Dating is a torturous process that generally involves discovering just how incompatible two people can be, despite superficial attraction. Zoë Daly, an online fitness coach from Sydney with over 200,000 Instagram followers, found out this out the hard way after paying an almost $5,000 yearly fee to sign up to a private matchmaking service called Elite Introductions. After one terrible date, she sued Elite Introductions for using “misleading and deceptive statements and pressure sales techniques” which promised she would meet great men, unlike the dud she was set up with.
In a situation that would be familiar to everyone who has dated a man (#notallmen,) Daly said her date “spoke about himself the whole time,” was “very negative” and made offensive comments about her car. I mean, was this dude even trying to hide how awful he is? She also reported that he “looked much older” than his profile, when she had told the agency she was looking for someone aged 32 to 38. Overall, she described the date as “not at all pleasant,” and girl, we feel you.
Elite Introductions, which caters to “professionals and business owners,” promises to introduce members to like-minded individuals who are interested in “skiing, sailing, golf, running, reading, traveling, art, film, theatre, documentaries, business, dining out, meditation, personal development, social entrepreneurs, philanthropy and TED Talks.” As it turns out, a shared interest in TED Talks does not a relationship make, and Daly decided that even a whole year of dates through the agency would not make up for her bad experience. The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal accepted her evidence and ordered the agency to refund 80 per cent of the membership fee, around $4,000. Meanwhile, the rest of us will have to continue to get by with bitching to our best friends about bad dates and hate-swiping on Tinder.
Header image via She’s The Man, other image via @zozofit Instagram.
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