Almost 2,000 Complaints Filed Against Deceptive Matchmaking Services In Japan Last Year

Almost 2,000 complaints were made against matchmaking companies in Japan last year, according to a recently released consumer rights report.

This month, consumer rights watchdog the National Consumer Affairs Centre (NCAC) released a nine page report detailing the rising number of complaints against matchmaking and dating services.

1,983 people filed complaints against matchmaking companies, the majority of which were filed by parents who had signed their children up to the services.

According to the report, many complaints said companies were telling customers not to tell their children they had signed them up for a couple of weeks.

This is likely because in Japan, the “cooling off” period whereby a customer can cancel a contract is eight days.

According to the report, registration fees are normally priced at around $3,500.

An article in the South China Morning Post explained more: “Others complained their children had not received any introductions, even after the matchmaker had guaranteed they would be married within a year.

“The report cited a number of specific cases as a warning to consumers, including one case in which a client was introduced to a foreigner as a potential match without any explanation and charged a premium of 2.5 million yen.

“Others reported being continually pestered to sign for additional – and costly – services or charged vast sums to cancel the contract.”

Read more here.