I know this is probably going to be somewhat of a controversial review - but I joined with IJL in July of 2014. My intention was to meet new people and I kept my expectations low, as there was obviously no guarantee that IJL would find me my forever guy. My experience with IJL itself was excellent, they took really good care of me, I felt heard, and seen. Some of the dates I was sent on, well, I wasn't 100% sure wth, BUT I went on some decent introductions and I learned SO MUCH about myself, my dating habits, and many of my relationship patterns. The mandatory feedback was easy to provide and having to give feedback on the matches, how the date went, etc really made me look at my behavior and it was an amazing learning experience. I went on several dates over the first three months, and naturally, as I live in the Seattle area, 99% of the guys they set me up with were in the IT industry. Anyway, to make a long story short(er) lol, I actually met my husband on an introduction I went on w/ IJL. We met in Dec of 2014 (I noticed the company is under new ownership) and we liked each other enough to exchange information (which is only supposed to occur if both parties mutually have the desire to see one another again, beyond the first intro through IJL) and continued to see each other thru January and became exclusive at the end of January 2015. We got engaged in July 2016, and married in October 2016. Things that I loved about IJL: I knew if I was investing that kind of money in meeting someone - so were the other members which meant they were serious about meeting someone and having a serious relationship as well I enjoyed giving feedback. And they were receptive to the feedback I provided ("so, this guy was like a foot shorter than me, and is a traveling nurse?? Wth, lol") The fee I paid was for a full 12 months of active membership, which also included a full 12 months of INACTIVE membership (if you met someone either thru IJL or outside of the service that you wanted to pursue a serious relationship with) - so technically it's a two year membership which I felt was reasonable. Some people pay more for an unlimited gym or yoga studio membership.... They were really excited for us when we both called in to suspend our membership (separately lol) They sent us $50 worth of gift cards to a nice steakhouse here in the area just for doing a review (which was spent and greatly enjoyed for a date night not too long ago) My husband says they gave him some solid advice on how to have a successful date (it worked on me! Lol) I'm grateful that I met my husband through this service, after having thought I might never meet my forever guy, as a mid 30's gal just looking for my permanent partner in crime. If I could meet and marry my husband thru IJL again, I would pay the membership fee again and again. Period. I'm so grateful to the whole team who helped me and my sweetie find each other. read more

It's Just Lunch - Our wedding day! Best day of my life. And we even had a paleo cake made!!! Lol - well part paleo, the frosting was normal buttercream lol - Matchmakers Near Me

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agree with the other reviews. its a scam. be very careful. very rude costumer service. after all it, we are dealing with a sensitive and private topic , not a business. it is almost illegal to charge people like this and function so poorly. read more

Be careful of Its Just Lunch. They are a bunch of crooks who pretend to provide matchmaking services but really do not. I paid for a 6 month membership on my birthday, hoping to give myself a gift but it was more like a curse. The biggest thing is that they promise up to 12 matches for the subscription but what they don't tell you is that when they choose a match for you and you decide not to go on a date (because the physical attributes were not what I was looking for), then these still count towards the 12 matches under the subscription. I have only actually gone on 4 dates total, which evidently seems like more than other people go on this service. But still, there was not much in common between myself and the dates and the preferences were not right with them. My last date was the most confounding - as the date lived in a different state which I have explained to them that I cannot do a long-distance relationship but they still decided to match me with them ignoring my preferences completely. Shame on you, Its Just Lunch. read more

My matches with IJL were not what I was hoping for. I've met a number of women with IJL but they were not the kind of refined women I told them I'd like to meet. I've used another matchmaker Seattle Love Broker and it was a much better experience. The one thing I got from this exercise at It's Just Lunch was that it helped me appreciate when I finally got a real matchmaker. The Seattle Love Broker matchmaker didn't set me up with a lot of dates, but the ones I went on were the kind of women I was thrilled to meet. Seriously, if you want to date good looking, intelligent women in this city, either you have to do it on your own on the apps and spend all your time talking to a massive number of women, or you can hire one of these agencies to do the leg-work for you. But you shouldn't be in business if you can't do the job and still take our money. read more

