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Online Dating Services Taken to Court

Online daters who have been unlucky courting in love are now heading to court ? they are suing two top Internet matchmaking services. Match is accused of persuading its members into renewing subscriptions through fake e-mails sent out by company employees. According to the suit, people employed by Match even went out on phony dates with subscribers as a marketing ploy.

In a separate suit, Yahoo Inc.?s personal service is accused of posting profiles of dating partners on its Web site to give the appearance that many more singles subscribe to the service than actually do. Both lawsuits are seeking class-action status. They were filed as growth in the online dating industry has slowed.

Reports indicate that U.S. consumers spent $245.2 million on online personals and dating services in the first half of 2005, up 7.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the Online Publishers Association. At the same time, competition among online dating services is fierce, with some sites offering newfangled features such as extensive compatibility surveys to match up people with similar temperaments and outlooks.