Speeddate.com Review
Launched in late 2007, it didn’t take long for online speed dating’s Speeddate.com to generate controversy, and not in a good way! If you were one of hundreds of thousands of Facebook members who used the “Have You Ever”, “Would You Rather” or “Romantic Gifts” apps, you may remember feeling rather hijacked when you logged into Facebook last fall only to find that your participation in these apps meant that you were now signed up for Speeddate.com. Whether you wanted to be a member or not, there was no choice given ahead of time, and users were notified only after the change had been made. I can only imagine some of the discussions (aka fights) that resulted in relationships around the globe. I’m sure that more than a few people were handed their walking papers after their partners discovered their dating site membership! Hardly publicity of the good kind.
Speeddate.com is a serious competitor to woome.com, and like its opponent differs from traditional dating sites just as in person speed dating differs from regular dating. It won’t appeal to everyone, particularly those who appreciate the relative anonymity of traditional internet dating sites, people with limited computer access and/or skills, and those who don’t want to have to worry about having a bad hair day.
Their sign up process is simple enough and membership is free but, and it’s a BIG BUT, you’re only notified AFTER you’ve signed up for a “free” membership that there is in fact a two tier membership structure. The withholding of this information by companies and websites in general drives me crazy. I know you want members but I have to say that you’ll turn a lot of people off with this kind of nonsense. I for one cancelled my membership as soon as I found that premium memberships are pricey; $15.99/mo for 6 months, $19.99/mo for 3 months or $24.99 for one month. Payable via credit card.
Even then it’s not really clear what the exact differences are between free and premium memberships. There’s a list of benefits associated with a paid membership, but I’d like to see an easy to understand chart that compares the features available for both types.
The look and feel of the site is okay, but nothing special. Given that this site is just over a year old and is tapping into the supposed next phase of internet dating, that’s a disappointment. I’d expected something with a bit more edge.
Navigation is pretty easy, all areas of the site being readily accessible from your home page with the use of clearly labeled tabs. The search feature is seriously flawed. Geographically you can search worldwide, in your country, or near you. Which means that if you live in the States and want to speed date with people in Germany because you’ll be spending some time there next month, you’re out of luck. Similarly, you can’t filter by interest, ethnicity, religion, the list goes on. A major turnoff in my book. Without these filters, the speeddate.com matching system will parade an endless list of “dates” for you to either okay or reject. And that kind of defeats the whole purpose of speed dating doesn’t it? Which is to save time!
Besides being disappointed in the look of the site, the content of the site (besides the profiles) is limited to poorly moderated forums. After going through them I have serious doubts that anyone on the back end is even looking at these. Scores of unanswered questions to the site administrators, objectionable language and name calling seem to be the order of the day. Thanks but no, I graduated from Grade Two years ago!
Speeddate.com, an interesting idea with flawed execution.
Tags: speeddate, speeddate review, speeddate.com, speeddate.com review
December 14th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I somewhat agree to this review. I took premium membership two weeks back. I was surprised to find my paypal account setup for recurring payment every six months. I had to go ahead and cancel this on my own. This is fraud of some kind. If you see the T&C of the website it states the same….but Hello did you not feel the need of putting a checkbox while taking my payment.
I also remember setting up for a month membership and found myself charged for 6 months. Not quite sure if I really messed up or these smart people did the trick.
the other thing about this site is that the speed dating only seems to be active at night after 10 or so. I have started doubting if the girls I am chatting are really in the neighbourhood or are some fake girls posing it for few hours after 10…..but I may be wrong. I have made few buddies over the last few days. Most of the people I dated did not have their webcams ready….so yet to experience the online dating instead of the regular chatting…have fun. You never know what date is waiting for you to change your life.
Have a Merry Christmas and a great new year
Atlee
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:54 pm
This website is a scam. Any attractive girl that you meet on this website try’s to get you to “view their free webcam”. The website they direct you to asks for your credit card information for “verification purposes only” which is complete BS. BEWARE OF THIS WEBSITE DO NOT PAY THEM ANY MONEY!
March 27th, 2009 at 11:27 am
All the girls in this site has premium membership!!!
Many of my buddies denied that they payed for this service.
In other words they indicate female members as premium in order to force male surfers to pay for membership.
There is also a great mismatch between online members and online buddies. No response from the administrators.
All the tools and features of the site are available only to premium members.!!!
Can you imagine millions of members for 24 $ a month!!! Come on frauders…
Keep away
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:23 am
It would have taken me a long long time to understand so much without your help.
October 25th, 2009 at 11:24 pm
I was very irritated when I got a message from Speeddate that someone had sent me a message. this someone was actually my financee and I was very irritated that apparently she was still on dating websites, months after we decided to get married. I just found out that this has something to do with Facebook. Obviously these scammers are getting email addresses from facebook and use them for their purposes.
I signed up because I wanted to read the message that apparently came from my fiancee and shortly after I started to receive messages from all kind of women, even without having posted a picture or profile. i can’t imagine that some a honest person would contact someone who has not even posted a profile or a picture - I believe that these were “ladies” created by the people who run the website.