I regret buying into their pitch. I am thoroughly disappointed with It's Just Lunch. I signed up in October 2024 and as of March 2025-still no date! Haven't had a match since January and that match was so off that I asked if it was a joke. They pretend to be so thorough, asking for my likes, dislikes, and photos of my celebrity crushes only to match me with people who are the exact opposite of what I described. They tossed me a match here and there in the beginning, just so they can say they "matched" me but I could tell there was no thought put into the matches. Of course, all of this was while constantly changing my matchmaker; I'm on my fourth matchmaker now.... I spent the holidays and new year with nothing to look forward to. They don't perform the services that I paid for, which is match me properly and set up dates. They should be ashamed of how they operate. People spend good money to find love and IJL doesn't offer anything more than what a dating site offers. There has to be a better service out there. I hope to find one soon to make up for the time wasted with IJL. read more

This is how their scam works. I am in my early 50s, and they said that "that age is where we have lots of men." I'm pretty intuitive and I didn't think they were LYING. Then I was puzzled because for the first six months, I heard NOTHING from them. My membership is going to be expired in about 2 months. I have been inundated with calls and emails from them looking to set me up. The guys seemed pretty decent so I agree to go, and we set up a time. Then I get a VM, that XYZ guy has an emergency life situation and has decided not to date anymore. NOT rescheduling the date. Just NOT DATE AT ALL. First time that happened, I thought we'll that's just the luck of the draw. Even though it's strange to join a dating service, and just have something so traumatic going on, you just put a hold on everything. But okay. Second date: Same thing. A week beforehand get a call that they've completely decided not to date. Third date, I got to only a few days beforehand, and I thought this one might go through, but same "emergency" happened. Three separate guys had three separate emergencies in a 6 week span. They paid money to join a dating service, but then decided they don't want to date anyone, all one week before the date is supposed to happen. Yeah right! Either these guys are all individual narc predators who meet a new woman and commit to her in 1-2 weeks, or these guys are all fake profiles, and IJL is trying to supposedly fill the terms of the contract before it expires in October. It wouldn't surprise me if they just took these random photos off the internet, and the guys have no idea they are being used to con women into thinking they are going to date them. If there are any lawyers out there, this is a class action lawsuit waiting to happen. JS. read more

Bunch of thieves. They swindled me out of 4.7k. they sent me 2 matches that met none of my criteria, stating that it's "best effort" matching. I suspended their services for two years and when I come back and ask them for a refund for the remaining matches since their service was quite uninspiring, I was directed to a clause (which I haven't seen for myself) stating that my account expired. It's all nonsense shark tactics. Stay absolutely clear of them. read more

This is a total waste of a lot of money. I signed up in 2021 and have only had 3 dates as of today, Jan 2023. Another date didn't even show. I was told it was a matchmaker error. That was an entire waste of time and money. I have never once talked to the same matchmaker. The turnover is horrible for Seattle. The 3 dates I had were absolutely nothing I had profiled. One of my dates shared that the Seattle area is short on men and therefore, the matchups are challenging. Please don't waste your money. This is the absolute biggest waste of money I have ever spent and I am so regretful. read more

