Hong Kong’s consumer rights watchdog said on Monday it had recorded 88 complaints against matchmaking services in the first 11 months of this year -- higher than the annual tally for the past three years.

In one case, a woman claimed to have paid a matchmaking agency HK$70,000 ($8,900) for “premium services”, but found none of the 18 candidates recommended over a year met her expectations.  

The complainant, who’s in her 40s and has an annual income exceeding HK$3 million, had sought a partner of similar age and financial standing. After the agency failed to deliver a suitable match, she demanded a refund and that her contract be cancelled. But the agency responded that while client preferences guide its selections, it does not guarantee perfect matches, and would instead screen candidates with an overall compatibility rate of 80 percent or higher.

The agency denied having breached the contract and offered to continue its services.

Unsatisfied, the woman was advised by the Consumer Council to seek independent legal advice.

Since 2022 the council has received 268 complaints concerning matching services, with most of them concerning candidates failing to meet their stated requirements and the inconsistent quality of members on dating apps.

The council urged the industry to enhance transparency in the screening of potential matches, and avoid making promises that are difficult to fulfill. It suggested that dating app operators consider improving their user registration processes. Consumers and their families are also advised to manage their expectations and remain vigilant when using dating apps.

RELATED ARTICLES: 

• Consumer Council: some peanut butter may cause cancer, liver damage
• Consumer Council: Carcinogen found in 29 cooking oils
• Consumer Council: 30% of power banks fail safety tests

The council also released test reports on tabletop water dispensers and exfoliating face wash on Monday. It said tests carried out on eight models of tabletop water dispensers found that some of them exhibited uneven water temperatures measured at the outlet when dispensing several cups of hot water consecutively. Excluding the first cup, one model showed an average temperature difference of up to 10.3 degrees Celsius among three cups of hot water, while two other models recorded maximum differences of more than five degrees Celsius.

Fu Yinglin contributed to the story