Sudden Mismatches from Online Dating Site

 

Q: Several months ago I signed up for a Christian Dating site and am suddenly getting matched up with senior aged men, who are clearly not of the same faith. What is up with that?

 

 

You bring up a great question that has become a big issue among online daters in recent years. Most matchmaking websites are operated by companies that hold a string of other niche dating properties within their umbrella of products.

Since the technology is the same, it’s quite simple to launch multiple dating sites to target different segments within the single population. SparkNetworks, the parent company of Jdate.com, for example, also runs AmericanSingles.com and HurryDate.com. Similarly, PeopleMedia owns a slew of sites including BlackPeopleMeet.com and SeniorPeopleMeet.com.

Unfortunately, this often lead to complications when it comes to pairing subscribers up with candidates who meet their criteria. These types of mismatches can be caused by poor technical planning (i.e. data segmentation), but can also be a deliberate part of a marketer’s mission to retain (and continue to monetize) end-users like you. Regardless of intent, this unfortunately may mean you get flooded with unqualified prospects. A good way to keep this from happening, is to check the Terms and Conditions policy before you sign on to become a member. Also, during the registration process, be mindful of information you agree to receive via email, as you may be agreeing to something you never intended to receive. If the problem persists, send a note to someone in the Press or Media Relations department who will make sure your issue is passed along to the right customer service agent. Plus, you may even get a month free out of it!