenny guarantee

In Newsletter Volume 34, Dr. Warren made this guarantee to a certain Jenny who supposedly wrote the doctor a letter:

… So I’d like to ask you to add a new dimension to your approach, starting today. If you will accept my challenge, I guarantee two things:

  • You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the quality of people you’ll meet.
  • Your life will become more exciting and fun.

My challenge to you, Jenny, is that for the next 30 days you wholeheartedly, without reservation, reach out and communicate with EVERY SINGLE MATCH eHarmony brings you…. – Dr. Warren

Wow, Thanks Doc. Unless you ARE this Jenny, then this guarantee will not hold in any court. :-P It’s a gimmick (of course!) so the site sends out more nudges and requests for communication which of course results in more subscriptions.

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Comments 22

Comments: 1 2
  1. Chip wrote:

    In the interest of fairness, here’s my total lack-of-horror-story. I am a pesimist, so having read everything I’ve seen so far, I was ready for the worst. I signed up last Saturday morning (it’s now Friday), and having gonoe 6 days without any responses, I decided not to risk my $60. I went through the necessary steps to cancel online. Finding the link was not at all dificult, and they only asked a few questions (I think 3, tops) before confirming the cancelation. Lo and behold, the confirmation screen had a large yellow box that read “You are eligible for a refund,” and had all the juicy details.

    I called the 800 number, and was on hold about 5 minutes (midday Friday). ‘Chris’ wanted to know why I cancelled, I said I had met someone and didn’t need their services anymore. He said congrats, put me on hold for about a minute, and came back with a confirmation.

    I think their guarantee is definitely worded and implemented to work in their favor, as any good business should. However, after my experience, I think “buyer beware” covers this one. You have 7 days, you know you have 7 days. So if you think you’re going to want the refund, don’t dawdle. And don’t accept delays. Call them before sunset on day 7 and make sure you have a confirmation code. Good luck, out there!

    Posted 27 Oct 2006 at 7:42 am
  2. Lori wrote:

    I joined on 12/7/07. On 12/22/07, 14 days later, I called to cancel the annual membership I’d signed up for. The matches I was receiving had nothing in common with me. I too was given the “keep trying” speech but also told that I would not be refunded any monies already paid, but that no further monies would be taken. Lo and behold, on January 7, 2008, another $91.80 was taken from my account. This is ridiculous. I am going to file complaints with every agency I can, starting with PayPal.

    Posted 13 Jan 2008 at 6:36 am
  3. Perry Walker wrote:

    I wish to cancel my subscription to eharmony.

    Posted 12 Feb 2008 at 3:46 pm
  4. Beanie wrote:

    I have to echo Chip’s sentiments — I too had a fairly easy time canceling my membership and getting a refund. I will say though, reading through this blog first, helped me tremendously. Thank you, thank you.

    I had signed up (exactly one week ago-last Saturday) for a three month membership paying the $59.95 special rate. I paid it through paypal and it was quickly taken out of my bank account.

    After being less than satisfied with matching results and just the whole “canned communication” set-up of their site, I decided it wasn’t for me.

    The steps were pretty simple:
    1) went to my settings, then account settings and at the bottom hit the “close account” button. you have to follow it all the way through, which includes checking why you are canceling (I picked it was the cost). Then I was taken to the page which said to call the number 1-800-648-9548 to confirm cancellation.
    2) I called the number, and hit “1″ for billing questions. NOW THIS PART IS KEY — even though their message says they are experiencing a high volume of calls and that you may want to try again later or even to press “9″ to have a rep call YOU back, I stayed on the line. and guess what? a customer service person came on within 2 mintues. I think the message is just a stalling tactic so you’ll hang up and then not get around to calling back.
    3) since I knew she would ask me why I wanted to cancel and try to convince me otherwise, I just gave her a story that she couldn’t possibly challenge — told her that I was accepting a job out of the country, would be busy getting all my affairs in order over the next 2 months and would have no time for dating and no interest in starting anything. told her I would be moving around alot in the next 2 years for this job.

    so she said she understood, gave me some little sales schpeel about eharmony and my options if I wanted a free month or some other crap. I stayed firm in my wanting to cancel AND to get a refund. She put me on hold and then came back with a confirmation number. A few minutes later in my inbox, I received a notice from PayPal that eharmony had refunded my $59.95.

