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If you are contacted by matchmaker international trying to set up an appointment for you to come to their office for an interview... Hang up! This company is a full blown scam. They bait people in who have used an online dating site, or went to one of the area websites (there are signs posted in the ground) depending on the area you live in. Once they get you in the door they will try to charge you $2500 to $10,000 for a membership. You will not be matched with quality people as they claim, but rather the same people you could match yourself with. These people are running this scam in several states and have been for years. They are a member of the bbb, whom they have in their pocket, once a bbb complaint is established it is quickly swept under the rug. Stay away from this scam or you will be out several thousand dollars for nothing.
I am not now nor have I ever been a client, I was the program director! They run your credit to see how much if any you have on credit cards then they ask you what is in your checking account, they want it all and this is how they size you up so they know how much money they can get from you. Then after you become a member, before you have a chance to seeyou have been scammed, they call you to "up-grade" your membership for even more money. I have enclosed the up-grade script.
Upgrade script
Hi (name), im so glad I got a hold of you!
I just had a man of women call and tell me
They are getting married through us and he
Or she wants to sell their executive program
For only _! This is a 5,000 dollar membership which includes _. You would really benefit from it. I have several other people who would want it but jane or jennifer told me to call you first because they know you will want it! We can run it on the credit card you paid with if you like!
Tips for upgrading:
Always sound super excited on the phone
Never let someone “think about” it - tell them you have others who want it
Make them feel obligated to do it because jane or jennifer thought of them first
Get a credit card or debit card by phone - if they only have a check or cash - tell them you have a few ladies or gentlemen in mind that you want to show them and get them in that day or offer to meet them somewhere-if they say they will be in the next day-they won’t!
Always feel out an upgrade form
They must sign cc slip by friday or no commission - you can meet them, fax it to them, whatever it takes!
Always start price high, you can always go down - if you absolutely can’t talk them into the original price, ask them to counter offer, tell them all the lady or gentleman can do is say no - they will tell you what they will pay if you ask!
The last voice the client hears before you get paid gets the commission - there is no “ ive been working on that one”
No holding on to files your trying to upgrade, either get it right then or it is a loss
Upgrades are part of your job
The president of this company is loius paravate. The bbb will get you nowhere as he pays them off when the complaints come in.
I will be going to court in February please contact me as I also agree with you its a scam mela017@att.net
I am currently contacting the attorney generals office regarding this company. I am also going to contact the bbb which may or may not do any good as one person states they pay someone to erase such negative feedback.
OK...my story...went in at the tricity location almost two years ago. Really didnt have the money to blow. Somehow the owner harassed me into buying in. I told him that the program sounded good but I just couldnt afford the rates. He told me when I continued to say no that he would make an exception for me but I could never tell anyone. Since this was a while back...I dont remember the exact amount but it was over $1000. I told him there was no way I could pay that either. He said just for you pretty lady Im going to let you pay a little down tonight and then we will charge you a monthly fee.
Story goes...a great guy called...we talked for weeks...lived over 80 miles from me...I ask for local...I liked the guy and kind of fell for him over the several weeks we talked. We burned the phone up! Finally we met...A little guy gets out of a big truck. His head came to my breast or nipple line. He had one rotten tooth in the front... He was covered in tatoos...
I was clear with matchmakers what I wanted...a professional as I am a professional in healthcare. I have good teeth and no tatoos. Is that too much to ask for? The date was awkward. I felt like my best friend had just died. I liked this guy and got very close on the phone only to be extremely disappointed when we met. I'm not as superficial as this sounds. The guy was disappointed in me as well. I was way to tall and far outweighed him. I could have almost picked him up and carried him to the car...AKWARD!...We continued to talk...we became friends...we were both disappointed...we remained friends.
Within the next few days I called MM. The owner apologised and said sorry for the mistake. I said thats not good enough...
I gave them a second chance...next guy calls...Spent over an hour on the phone with him telling me his horrible story of the last date they fixed him up on. He belittled the company...threw off on his last date...I was sick that I was dealing with a "professional company" that was far from professional.
Within the next few days called MM again this time I said I was done.
They begged me for forgiveness. Stated the second guy would be banned from the services as this was a breech in contract...Told me I would be given back the two wasted dates.
I thought about it...decided against it...
Two months passed and they wanted money...
I refussed to continue to pay...only after consulting attorneys and making things real clear about my intentions on going after them so to speak, they did drop the subject and tell me that they will destroy my contract and let bigons be bigons if I would not share the negative information...I never did share it.
Almost two years have passed...Today I got a call from a man named Mike. He said he was an investagator. He would be taking me to court for breaking my contract. He threatened me. He raised his voice. He demanded my attorneys number. I refused to give it. He hung up on me mid sentence. I called him back...He stated he will see me in court for garnishment of wages...The story gets worse. They harassed me with several phone calls...hung up on my fiance (not found through them) who also has a terriable experience with MM.
