I've been a member for 2 years now and best decision I have made!! Especially during the pandemic they offered virtual events so you still got to take part in meeting people not only in Chicago but other clubs nationwide ! Everyone is so friendly and the staff is absolutely great at what they do ! I've made some great friends and it's truly helped me experience Chicago to the fullest! read more

I have moved from my previous status to saying "if you are looking for a fun group of people to be around and enjoy, this is the Social Club for you! I have had some wonderful experiences with this group. YES. This has been one of the best decisions I have made since my husband passed! I have not found a companion as of yet, but have found a bunch of people that I respect and can call my extended family! I may not go to everything as I had done in the past, but know when I do see them, they express love like they saw me yesterday! read more

I've been a member of E&A for about two years and it's been a great experience for me as one of the greats things that E&A offers is that they have events for all the holidays and non-holidays. Sometimes you just don't have the special someone to spend those holidays with, but E&A is there to provide you with a fun outing or gathering with great people to enjoy those holidays with. If I didn't join E&A I most likely would've just been home doing nothing. E&A give you reason to get out and enjoy the City and other. I recommend to join if you're a single person. read more

scam institution. You won't have a way out of them and most members are in their 40's and 50's. The events are far from fun. They overpromise and underdeliver and will ignore you after you've paid them the fees. read more

So, I'm not a member, but I wanted to write something anyway: I joined E&A for about a week. I didn't end up staying a member but the management allowed me to cancel because of my circumstance. So I wanted to give them a shout-out here on Yelp for understanding. Things you should know: they have events almost every night, most events are included in with the fee, plus they get group discounts on bigger excursions like international travel and day excursions (zip-lining, Six Flags, what have you). This is especially great if you are not always in Chicago. They have events out in the burbs, which casts a wider net than the group you'd find in the city. You also have the option of just showing up and mingling, if you're not super into the activity. I'd recommend this if you're interested in making a bigger group of friends, trying some new activities, and you're sick of spending your money at the same old bar scene. read more

After over a year in the club, I went to a Halloween party in October 2018 and was bullied by a group of women, one woman in particular was an event host. I went home that night and wrote a letter about my experience and requested being released from my membership. I was denied. I wrote a YELP review and then received a message from Alex, the event coordinator, asking me to remove my review and accusing me of making up the story. I went to the owner of the company Mark Owen. and was given the dictionary definition of "slighted" vs "bullied". I let him know that Alex called me a liar and again requested to be released from my membership. I was denied. I wrote a letter to my E&A friends to say goodbye and let them know why I was leaving the club. 2 people responded to me that they had been bullied by the same girls and were no longer attending events. One of them called Alex and reported it. I was removed from the E&A Facebook events page. I again asked to be released from my membership and was given the option to get out for half of what I owed if I would sign a confidentiality agreement agreeing to remove my YELP review and never speak negatively of E&A. I declined and went to Mark Owen again and requested to be released from my membership. He told me (email) to "Pay your bill. You don't get revenge and a discount". I am SHOCKED by all of this. It is unfathomable to me that a company would treat anybody the way that I have been treated. I don't want to see this happen to anyone else! Please think twice before signing a contract with this company. read more

My friend and I went here several years ago because we were quite interested in signing up. The guy took us back in a small room, was very forceful in his sales tactics, even admitted that they usually didn't let friends come in together. I can see why because they pretty much force you to join a highly expensive program. It was not something either one of us could afford and once the guy found that out, without a word the guy got up and walked out of the room and left us sitting there all alone. He never came back nor did any staff member. My friend and I were left sitting there baffled. It was the most awkward situation ever and I would never recommend anybody going here. I still cringe when I hear their ads on the radio. read more

I've been in E&A since this past summer. Overall, I am very pleased with the experience. I would say the biggest thing for me is that I have gotten to experience things here living in the city I would have not had an opportunity to had I not joined! Honestly, it is what you make of it, and I would say to come in with an open mind as there is a fun variety of people from different backgrounds, age groups, etc. There is stuff for sports guys like me, but I also have gotten a chance to try out things such as art walks. There are a lot of fun people in the group, and I would suggest especially for anyone who lives in the city and is looking to find things to do. read more