    I’m wondering if all of the pressure from blogs such as this and consumer complaints have pressured eharmony into being more fair and cooperative with their cancellation and refund policy. If so, score one for the little guy!

    Posted 16 Feb 2008 at 9:03 am
  5. Kim wrote:

    [Ed's note: email address removed to protect the poster from spammers]

    Here is what E-Harmony did to me. This is a one of the letters I wrote to them. and how they responded to it. I would like to know if anyone has had a similar situation with them.

    When I started using your services in March 2005, I was told by a E- Harmony represenitiveI would have to cancel by phone, which I did in August 2005. When I kept receiving e-mails from E- Harmony saying someone requests communication I logged on in March of 2006 to see why I was still receiving e-mail from you. It showed I was canceled.
    As far as my bank statements, my accountant did not bring these charges to my attention. It wasn’t until my bank recently notified me that I was at possible risk of Debit card fraud, that I became aware that E-Harmony has been taking money out of my account, which was not authorized.

    You state that my satisfaction is important to you, although I am not satisfied. You have taken advantage of me as a consumer. You have seen that there has been no activity on my account but you were still taking money for services NOT rendered. That is outrageous.

    I find it obvious that your willingness to refund me $79.90 based on my account activity an admission of guilt on your part. I don’t look at it as a courtesy, it is your obligation.`I have talked with my bank and told them I was trying to resolve this issue. They told me if It wasn’t resolved to call them back and file A claim. If they can be of no assistance,I will take further legal action. I canceled in August of 2005.

    My account was inactive foe 30 months. (2 YEARS AND 6 MONTHS) that I was being charged for, and the total money you have taken out of my account is $1198.50. I already deducted the 2 months you refunded and 1 month in March of 2006 that I logged on to take care of this issue.
    The unauthorized charges to my canceled account is unacceptable and needs to be refunded immediately.
    T

    —–Original Message—–
    From: eHarmony Customer Care
    To: XXXXXXXX@aol.com
    Sent: Thu, 5 Jun 2008 3:05 pm
    Subject: My e-mail is XXXXXXXX@aol.com, Incident # 080526-000835. .Your records will sh… [Incident: 080528-000608]

    Dear Kim,

    Thank you for contacting eHarmony.

    We have read your e-mail and reviewed your account. We do understand that
    ending up with multiple charges to your account unexpectedly can be frustrating.
    That being said, we do need to remind you that each time you purchase a
    subscription included in the page with the confirmation notice is the following
    announcement:

    Please Note in order to ensure uninterrupted service, all eHarmony subscriptions
    will be automatically renewed 24 hours before they expire. To turn off the
    auto-renew feature, please go to the Account Settings section under the My
    Settings tab and choose close account after completing your purchase.

    We also realize that with all the events in one’s life it is easy to forget
    about this warning. This is why we suggest in the beginning of your
    subscription that if you do not want this to occur that you simply turn it off
    before you forget about doing so.

    During the period of time that your account has been auto renewing, you have
    been receiving statements from your bank/credit card company showing and
    identifying every charge that came from eHarmony.com.

    Your satisfaction is important to us. We have reviewed your account activity,
    and as a courtesy, we have processed a refund for two months of subscription
    dues on 05/26/2008. A refund in the amount of $79.90 has been issued to your
    card. Please be aware that it may take 1-2 billing cycles for the credit to
    appear on your statement.

    Please note that your account is now closed. If you wish to reactivate your
    account, please don’t hesitate to contact Customer Care at 800-648-9548. We’re
    available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

    We thank you for taking the time to try our service and wish you all the best.

    Sincerely,

    Customer Relations
    eHarmony

    ——————————————————————————–
    Stay informed, get connected and more with AOL on your phone. onse
    First, When I started using your services in March 2005, I was told by a E- Harmony represenitiveI would have to cancel by phone, which I did in August 2005. When I kept receiving e-mails from E- Harmony saying someone requests communication I logged on in March of 2006 to see why I was still receiving e-mail from you. It showed I was canceled.
    As far as my bank statements, my accountant did not bring these charges to my attention. It wasn’t until my bank recently notified me that I was at possible risk of Debit card fraud, that I became aware that E-Harmony has been taking money out of my account, which was not authorized.

