This is the boilerplate text from eHarmony to those who flunk their compatibility test.
eHarmony is based upon a complex matching system developed through extensive research with married couples. One of the requirements for successful matching is that participants fall within certain defined profiles. If we find that we will not be able to match a user using these profiles, we feel it is only fair to inform them early in the process.
We are so convinced of the importance of creating compatible matches to help people establish happy, lasting relationships that we sometimes choose not to provide service rather than risk an uncertain match.
Unfortunately, we are not able to make our profiles work for you. Our matching model could not accurately predict with whom you would be best matched. This occurs for about 20% of potential users, so 1 in 5 people simply will not benefit from our service. We hope that you understand, and we regret our inability to provide service for you at this time.
Searching “eHarmony reject” in Google gives 32,000 hits. People’s reaction to the above message range from disdain to sarcasm:
- “Ouch! What a waste of my time”
- “eharmony is not being very truthful”
- “My roommate said eharmony rejected a percentage to weed out ‘crazy people’”
- “I’m an eharmony reject. a member of the 20% of the population they can’t help. Mortifying ain’t it.”
- “More eHarmony.com Discrimination Victims”
- “Flunking the Personality Test”
(and I’m not even looking at the webpages, just the snippets of the first fifty search results.)
lisachau’s blog, the fifty first result, cites an article in the 30 July 2004 Wall Street Journal regarding this humiliating Internet phenomenon:
Nik Bosyk considers himself a decent catch. The six-foot-four, blue-eyed voice-actor makes great calamari, likes sappy movies, and never forgets birthdays. But after a recent dating dry spell, the 25-year-old swallowed his pride and turned to the refuge of the semi-desperate: online dating. “It seemed like you were guaranteed to meet someone,” he says.
He was wrong. After completing a mandatory 40-minute personality test on the match-making site eHarmony.com, Mr. Bosyk experienced the latest — and arguably most extreme — form of courtship humiliation: He was rejected by an online dating service.
…EHarmony.com, the site Mr. Bosyk tried, says it specializes in finding “soul mates” and creating long-term relationships. But according to eHarmony, not everyone is soul-mate material; the service says it has rejected 77,759 people since its launch in 1998.
Source: Jane Spencer. “Sorry, You’re Nobody’s Type; Dating Sites Now Reject Some Applicants Upfront; Flunking the Personality Test.” Wall Street Journal. (Eastern edition).New York, N.Y.: Jul 30, 2003. pg. D1
Poor Mr. Bosyk!
Here is our most complete list of reasons why eHarmony rejected you. Also, check out our poll: Do you agree with eHarmony rejecting people?
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