Locked me in a contract for two years, didn't use their service once. Business refused to let me off said contract. Is it legally okay to do what they did? Yes. Is it morally okay to charge someone thousands of dollars for a service they don't want? No. DO NOT sign a contract with these guys without carefully reading all the fine print. read more

read the contract!!! these people are only out to get your money!!! don't fall for the bait & switch act!! you only have 3 days to refund & it has to be in writing!! how can you even tell if it's worth with it with only 3 days & no available events. compared the price for events on calendar vs what it normally costs. you are not saving any money. you are paying for an overpriced coordinator. don't do it!!! read more

Like christie I too tried to cancel my membership and was blown away by their horrid customer service: nobody gets back to me, nobody does what they say they will, everyone says they're new and refuses to find answers for me. They are threatening to take me to collections and refuse to cancel my membership. The events are pretty mundane just bars and places you don't need a membership to get into plus you still have to pay for your own tickets, drinks, etc. I'm going to report them to the BBB and get my lawyer involved. This club is such a nightmare! Don't do it!! read more

In went in in February for an appointment, and was so unbelievable disappointed. The staff is unprofessional and dishonest. I was actually TURNED AWAY from my appointment because i was not able to have payment ready that day. In addition, they require 3 forms of ID when you go for your "appointment", and do not tell you ahead of time. The weekend before i had my appointment, i was pick pocketed downtown and as such did not have my debit or credit cards available. I was able to muster up 3 forms of ID (again, this is not mentioned that you need in in the 6 confirmation calls that i received), but was taken back into an office and informed that they "just couldn't save my appointment because there are certain "new member" incentives that you can only receive if you put down a payment that day". I explained my situation, and that should i decide to move forward i could contact them later in the week with payment information, and they wouldn't hear of it. I also showed the girl who was to interview me the email confirmations to prove that they are not stating that 3 forms of ID are required on the day of your appointment and i was waved off. i drove an hour in rush hour traffic and paid for parking for THIS??? thank you very much for being professionals at wasting someone's time. TBH, she could have even saved the appointment had i been escorted to the front desk and they tried to make me another appointment on the spot. But she walked me straight to the elevator and showed me out. The whole thing seemed dishonest and like a scam, stay away! Side Notes: the office was run down and dingy, not at all professional or even looking like a reputable business. read more

Beware!! This company is a fraud and steals your money!! I spoke with Chicago head Alex Estevez and he specifically stated that the host was given money to use at the event, but none of the members at the event ever saw the money. If your a girl looking to date, stay far away!!! Don't do it! However, if you have no friends and are desperate, this place is for you. read more

I signed up with Ivey and she was so nice, and explained everything so well. The events are way more fun than I thought they would be! I've made a few really good friends, and can't wait to go on the Labor Day camping trip. read more

This is a low pressure singles group. Everyone is friendly and welcoming. It's a great place to participate in fun events and have the opportunity to meet new friends and people with similar interests. read more

I just sadly finished my two years with events and adventures. However, I will say I learned a lot about myself and met some lifelong friends along the way!!! You definitely get out what you put in when it comes to the events, so open up and get to know some awesome singles that you may not have met otherwise living in your area. We like to say "Live a life you love" and I can honestly say I enjoyed my time with the club. read more

Unfortunately, I feel like I was suckered into a long contract based on what appeared to be a calendar of exciting events! However, after going to 2-3 events a week for about a month and a half, it seems that many events are done/found in less than reputable establishments or what feels sometime like a person putting something together in a basement (I attended a sushi-making class in an empty warehouse next to an auto-shop). While the people that I had met were nice, many of them were a bit socially awkward, which was a shocker because I sat through a 2 hour interview, where I was vetted to make sure that I was basically a "normal" person. I would say that this was a waste of money for me. read more

E&A is a great way to meet new people and go to different activities. I have met some pretty nice people.

