Match.com Review
As one of the largest and most well-known online dating sites in
the world, it's no surprise that Match.com is responsible for more
dates, relationships and marriages than any single one of its
competitors. What enables Match.com to stand out among its
competitors is that it provides you with both powerful search
technology and 5 daily match suggestions based upon shared
background or interests. Match.com is also one of the few top online
dating sites that offer convenient online dating via cell phone so
that you can search for a partner at your convenience from wherever
you are.
How Match.com Works
Match.com offers a plethora of search options so that you can
identify potential matches based on any criteria that are important
to you. The site offers keyword searching as well as customized
search through which you can narrow down your options based upon
qualities like marital status, political views, salary range,
astrological sign and even eye color. In 2011 the company changed
its search algorithm to help identify matches based upon each
user's previous searches rather than solely on the information
provided in their profile, since the company's data indicates that
singles actually tend to search with a more open mind than they
have when recording their preferences during registration.
In addition, Match.com offers 3 helpful search options:
- Search based upon which users are online in your area now. This
service will help you find relevant people near you and will also
lead you directly to profiles that are still active. Searching by
those who are online in your area will also allow you to chat
immediately with anyone you are interested in.
- Reverse Matching - With this search feature you can check out
profiles of singles who are looking for people like you.
- Mutual Matching - In this section you can find people who
answered the 'About my Date' section similarly to the way you
did.
Match.com presents each profile in a clear, concise way and also
tells you which aspects of your profile match the profile that
you're interested in.
Example
of Match.com profile
Match.com also enables you to sort your search results in
various ways so that you can view your options in the most useful
way. You may choose from the 'detailed' view or the 'gallery'
view.
Detailed View
Gallery View
Finally, Match.com offers you a comprehensive My Match section
in which it offers match suggestions based on multiple criteria.
The Daily 5, offers suggestions of 5 potential matches based on
various qualities that you have in common. You should be aware that
you may not always receive a Daily 5 suggestion (or, in some cases,
you may just receive a Daily 3), if Match.com's algorithm does not
find an ideal suggestion for you. The Mutual Match option presents
potential matches based on stated preferences that you and your
match suggestions have in common. Like at First Site offers match
suggestions based upon your answers about first impressions in the
registration quiz, and the Singled Out feature offers
highly-targeted matches based upon computer algorithms that suggest
you and a potential match have an especially high likelihood of
liking each other in person.
Registration
Registration for Match.com takes approximately 30 minutes which
is a reasonable amount of time considering that there are 3 main
categories of questions. The first category is About Me, which has
8 subsections including:
- Basics (2 pages of questions about where you grew up, marital
status and other obvious questions)
- Appearance (I page of questions to describe how you look)
- Interests (3 pages including multiple choice and optional
free-response questions about your hobbies, favorite sports and
other leisure activities)
- Lifestyle (2 pages of multiple choice and optional
free-response questions about your smoking habits, occupation and
pet preferences)
- Background/Values (2 pages about your religion and ethnicity
that surprisingly don't ask questions directly related to your
values)
- Get to Know Me (2 pages of questions that offer a glimpse of
yourself such as which comedian you like best and how you act at a
party)
The second set of questions focuses on what you are looking for
in a partner and includes 3 subsections:
- Appearance (1 page about what you want your ideal partner to
look like)
- Background/Values (1 page that asks what ethnicity, religion
and education level you want your ideal partner to have. Again,
these questions don't relate to values as much as your partner's
background)
- Lifestyle (2 pages that ask you to choose your ideal partner's
salary range, occupation, smoking habits and whether or not he
has/wants children)
The last section of creating a Match.com profile is the In My
Own Words section that asks you to describe yourself and your ideal
match in 4000 characters (or less) and to provide a headline for
your profile.
Unlike compatibility matching services that require you to
answer every question in the registration questionnaire, Match.com
allows you to skip questions or to choose 'no answer'. While this
may make it easy for you to skip questions that make you
uncomfortable, it also causes many Match.com profiles to be
incomplete, leaving you with an incomplete picture of a potential
partner.
Upon completion of the questionnaire you will be asked to upload
a photo. You can also email Match.com your photo if you have
trouble uploading it. When your registration is complete you will
be asked to send it for review, and once it is approved by the
customer care team, it will be made live on Match.com. This process
can take up to 24 hours.
Customer Support
Although most online dating sites offer customer service by
email only, Match.com offers both email and phone support. I called
their customer care center on a Sunday afternoon at 2:35pm EST and
received an immediate answer. I did not wait for even 1 minute
before Daniel came to the phone. He was both friendly and helpful
and knew the answers to all of my questions.
I also emailed their customer service center by submitting the
form on the website. I sent the email at 3:45am EST on a
Monday.
My
email to Match.com
Although they promise a response within 24 hours, I was
disappointed that I did not receive a response to this email during
the promised time. Instead, I received a response 2.5 days later.
Although the reply was late, it did answer my questions directly
and appropriately.
Match.com's response
Compare Match.com's customer support
to other dating sites >>
Summary
Positive Features
- 6 month guarantee that you'll find someone special
- A large user base
- Mobile dating availability
- Search by who is online now
- Daily suggested matches based upon compatibility
Negative Features
- Flash advertisements can be distracting