Dating for Beginners: Dating Services (Part 2 of 2)
(Continued from Dating Services)I used to think that using an introduction service was an outrageous idea, that is, until my best friend from high school, a busy psychiatric nurse who worked a night shift, met her husband using one.
If you think that using a dating service is just too off-the-wall for you, think about how dating is done in Japan, where men currently pay $20.00 to put their personality profile and phone numbers into a vending machine called The Happy Guy and the women pay $2.00 to retrieve them.
Also, in Japan, they are selling a gadget that is worn around single peoples' neck. If the two of you are in the same room, the gadgets beep and communicate with each other to identify your eligibility.
However, here in North America, we are stuck with old fashioned twentieth century methods —such as the Internet and dating services.
Dating Services can be found in the telephone book or online. Usually a candidate must pay a fee, anywhere between $100 and $1000 dollars to enroll in the service. Usually you will be asks questions about your age, height, education, physical appearance, religion, goals, and values.
Sometimes you will be asked to provide a profile or photograph; other times, photographs are taken by an in-house photographer whose services are included in the fee. Your profile is then added to the member data base. Each time your profile is matched up with someone else's, you are notified.
Some dating services only send the profiles of men to the woman and give her a length of time (such as three days) to respond if she is interested. Then, usually, it is left up to the male to make the first phone call after the woman contacts him.
Most companies thoroughly check an applicant's background for substance abuse and criminality. Romantic prospects are recommended by in-house computers and counselors, apparently saving you the time and trouble of having to make a decision.
There are several questions that you should ask before getting involved with any dating service, especially an on-line one.
Is the company a member of the Better Business Bureau? Will I be sent junk mail? What are the qualifications of the owner? How does the company's screening process for applicants work? Is a background check done on the applications? Is there a hidden fee in the membership? Are you comfortable with the way in which the company intends to give out information about you?
Not only do you not know who this person is, but neither does your professional matchmaker. As many companies charge hundreds of dollars for their services, it is very important for you to talk to someone in the office about the nature of the introduction service before you join. A broken heart is bad enough, but it feels even worse if you paid good money for it.