    You state that my satisfaction is important to you, although I am not satisfied. You have taken advantage of me as a consumer. You have seen that there has been no activity on my account but you were still taking money for services NOT rendered. That is outrageous.

    I find it obvious that your willingness to refund me $79.90 based on my account activity an admission of guilt on your part. I don’t look at it as a courtesy, it is your obligation.`I have talked with my bank and told them I was trying to resolve this issue. They told me if It wasn’t resolved to call them back and file A claim. If they can be of no assistance,I will take further legal action. I canceled in August of 2005.

    My account was inactive foe 30 months. (2 YEARS AND 6 MONTHS) that I was being charged for, and the total money you have taken out of my account is $1198.50. I already deducted the 2 months you refunded and 1 month in March of 2006 that I logged on to take care of this issue.
    The unauthorized charges to my canceled account is unacceptable and needs to be refunded immediately.
    T

    —–Original Message—–
    From: eHarmony Customer Care
    To: XXXXXXXX@aol.com
    Sent: Thu, 5 Jun 2008 3:05 pm
    Subject: My e-mail is XXXXXXXX@aol.com, Incident # 080526-000835. .Your records will sh… [Incident: 080528-000608]

    Dear Kim,

    Thank you for contacting eHarmony.

    We have read your e-mail and reviewed your account. We do understand that
    ending up with multiple charges to your account unexpectedly can be frustrating.
    That being said, we do need to remind you that each time you purchase a
    subscription included in the page with the confirmation notice is the following
    announcement:

    Please Note in order to ensure uninterrupted service, all eHarmony subscriptions
    will be automatically renewed 24 hours before they expire. To turn off the
    auto-renew feature, please go to the Account Settings section under the My
    Settings tab and choose close account after completing your purchase.

    We also realize that with all the events in one’s life it is easy to forget
    about this warning. This is why we suggest in the beginning of your
    subscription that if you do not want this to occur that you simply turn it off
    before you forget about doing so.

    During the period of time that your account has been auto renewing, you have
    been receiving statements from your bank/credit card company showing and
    identifying every charge that came from eHarmony.com.

    Your satisfaction is important to us. We have reviewed your account activity,
    and as a courtesy, we have processed a refund for two months of subscription
    dues on 05/26/2008. A refund in the amount of $79.90 has been issued to your
    card. Please be aware that it may take 1-2 billing cycles for the credit to
    appear on your statement.

    Please note that your account is now closed. If you wish to reactivate your
    account, please don’t hesitate to contact Customer Care at 800-648-9548. We’re
    available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

    We thank you for taking the time to try our service and wish you all the best.

    Sincerely,

    Customer Relations
    eHarmony

    ——————————————————————————–
    Stay informed, get connected and more with AOL on your phone. he letters I sent to them.

    Posted 20 Jul 2008 at 8:32 am
  6. MARYANN moon wrote:

    THANK YOU FOR CLOSING MY ACCOUNT
    WITH THE EHARMONY CORPORATION.
    IF I NEED TO CONFIRM THIS, I WANT TO
    DO JUT THAT!

    Posted 27 Aug 2008 at 7:39 am
  7. y2cat@hotmail.com wrote:

    Is there a method in gathering interest on establishing a class action law suit against eharmoney. They are quick about charging your credit card however very slow in resolving customer issues. I was charge $249 for 12 months and they turned off my matching after a month because a key word in my City Location is “Cumming”. I wrote them several times explaining Cumming is an actual Town in Georgia and to turn on matching or refund my unused months of services with no response. How do I get a refund or get them to turn on matching?

    Posted 29 Sep 2008 at 2:04 pm
  8. Andrea wrote:

    If I wanted to be matched up with a bunch of idiots I could just go outside. Good thing I have spent hundreds of dollars instead! Thanks Dr Neil for no help at all!!

    Posted 13 Oct 2008 at 2:57 pm
  9. terribruce wrote:

    pkease take my name off ur and conconle my my perspinition wiyh u because the crediut card is my mother’s soplease take u name offfher crediut card thank u di n’thelp me any so i don’t want ur sevice

    Posted 03 Dec 2008 at 6:42 am
  10. andy wrote:

    please close account

    Posted 13 Jan 2009 at 9:48 am
  11. Linda wrote:

    Honestly, I must echo Chip’s comments. I signed up for e-Harmony a year ago after a bad breakup. After a few months of Hagen Daas and healing, I got into another relationship (through another online service) and forgot about my eHarmony membership.

