Readers Respond: User Experiences With The Relationship Co.
Responses: 24

By Bonny Albo, About.com

Filed In:

description: Full featured matchmaking service. Personalized service. pros: Personalized service and I was matched by the owner herself. Criminal background checks and very extensive reviews. No potential for scams by disingenuous people. cons: Nothing really. I liked it so much more than those internet dating sites. unique: Personalized match making, criminal background checks, no way to cheat the system by predators, etc. comments: I would say it is worth the money. The owner matched me herself and I am very happy with the matches that were presented to me. I am a current active member.
—Guest Joe

About $100 a month for 18 months. description: For various prices you are offered services to link you with potential partners. My plan for 1,500 included potential matches for multiple years. pros: The application process seems complete and the information I gave produced the highest likelihood of finding a good match. cons: The cost almost stopped me in my tracks. In retrospect it worked out wonderfully. unique: Hard to remember back 8 years. comments: I was one of only a few African American males to join so my first two matches were more about race than any of my other qualities. This was disappointing. I did find my current wife on the third match - two years after my initial one.
—Guest Richard

$2400 total cost, for an introduction service to 18 potential well screened, well matched men. description: Personality screening of "members"; background checks; staff called to introduce members to you which you could accept or decline; then your date called you to meet. pros: I met fiance Chris on my third date -- best investment I ever made -- we were highly compatible and fell in love quickly! I felt very safe with this service, knew candidates were well screened, educated and employed. cons: Nothing -- excellent experience! unique: Individual and personalized approach; local company; good screening; great for mature singles 40's 50's who have solid careers, life experience and know what they want... comments: In this world of on-line dating services, which I chose purposely NOT to use, the Relationship Company was a personalized, confidential service -- with great results -- it was pricey but very worthwhile -- an excellent ROI -- I met the love of my life and life partner.
—Guest Amanda

package deal with unlimited time 12 introductions 1,500.00 approx. description: Interviewed by a woman who had me fill out a quetionaire. pros: No pressure. cons: Not always honest in their matches.
—Guest Charlotte

pros: ability to match with with similar. cons: some time distance was a problem and matches were not good.
—Guest Charles

Paid less than a thousand dollars. At first I was skeptical, but at the same time I was so tired and frustrated with trying to meet people in bars or through online services like Match. Overall, I found this service excellent and well worth the investment. description: First, I submitted a questionnaire about the service. Elaine called me and we spoke at length about the service and whether or not it sounded like something that I would be interested in. I decided to dive in and make an appointment with a counselor. I was able to get in fairly quickly at a location close to me. I filled out a lot of paperwork (my least favorite part) and spent a long time speaking with Elissa, the president of the company. unique: It is personalized and they are so good at remembering people! They really do their best and have an excellent sense of the membership base.
—Guest Stephanie

Paid $2400 USD. The owner of The Relationship Company interviews you, fills out a profile card for you and passes that on to the matchmaker who you never meet. The Coordinator then calls to tell you about each match they find for you, and you can either approve the match or choose not to. Pros: Their marketing tactics are very effective. I believed her claims that she understood the kind of man I was looking for and that such men are members in her service. Cons: It is expensive, and, quite unlike their website claims, they appear to be completely unable to discern human traits past age, height, location, religion, number of children, job and hobbies. Unlike with an online service, you get personal service. But you never meet the matchmaker so she doesn't really know you, and apparently the card Elissa fills out has only the demographic info I mentioned above. When they call you with a match, they only give you that generic info. You see no photographs.
—Guest Bonnie

Paid $1100 for 10 matches. You pay a large fee that is supposed to represent quality, then are sent matches that are nothing like the person you hope to meet. pros: They have a very affective sales pitch. cons: The do not deliver. For majority of my introductions an initial meeting never occurred. The matching was way off base. unique: Their ability to twist the facts and provide bad match that they swear are great matches. comments: This is the worst company I have dealt with in many years, I would not recommend them to anyone. It was a total waste of time and money for me.
—Guest Jim

Face to face interview, credit and criminal background checks done. $70/month. Matched by interests and personality traits. pros: You meet the owner face to face. You get to know the staff personally they look out for your vest interest. cons: You don't get to see a picture of the potential match first before choosing to go forward with accepting the match. unique: The staff are available by phone and return you calls in a timely fashion.
—Guest KT