December 14th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Speeddate.com is a terrible site! I receive several communications a day from users on the site, but it turns out that 90% or more of them are African SCAMMERS! And when I browse members that match my criteria, more than 50% are African or Russian SCAMMERS! When I report them to Speeddate I always get a popup that says how important my communication is, how seriously they take such reports and how they will make every effort to investigate and delete members that violate the Terms of Use. However, even the most OBVIOUS of these fraudulent profiles remain active for weeks or even months after I have reported them. Stay away from Speeddate.com.
February 26th, 2010 at 3:58 pm
I will share my experiences with Speeddate since everyone who has left a comment so far seems to be under the impression that they girls on this site are fake. I would have to disagree with that seeing as how I have met people who live near me. I am a Canadian user and ended up on this site the same way that most other people have, through Facebook. At first everything was great, but then after a while I “had” to get premium membership to be able to message people. So I checked it out and it said, $15.99 per month for 6 months. what they dont tell you is that they will charge for all 6 months upfront. SO I SAY GO F*CK YOURSELVES SPEEDDATE.COM
That is all
May 5th, 2010 at 6:55 am
Thank you for your review. after so many bait and switch date sites have tricked me out of my personal information with the lure of free to use services, and only provide a way to pay them with nothing but hundreds of spam emails 4 u 2 recive in store for u. i feel your site is a wonderfull place for any single person to review before giving out any info about yourself
i am a 52 year old widowed male in vero beach florida
thanks for your information, and please keep up the great work
nitemaher@yahoo.com (Paul)
May 11th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
I agreed to The $15.99 fee the next day they charged my account $191.88 and I only conversed with one person. They are crooks!
May 14th, 2010 at 11:54 am
Speed date is a scam site! Every girl that has contacted me is very attractive and of course registered! So I would have to PAY to contact them. It would’nt surprise me if they had been russian scammers.
And it’s true, it’s free to register but the website has since been making almost every option a need to pay option. So all you can do now is browse and wink and use the cam option. But Beware of women trying to get you to there own pay sites when on cam.
Basically…..Just stay away from speed date. It’s crap!
May 15th, 2010 at 1:07 am
I agree with the author that we need to share the knowledge we gain!. . . . . .
May 20th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
Out of 100 flirts that I sent to women in the last week on Speeddate.com (paid member)… only 5 have even read the messages or viewed my info. That tells me that most are not active, just pictures. Also, Speeddate charged my credit card $191.88 for 12 months of service. What the Hell Speeddate? While I did sign up for a year, apparently missed reading the “I’ll charge the full year in advance” clause in the fine print. I called and they took off 11 months and charged me $30 for one month instead of the advertised $15.99 per month. Needless to say, it will be my only month of getting ripped off.
Try Zoosk as I have already found more in my area, ready to have some fun in just 2 days, than I ever found on Speeddate.com.
June 1st, 2010 at 10:41 am
Everyone who wrote a review is right. Especially about the $$$$$$ part. I got screwed with my money. I got billed for $299 for 2 years and now I don’t know what to do. Did anyone ever get their money back? Any help will be much appreciated.
June 20th, 2010 at 6:41 am
What a rip, just got tagged for 299, thought I was doing a 3 day trial that led to 3 month membership, will be getting up with credit union Monday first thing, complain to visa and have notified speedate to give me back my @#$%^ money. How about speed rape, much more fitting
June 21st, 2010 at 12:44 pm
I applied just for one month but they charge me for one year. What i can do?!!!! Can i stop membership?
June 26th, 2010 at 8:54 am
Yes, speed date is a total rip…..All that there are, are cam girls, which are girls that want you to pay money so they can do pornographic things over the webcam. Second, there are hundreds of girls that will email you, with the same varied info, that thy need help, and if u spend money to help them to get out of nigieria they will repay you….it is total BS. Also, they try to get u subscribed but it is not worth it….they are probably all, 12 years old, russian or nigerian, boy, scammers, thinking americans are stupid…..which we aren’t…..DO NOT SUBSCRIBE OR EMAIL ANY OF THESE FAKES…..go out and find a date the old fashion way,,,,ask
June 27th, 2010 at 8:28 am
Awesome post.Really looking forward to read more. Will read on…
June 30th, 2010 at 10:04 am
ENJOY THIS SCAM!!! A good read.
Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 9:42 AM
i am just looking for a special man to be there for me..when i get back i would like us to hang out and know more about each other..But i am worried right now because the seminar had already been concluded but something happened thats causing delays on my flight back,What happened is that when i tried to reschedule my flight,the airline agent told me that i don’t have enough funds on my debit card,so i had to contact my bank since i knew the funds i left there and when the reports came i was told that i purchased some phones which i never did, Now the airline agent is insisting i gets the remaining funds before my flight can be scheduled,so sorry this happened before we met. i called my bank that issued the card and all they told me was that someone must have hacked my card and an identity theft was placed on my card and the investigation would be on when i get back ,it shouldn’t take more than 2days to refund my money but i have to be home, i have already used the remaining cash i have to settle the hotel bills and pay a deposit with the airline agent ..i have less than $10 with me here and i have to pay a balance of $650 to the airline agent so they can book me on a next flight out if i can get some help in anyway even if its a short loan,i will refund it ..just to get my account reactivated..i cant get stuck out here..its too risky for me,if you would be able to help me out on this i will forever be grateful and you will never be disappointed even if its important i have to refund it and i swear on my late fathers Grave never to let you down..when i have the flight fully booked if you help me out i will send you a copy of the flight details so you will know the exact time the plane lands in the states and i will appreciate if you could come pick me up at the airport when i arrive .
