Jun. 27, 2022: I found some articles about It's Just Lunch being a scam:
Feb. 15, 2021 "Local matchmaking service customers are calling a waste of money": Today I found this article by Jennifer Kovaleski on the Denver Channel:
DENVER -- Elizabeth Young first saw ads for It’s Just Lunch in airplane magazines.
After not having luck with other online dating apps, Young, a 41-year-old school counselor, said she decided to write a check to It’s Just Lunch Denver. It cost Young $2,700 for a lifetime membership and then a fee of roughly $90 per month.
The dating service sells itself as an elite international matching service that has offices across the country, including in Denver.
“What they say is ‘It’s Just Lunch is the world’s No. 1 personal matchmaking service. It’s personal, it’s private, it’s convenient, it’s real.’ They just forgot it’s a scam,” said Young, while reading the company’s website.
She saw the purchase as a major investment with the promise of handpicked dates. Young said the salesperson told her over the phone that she would have a few dates per month.
Young said she was told, “We have so many great men I can’t wait for you to meet."
"I had this expectation and this excitement of meeting quality people who also invested what I did," she said.
Young is one of two It’s Just Lunch customers who spoke with Denver7, saying the company did not meet expectations. They’re not alone, as the company has already settled one class action lawsuit and faces another.
Class action lawsuit filed against the company
John Balestriere is a New York-based attorney who filed a class-action lawsuit against It’s Just Lunch and won. He said Young’s story matches what his firm has heard from other clients.
“A common trick they were taught was to be speaking to someone and at some point just turn over the clipboard and say, ‘I’m sorry, I just have to stop you. I have three people who would be just perfect for you.’ The idea of kind of luring people in,” Balestriere said.
As a part of the lawsuit and settlement agreement, It’s Just Lunch agreed to pay nearly $5 million to impacted clients. The average customer received around $14. The law firm was also paid a fee of $1.5 million.
“People who are signing up are busy and they have disposable income. They are very vulnerable,” Balestriere said.
The lawsuit called the dating service “a massive scheme to defraud tens of thousands of single professionals throughout the country.” It claimed the company, “overcharged its clients” and “matches are driven entirely by monthly quota requirements.”
Balestriere said the most shocking thing his firm found was that in some cases, It’s Just Lunch employees went on dates with female customers so that they “could at least have a date with a man.”
He said the company trains its employees to make the sale, and the lawsuit states the company “[r]outinely hires staff … who have no experience … whatsoever in the field of matchmaking.”
The suit resulted in a settlement in late 2019.
“We frankly thought that was the end of it,” Balestriere said.
But it would end up being far from the end.
“This is the worst financial decision I’ve ever made,” Young said.
Young was not a part of the settlement agreement. She said instead of getting the few dates per month the company verbally promised, she had four dates over three months.
“So, mathematically, that’s $3,000 for four dates,” she said.
And while Young does acknowledge the contract she signed only promised her one date per month, she said she believed what It’s Just Lunch was selling.
“I believe that the company really preys on people who — like me, in the Denver area, especially during a pandemic — really want connection,” Young said.
Another Denver client tells a similar story
Joseph DeOliveira said he had a similar experience with the company. He was a single father also looking for love who said he fell for It’s Just Lunch’s sales pitch.
“It was basically a waste of money and waste of time,” DeOliveira said. “They told me that I was going to have multiple matches a month and that I was going to find people that were committed to a relationship.”
Instead, DeOliveira said he received “one or two dates for the thousands of dollars that I put in and it wasn’t consistent.”
He said his matches weren’t matches at all, and the women he went out with had nothing in common with him.
“There were so many good reviews, I thought it was a good company,” DeOliveira said.
Young said she also believed those reviews and everything else she read.
Both now question the accuracy of those good reviews and want to warn others trying to find love.
“They are going to continue to scam people until they are brought to light,” DeOliveira said.
Law firm files another lawsuit against the company
After Balestriere’s firm settled in the original class-action lawsuit, the firm said new It’s Just Lunch clients started reaching out to them with the same complaints.
“It’s Just Lunch is continuing to engage in very similar sounding misconduct,” Balestriere said.
The firm filed another class-action lawsuit against the company in November 2020, this time in California.
The suit claims It’s Just Lunch “continues to engage in similar misconduct” the original suit was supposed to stop.