I wish I had read more reviews about It's Just Lunch and fully read the contract before signing up and paying the fee. Now I'm stuck, out thousands of dollars, and realizing too late I've been scammed. I asked before I signed up how they found the people they match you with and was told it wasn't JUST their own clients. Even in the paperwork they say that they source matches for clients. But that is a LIE!! They will only match you with paying clients. The majority of their clients are older men. It should have been a red flag to me that they say they REQUIRE Women to date men up to 10 years older than them. Men are NOT required to date people older, and only after I paid was I essentially told that they would only be looking to match me with older men. This feels incredibly predatory and like it should be illegal. More than anything this is my biggest issue that makes me physically sick. I signed up for it because the person selling me the services made it sound like it wouldn't be an issue, that I could say I wasn't ok with being matched with men 5 years + older than myself and there were enough men in their system they could accommodate that. But it was a LIE. If you want to sleep with your father, or your father's best friend, this is the service for you. If you do not have phycological issues and don't want to be preyed upon by older men run, RUN as far away from IJL as you can! Unfortunately, they pressure you to sign the contract right there on the phone with them. It's part of the sign-up process and needs to all be done on the phone call before they hang up. So I didn't have time to thoroughly read it as I'm sitting on the call being asked "did you receive it, did you sign it yet?" Which means I didn't see the part that waves your right to hire a lawyer. If you have any issues with their services, you first are supposed to address your issues with your matchmaker. If the matchmaker can't solve the issues, then you have to go talk to the Customer Service Manager or IJL VP of Executive Matchmaking so they can gaslight you. And your matchmaker turns over so even if you do have a conversation with them and feel like maybe next time things will be better- next time it's a totally different person contacting you! So all that personal information you just gave to the last matchmaker is now lost. I'm so glad I told them all that personal information about myself given how incredibly uninvested they clearly all are in helping me. I would gladly escalate the issue to the Customer Service Manager or VP, but they have no method of contacting customer service if you're unhappy with your experience. They basically write what THEY think was important about your first 30 minute conversation into a computer, checking some boxes, and then will use a computer to match you with people based on the boxes they checked. Half of the matches I received were people who didn't match specific criteria I gave that I said was my "must have's". So either they ignored what they wrote in the computer, or they didn't even record it in the first place. And as others have said they will randomly contact you out of the blue expecting you to be available at the drop of the hat to talk about "your next match". This is supposed to be a service for professionals, yet they can't figure out we have schedules and work and can't give us the customer service of pre-arranging the time they will contact us each month. This last month the new matchmaker claimed they left me a voicemail detailing the match, but I don't know whose phone they left that message on because it sure wasn't mine. And now I'm expected to make a decision just based off a picture - of again someone 5 years older than me? (The youngest so far.) And that's all I know. I wrote the matchmaker back stating they had left the Voicemail on the wrong persons phone and I knew nothing about this person, and all I got was a canned response saying "let me know if you change your mind, many of my clients do." I'm not going to change my mind when I know literally nothing about this person! This is not the service I am paying for. They are allowed to set boundaries, but you as a client are not. This is an incredibly unhealthy company from a psychological standpoint and a professional one. You're much better off paying a friend/family/complete stranger you found yourself online to run a dating profile for you through an app. You'll save money and at least that person will listen to what you say and actually be working for you, not just trying to take your money. read more

I wish I could give this place ZERO stars. I called them ONCE a year ago just to find out more. Other than raving about how many guys I would meet at multiple activities they gave me NO specifics. Although I have expressed that I am not interested in continuing I frequently get calls from them. Take the hint -- I'm not that into you....move on read more

Update 3/10/2018 A class action suit was recently settled, in 2016 I think. I was a member of the class and the compensation is IJL will set up one date for you providing they can find a match. I did not file a claim. Why would I put myself through that again. read more

my advice to anyone considering spending several thousand dollars to have someone provide dates, is stick with online dating and doing your own research. the photos will be more accurate and the descriptions more personal and accurate. the staff was a nightmare to work with; turnover has to be very high. I never spoke with the same matchmaker twice in three years; not personalized service. when I declined certain men, I was told that I was too picky--the person was wonderful. honestly, I don't need that! read more

Signed up for a year service hundreds of dollars per date...something like 10 dates. 2nd date showed up to restaurant and they hadn't made a reservation, went home without meeting the girl. Then they matched me with 2 dates didnt meet my criteria. One was overweight, weighed more than me. Worst, I had specified it was essential the girl be the same religion as me...when I mentioned this to one date she got so upset she abruptly ended the date and stormed out when I told her my religion. After a year, and half the promised dates (they did not do the ten dates agreed on in a year) I gave up. Horrible experience, waste of 1000s of dollars. They said they would get me more dates next year but would not refund anything. Fyi, there is a class action lawsuit for these exact problems. read more

How come there is a NO star option. I spent $4,400 with a very good salesperson who should sell ocean front properties in Arizona. The rep that I was finally (took a fully month) assigned (Kailal) has tried, but their profile sheets are so generic that I sometimes wonder that the only thing in common is the we are both humans and have a pulse. I have tried to be specific on what I like and she kept saying I should be more open. Example, I don't prefer blondes, her reply is that the woman can alway dye her hair to make me happy ?????? I STRONGLY advise that if you are spending that type of money, to actually hire a local match maker. Someone in Florida on a database is never going to work. read more

They actually try to nickel and dime (more like twenty and hundred) you for feedback from your dates, who also paid to provide that feedback. If that's not double dipping, I don't know what is. They also refused to comp a date they had sent me on with a cat allergy. Matchmaking 101 and these idiots can't even get that right. Bunko artists. The other review's stalker comment is spot on. I told them to go away in txt then get a call from their managing director stating that isn't the proper forum. They just won't leave me alone. May have to have my lawyer draw up a cease and desist. read more

