Match.Com - Review

Site address:

http://uk.match.com/

What the site claims:

• At match.com, we’re confident in our ability to bring people together. Why wouldn’t er be? We’ve been doing it for over ten years.

• That’s why; if you don’t find someone special during your 6-month subscription, we will give you an additional 6 months FREE to continue your search. At no additional expense to you. (read Match.com's terms)

• (But you’ll have to do your fair share. After all, love is worth it!)

Ease of use:

• The initial signup, even for free membership, is very comprehensive. You have to include an awful lot of information about your self and the person you are looking for.

• Plenty of help pages, to assist on different areas of the site, and lots of FAQ answers.

Sign up process:

• Initial entry page contains the information you need to start your subscription – your gender, first two letters of your postcode, user name you want to use, password and email address.

• The next page asks for more information – the basics (your current relationship status, the age range of the person you are looking for, geographically where you want to look, how tall you are, your body type and your star sign), then goes on to appearance.

• The next section is Interests, but the site does have help pages to get you started and hints on what to include – and they are optional.

• The following section asks about your lifestyle, then your background / values.

• You are then asked about the characteristics you are looking for – very comprehensive!

• You are then asked to write an introduction and your dating headline.

• Once all that is complete, you have to submit your profile for review (which should happen within 48 hours). You also have the option to have your profile ‘spotlighted’

• In total, I would say that sign up would take around 20 minutes, and possibly a lot longer.

• After I signed up, I received an email advising that my profile would be reviewed within the next 72 hours (rather than the 48hrs stated on the site) In actual fact it only took 3 hrs

Photo’s / Audio / Video

• This site allows you to upload a maximum of 26 digital photos, and contains help on how to pick your best photo.

• You can also email your photo to the site for them to upload.

• The site suggests that if you have a photos on film, you can send them to a company called Snapfish, who will develop your photos and upload them to Snapfish electronic storage which you can then download. However, on checking this out, Snapfish are unable to develop films from anyone who lives outside the USA.

• In place of Snapfish we have found this site [DisposableCamerashop] that will scan your photos from disposable cameras to the internet for free when you get your pictures developed with them

Membership levels & price:

• Free membership

• Search for matches

• Create a profile

• Post a photo

• Send / receive winks

• Subscribers

• 1 Month – £24.90

• 3 months - £49.85

• 6 months - £71.26

• Includes:

• Everything that free members get

• Contact other singles

• Send email messages

• Respond to email messages

• Automatic renewal

• All prices are currently quoted in US Dollars, with approximate Sterling equivalent. You will be charged in US Dollars.

Search Tools:

• Connections pages – lists all members who you have received contact from, or contacted yourself.

• Custom searches – a search for members who have the basics, appearance, and lifestyle/background you are looking for.

• Reverse Matches – displays details of members who are looking for you based on the personal information you’ve entered in your profile.

• Mutual Matches – displays details of members that your share a mutual attraction with based on the preferences you entered in the ‘About My Date’ section of your profile.

• MatchWords™ - allows you to enter ‘tags’ that describe you and your interests. These are displayed alongside your profile, but you can also search using them.

• You can also save particular Searches.

Messaging / Instant Chat etc

• Standard messaging only

Extras:

• Match Communities – allowing members to talk to other members about common interests. Current communities are:

• gay.Match.com

• lesbian.Match.com

• senior.Match.com

• Happen – the sites weekly online magazine, with dating / relationship advice, opinions, and support.

Number of active members:

• No details as yet, information requested from Match.com

Average new sign ups per month:

• No details as yet, information requested from Match.com

Additional information from site:

• We would usually ask Match.Com for their comment here, but we found this on the site and thought there was nothing more they could say

• “Don’t ask us, ask the more than 200,000 who met that special someone last year on Match.com” 

What we found:

• The site appears to be aimed at the American market, for example prices in US Dollars and film processing not being available for outside USA residents.

• We found it difficult to find the subscriptions prices before we signed up. Most links that looked like they would show you the cost, took you to the sign up page

• Plenty of help available, and articles in Happen online magazine

• The sign up process is very comprehensive; perhaps this is why the site appears (from their own stats) to have so much success.

• Match.com are  expensive compared to other dating sites but seem to be serious about you finding a match, and have geared the site accordingly

Online-Dating-Reviews grading:

Overall score of: 76%

Date of Review:

22 nd April 2006