Awesome group with a wide array of events to chose from each month. I've been a member for a month and love the people and opportunities. The camping trips are my favorite. Both the Minneapolis and Chicago clubs come together and rule the campgrounds. I'm super excited about this weekend's outing. read more

An amazing experience with amazing staff! Thank you so much Danielle for all your help. I am excited for all the new experiences coming my way! read more

I joined this group after my divorce. I wasn't looking for just dating, I wanted meet friends who were available to do things on days where I didn't have my kids. All of my other friends were still married or had other commitments. I'm about 9 months in and I've met a great group of friends. It's amazing how approachable everyone was initially and then, relationships really do evolve naturally. I've participated in events ranging from Las Vegas, camping, tubing, zip lining to your simple dinner or bar nights. It's been a rewarding experience for me thus far and I highly recommend for all ages. read more

I was skeptical about going in to e&a, but after seeing it advertised on my Facebook so many times, and being new to the city, I decided to give it a try. I'm so excited that I finally did this! Ivey was very helpful and informative during my appointment. I'm a new member, so haven't been to many events yet, but the ones I have been to have been a blast. The other members are so nice, and I've gotten to check out so many cool new spots in the city. Def recommend to new Chicagoans! read more

As i entered my 30s, I discovered that my friends started getting married, having kids. Being a doctor meant that people started moving away as they graduated medical school and started to move away. With family that lives abroad meant that my friends are my family. I heard the ad of E and A on the radio and decided to give it a shot. One has to go through a legitimate screening process to join the club, which made me feel not only safe but I discovered that the staff are dedicated into finding quality people. Since I joined, my social life has returned to that of my early 20s. There is such a variety of actitivies that involves different types of people. Whirleyball, wine tasting, watching football/ hockey games, scavenger hunts, painting with BYOB, shooting zombies with paintballs are only a few of the vast options. Everyone has been a new member before, so everyone is always so welcoming. The best thing I love about this group is that I don't have to pretend to be somthing else. With online dating I was always trying to impress someone. With this club I can be 100% myself and be loved for being who I am. I know that I will never be alone for the seasons ahead and hopefully this will only allow me to grow into the best version that I can be. read more

Joined the club a year ago, and have since met some amazing people I'm happy to call my friends.

I am so happy I joined Events and adventures, it was a great decision. It's exactly what I was looking for going out trying new things and being around positive people! read more

I am so glad I joined this club. The events are great. I would definitely recommend checking it out!

I joined E&A in April of this year and it is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have a TON of amazing new friends now. I include the passionate people that work for the company and make all the plans in that list as well. I don't rate a lot of things on Yelp but this company deserves recognition for how great it is. I think any bad reviews of the club from other cities are by non-members and so I wanted to help set the record straight :) read more

Since my original post, "Mark O." of E&A has communicated with me twice. The first came a few days after my 10/6/2015 review, where he sent me a long message via Yelp. The 2nd communication happened two days ago, where he sent me a friend request on Yelp because he "really likes my reviews". Really? It seems clear why I'm on your radar screen, and I don't think it's because you just want to be friends on Yelp. And wow- you found time to read those whopping 5 reviews of mine. Let's go back to my one direct interaction with this organization- the phone call with Matthew. Very early in the conversation, he asked my age, and I told him. He said "Oh, that's a good age for our group." I see that as classically manipulative phrasing. I suspect that as long as the age I provided was between 19 and 60, Matthew's answer would have been the same. And some of the other Yelp reviews support my perception. I am skeptical of the value of an organization's product or services that has an apparently variable, but always large, single, up-front payment in order to join (Mark addressed this topic in his first message to me- I didn't buy it). My mistake was in not reading the Yelp reviews before contacting these people. Despite my opinion of their suitability for me, my guess is that many of their positive Yelp reviews are legitimate- I think these are people in the right (20-something) age range who joined at the right time. I concluded the weight of the disparaging reviews easily outweighs that of the positive reviews, and Mark, that shall remain the case. I thought about joining on a whim, and that thought has long since passed. It doesn't matter to what degree I'm correct and to what degree incorrect: decision made. E&A, I am not interested in your services or in further interaction with you of any kind. Thank you again, Yelp community. read more

