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Are Dating Sites Blackballing You?
Dissed by a dating site? Tango takes on the touchy subject.
by Sandra Barron
The company, which has about 14 million registered users and claims “thousands” of happy marriages, says that about a third of the people they reject are married, and almost another third are under 21. They also screen out applicants who have been divorced several times, and people whose multiple choice answers, according to the company’s algorithm, indicate that they may be depressed or dishonest.
The site, founded by evangelical Christian Dr. Neil Clark Warren, has publicly denied that it discriminates based on religion. In an online essay, Warren emphasizes that eHarmony’s goal is good marriages and fewer divorces, whether you’re Christian, aspiritual or “belong to a small sect of Judaism or Hinduism or Protestantism.”
eHarmony maintains that its criteria are consistent and based on research designed to lead to long-term, stable marriages, and have asked media outlets to stop carrying the ads. So far, most have refused. And in this day and age, damage is viral—and done.
The videos are on YouTube, and the issue is on the table: Is eHarmony obligated to find a match for everybody? And what kind of fallout will recriminations, or lawsuits, from spurned members have on the site’s future?
Despite the site’s it’s-not-you-it’s-us disclaimer (“We are not able to make our profiles work for you”), eHarmony’s cast-offs often report feeling stung by the brush-off, like one woman who joked that she would “wear a big R on her chest the next day,” and a man who sighed, “Well, I guess I am hopeless.”
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1 Dating roadmap » Dating site rejections // Dec 6, 2007 at 3:29 am
[…] Source [Tango Mag] […]
2 TheGate2Date.com | Should a dating site be allowed to refuse you membership? // Dec 5, 2007 at 7:08 am
[…] that sooner or later, they’ll probably beeharmonyreject1.jpg rejected—by a potential suitor.read more | digg […]
3 Online Daters Sue Company Because Of Inability To Find A Match // Oct 22, 2007 at 11:09 am
[…] policy to just deny service to people that it may be difficult to match? Check out our story on Blackball Dating. Read More Of The Original Article… RATE THIS (No Ratings Yet) Loading […]
4 Online Dating Goes Uber-Niche // Oct 19, 2007 at 3:48 pm
[…] If general dating websites have let you down, join the club. One in five people who turn to eHarmony for matches receive a “Dear John” rejection letter, excluded for reasons such as sexual orientation and religious preference. Get the scoop on why the company is under fire for this practice here. […]
5 Nick Byram // Aug 5, 2007 at 9:11 pm
I was one of the eharmony rejects as well. But class action lawsuit? Ugh, no, don’t be a commie.
Eharmony rejected us and it hurts? Oh, puh-leeze, let’s get over ourselves.
It’s their business, they can do what they want. They didn’t want to have me, so I didn’t give them any of my money. There are countless other dating sites out there.
Lawyer Jeremy Pasternak is a slimy weasel.
Read All 9 Comments on Are Dating Sites Blackballing You?