Match.com made it hard for users to break up with the site, California lawsuit says
A Match.com membership is so hard to cancel a California lawsuit alleges it might be illegal.
The Santa Cruz County District Attorney filed a consumer protection lawsuit against the online dating service, alleging that Match.com created a sign-up and cancellation process that would trap members and make it too difficult to cancel.
The process allegedly violates the California Dating Service Contract Law and the California Auto Renewal Law, and Match.com, according to the district attorney’s news release. The suit is seeking $10 million in penalties.
“They used actions that included misleading billing characterizations, nonconspicuous auto renewal disclosures, elimination of required cancellation disclosures, and imposition of a long and tedious cancellation process,” the district attorney said.
Match.com is one of many online dating apps, including OkCupid, Tinder and PlentyofFish, owned by Dallas-based Match Group Inc.
In California, dating businesses have to provide a three-day right to cancel and a copy of the contract to the consumer, according to the district attorney. A business needs a consumer to “express, affirmative consent” before taking their money.
This isn’t the first time the county has been part of an action against a dating service. In 2019, online dating service eHarmony had to pay $1.28 million to settle a similar consumer protection lawsuit, according to Bay City News.
That complaint alleged that the website didn’t explain its automatic subscription fee and didn’t give users an opportunity to cancel, Bay City News reported.
“Dating services is one of the areas in consumer protection in which companies take advantage of consumers by getting them in and not letting them out,” District Attorney Jeffrey Rosell said in the news release.
Match.com did not respond to a request from McClatchy News for comment.
This story was originally published December 4, 2020 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Match.com made it hard for users to break up with the site, California lawsuit says."