Refund for Great Expectations Dating Service Membership Fees

[blossomthyme]

In 2006, I signed up with a local dating service called Great Expectations. It was a rather hard sell. I put a deposit of $500 and they have been taking monthly payments and monthly dues out of my account now since about May, 2006. I signed a contract and they financed the cost. I was also told I had 0 days to change my mind.

I never used the service. Part of the service provided is you go down to have a videotape of yourself and pictures done by a professional photographer. I never did this. Therefore, I was never granted access to the site where you can see the other members to set up dates or whatever.

I am wondering if I can pursue a refund of the money I have paid them to date, including the monthly dues of $29.00 and the membership fee of $2900+ interest since I have never used the service. I subsequently met someone outside of the service and therefore had no use for it.

Thank you
Beverly

I have been in trouble with that organization after the first moment I signed up with them and at this point filed a complaint with the Attorney General and am seeing a lawyer. The sent a collection agency on their behalf to collect over $2800, and while I requested them to settle they continued to lie to me about communication and so on.

If you search about their business practices you'll find lawsuits / complaints / settlements, they are conducting business strategies that are quite discussable.

I also had a few issues though they eventually resolved. After lost of complaining.

Can you tell us exactly what you did to get your refund. My contract is with them (GE) until 2013 & I'm not happy with their service at all. I appreciate any help that you can give me.

Thanks

Threaten to sue and to file complaints with every consumer Board and attorney general, BBB etc.

Date: 6-9-10
I had a meeting with them today and they tried to swindle $5100.70 out of me Cash up front and a contract that stated that I would have there service until I got Married & I met the CEO of Great Expectations here in Atlanta, GA I told him I would have to think about it He seemed to be Dirty just by his Actions.
Threaten to sue and to file complaints with every consumer Board and attorney general, BBB etc. And they will Refund your money........... The CEO "Denis Durante" was acting like I was buying a car Best Deal in town Buy Now Buy Now Buy Now!!!!! I more or less told him I had to think on it....... He is Giving me until Monday! LoL Why I told him that because something just wasn't rite with him Crazy Rite and the Main Corporate Office is Called J R Management The Founder Retired 13 years ago and this CEO has taken over the one I have mentioned above Hopefully this will help some one


Great Expectations
CEO Denis Durante Atlanta Centre
The Arthur Building
1975 North Park Place SE Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30339
770-956-9223 Phone
770-956-1624 Fax
www.atlge.com

I recently met with Dennis at Great Expectations and have to admit that IF everything they are selling is true, it might be worth some $$ for safety reasons. They claim to meet face to face with every client, they conduct background checks, and financial checks. They also verify that potential clients are truly single and not just cheaters out to hook up with someone new.
The problem I had was that it was a now or never type of situation. If the company is on the up and up, then why not let people think about it? They claim that clients pay $5170 for the service. That's a heck of a lot of money to shell out if whoever you're dealing with won't let you think about it....
The information that I read in one blog on-line claims that their database is old and that people on there don't respond....I bailed out of the deal before I signed anything due to the pressure I was feeling there, but I would have REALLY mad if I'd have paid out thousands of dollars for nothing...
I wonder what is really going on with this organization! Is it a total scam????

sues Defendant(s) GE Management Group, Inc
Contact: David Margolis, Great Expectations, 4800 N Federal Hwy., Ste. E100B, Boca Raton, FL 33431
Sheryel Ashcroft, Great Expectations, 4800 N Federal Hwy., Ste. E100, Boca Raton, FL 33431
Phone: (561) 393-6666
and alleges:
1. This is an action for damages that do not exceed the sum of $5,000.00.

