Coffee Meets Bagel Class Action Says Dating App Withholds Refunds

An Illinois man says that a dating service, Coffee Meets Bagel, violates state law by withholding refunds for canceled subscriptions.

Lead plaintiff Pandi Rrapo alleges in a class action lawsuit that Coffee Meets Bagel refused to refund his premium service subscription after he canceled.

The Coffee Meets Bagel class action claims that Rrapo was disappointed with the so-called features that were “unlocked” when he forked over the $34.99 per month fee, but, when he tried to stop the service, the matchmaking company refused to give him his money back.

The plaintiff alleges that he and other consumers seeking refunds have been rejected by Coffee Meets Bagel. This refusal, alleges the Coffee Meets Bagel class action lawsuit, violates the Illinois Dating Referral Services Act, as well as other laws.

“Defendant’s retention of any amounts paid by plaintiff and the other members of the class and subclass thus violates fundamental principles of justice, equity and good conscience,” alleges the Coffee Meets Bagel class action lawsuit.

According to the Coffee Meets Bagel class action lawsuit, the dating service provides approximately 20 potential matches, “bagels,” to members every day at noon. The service works through an app available on most smart phones.

“[Coffee Meets Bagel] provides access to the CMB App. for free to anyone who signs up (‘CMB Free Users’),” explains the Coffee Meets Bagel class action lawsuit. “A CMB Free User signs up via an email address or by connecting their Facebook account. Then, they are prompted to create a profile.”

The Coffee Meets Bagel website claims that nearly 1 million introductions were made by the website in Chicago in a single year, 2017.

“[Coffee Meets Bagel] advertises the CMB App. as being an effective way of meeting potential romantic partners by using a data-driven algorithm to match users based on their interests, location, and other criteria,” states the Coffee Meets Bagel class action lawsuit.

Rrapo says that he hoped by paying for the premium service, he would connect with more potential matches; however, he was disappointed by the features unlocked by the hefty fee.

“Although some features were unlocked, the features did not actually help him gain more matches through the CMB app,” alleges the Coffee Meets Bagel class action lawsuit.

Despite canceling his premium membership within two days of signing up, Coffee Meets Bagel allegedly refused to refund the fee, Rrapo says.

The Coffee Meets Bagel class action lawsuit seeks to represent Illinois residents who purchased a premium subscription to the dating service, along with a subclass of those who canceled the subscription within three days but were not offered a refund.

The Coffee Meets Bagel class action lawsuit is seeking damages, restitution, and injunctive relief.

Rrapo and the proposed Class are represented by Eugene Y. Turin and David L. Gerbie of McGuire Law PC.

The Coffee Meets Bagel Class Action Lawsuit is Rrapo v. Coffee Meets Bagel Inc., Case No. 18­-CH­-13834, in Cook County Circuit Court, Illinois.