I paid a substantial amount at the end of 2016 for a 14 date Premier Membership contract with the Seattle office on Western Avenue. I went on a total of 6 dates since then. After not hearing from the Seattle IJL for several months I called today and found that the local private Seattle franchise of IJL was closed and taken over by the corporate IJL business based out of state. They told me that no refunds were available as they did not receive any money from the local franchise. But they would honor my contract by continuing to provide dates. I did not receive the email they said was sent the end of January about the change in the business and I had not been called about any dates at all since the January change in the business. They had to dig to find my contract information when I called. They are saying that the Seattle office will be reopened in a few months. I don't know how they can find local dates for me now without a Seattle office to interview new candidates. And if the Seattle office was a franchise, then they would have been paying something to the corporate office for advertising, etc. So a refund would make sense to this very disappointed customer who did not receive the service she was promised. I have filed a complaint with the BBB and am hoping for the requested refund or the binding arbitration my contract promised if there was a dispute. read more

I suppose each of us had a moment of Covid isolation weakness where we reached out through social media, the phone or zoom to try and find connection. With a positive attitude, we forked over a large sum of money to someone, something, or somewhere - be it, books, clothes, pets, food delivery or IJL dating service - we can look back and see we made a spontaneous purchase that was a complete waste of money. I write off my Covid mistake as thinking that IJL were legitimate matchmakers. They are not. They are a money making scam machine. Notice the only positive review of IJL on Yelp is from 9 years ago!!! Do what I did not. Read the reviews. In over a year and a half I have been matched with only six men - all of whom were seriously inappropriate matches. I have had more matchmakers than I have had dates - so much for personal service. I ended up back on a computer site where I did the vetting myself and appear to be a darn good matchmaker. You will just have to do the work yourself because no one at IJL will ever get to know you well enough to care about you and your dating experience. read more

Oh, let me tell you!!! It's Just Lunch is flat-out the worst customer service experience I have ever had in my entire life. I am not exaggerating! I truly mean that. I had the misfortune of dealing with the Seattle office and their rep. Molly "whats her face"... i see they have taken down the names of their reps on their web site. Its a long story... but essentially, I went in with some genuine interest. I did an orientation interview with Molly and it was ok, what I expected. When I got up and left, I thanked her for her time,, told her I was interested and I would get back to her within the week... thats when the nightmare started. Molly immediately got upset! I'm serious... I was standing there trying to walk out the door and she was hot boxing me in the entry way with a big frown on her face and anger in her tone saying, "uh... why? why dont you want to get started now?!"... I repeated myself as above and remained cool and polite... and she continued to "huff & puff" and go on about how I owed her something for giving me her sales pitch?!! I walked out and basically said, "forget it" under my breath and laughed as I walked out the door trying to fathom what I just witnessed? Oh, but it gets even better... About a week later I got three Voice mails from Molly asking me to come back and get started... I was on tour and could not get my voicemails... when I returned from my over sea travels... I got all these voice mails.. the 3rd and last voice mail from Molly was a scolding with tone that went something like this, "... I gave you my time in the orientation and then I left you two voicemails and you never called me back. We dont want to work with you now because your not the kind of client that has enough class for us"... it was an unbelievablye presumptuous, boundary breaking, rude voice mail! At this point, I had had it! I started making calls to get in touch with a manager or someone in that company that would understand that this is not going to help their company. It seemed their "corporate" numbers were all just shells... but eventually I was contacted by their manager of the Seattle office and after explaining my story again, fully expecting the manager to sympathize with me and understand... I was told, "... well, did you call her back?... Its rude to not call Molly back... how dare you for not calling Molly back"? LOL!! I mean at this point you can only laugh... the experience was so bad, I have to post it here to protect people. They seem to be paid commissions on closing deals with people and pretend to be these experts in sensitive issues such as romantic match making, but they reveal themselves to just be a bunch of greedy, spoiled brats that throw tantrums when you don't help them make their quotas. DON'T DO IT, RUN LIKE HELL! read more

