Hong Kong watchdog logs 88 complaints on dating services, apps so far this year, up 47%

Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has recorded 88 complaints related to matching services and dating apps so far this year, an increase of 46.7 per cent from the same period last year, including one case in which a woman spent HK$70,000 (US$9,000) but was offered no candidate who met her requirements.\nThe Consumer Council said on Monday it had received 268 complaints about matching services and apps since 2022, including cases in which recommended candidates did not meet requirements, or there were discrepancies between candidates’ stated qualities and their reality.\nAmong those cases, 88 were recorded between January and November this year, compared with 60 over the same period last year. The figure stood at 49 in 2022, rose to 67 in 2023, then slightly dropped to 64 in 2024 before soaring to a high this year.\n“Most complaints centred on the physical matching agencies in Hong Kong, while only around 5 per cent involved the dating apps,” the council’s director of complaints and advice, Liza Fung Tsz-yan, said.\nBut Fung noted that the complaints ranged from high‑end to mid-range service providers, with no clear trend indicating which level of service had received more complaints recently.\nIn one case, a female complainant, aged about 40 with an annual salary exceeding HK$3 million, paid HK$70,000 to an agency hoping to be matched with a man of similar age and income.\nThe agency promised to recommend members meeting her requirements and arrange eight one-on-one dates, with no time limit on the service. Within the first year, it recommended 18 candidates, but none fully met the complainant’s stated criteria.\nShe expressed dissatisfaction with the service and requested a contract cancellation and a refund.\nThe agency, however, citing the terms of the agreement, said it could not guarantee that all candidates would fully meet the listed criteria. Its system selected potential matches with an overall compatibility score of 80 per cent or above, calculated based on factors such as income, age, and shared interests, it explained.\nThe company contended it had not breached the contract, saying it would continue providing services while denying the refund request. The consumer watchdog recommended that the complainant consider seeking independent legal advice.\n“If there are some non-negotiable requirements on the part of consumers, they should state them clearly in the contract to avoid possible disputes,” the council’s chief executive Alaina Shum Jiu-fai said.\n“Meanwhile, those matching service operators should examine if they can meet customers’ expectations to avoid [making] empty promises.”\nIn another case, a man paid HK$378 for a three-month premium membership on a dating app. He received a message from a woman who requested a HK$500 bank transfer before they met, but later found her stated name differed from that listed on the app.\nHe considered this an indication of inadequate quality control by the app. The registration process lacked proper identity verification measures, allowing people to falsify age, income, or use others’ photos to register, thereby undermining service authenticity and reliability, he complained.\n\nHe requested early termination of membership and a refund of remaining fees. With the council’s help and mediation, the dating app agreed to issue a full refund to the customer.\nThe council reminded customers that for physical matching services, they should understand the service fees and duration, as well as details such as the number of recommended candidates, dates and event formats, before making a purchase.\nThey should also clarify recommendation standards, such as specifying to the operator which requirements they considered essential and which were optional preferences.\nFor memberships on dating apps, consumers should check whether auto-renewal settings apply and note that deleting the app does not constitute cancellation of the service, the council stressed.\nFor all services, consumers should read the agreement terms before making any purchase, avoid relying solely on sales staff’s verbal promises, and retain receipts and contracts after making transactions.\n