Lonely hearts can be foolish. They can look for love in all the wrong places, get themselves into all sorts of awkward situations – even agree to pay thousands of dollars for a dating service promising the perfect match.
Most of those blunders they’ll have to live with. But if they sign up for a dating service and change their minds within three days, a new state law will let them void the contract.
Beyond Cash Donations: How New Forms of Giving Are Transforming Not-for-Profit Accounting
Evolving Funding Landscape for Not-for-Profits Not-for-profit organizations are being asked to do more with less,…
Learn More
The measure, sponsored by Rep. Eileen S. Naughton, D-Warwick, and approved in the House on May 5 and the Senate on June 7, targets alleged “deceptive trade practices” by dating services across the country that Naughton said take advantage of vulnerable consumers.
Naughton filed the legislation after hearing from a woman who was interested in joining the Great Expectations dating service, a company claiming to be “the nation’s premier destination for meeting and dating quality singles.”
After getting just a 30-minute overview of the company, Naughton said, the woman was pressured into signing a contract and paying nearly $4,000 for a dating plan. When she went home and re-read her contract, she wanted to cancel but was dismayed to learn she couldn’t.
“Many consumers in Rhode Island don’t realize what they’re getting into when they sign up for a dating service,” Naughton said in a news release. “Agreeing to join a dating service is a big and expensive decision, and a consumer should be given some time to back out of a contract if he or she decides against it.”
Naughton’s measure gives dating service clients until midnight of the third business day after signing a contract to cancel the deal. Dating companies are required to tell consumers, in writing, that they have this right, and to issue full refunds within 10 days of cancellation.
Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch has said his office has gotten many complaints from consumers who got caught up in dating services’ emotionally manipulative sales pitches, signed up, and immediately regretted their actions.
The bill has been transmitted to Gov. Donald L. Carcieri for his signature.
