If you are a Match.com user, you will want to be aware that the FTC recently announced that “Match Group, Inc., and Match Group, LLC (Match), the owners and operators of online dating services Match.com, OkCupid, PlentyOfFish, The League, and other dating sites, have agreed to pay $14 million, permanently stop misrepresenting guarantees and locking consumers out of paid-for accounts, and simplify Match.com’s cancellation processes to resolve the Federal Trade Commission’s charges.”

The settlement is a culmination of allegations from a 2019 complaint alleging that Match:

• deceptively induced consumers to subscribe to Match.com by promising them a free six-month subscription if they did not “meet someone special”—without adequately disclosing that consumers had to meet several onerous requirements before the company would honor its guarantee;
• unfairly suspended the accounts of users who unsuccessfully filed billing disputes, keeping their money without providing the paid-for services; and
• made it difficult for users to cancel their subscriptions.

Match denies the allegations and any liability. The FTC Commission unanimously approved (3-0) the settlement and proposed order. The proposed order must be approved by the federal district court judge overseeing the litigation. If approved, the settlement proceeds will be “used for consumer relief, such as redress and any attendant expenses for the administration of any redress fund.” Although there are no details outlined in the proposed order of how this fund will be administered and disbursed, the FTC usually provides information to consumers who were affected by the litigation separately on how to submit a claim. We will watch for those instructions and provide further information when the FTC provides an announcement.