This is a great club to meet new people and do amazing things that you may not think of during the week or weekend. I've done skydiving a 2nd time, went kayaking, horseback riding, learned ballroom dancing, the list goes on. As far as meeting someone for a relationship, that's hit or miss. I'm not expecting to, nor do I feel it's a priority for everyone. I have made some amazing new friends and would love to do more things with them outside of E&A events. I've done more fun things since August, than I have probably all of 2015. read more

When I first joined Events and Adventures, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. But I thought, why not? Having lived in Chicago practically my whole life, I would say that I have done more with E&A than I ever would I have done on my own. I have also had the chance to make lifelong friends that I never would have met unless I had taken that chance, and for that reason alone I am glad that I joined. Skydiving, camping, cruises, masquerades, theatre and comedy shows, Netflix and .... But seriously, this is one of the best decisions I have ever made and would definitely recommend it to all my friends. And I have met someone that I care about more than anything!! read more

Being a thirty-something woman in Chicago, one may find it difficult to get out and meet new people, especially when all friends are married and having babies. Instead of spending another night, watching a movie at a friend's house, I decided to try this club. I have been a member for over two years and I find it to be one of the best decisions I have ever made! Not only have a tried activities that were on my "bucket list," I have also been able to do things in Chicago that I never new existed! More importantly, I have met amazing people who have become some of my closest friends. I feel that this club gave me a new perspective of Chicago and myself. read more

There is always something new to try, and fun new people to meet! April (the events coordinator) is absolutely fantastic, and even asks us what events we would like to see scheduled- so you have a say in what shows up on the calendar!! Everyone I've met through E&A (staff and members) has been wonderful. I'm always looking forward to the next event! read more

I've met some PHENOMENAL people and have had some AWESOME experiences!!! Would definitely recommend events and adventures to anyone looking for more friends & FUN!!! read more

I had an interview at this place to find out more about it. The advertising makes it seem like it's worth checking out. However what they don't tell you is its $2200 to join for one year! $2700 if you don't join THAT day. And that's JUST for membership. That doesn't include the price of any events. So for instance, you still have to pay for all your food and drinks or ziplining or whatever you're doing at any given event. That's insane to me. I get that the company needs to make a profit but this is a total scam. Unless you have thousands to blow, don't even waste your time with an interview. read more

RUDE STAFF. Having just moved to the city, it sounded like something worth looking into. After signing up, I received two calls from Events and Adventures. The first I missed (no voicemail), the second I answered while at work. The man I spoke to asked if I'm still interested. I said yes, but I that I didn't have time for any kind chat with him due to being at work. He asked when to follow up with me and I said that off the top of my head, I wasn't sure. He then proceeded to tell me that it's no wonder I have such a difficult time getting out and socializing. I told him that was a very presumptuous comment for someone who doesn't know me. As he defended his comments, I hung up on him. I have a demanding, full-time job -- it was annoying enough to be expected to have the time to chitchat about Events and Adventures during regular business hours, but the implication that I am not a social person and judgmental, haughty tone of whomever I spoke to were very off-putting. (Incidentally, the reason I am unsure of when I would have the time to speak to him is because I have plans every day this week after work.) If this group seeks out new members by making assumptions about, casting judgment on, and criticizing strangers, I am not even a little bit interested. Here's my unsolicited advice for Events and Adventures: send a follow-up email to new prospects explaining your processes. The person I spoke to on the phone gave me next to no information about the membership application and approval process, just denigrated me after catching me off-guard. read more