“I’ve been a lawyer and doing this stuff for over 20 years and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it,” Balestriere said.
“They took advantage of people wanting a real relationship,” said DeOliveira.
It’s Just Lunch responds
It’s Just Lunch Denver declined Denver7’s request for an interview.
In a lengthy statement, the company said, “The new claims in the California lawsuit are brought by two individuals. It is very disappointing and unfortunate that this matter is pending because these allegations are completely without merit. IJL intends to vigorously defend the new suit.”
It’s Just Lunch Denver is a franchise of the company and said, “The satisfaction of our clients has been our number one priority” and that the company “cannot guarantee chemistry, long-term relationship or marriage.”
In It’s Just Lunch Denver’s statement, the company said DeOliveira “called our Denver office on February 10, 2021 requesting to continue his membership.”
DeOliveira confirmed to Denver7 he did reach out to the company but said in an email, “My only purpose was to inquire and confirm the facts I gave you in the interview and to express my displeasure with the service I was provided and to give them a chance to make it right.”
He went on to say, “I stand by what I said 100% that I believe IJL is a scam and I will not retract that statement unless I am proven wrong by their actions.”
To read It’s Just Lunch Denver’s full statement click here.
Customers claim dating app, It’s Just Lunch, is a waste of money (thedenverchannel.com)
I found this on Next Evolution Matchmaking:
How Much Does It’s Just Lunch Cost? Why You Should Save Your Money!
Have you heard about It’s Just Lunch?
Perhaps you’ve seen their ads in inflight magazine advertisements, or heard about It’s Just Lunch on the radio. The concept is kind of catchy right? Meet up for a casual lunch with your ideal match, and get to know that person with in a low pressure environment. Sounds great right? Well, not exactly.How much does It’s Just Lunch actually cost?
Google around and you will quickly find that It’s Just Lunch charges several thousand dollars for a basic package. They will also try to up-sell you on larger packages that run closer to ten thousand dollars. At those prices, each date will amount to well over a thousand dollars.Okay, the money matchmakers charge is insane, but the dates must be great right?
Yep, you read that photo correctly. It’s Just Lunch had a class action lawsuit filed against them in 2018 as a response to their deceiving tactics. The result was a $60 million dollar settlement. Think about how many people this company deceived over the years to warrant a settlement of that magnitude. Even more alarming, this company still operates and does great business.
A quick Google search will also yield dozens of different Yelp pages for the company, all dominated by negative feedback. Typical of most matchmaking companies, the most common complaints seem to be very few dates, terrible matches, and a vast amount of reviews claiming that the company is a scam. With how much matchmakers charge, there is no excuse for this.Here’s the truth about most matchmaking companies Traditional matchmaking companies are outdated mediums that rarely have the matches that they promise clients upfront. They are almost always bait and switch operations. The truth is, almost everyone is meeting on dating sites or dating APPS these days. This is where you will have your best chance of finding love once you equip yourself with the right approach.
Our company combines traditional matchmaking with the modern world of online dating
"#MeToo movement becomes #WeToo in in victim-blaming Japan"/ "Outrage as women in Japan told not wear glasses in the workplace"
"You never look good when you are trying to make someone else look bad."- Unknown
Cham: Sometimes people need to be exposed for who they are hahah or maybe I should stop being petty
Tracy Au: There's a difference between trying to make someone look bad, and exposing them for who they are. It's like those #MeToo accusers and victims, they are plainly telling everybody about the perpetrators. They're not trying to make them look bad.
This week's theme is about how It's Just Lunch matchmaking company is a scam:
“It’s Just Lunch” Reviews 2022: Pros, Cons, Cost, What to Expect" /It's Just Lunch reviews (Part 1)
It's Just Lunch reviews (Part 2)
My week:
Mon. Jul. 25, 2022 K- Days: The last time I was there was in 2014. I went here as soon as it opened at 12pm.
1. Agriculture- I petted the cows and the sheep.
2. Indigenous- I went shopping and saw jewelry, bags, clothes, chap sticks, soap, and candles.
3. Kids Zone- I looked at the pythons, turtles, and tarantulas in the cases.
There was an art display with kids and adults who won prizes for their art like drawings, painting, and sculptures.