— On Wed, 6/30/10, wrote:
Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 12:08 PM
Oh my gosh sounds like your having a rough day… Of all days for this to happen I am going crazy over here today, very busy.
Uh - - - well tell me what bank you use, all your bank info. and you said you spoke to them give me that phone number, and I’m going see what I can do. I’m going to need your full name, and complete address, and your phone number, so I know it is going to the correct account. Oh boy of all days for this to happen, I got all kinds of stuff going on today… I’ll try to get back to you as soon as I can after you send me that info.————–
— On Wed, 6/30/10, wrote:
Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 12:20 PM
Oh my God Thank you curtis for willing to help me out on this and i am very grateful for all this.if you can do me this favor i will know i owe you both in cash and kind..The Wells fargo bank has frozen my account because of the identity theft alert that was caused by the mishap on my card so please western union is the only way i can get the money down here because i saw their agent at the airport when i arrived so i will be very happy if you can do this for me with the information below .
Name : B.W.
City ; London
United Kingdom
Amount : $650
I will need the Money transfer control Number if you have this done for me and then i will get the ticket resolved so i will send you a copy of the flight details so you would know the exact time the plane would land back in the states..Thanks once again for your understanding and kindness .
HUGS
B
— On Wed, 6/30/10, wrote:
From: >
Subject: Re: Hello again from
To:
Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 12:43 PM
Oh I don’t know how I am going to find a Western Union, I am out of the office this week, OK next idea - what airline are you flying, you said you have a deposit on a flight home, from London to where, give me all that info and I will go on line and pay the ticket.
* when you send me that info, I’m going to check the other airlines to see if I can find a better deal to get you home. Maybe I can use some of my flight miles.
Like I said of all days——–!!!
— On Wed, 6/30/10, wrote:
From:
Subject: Re: Hello again from
To:
Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 12:55 PM
i believe you understand my situation thats why you are willing to help me an you have faith in me but you also need to trust me that i know the help i need although i understand your cautiousness and i swear/promise on my father’s grave not to take advantage of your kind gesture,would like to fly first thing tomorrow if you can make this work and i promise you wont regret it..And if you feel you can loan me i promise to pay back once i get my card mishaps solved,Newark New jersey is where i live and like i explained to you,i am only using the airline agent and they have not booked me on a flight since the ticket expired..Western union is at every rite aid store ,K-marts and food lions ,even some banks has it and post offices too so please if you can help me the way i want to be helped i would be glad.
— On Wed, 6/30/10, wrote:
From:
Subject: Re: Hello again from
To:
Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 12:43 PM
What airline are you flying, you said you have a deposit on a flight home, give me all that info and I will fix your ticket!
After you send me that info, I’m going to check the other airlines to see if I can find a better deal to get you home. Here is your way home.
I understand you are having a rough day, I’m not having a good day either —
July 12th, 2010 at 7:34 pm
I was just about to accept the $0.99 “deal” for “verifying” my information. However, I thought to myself….”this is probably bullshit”….so, I googled it and found this page.
Thanks, guys!
July 30th, 2010 at 11:13 am
Offered a free 3 day trail and was charged 99 cents a day.Also searched for a match and came upon a full nude male laying on his bed.Not what I expecpted to see on a dating site.Declined invite to join the site.
July 31st, 2010 at 1:27 pm
SpeedDate is a virus
August 3rd, 2010 at 1:35 pm
This website is absolutely the worst. You could be a member for any number of monthe and no matter how many email messages you send to women, even women whose criteria you meet fully, you still get no fu#^IN& RESPONSES. Not even one response! And I’m suppose to authorize $15.99 out of my account each month? Speeddate go Fu^% yourselves. The other thing is alot of those women especially white women seem to be racist bitches! And everyone has to be 6 ft tall with light or white skin! Fu%$ off!
August 4th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
So like a dumb ass I figured I would try this, I figured 15.99 for 12 months thats pretty reasonable. So I gave them my credit card information and they tried charging my account $191.88 not once but FIVE TIMES!! My credit card company put a freeze on my credit card to protect my account thank god but I have no way of knowing now that they have my information of file if they will attempt to take the funds again so I left the freeze on it overnight. This is a scam DO NOT give your information to this company!!!
August 8th, 2010 at 8:08 am
This company is totally scamming people. AVOID at all cost.
I was charged almost $200 for tapping on the offered ~$16/mo. charge pop-up (the annual-at-once charge was in tiny print, that I only saw too late) that I received after an “e-mail” from someone that seemed reasonable to speak with.
Problem: there WAS NO e-mail from that person, just marketing material from this scam, scumbag company.
I intend to report them to the California Attorney General. Suggest you do the same if you’ve been scammed by them.