I looked at other reviews before I write mine. I can feel the stand of both sides. After all, weather or not a person enjoys it is a combination of a lot of things, personality, personal situation, etc. I enjoyed those bar events when I feel like to join a group after a full days work, otherwise I would stay at home all by myself. However, I can give no more than two stars, because they do over advertise themselves by a lot. Here are the major issues: - I don't have an age issue as some people had here, but most people are younger and I can see the frustration of the older ones. - I signed up because of the calendar which they post on their website as advertisement. There are a lot more outdoor activities in the ads than in the actual calendar. You have to wait for months to get one camping event, while there are so many and more fordable ones on meetup.com. - Even when there is an exciting event, they are not cheap (as they said) after you paid thousands of dollars for the membership. I saw the exactly same water rafting event recently, meetup group charges $39, and E&A charges $60, which does make me upset. - Communication platform is terrible. Despite all the above, if there is a good communication platform among members (other than Facebook), the membership fee would somehow worth it, but sadly, if you don't use Facebook, you are cut off from other members completely if you don't have others' contact information. As I see it, the whole purpose of this kind of organization is to encourage members to meet people and communicate each other. E&A failed to do this. In a word, the idea is good, but organization is way under expectation. A lot of people are discouraged and not coming out any more. I only joined for a month, but already lost more than half of the interest. They need to think in terms of how to make people interested. One way might be to make the events really cheap, like taking up part of the ticket fare or have free food for members that come out. How much food will cost and how much cost E&A will bear with limited number of people in their ticket event? How much we were charged for membership fees? It is really minor but will definitely change the dynamics of the events. read more

The idea of it is awesome. Knowing that everyone is single and looking for friends too makes things a lot easier. Paying thousands of dollars for it, not so much. Be sure you are 100% positive you are willing to pay for friends or you'll be out of luck for getting any money back. I followed their extremely strict rules to the T and I am still getting the run around. I signed up Sept 16, 2014 and still have not even been told I will get my refund let alone received it as of writing this review on Nov 23 2014. I attended the two events the first two days after I signed up. They were fun. Met some cool people. It seemed to have potential to be a great program. It wasn't at all what they hype it up to be but it was still alright. BUT make sure you are ready and willing to spend the money and to know you will never see it again. No matter how bad or terrible future events may be. No matter if you never attend an event again or simply changed your mind even a week later. Even if an emergency of some sort happens, you can only freeze your account for a period of time. You must cancel in writing by certified mail no later than the third day after signing up. After that they make you wait 30 days until they even think of looking at your cancellation request. After inquiring about getting the refund now, you are then told it is 30 "business" days from when you cancelled even though it does not mention that at all in the agreement you sign. So about a week after 30 business days I ask again for my refund. I am told attending an event negates my ability to cancel my membership. That too, was not in the agreement. And they had the nerve to tell me to look over the cancellation section and to get back to them if I had any further questions. You only have three days to cancel anyways and then they make up this idea that if you attend an event within those three days that it negates a refund. That statement too, though, is not in the agreement. So then I get another email stating they are going to further review my request and get back to me. Well, it has been 13 days since that last email and still no response. I finally ask again for my refund and if not received by Dec. 1 I will take them to court for not following their own agreement with their members. Just today I got an email with no personal response or writing of any kind. It just simply had attached a scanned copy of my agreement that I of course already have and have been reading forwards and backwards multiple times since the beginning of all this. That's it. No real response. No real customer service. They don't answer the phone either. You have to leave a message and they call you back in a day or two. With no real answers either. Don't get caught in this trap. I have gone to a few meetup.com groups and they have been very fun. I have already met a lot of friends and these events are almost always free to attend. I have only been to two E&A events, so besides this still ongoing problem with the cancellation, the program does seem to have potential to do well for certain people. I personally was not and am still not wanting to spend literally thousands of dollars all at once and upfront for the POTENTIAL to meet new friends and have fun. Even after spending that money on the program, they still require you to spend more money at the bars or on the tickets to trips or events. I don't recommend this at all unless you are 100% sure and willing to spend money to try to potentially make friends. read more

I've been a member two years and I don't regret joining. i was actually one of the youngest members. I've read the bad reviews and I can only conclude that they did not give the club a change. Most of the people are in the club either because they are new to the city, their friends already started a family, or simply are bored of doing the same things over and over again. I joined because, although i was quite young, all my friends had already started their families. i found myself being single and bored. in my first event, I was the youngest among 30 and 40 something members. had i not joined the club with an open mind and a positive attitude, i would have been one of the bad reviews. i decided to give the club some time and the following events i started to meet younger and people i could relate to. I have made many friends in the club and have experience many activities. I totally recommend joining, but only if you have an open mind and a positive attitude. many of the people in the club are friendly and welcoming. the only reason I gave it 4 stars is because they have had management problems in the past, but they are working hard to actually fix issues and put the members first. read more