2. Plaintiff(s) claim the amount of $4,519.95 as being due from Defendant(s)
named herein, and as the basis of this action alleges:
On January 5, 2008 I joined Great Expectations (G/E). Director Shereyel Ashcroft encouraged me to add 18 months upgrade to their regular 18 month membership. I paid $4,519.95. The G/E agreement states upgrades are exempt from their 3-day cancellation policy. On January 6,2008 I decided to cancel. I would not have joined if I knew that I couldn’t cancel due to my disability. At times my disability keeps me homebound and unable to socialize. G/E refused to let me cancel the membership at no cost. I cancelled by email within 3 days but was given an ambiguous email address by G/E Ms.Ashcroft. I followed up with a call to Ms. Ascroft Jan. 8, 2008. She said to return the materials when I get a chance with a copy of my cancellation note and to bring in my American Express card for a refund and pay $500.00 cancellation fee. I called American Express to stop the payment to G/E and they suspended my payment for 2 years trying to find a legal loophole. They finally told me to re-affirm my disability with spine surgeon to prove I still have scoliosis. I had to endure unnecessary x-rays and an MRI.and bills. Then
American Express determined by law they only need to transfer money, not protect consumers.

I can tell you quite a bit about this organization from my own (bad) first hand experience and a serious amount of research that I have conducted.

First, from what I have researched, basic Georgia contractual law does not apply a three (3) day opt out period to a contract automatically. People assume this three day opt out period exists for any contract - THAT IS NOT THE CASE. It definitely does not apply to dating services that operate in the State of Georgia. So in the State of Georgia Great Expectation's goal is to just get you to sign and initial the contract. Once you have done that you are on the hook - no matter what.

Secondly, this organization is not what I would consider a "premier" dating service. Yes, they may personally see all their members. But they do not - and I repeat do not - conduct criminal background checks on their members.

Thirdly, this organization does sign up people who are NOT single. This organization hounded me and hounded me into coming to check out their service while I was still married. Granted I was living separately from my spouse. But technically I was still married by all practical accounts. In my opinion this is not good business accumen on their part (and I in fact did not go in for a consult until my divorce was finalized).

Most importantly, this organization has a history of the following poor business practices:
* Harrassing phone behavior. This organization will call you and call you and continue to call you until they physically get you in their office (where they then begin the hard sell of course).
* Extreme hard sell. Extreme, Extreme, Extreme hard sell. Did I mention that they will put you through a gut wrenchingly hard sell?
* Lying to prospective members.
* Overstating membership sizes and overstating number of members in various age groups.
* Overstating the number of members that exist in various geographical regions.
* Not maintaining their database of members properly. Members who are not actively participating will still look as if they are in an active status.
* Passing inactive members off as being actively engaged members during the sales pitch to prospective customers.
* Utilizing credit history reports to determine which membership price a person could afford and pricing the membership accordingly.
* Not having a set pricing structure.
* Encouraging prospective members to max out their available credit to pay for memberships.
* Passing themselves off as being a local organization when in fact they are not. Have you ever seen the <putinphrasehere>singles.com or .org signs everywhere (E.G. AtlantaSingles.com, GwinnettSingles.org)? They are a funnel to Great Expectations.

This organization has been sued by the Attorney's General in several states. They just lost a judgement in Washington State on June 15, 2010. They were successfully sued by Arizona's Attorney General which culiminated last year in a judgement of $500,000 being awarded to the State of Arizona. They are also currently having action against them by the State of Wisconsin.

This organization is losing lawsuits for a reason. Hopefully the Attorney General for Georgia will be next and will file a lawsuit against this unethical organization.

Great Expectations
CEO Denis Durante Atlanta Centre
The Arthur Building
1975 North Park Place SE Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30339
770-956-9223 Phone
770-956-1624 Fax
www.atlge.com
[Atlanta GA Singles Dating Service, Singles Dating Services]

Atlanta Great Expectations
Georgia Great Expectations
AtlantaSingles.com
AtlantaSingles.org
Great Expectations Fraud
Great Expectations Scam
Michael Ware