You will end up in a relationship if you contact IJL, no question about it. It will be a relationship with IJL, and it will feel a lot like stalking. I made the mistake of filling out an online form with contact information, on a whim, more than two years ago. I received a phone call from a very enthusiastic woman and I proceeded to ask a series of questions, and a received a series of answers that seemed too good to be true. I wasn't divorced yet - oh, not a problem (really? who will you be introducing me to, then?). I'm highly educated and seeking the same - oh, we have so many potential matches for you, that's our primary clientele. In fact, it all sounds great, until you get to the price tag, which is significant (I forget the exact number but it was on the order of $2k). I politely declined, because it was far too much money to spend on the off chance that it wasn't, in fact, too good to be true. They called back the next week. And the next. And again and again and again until I finally demanded they remove my number from their files and NEVER EVER call it again. And then I forgot all about it, until I got an email from them yesterday. Just checking their files, and wondering if I'm still interested in meeting men in my age group, which is "a really strong one" for them. No. Please stop contacting me. read more

Don't waste your time. I'm fairly certain that they read MY list of interests to me when they "matched" me with women, because very few of them had any interests in common with me. I filed a complaint with the BBB, and to defend itself IJL fabricated positive responses about the women I dated, claiming that I actually found them attractive and that I found some I'd like to date. That was entirely false; I did not tell them even once that I was attracted to any of the women that they set me up with. They're scammers, nothing more. And they apparently have enough practice at dealing with BBB complaints to know exactly what to tell the BBB in order to appease them, even if it's entirely false. read more

This was the worst purchase I have ever made in my entire life. At least if you buy something super expensive at the store there is always a return policy....at IJL they just take your money and run. I heard a great story from a friend of mine (about her friend) and I was tired of the old dating websites and so i wanted to try something new. Who wouldnt after hearing about a few great experiences. I went through their interview process and unfortuantely shelled out 1600 bucks...plus tax was 17 something. Who knew dating had taxes. My first date was terrible, the guy was nothing like i had requested, personality or looks, and the second and third was just as similar. Told them they just werent getting it and they enrolled me into an elite group. They basically put you up for sale and men choose you and you never get to see them until the date. If you say no you dont want to meet them (even though they want to meet you) you lose a date. Trust me, this elite group was a joke. The men who are in this group are basically your computer/gamer geeks who have nothing better to do than scroll through pages of women and wish for a date with them. Dont fall for it. After about 4 or 5 dates i finally told them i was done and that they were just wasting my time. Told them if i could get a refund i would definitly be asking for one because i was highly disappointed in their services.They harassed me for a while until i just stopped answering the phone. If you think about it, you pay them this mass amount of money up front (which by the way is a different price for every single customer) and its basically like tipping a server before you receive service. Seems a little backwards to me and seriously a WASTE OF TIME. Please dont fall for this scam, because the only thing theyre good at is getting you to pull our your credit card. read more

Ladies, do not sign up for this! IJL charges a couple of thousand dollars and the service is horrible! They claim to be match professional people for you and get you the ideal matches. They don't listen to your feedback. If I can give them below zero, I would. read more

Total waste of money. Dates were a fail. Didn't get the value for what I paid. Avoid this service. Put your money into a paid dating app instead... it's a better value. read more

I'm sticking my head out here to publicly to say that this place hounds you like crazy. I reached out to them two years ago before I was going to move to Seattle just out of curiosity. Now, every couple of months, they spam call me to try to steal my money. The person on the line is the phone operator and the supposed matchmaker, so I don't doubt the paper napkin story from the other client, who also wrote a review on yelp, is true. The phone operator sounded like she was uneducated, speaking with poor grammar and phone etiquette. When I asked about the pricing (even though I already knew it would be astronomical) she gave me the runaround just like how a car sales person would. Honestly I would not write a review for stuff like this but after the constant phone harassment of "we would love to hear from you if you are still interested", I felt inclined to post this public service warning. Make sure you have a good phone spam blocker because you will need it! read more

THIS IS A SCAM - DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY There is a reason they make you pay upfront. Terrible service and terrible company. read more

I recently contacted this dating site because I saw an ad in up scale Alaska Airlines magazine. After several conversations to an over the top cheery salesperson, I still didn't know what the fee was. She had to leave our conversation and said she would get back to me but never did. I got a weird vibe about the whole thing and just looked up their professionalism on reviews. OH MY GOODNESS!!! I'm so glad I did. Thank you everyone for posting. I dodged a bullet here. read more