I don't think it's a scam, but they use extremely questionable sales tactics, in my opinion. They start out asking you very personal questions about your concerns about dating, your likeability, and then use these concerns to tell you why you 'need them' to find love. When you balk at giving them thousands to join (and then pay more for each of the 'adventures') they start asking if you can put a price on love. If this doesn't work, they tell you are cheap. If that doesn't work they ask if you really want a poor partner, which is all you'll find on Match, OKC, etc. The last email I received from an E&A employee where they quoted their "dead grandmother" as part of why I should join. Very weird, and it just seems disrespectful to their deceased loved one to use them as part of a sales pitch. I researched the woman who was 'interviewing' me after I met her (before you can join, they do this to justify their insane prices and give you time to do their extended sales pitch.) She has had past matchmaking businesses with poor BBB ratings, poor Yelp reviews, blah blah blah. It seems after a while (or after spending time in court, of which there records online as well), the name of the business changes or a new business starts up. Interesting business model. I'm sure it's legal, it's just not anything I want to be associated with, but you do the research and decide. One past company name is: 'Soulmates' dating service. The other is "Tracy's Treasures." I wonder if there are more. Google them, look at the reviews on Yelp, BBB and Complaintsboard.com. Soulmates has a Yelp page here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/soulmates-palatine Looks like Yelp didn't exist when Tracy's Treasures was around. There is an astonishing amount of info online on these businesses, and I didn't see much that was positive. This website had a particularly large quantity of information: http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/soulmates-dating-service-palatine-illinois-c245815.html Now, I have no idea how accurate it is, but it is pretty much the same info as is posted most everywhere else. The woman who 'interviewed' me for Events And Adventures (whose AOL!!! email signature line says 'regional sales manager') was the woman they described as owner in that link I gave above. For what it's worth, business seems to be good. Some of the properties she owns (or that she has in protective trusts) pop up when you search for her, and they are SUPER expensive. Must be nice to have found a way to make SO much money. Again, do your own research and make up your own mind. http://speeddatingnews.blogspot.com/2006/06/dissatisfied-client-sues-dating.html http://caselaw.findlaw.com/il-court-of-appeals/1683093.html read more

I first heard about Events & Adventures on the radio and thought to myself, "Hm. Sounds expensive. No thanks." I have a fairly busy social life as it is, and plenty of friends. Thing is...most of my friends my age are married with small children, while most of my single friends are in college or just out of college. It's kind of hard to get out and socialize with that kind of demographic. Eventually, I decided to go for it. I knew it would cost some $$, but the events sounded like fun (trivia night, bowling, karaoke, hiking, camping, etc). All of those things I could do on my own, sure, but it's more fun when you're part of a group. I do have a major complaint, and that is their membership policy. I want to get my money's worth out of the club, so I decided to put my account on hold for the month of January, since I was very busy with other things. I was under the impression that to put my account on hold, all I had to do was contact the main office at any time, and they'll simply freeze my account for a month. I called corporate and left a message on Jan 1 (Since it was New Year's, I figured the office would be closed. No biggie.) Then I called the office the next day to confirm my request and make sure my account was put on hold. The receptionist told me she'd already submitted the hold list for January, but she'll see what she could do. Since I was told I could freeze my account anytime, not just the beginning of each month, I was a bit surprised. Luckily, I had also emailed one of the event coordinators about my membership hold too, just to cover my bases. They seem to be taking care of it now, but the ease of putting my membership on hold was a bit exaggerated. Also, The New Year's Eve party was a blast, but since then, my life circumstances have changed, and I no longer have the time, nor the desire, to continue my membership. I tried canceling my membership and requested a refund, but I was told that when I paid up front, I only had three days to back out. THREE DAYS?? To decide whether or not I wanted to continue doing this for a YEAR?? I was also told in my initial interview that I could potentially cancel my membership and get a refund if I found myself no longer single before a year was up. This was a flat out LIE! Since then, I've been stuck paying off my membership on my credit card, and I have not received any sort of refund. I haven't been to any events in months, and was told basically, "Tough luck. You're in the hole for that $$." This group was a total lemon. Do NOT sign up for E&A. read more