    I received a notification that my account had been charged for a one month renewal fee. It took some digging but I found their customer service number, only waited on hold for about 3 minutes (called at 11:30am EST), and they refunded the additional one-month fee right away. Compared to Comcast, Direct TV, and so many other services, no complaints there!!! They congratulated me on my new 6-mo relationship and kindly sent me on my way.

    Posted 16 Mar 2009 at 7:47 am
  12. Rosa wrote:

    I consider eharmony a total scam, before joining I received four to five matches but was unable to view, of course the distance from me was an issue. I was encouraged to join and the matches would increase and distance shorten. I did for three months. Not ONE match!!! I contacted the customer care. Suggestion – fill out their NEW profile, would get better results, never answered my questions as to why I haven’t received any matches. I reluctantly agreed. They wiped out what I had on file. I logged back on only to find the same questionaire again. I refused to go through it all again for nothing. I am now in the process of cancelling. eharmony sucks!!! Only a money grabber as far as I am concerned.

    Posted 22 May 2009 at 9:30 am
  13. SingleGuyInNC wrote:

    Rosa – it’s not a scam. It is what it is and there are few guarantees. Have a read on here and you will see the varying experiences people have. It is quite normal to have to re-take the profile. The profile has been changed over the years. The idea behind taking it again is that you may have changed or will have slightly different responses to match you to others.

    Posted 22 May 2009 at 11:21 am
  14. Elizabeth R wrote:

    Rosa: “I was encouraged to join and the matches would increase and distance shorten.” Who said this to you? Customer service staff? Via phone or via email? Can you recall the name of the person or the time and date?

    We need to let the company’s managers know that who of their staff is promising a customer more matches if and when she pays up. This staffmember misrepresented the product and needs to be retrained or reprimanded.

    If you have evidence of misrepresentation, you ought to ask for your money back.

    Liz

    Posted 22 May 2009 at 2:12 pm
  15. michael diaz wrote:

    you did nothing to talk yo a mach all you want is my $

    Posted 14 Jun 2009 at 5:14 pm
  16. JeeYeon Seo wrote:

    Dear there,

    I want to get refund simply because it is very hard for me to communicate and meet people through the service due to location. I am living in Seoul, Korea, now and delayed the plan to study in the US, affected by the economic downturn..

    Please, let me know if I can get refund or not..

    Thank you in advance

    Regards,

    Jeeyeon Seo

    Posted 09 Jul 2009 at 3:52 am
  17. Elizabeth R wrote:

    I doubt they’ll give you a refund, JeeYeon. Sorry.

    Posted 13 Jul 2009 at 12:10 pm
  18. eharmonyblog wrote:

    tammie, I sent you a PM.

    Meanwhile, after this comment entry, I’m moving your comment to this month’s “EHB, on your side” issue http://eharmony-blog.com/1832 .

    Posted 07 Dec 2009 at 3:35 pm
  19. Laurie wrote:

    i found this quote in the eHarmony policy. it says you can cancel for any reason within 3 business days of your order and get a full refund. anyone have any experience with this?
    Laurie

    3-Day Cancellation. Regarding the Singles Service, you, the buyer, may cancel the Agreement, without any penalty or obligation, at any time prior to midnight of the third business day following the date of this Agreement, excluding Sundays and holidays. To cancel this Agreement, mail or deliver a signed and dated notice, or send a telegram which states that you, the buyer, are canceling this Agreement, or words of similar effect. This notice under this Section shall be sent to eHarmony, Inc., Attn: Cancellations, P.O. Box 60157, Pasadena, California 91116. In addition, you may e-mail Customer Care by clicking here. For Singles Services, the day that you submit a completed subscription form will be the date of this Agreement. Any refunds under this 3-day cancellation policy will be made within 10 days after eHarmony’s receipt of your cancellation notice.

    Laurie

    Posted 08 Feb 2010 at 8:31 am
  20. Sabine wrote:

    I am so disappointed with eHarmony. After 2 years of not dating, I today decided to get back in. NOT so fast. They did not accept my picture. Then they did. Then they removed it again. Now, I just hate this and don’t want anything but my money back. Worst customer experience I have ever had. I really hate eHarmony.

    Posted 28 Mar 2010 at 11:03 pm
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