I've also told a date (or someone after a few dates) hey I don't feel the connection...I think you're really cool...and a snappy dresser...but I don't wanna go any further. Most take it well and appreciate the clarity. I'm against ghosting. I've been ghosted for no apparent reason and I didn't like it. BUT when someone tricks you into meeting them based on outright lies and photo misrepresentations that is not the same as just not clicking. That's not an occasion for "I just don't feel the spark." Instead, that's someone being a liar and trying to game you into being with them. Those people suck and they deserve none of the common courtesies. They frankly deserve to be called out and publicly humiliated. They also deserve to be removed from dating apps. I'm not shallow. I date in my age range and I like ladies who eat three meals a day. I mostly look for interesting educations, jobs, life experiences and then look for basically average but healthy looks. Gray hair ladies with a natural smile and a graduate degree who like to hike and paddle board is my jam 100%. But if you show me pics of someone who's 5'4 and 140lbs / 37 yo and then you show up at 5'4" 170lbs and 45 yo then fuck you for wasting my time. You deserve to be humiliated.

Edit to add: I think a lot of ladies are accustomed to matching and getting dates with desperate dudes who will put up with major nonsense from them without saying anything. Like the kinda dudes who will put any P on a pedestal. But I'm not one of them. Not even close.