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December 21, 2005
Great Expectations, Poor Results?
Part of what I do involves scouring the web for new dating sites to review. The first six months were easy. There are just so many these days, but not all of them are quality. That’s where I find myself now. I reviewed a site this past week called Great Expectations. It has a decent Alexa ranking but something just doesn’t sit right.
Firstly, although the dating site is called Great Expectations, the domain it sits on is GE-Dating.com. Can you say ugly? The next thing is when you enter the site, you’re sent over to a different URL – greatdatingsite.com – but the name on the header says Great Dating. When I went to log back in, I was sent to another URL, Great-Expecations.net. It’s enough to make anyone puke! Is there a search engine strategy behind this? If so, I have no idea what it could be. All I know is that from a marketing perspective, the person who did it should be shot. Sure, inside the dating site is okay. The site shares its member database with numerous other sites, so you don’t have to worry about Great Expectations’ marketing guru to attract other members. The site also gives a lot away free and it makes for a decent introduction to online dating. Anyway, try it out. It’s worth a peek. And if you ever find out how and why the URLs are the way they are, make sure to drop me a line. I’d love to know!
Posted by cup1d666 at December 21, 2005 3:03 PM
Comments
I have had the worst time of my life getting ripped off to the tune of $1700 by these people.
Posted by: Suzanne at July 25, 2006 6:58 PM
Don't waste your time. This service is a ripoff. I got suckered in to a $1500 one-year membership, which is very cut-rate for them because I'm a guy and they don't get many male applicants. They lure you in by putting you through a 'screening' process - which is done more to make you feel like it's worth something than to actually screen you - if you saw some of the people on the site, you'd know what I mean. Looking back I see that the 'consultant' really toyed with my emotions and told me what I wanted to hear.
In the year that I was a member, I found exactly 3 people that I wanted to meet. It was also hard to find people in my age range of 18-35 (which spans a whopping 17 years). When I called to talk about my difficulties with the service, I was told, none to politely, that they can't guarantee you'll meet anyone and to just wait and see. That's not what I wanted to hear after paying so much.
My advice to anyone who doesn't mind the crap-shoot of online dating should use one of the much less expensive sites like eharmony - or better yet, free sites like craigslist. You still won't be gauranteed a date, but if you find someone, you'll have enough left to take them to dinner.
Posted by: Anonymous at February 25, 2007 2:54 PM
I'm truly sorry for those people that felt they were short changed. I really do. I'm just happy I'm not one. I've been with Great Expectations since Jan and I've had countless dates. Some better than others, but it's been fun so far.
I haven't found anyone to settle down with, but I still have high hopes. I do have to say that, if $1,500 is a lot of money for you, you shouldn't have been a member at all. I paid considerably more and the vast majority of women that I've dated from there, make more than I do. I'm happy so far. I'll keep everyone posted.
Posted by: Danny H. at May 1, 2007 1:49 PM
If you are considering becoming a memeber...DON'T!! It's a total waste of money and in speaking with many other members they agree too. Not only does the membership start around $1,500.00, there are monthly fees of $28.00. It starts to add up without the return. Also, they start out high but have all sorts of discounted rates so leave the office feeling like you "got a great deal!" What a waste of time!
Posted by: Jacqui S. at July 29, 2007 10:55 AM
Let me add my warnings as well. Don't spend a dime at Great Expectations no matter how rosy they try to make it sound. It's not. They will ding you for more money at every turn and you will get nothing out of it. They tell you that once you sign, that's it but then they don't tell you that you have 72-hours to cancel.
Posted by: Todd at October 31, 2007 1:06 PM
How do you know you have 72 hours to cancel?
Posted by: Vanessa at December 30, 2007 3:23 AM
I will add my complaint to the pile. Avoid this service!! It is outragiously expensive and has far fewer members than other services that you can join for far cheaper. Save your money.
Posted by: Guy at July 22, 2008 5:41 PM
Great Expectations sent out unauthorized pictures of my Husband that they got from a 3rd party...as a 'decoy' advertising for women in order to say "men like these are available"...stay away from this dating site! RIPOFF!!!!
Posted by: ella s at July 22, 2008 11:36 PM
There are good things about Great Expectations. For one thing they take the time to interview people before they become members. Background checks are made to check for felons, etc. If they have a bad report they are NOT welcome.
Posted by: Darla B. at August 5, 2008 2:40 AM
I met someone who got married to a guy she met at Great Expectations. She was certainly pleased but how often does this happen?
Posted by: John Dean at August 7, 2008 4:25 PM