My husband and I met two years ago through IJL Seattle. We were both mid-30's and traveled often for our jobs, lead busy lives, still wanted to date...but the problem we both faced (before we met) was that online dating was really time consuming, and I especially felt like the men I met from online sites like match.com were often not in real life, like they claimed they were through our online chats, etc. And honestly, I get a couple of hundred emails a day and the last thing I wanted to do at night was spend more time on the computer emailing guys through the online sites. What we loved about IJL was just how easy and fun it was. I went out with several nice men (that I didn't necessarily have chemistry with) before I met my husband but still had a nice enough time and just would spend an hour over a drink after work, etc. But then I met "the one" through IJL and we got married this past Dec. We're happy as ever and are so thankful for the experience. Dating is hard for anyone- really at any age- but what worked for me with IJL is that they did all the work, the vetting, and even arranging the dates...so I just had to show up and be open to the possibilities. I recommend it to my friends all the time! read more

I have foolishly paid for this service twice. First time a few years ago for the one to one. Then they talked me into the dinner club. The men at the last one were so inappropriate it was an insult. I walked in and wanted to walk out. You also have to pay $100 for your dinner. It is not a $100 meal. They are high pressure and phony. This is a take your money and run company. Don't do it! read more

They did a very poor job matching me, ignoring the criteria I provided while constantly trying to upsell me. It was a huge waste of money. I ended up meeting my wife on OKCupid. We have now been married for over a year and a half. read more

Who are you and what do you want? The IJL experience has been great for me. If nothing else I've developed a lot more confidence. I did the coaching that they offer. I'm like a different person. Well, really more the me that I really am. Sharon and Tia updated my hair and make-up, and clothes and taught me how to do it for myself. They talk about it all being part of taking care of yourself and I definitely notice people respond to that. Not just the men. Of the men I've been introduced to there was one who we seemed to have chemistry and dated a little. Quality? He's an executive type. I think he's handsome. I'm not sure how to measure the quality. I think it was a deliberate match by the IJL team that didn't play out how I would have liked. He told me he didn't think we're a match. I'm enjoying spending time with men people I wouldn't have an opportunity to otherwise. I like having a date to look forward to from time to time. I think it's really important to start with the assumption that dating is going to be an adventure. It's risky and emotional. You'll feel a lot of different things. Talk about it to find perspective. You'll make it to the other side of the experience with some sort of reward. Lesson learned or Mr Right. I see others reviews saying that the sales pressure bothered them. In the end you are agreeing to a contract with them to introduce you to people. Do you want that opportunity? I say yes! read more

I have registered about 4 years ago and still waiting for my matches. i cant believe that justice can leave these scams.

I just completed my expensive Dinner Club package. What a giant waste of time and money. There were repeat guests at all of my dinners. Often there were less men than woman and for the most part the men were about 10 years older than me. A majority of them were there just for a night out, showing little interest in the amazing female guests. When I called IJL to ask a question, it took days for them to get back to me and sometimes I never heard back. Based on conversation at these events, the men were treated very differently than the woman clients by IJL staff. At one point, I was bribed to write a good review. I highly recommend that you find a different way to find a date and don't throw away your money! read more

This was on me of the worst match making experiences I have had, and I have tried quite a few services and apps. The promises made did not at all match what was delivered. It was clearly more important to sell me on falsehoods to get my business than to actually deliver meaningful results. My consultant did not listen to or appreciate what was important to me, which resulted in what felt like a wastage of my time. Lastly, an agreement to pause my membership (a benefit that was clearly stated in my contract) due to an extended work trip was not respected. All in all, this was an awful experience and a frustrating waste of money and time. read more

With them for two years excellent customer service, then they just went corporate in Seattle 2-18-2018, now their customer service is the worst. No response for two weeks after numerous emails, calls. Never use them again if this is the way they are going to treat customers from now on. read more

This company is a complete fraud. There is no special matching , they just shove matches at you so they meet their data guarantee.. When I was a member, I ended up in the Hospital and they repeatedly kept calling me to get me to renew my membership. Very inappropriate. read more