I mainly went there for the shopping: There were jewelry, bags, clothes, chap sticks, soap, notebooks, cards, candles, and paintings.
There were 2 psychic booths, but I didn't get a reading.
I didn't really spend any money, but $8 for a corndog.
I did some research and planned to attend the shows.
Joshua Seth: He is a mentalist. He is able to guess what word and number was written down. He guesses the last 2 numbers. At first he writes a whole slew of numbers 4x4, and if you add each of the rows up and down, it all comes to the right last 2 numbers.
I thought the show was average. This was 45 min. long.
ABOUT JOSHUA
Joshua Seth is an inspirational keynote speaker, award-winning mentalist, and celebrity voice actor. He has appeared on stages and TV shows across the globe, from The Wellington Opera house in New Zealand to the Mandalay Bay Arena in Las Vegas to 5 mind-blowing TV specials in Japan and South Korea.
He's known to millions as the voice of over 100 animated TV shows and movies, and can be heard in everything from Akira to Spongebob Squarepants.
But he’s best known as the star of Digimon, voicing the main character Tai for the past 20 years in both the hit TV series and all 8 movies, helping it become the 75th highest grossing media franchise in the world.
Joshua is the host of The Communication Transformation Podcast and the author of the bestselling peak performance book “Finding Focus In A Changing World: The Magic of Thinking Differently“.
He's delivered hundreds of presentations over the past 10 years for leading organizations, including Adobe, Uber, Reuters, Pfizer, Deloitte, Condé Nast, Citibank, Disney, Zoom, and The Million Dollar Round Table.
Joshua's mission is to help a million people unlock the power of their voice so they can speak with influence, communicate with confidence, and sound like a better version of themselves.
Joshua Seth: Keynote Speaker | Celebrity Voice Actor | Mentalist
Ride the Vibe: This was a dirt bike show and I saw the last 15 minutes of these bike riders doing upside flips and jumps. That was average.
Super Dawgs: This is a 30 min. show. A dog can listen to orders in English, another in French, and another in hand movements. A dog can stand on tippy toes and spin around right and left. This was good.
Overall the day was average. I was there from 12pm- 5:20pm. I brought my own thermos of coffee, a bottle of water, and a No Name can of dill pickle chips. I wanted to save money on food and drinks.
I'm sure some of you would go there for the food. When I was a kid and teen, I would go there for the rides and shopping. I never play the games.
Clue at the Citadel: I saw an ad for this at the LRT station. I have the movie Clue on DVD. I entered to win tickets to see the show. Here is a positive review by Tom Murray in the Edmonton Journal:
Review: Lots of applause for classic, laugh-a-minute whodunnit Clue | Edmonton Journal
Jul. 27, 2022 "Shawn Mendes cancels the rest of world tour for mental health break": Today I found this article by Jenna Benchetrit on CBC:
Canadian pop star Shawn Mendes has cancelled the rest of his Wonder world tour to care for his mental health, the singer announced in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
"After speaking more with my team and working with an incredible group of health professionals, it has become more clear that I need to take the time I've never taken personally to ground myself and come back stronger," the 23-year-old singer wrote.
"I unfortunately have to cancel the rest of the tour dates in North America, and the UK/Europe."
Earlier this month, Mendes told fans that he would be taking a three-week break from the tour, postponing a string of shows in the U.S., saying that he had "hit a breaking point" after touring steadily since he was 15.
The singer has long been open about his mental health struggles and has said that he hopes his honesty helps and empowers others.
In 2018, he told Tom Power, host of CBC's q, about writing music to cope with anxiety.
"The only way progression is going to happen is by talking about it and by allowing everybody to talk about it," Mendes said. "It just becomes more of a normal thing, and hopefully in 10 years from now, nobody is really worried about it."
My opinion: That's good that he's taking care of himself physically and mentally. There are people reading this and they will do the same.
Jul. 29, 2022 Art Gallery of Alberta: I haven't been there since 2010. In my Personality Meetup group Whatsapp chat, someone said that you can go there for free on the last Thurs. of every month from 4-7pm. I went there for an hour.
It was average. There are like 4 exhibits that show films. I watched a bit of it. I was looking at the art, and who the artist.
Hours and Admissions | Art Gallery of Alberta (youraga.ca)
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