Chengdu Woman Buys Matchmaking Service Before Reading the Fine Print

Chengdu Woman Buys Matchmaking Service Before Reading the Fine Print
Aug 16, 2016 By eChinacities.com

Editor’s Note: A woman in Chengdu was tricked by a matchmaking company into purchasing an expensive membership. The company gave her profiles of men that she assumed would be available to date. However, when she read the fine print, she realized those profiles were most likely fake and did not represent actual men the company had available for her.

A 36-year-old woman from Chengdu named Guo Jing was still single and feeling the pressure. She spent 48,800 RMB at a matchmaking website called Zhen Ai. She purchased a VIP membership package from the website. In the VIP membership contract, the website promised to introduce Guo Jing to at least 10 men.

 

However, when Guo Jing reviewed the contract, she found that the website did not guarantee the integrity and authenticity of the men she would be introduced to. “The information given about the men is not necessary true?” This clause made her rethink her commitment to the contract and request a refund from the company. The site refunded her 38,800 RMB but said that the 10,000 RMB service fee could not be refunded.

Pay to Play?

Guo Jing owns a small company in Chengdu. Her job keeps her very busy and she did not have time to date. She had been registered as a normal member of Zhen Ai for two years. On July 16, Zhen Ai called Guo Jing to inform her that there was a dating event in a stadium in her area. Guo Jing attended the event with her mother.

A Zhen Ai marriage consultant named Li registered Guo Jing at the event and asked for her income information. Guo Jing said that she earned more than 20,000 RMB per month. Li said that the company offered paid services to find high-quality bachelors. The four different packages cost 28,800 RMB, 48,800 RMB, 68,800 RMB, and 108,800 RMB. Women who purchased higher priced packages would meet a larger number of men. Li recommended that Guo Jing purchase the 48,800 VIP member package. The company said they would choose 10 men from 100 applicants for her to date.

Guo Jing hesitated to sign up for any kind of paid package. A Zhen Ai manager named Chen from the company’s Shenzhen headquarters said told her that the matchmaking company had even more men available then those at the dating event. Chen told her that company also analyzes their client’s progress and helps with marriage guidance and consulting. Chen invited Guo Jing to come to a Zhen Ai office to see photos of some of the men the company had to offer.

Binders Full of Men

On July 31, Guo Jing traveled to Chengdu’s Raffles City to a Zhen Ai location. She met with Li and Chen to learn more about the company’s services. Li and Chen took out a stack of different profiles of men for her to look through. The profile included photos, occupation, income, and other information. The photos made Guo Jing very happy and she saw a lot of men that could be potential matches. “It was natural to think that these were the men they had available to date,” said Guo Jing.

Guo Jing had stayed in the office until 21:00. She decided to purchase a VIP membership and charge the 48,800 RMB to her credit card. “It was late, and I did not read the contract line-by-line,” she said. Guo Jing did not bring her ID card or any other documents so she could not make her own profile that day. She did however, fill out her preferences for the men that she wanted to date.

 

When Guo Jing returned home, she sat down and looked over the contract carefully. She read in the contract that Party B (Zhen Ai) would provide subjects for dates for Party A (Guo Jing), but Party B does not have permission to view its client’s personal information and does not guarantee the integrity and authenticity of the subjects.

“The information that company has on the blind dates is not necessarily true?” Guo Jing also saw the Appendix of the contract contained a copy of Guo Jing’s ID card, a divorce certificate and other information. Guo Jing believes that because she did not provide that information to the company herself, the contract should be voided. “This also means that the company should issue a refund.”

The Battle for a Refund

Guo Jing called the Chengdu branch to request a refund. The manager told her she would have to go through the Zhen Ai’s corporate headquarters. Guo Jing filed the complaint and received feedback from her complaint on August 4. The company headquarters informed her than they could refund her, but would deduct a 10,000 RMB fee. “The service did not start, and the company should not charge any fees,” said Guo Jing.

On August 12, a reporter visited the Zhen Ai store and asked staff a few questions about Guo Jing’s experience. Li told the reporter that Guo Jing was biased against the company and that she should take part of the penalty when asking for a refund. Li said that his branch unconditionally supports the policy developed by the company’s headquarters.

Reporters also called the company’s headquarters in Shenzhen. The headquarters gave a statement saying that the incident between Guo Jing and the branch staff had been a misunderstanding and the company had no intention to deceive Guo Jing. Staff said that the company has agreed to give Guo Jing a full refund in the next 30 days.

On August 13, Guo Jing brought her contract to the branch and signed an agreement to receive her full refund.

Source: The Paper

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Keywords: Chengdu matchmaking service matchmaking agency

3 Comments

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tanbank34

really

Aug 27, 2016 20:27 Report Abuse

Guest427330

there are many foreigners now.i'm sure she will find one

Aug 19, 2016 16:12 Report Abuse

silverbutton1

She's very lucky she got anything back. Usually businesses such as these wouldnt dare do a refund. Two sayings come to mind. "Buyer Beware", and "A fool and their money are easily parted...".

Aug 16, 2016 14:05 Report Abuse