Choosing the right matchmaker is an important decision. With the price point of matchmaking being higher, you don’t really have a lot of wiggle room to bounce between providers or make mistakes in your selections. With a traditional dating app having a lower price point, if you choose the wrong app, you’re only out a few hundred bucks at the very most.
So, how do you ensure you choose the right matchmaker? Here are five tips from our experts to help you understand what and how to complete the process.
1. Don’t make it all about price, but be smart with your money.
It’s no secret that matchmaking services are expensive. Often, when people make large purchases, there’s a temptation to become fixated on the price and ignore everything else. If your incredibly price sensitive and your main focus is extreme bargain shopping when selecting your matchmaker, you’re setting yourself up for a bad experience.
For example, Three Day Rule is our top pick for the best matchmaker with services starting at $5,900. It’s Just Lunch, a matchmaker that we are not a fan of because of some serious legal troubles in their past, memberships start on average around $3,000. If you made your decision here solely on price, you’d be setting yourself up for a subpar experience.
Yes, you should never overspend. However, sometimes the cheaper option…is, in fact, the cheaper option, as it pertains to quality.
Additionally, the same goes for fixating on spending the most money to get the best service. Just because a matchmaker charges the most does not automatically mean they’re something special. It certainly can mean they are (if the amenities you get match the price), but just don’t take it a seal of approval without the evidence to back it up.
2. Have a detailed understanding of their matchmaking process, and make sure you like it.
Most matchmaking services have similar processes, at least in the sense that they get to know you and find you dates. However, every service has unique nuances that can make a big difference. Some of the areas we see differences include:
- How they find your matches
- Where they typically look for matches
- What happens when they can’t find you a match
- What the process is if you find someone and have leftover matches
Do not let a matchmaker give you a generic answer about how the process works. You need to fully understand how the process works when everything goes right, and how they handle things when something goes wrong.
If they dodge your questions, seem angry that you’re asking, tell you the answer is proprietary, or give you non-answers, these are red flags.
3. Ask about their specific experience with your local area.
When you hire a matchmaking service, you have the choice to work with a small, local company or a large national company. Each has it’s own perks and drawbacks.
If you choose to go with a larger national brand, you need to know what their experience is with your specific area. Is your actual matchmaker familiar with your area? Do they live in your area? How many people do they have in your area? Have they worked with a lot of clients in your area?
While this may have you tempted to only work with small, boutique matchmakers, remember that larger companies do have more resources and may be able to offer better service—even from afar.
4. Ask for a copy of the contract to review.
When choosing a matchmaker, we’d hope that all of them would tell you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. The problem, though, is that we’ve heard stories of things being promised because they “usually work that way” but when push comes to shove, it’s not something you’re guaranteed.
Make sure you understand what you do and don’t get with the package you are purchasing. And while your matchmaker most likely has your best interests at heart, get a copy of a contract to review to ensure it’s all in writing.
In case you want to learn more about matchmaking contracts, read our guide on questions to ask before signing.
5. Get details about your actual matchmaker (not just the company).
Some matchmaking services have their customer facing team split into two — matchmakers and sales people. When you speak with a company, you might be talking with a salesperson. While we understand why they do this, we’re only okay with it if it’s very clear that you’re going to be handed off to someone else once you purchase service.
Knowing this, it’s imperative that you learn about your actual matchmakers. Who are they? What are they like?
You better be able to talk to your actual matchmaker before you purchase service.
Don’t overthink it and do your best
There can a temptation to let yourself fall into analysis paralysis when it comes to choosing the right matchmaker. Yes, you should put time and effort into the process, but don’t spend so much time researching that you take all the fun out of it and never make a decision.
If you need some help with the process, this is why we spend so much time and effort on our matchmaker service reviews, so that you can use them to help you make the right decision.