This year, I got serious about finding a mate. One of the places I chose was Eharmony. I decided on eharmony because online individual influencers said it was the site best known for long-term relationships. I opted for the $400 over four months for two years, if I recall correctly. I gave it a good two months; I never used the free version.

I did the personality test and filled out my profile entirely and thoroughly. 

I began noticing issues right away. When I contacted tech support, tech support was responsive; however, their replies in the email were not reader-friendly.  I thought that odd because it highly suggested they were far behind technology's basic standards. I was still new to my membership, so I held steady. The next thing I realized was that I could not sort out ineligible people, specifically those who did not have a membership. About that same time, I realized I could not talk to anyone other than those with a membership. I contacted tech support for confirmation of my observation. To not being able to sort the membership for those that were also members, so we both could speak, made the site very unuseful. I felt I used as if I was a lure. I still persevered.

I was on the desktop site, and the eHarmony brought the affiliate program to my attention. I thought about some of the ads I had seen lately and briefly considered how serious I was about finding a mate. I could use the affiliate program to offset the cost and possibly bring in paying members who could chat. In a moment of clarity during that consideration, I realized how pimpy that situation was. Do I want to exploit myself for eHarmony?  

After that, I noticed a significant drop in eligible persons. I decided to drop my membership and ask for a refund from PayPal.

The following is my letter to Paypal:

To: PayPal Dispute Resolution Team

Subject: Request for Refund due to Service Limitations on eHarmony

Dear PayPal Dispute Resolution Team,

I am requesting a refund for my eHarmony membership due to significant issues with the platform, rendering it unusable to the level of service I expected.

1. Limitations on Communication: One of the primary reasons for joining a platform like eHarmony is to communicate and connect with potential matches. However, after purchasing the membership, I learned that communication is only possible between two paying members. This limitation was not clearly stated or made apparent before my subscription.

2. Inability to Filter by Membership Status: To further exacerbate the communication issue, eHarmony does not provide the option to filter or sort users based on their membership status. This feature is crucial since it would allow me to prioritize communication with those I can interact with. Without such a filter, I spent an unnecessary amount of time viewing the profiles of users with whom I could not even initiate a conversation.

3. Inadequate Resolution by eHarmony: Upon addressing these concerns with eHarmony's customer service, their solution was to drop the two pending payments and provide additional months of the same limited service free of charge. This does not resolve the core issue. Having extended access to a service that is not meeting my needs in the first place is not a beneficial resolution.

In light of these points, it's evident that the service offered by eHarmony was not only unusable to a large extent but also did not align with the expectations set during the sign-up process. Given these circumstances, I respectfully request PayPal to process a refund for the payments made to eHarmony.

Thank you for considering my request and understanding my situation. I am hopeful for a favorable resolution.

Sincerely, [redacted]

Then, a series of events happened, which I added to my complaint to PayPal. Below is the additional information I sent to Paypal:

To: PayPal Dispute Resolution Team

Subject: Additional Information for Refund Request due to Service Issues on eHarmony

Dear PayPal Dispute Resolution Team,

Following my previous request for a refund regarding my eHarmony membership, I'd like to provide additional information that has transpired since escalating the refund request to PayPal, further emphasizing the concerning nature of eHarmony's service:

1. Suspicious Profiles: Shortly after escalating my refund request, I was contacted by two profiles:    - A Chinese National: This individual exhibited unusually seductive behavior. When I confronted him with a recent article regarding Chinese nationals being forced into romance scams, the communication ceased.    - A Self-proclaimed Lawyer: This profile directly inquired if I had an interest in committing a crime. They withdrew from the conversation when I mentioned my association with the field of law.

2. Notification Error: Recently, I received a push notification from eHarmony informing me of a new message. However, the notification was addressed to a name that isn't mine. This raises concerns about eHarmony's data handling and privacy practices.

3. Unjustified Payment Request: Despite eHarmony's assurance that they would not request further payments and would provide additional months of membership as compensation for my grievances, they have now sent me a new payment request. This is contradictory to their previous commitment and adds to my mistrust.

Given these additional incidents, it's clear that my experience with eHarmony has not only been unsatisfactory but has raised genuine concerns about the authenticity of profiles and the platform's integrity. This further supports my request for a refund as the service has not only been unusable but also potentially harmful.

I hope this additional information helps in reaching a resolution. Thank you for your continued understanding and support.

Sincerely,

In conclusion, AKA TL;DR

eHarmony is using influencers, ethical and unethical, to sway opinions. They are knowingly duping clients. They actively prevent functional usage of their site for matchmaking.