IJL closed both the Bellevue and Seattle office so that personal matchmaking is done from Florida having never met the people they are matching, which is not what was promised. You might as well save the $2500 I lost and go on Tinder or Match.com because there is no difference at this point. I met one guy who was nice but i swear i met him on yahoo years ago. They won't match you based on interests or location. It's just them getting everyone that 1 date a month whether it's a real match or not IMO. I'm so disappointed. read more

UPDATE: 6/1/2012. Two years after I first met with IJL, I just heard yet again from another employee there who "was just going through old files" and wanted to see if I was still single and maybe could use their "service." If you give this company your telephone number, please prepare for years of calls, even if you explain in no uncertain terms that you no longer want to work with them, whether you are single or not. I'm a little surprised that there aren't any reviews of this scam here on Yelp-Seattle. Yelp in other cities (eg: San Francisco) are rife with complaints about IJL. The short version: This is a dating service that was disappointed that I actually found a boyfriend. It is a dating service that is not afraid to use the contact information you give them to harass you for for weeks and months for money. They will be indignant and rude if you fail to give them the $1800-$2000 they demand. Check them out online. Lots of people say they are a total scam, one that fails to introduce them to people who are even remotely a "match." The long version: My experience, mercifully, was limited and entirely unpleasant. Seven months ago, I met with one of their salespeople posing as an interviewer. They made clear on the telephone that they were interviewing me to see if I would fit with their clients. (Online reviews suggest that this line is just part of a script and that no one is ever *not* a good fit for their matchmaking service.) I made clear that I, too, would be seeing if it felt like a good fit for me. I "interviewed" and was promptly hit up for the $1800 joining fee. I said I would think about it and let them know. That is when the problems began. My interviewer gave me a devastated look and began a process of pressuring me, badgering me, getting angry with me etc---anything to get me to give her money. I told her that I don't usually spend $1800 on the spot and that I would have to think about it. Countless phone calls in the following weeks. The calls have literally lasted to this day. Seven, almost eight, months later. Does that sound like a legitimate service or a racket? During the phone I got just today, I requested that they not call me anymore. Once again, when denied money, the formerly chirpy IJL worker changed her tone dramatically. "Do you mind telling me why not?" I told her I didn't need the service anymore because I am in a relationship. "Well," she said bitterly, "We did spend over an hour getting to know you." I said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but don't call me again." And I hung up. And yes--they *did* spend over an hour talking to me. Which I resented. I had been told the "interview" would take an hour, max, and it went way over, which made me late for my next appointment. There were no clocks in the room. Also, once I did manage to begin to pry myself out of the interview, I was still made to wait while more and more pressure tactics were applied to get my credit card out of my wallet. Only by practically running away from them was I able to leave. PS: I found my amazing boyfriend on Match. read more

Giant waste of time and money. Thousands of dollars. I may have done better creating a billboard on the freeway. Avoid this money pit.

Expensive for no return on investment. Let me start by saying the people who run the service are energetic and highly professional sales people. Yes dating is a numbers game, but if I want numbers of wild-card dates I'll do Match.com. I expect for shelling out $2,200 a selection of carefully matched dates. Instead I received only 6 dates during my contract, and only one of those was even marginally a good match. The others were no where close to being a good match -- even on paper. They are very good at spinning everything in the best positive light. But in the end I felt like they cared more for their bottom line than my gettng a date. I imagine if you are 25, then the surface details of "loving to travel" or "likes music" will be a good starting point. But to match a born again Christian with an Atheist shows complete lack of depth in their screening process. When I signed up they told me they had tons of eligible men. But in fact, it took well over a year for them to find dates to fulfill their minimum contract of 6 dates. This is a very expensive service when you consider the cost of the restaurant is not considered in the service. You will also receive several other up-sell offers for even more money (always$1,000+). The new dinner party option looks like a better deal than the 1:1 dates, but I wouldn't try it because the cost is still extremely high. I wouldn't call this a scam. But I think they way over represent what they can deliver. You WILL go on dates with real men. And you will work with very nice people. But you won't get your money's worth. Bottom line: if you are bored, feel desperate and have several thousand dollars to throw away, do it. read more

Thought maybe I'll give it a try and scheduled an interview. After reading the Yelp and Google reviews, I decided to cancel my appointment. I called and asked the receptionist to cancel my appointment. She refused and kept wanting to put me on hold so that one of the senior matchmakers can talk to me. She boldly refused to cancel my appointment. These people are rude and only want your money. read more