MORAL OF THE STORY...DONT USE THIS COMPANY IF YOU EXPECT TO GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. THEY DID NOT DELIVER WHAT I ASK FOR. ITS A NUMBERS GAME AND A MONEY, HUSH HUSH GAME. THEY ARE FROM FROM PROFESSIONAL.
I was going to keep my mouth shut in terms of the public blog. Im minding my own business today and get harassed over something that happened two years ago. They must be desperate for money in this tight economy.
I would like to proceed forward in a class action law suit. Any joiners please contact me immediately for a meeting.
wil6f4
sorry you had the bad experience with those women wanting money, are you still using there online site? in response to your comments below.
matchmaker stole money from me, i am interested in a class action lawsuit, or some form of justice. the deal clearly stated:
Subscription Plan: 1 month for $34.95 USD
so you think, "ok i will try a month, its only 34.95", and then when the month was over they took another 34.95 from my bank account without notifying me, there was no authorization, no notification. i wouldnt have even known if i hadnt had been browsing my bank account online.
i am attaching a screen shot of what the page looks like where you pay. i dont know if there is a trick using fine print somewhere, it shouldnt matter whether there is any fine print anywhere because using fine print to trick people and make money by tricking people is a crime. they are pigs making money from unsuspecting people.
not to go off the subject but yes i also received emails from a girl who first claimed to be in Ohio, but she gave me turned out to be a number from nigeria. they use the Ohio claim because the ohio area code happens to be the same as the first 3 numbers of the international code for nigeria.
(edit) i just tried to upload the screenshot and it sent me an error message "document not found."
Don~
Here you go...
Attorney General's Office near Biloxi - Local Results
* Thomas Law Firm - General Litigation Personal - - [protected] 31st Ave, Gulfport, MS - 12.90mi - map
I joined MatchMaker International in Gulfport, Ms. It has been a horrible experience. They worked very hard to sell me a membership, but they have done a horrible job matching me with the kind of women that I would want to meet. I have upgraded my membership twice, and it has not made one bit of difference. Now they are trying to sell me a new upgrade where I could see the photos of the women and I can pick out the women that I see as attractive and try to arrange a meeting. MMI wants $18oo dollars more for photo pre-screening. Their own counselors don't even want to do their jobs any more. And recently my pre-screen matches do not have any photos available for the staff to look at the women and match them with me. It is a dirty scam. All of the sudden, MMI does not have photos of their own members that are in matching? What is the phone number of the Attorney General's office in South Mississippi? Don in Biloxi, Ms.
I want to tell of my experience with Matchmaker International. I am 61 and was married to the most wonderful man for31 years. When he passed away I was lost, lonely, and couldnt find a reason to smile. My friends were the ones that encouraged me to call Matchmakers in the first place. I admit I was skeptical to begin with but after going for my appointment I felt comfortable. Everyone was very nice and made me feel "at home". As the lady went over the membership prices I was a nervous wreck. It was alot of money. I did decide to sign up and am so happy I did. My first 3 referrals were nice but I knew we could just be friends. Now my 4th gentleman was another story. He and I connected in a big way. I liked everything about him. We went on hold after our 5th date together and he gave me an engagement ring New Years Eve. I never thought I could love again, so never say never. My heartfelt thanks goes out to Matchmaker and everyone there.
p.s. Chattanooga is the office where I am a member.
Frances
I'm glad to let all of you know that we, Loren & Tim, disagree with your thoughts, you are obviously an angry EX- employee. Since you were fired, I did some research myself. It confirmed that you were arrested as stated in LP's comment. We were introduced by MatchMaker International and have been together for several months and every referral I received in past was great, I did not feel presured or scammed. I actually went there because of being scammed by someone I met on the internet. I was very sceptical at first. I know Tim feels the same way I do.
First of all business that are BBB members pay for that! The BBB is a place where companies pay into to be members of much like MMI. The BBB will always side with business unless there is a violation of the written contract. So really thinking they would help you with any company is silly but look at the number of complaints they have and judge for yourself.
I am a bit surprised by this script. I have worked for MMI for well over 10 years and I have never seen this but the TN office is independently owned.
As for Mysti the info is correct and she has a wrap sheet much longer then the complaint list lodged against this MMI office~
Thi was written by Mysti Stokes. She is a disgruntled employee who was given several chances to work for Matchmakers. She beat up employees, did drugs in the office and forged checks. She was arrested, bailed out and skipped out on her bond. There are several warrants for her arrest in Savannah, Georgia and Chattanooga, Tennessee. Beware...she is VERY manipulative and can be very convincing. She plays on peoples sympathies, always blaming others for what she has done. You can take what she wrote and toss it out the window. Matchmakers in Tennesse, Georgia and Florida are very reputable. Not all matchmakers are owned by the same person. Mr. Paravate is a very giving and caring man. Do not trust Mysti Stokes!
P.S. Lou Paravate's personal cell phone is [protected]