No company I've ever encountered, except Great Expectations Dating Service, refuses to give a refund when they have not begun to provide anything to the customer. David Margolis owner, Sheryel Ashcroft Director, refuse to let you cancel membership in Great Expectations unless you sue them, and sue American Express for paying them. A Confirmed medical Disability is G/E's only unconditional excuse for cancellation.

The Social Security Administration has declared me disabled for 15 consecutive years. Their report states I have a severely deformed back that would require surgery if I were younger. I am 'advised by them' not to sit or stand more than two hours or lift more than 20 pounds. I was also medically advised to swim, ride a bike, and walk to maintain my muscles. I am legally able to run a business and earn a substantial income, provided I am not performing labor more than 20 hours a week.

G/E Owner, Mr. Wiseass Margolis, said due to my interests (cycling, walking, swimming and gardening) and the fact that G/E was able to detain me for 3 hours (without me writhing in pain), and that I own a business, he doesn't agree that I'm disabled. HE IS A 'MEDICAL JUDGE' FOLKS! A MEDICAL QUACK!

I emailed my cancellation within the ridiculous 3 day time limit. When I got no response to the email I realized it may have gone astray and I promptly called to G/E to cancel. Director Ashcroft wasn't available. She called me back days later and said 'return the materials with your original cancellation letter and come in with $500.00 and we'll refund $4, 419.00 to your American Express card.'

I refused to pay $500.00 for 'nothing but their 3-hour sales pitch.' But G/E won't stop billing my American Express card for $4, 419.00. They keep arguing with American Express. I canceled in Jan.08. They said they consider me an active member as of Aug.14, 08 having provided me with NO MEMBER SERVICES! G/E says I can be considered an active member for 36 months. (My fiance' doesn't agree). Then A/E asks me for additional information. Now I will send A/E (and the BBB who did nothing), a printout of all these complaints against this UNETHICAL PRACTIONER, this fraudulent dating service.

P.S. I met my soulmate at last on a FREE dating service Plentyoffish.com. We're getting married in 2 months. I came close at Match.com and Jdate. All others are worthless.

I was a member of Great Expectations thirty years ago, when the company was privately owned, based in Los Angeles, not a franchise, and when the owner's mother and sister were actively involved. Frankly, my experience with them -- unlike yours -- was truly wonderful. As a family operation, they actually cared about their members, and the owner's mother would try to fix people up herself, even though it was a video dating service. But since the company was sold, and it's now owned by a Fortune 500 company, if my memory serves me, and it's a franchise, it's unlikely that you're going to be able to get a refund from the franchisee. If I were you, I'd try to go on TV. Make it fun (for you) and awful (for them). Take them to small claim's court, where you can recover up to $5, 000, on Judge Judy. It's likely that rather than exposing themselves to her bad temper (I love her for that, and her wit), and all of the negative press that they'd get as a result, whether or not you won the case, in front of tens of millions of people on national TV, that they'd try to settle way before that happened.