… Or It’s Free

I’m not afraid to admit it, but I use Match.com.  I have for a while, actually.  At least until today.

I joined the service with a bit of hesitation.  Their package deals are expensive and carry but one guarantee: “Find someone special in 6 months or get 6 months FREE!”  I figured that was a gutsy guarantee, so I signed up and decided to give things a try.  That was December, and my 6 months expired last Wednesday.

I noticed, though, that I was still billed to renew my subscription on Wednesday.  I’m not willing to shell out a lot of money for an online dating service, so I opted for the $60/quarter plan.  Still pricey, but more manageable from a financing standpoint.  I called the company on Monday to ask a) why I wasn’t getting 6 months free and b) if there was a chance I could have this renewal charge reversed.

I spoke to a very nice representative named Brandi, but she wasn’t able to help.  She told me that the 6 month guarantee only applied to members who opted for the $100 6 month subscription plan.  This was news to me … it wasn’t mentioned on any of their television commercials and, as you can see on the sign-up screen above (click the image to enlarge), wasn’t even indicated by an asterisk on the sign-up screen.

Personally, this seems a little like a bait-and-switch.  One more reason why people sneer at me and call me a liar when I tell them I’m in marketing.

This was frustrating for me because, honestly, I hadn’t expected to pay another $60 for a service that isn’t working for me.  So I asked Brandi if there was a way I could get a refund and resign my account.  “There’s no refund available for this account.  It shows it expires in August.”

So it looks like I was tricked into buying a product by clever (albeit deceitful) marketing and will be stuck with it for another 3 months.  Yet this moment of weakness and futility will make me doubt every “… or it’s free” offer that comes down the tube for the next several years.  Hopefully, many of you will learn from my experience and avoid offers like this (or hunt even deeper in the fine print for details).

So yes, I was duped.  Hopefully you won’t be.  Better yet, if your business has a similarly deceptive “…or it’s free” offer, I hope you will reconsider the effect it will have on your customers.  It might pad your bottom line today, but as the number of cheated former clients begins to grow, you will notice the associated negative effects as well.