I can give you even more info about this company. I used to work for them. ANY ONE WHO READS THIS: IF YOU COME IN CONTACT WITH THIS COMPANY FOR ANY REASON - RUN!!! Everything they are suing this company for is COMPLETELY true. I was sent to the Great Expectations in Dallas, Tx. for management training and they are even worse there than they are in Wisconsin. Nothing is included in the amount you pay. It is all a smoke screen. The cruises, the parties, etc. all cost you another fee to attend. Even the professional photos are not included. You get charged a monthly hosting fee for using the website too. Honestly, I have no IDEA what you actually get- so I guess it is just a signing fee? Their sales people AND telemarketers are paid based on YOUR credit rating, ability to pay, whether or not you ACTUALLY show up for the appointment and the $$$ amount you sign up for. I have paper work to PROVE it- which I turned over copies to the Wisconsin Attorney General's Office. In the telemarketing department they decide whether or not you will keep your job AND get payed based on two things you have no control over- 1) How many people show up for their appointments 2) How much the ones who do, spend. They say they will pay you a base rate or commission- which ever is higher, but if you don't make commission for more than two weeks straight, they will fire you. If you are a sales person, you are strictly commission. Most quit because they don't make any money and you will see why if you keep reading. New people are given 3's and no one makes money on 3's. People who work there are in one of three categories. They are new and believe the hype and think they are "helping people find love". They have been there a while and know that they are selling lies but cant quit cause they need their job and haven't found another one yet. Or they KNOW what they are doing, are VERY good at it, are making TONS of money and DON"T CARE!!!
As a potential client, they will tell you that the reason you must provide a credit card is to validate who you are and that you are not married. This is an out right lie. You must have a credit card so they know you can afford to put something down on the plan they FORCE you to purchase. They check your credit and rate you based on what you can afford to pay. 1= enough credit to pay the full amount before you walk out the door, or finance the whole thing with an A+ credit rating. 2= is middle of the road. 3 is bad credit and little to no available cash. They send their best sales people in if they rate you a 1 and grill you for HOURS to get you to sign. They send their "new" people who need the practice to try to sell the 3's. You can walk in completely drunk, be homeless and jobless and as long as you have a credit card with $6000 you will be rated a 1. And I am NOT just trying to make a point. While I was there I saw them sign up a gentleman who was SO intoxicated that there was no way he knew what he was signing and they still went through with it. The supervisor at the time (she is in the 3rd category I mentioned) was the one who sold it and commented afterward- "Let's just hope he doesn't change his mind when he sobers up." I saw a young, very attractive women come in, who admitted she was addicted to cocaine and high at that very moment, in the interview, and they SIGNED her at $500 (FYI_ there is no real difference between the plan she bought for $500 and the one they try to sell for $6000. They will take what ever they can.)because she was young and attractive and they needed more women like her. They were VERY short on women signing up and most of the clients were between the age of 35 and 50, despite their telling younger and older people otherwise. There were clients with criminal records and a few who WERE STILL MARRIED. One guy even had a wife who was disabled in some way and they agreed to sign him up because they spoke to the wife and she said it was OK.
They ask for your drivers license right at the beginning of the interview to prove your identity right? Guess again. They walk out of the room with it when they "go to verify that you are who you say you are and to check your not married" because now that they have it, you cant WALK OUT and leave without it. The supervisor had ID's taped to the back of the door in her office from people who were so intimidated that they walked out and wouldn't come back for it. One of them belonged to a very large police officer! I watched the same supervisor repeatedly ignore phone calls and give people the run around when they wanted to cancel their membership within the three days they had the right to, stating "Let's just hope they don't read the contract. As long as they don't send it in writing- there is nothing they can do." The contract has it waaay on the back in tiny print on the last page. She would then take their call on the 4th day and explain that she was gone when they tried to cancel and there was nothing that could be done because it wasn't sent in writing.
SERIOUSLY- Is this a company that anyone should do business with or working for? ALL of this was standard procedure. They TRAIN people to do these things. WHY ARE THEY STILL IN BUSINESS!