Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.
A nearly $2.3 million settlement will resolve claims that dating website eHarmony failed to satisfy California consumer law requirements in the way it handles automatic subscription renewals.
The settlement is the product of an enforcement action brought by the district attorneys of Napa, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and Shasta Counties and the city attorney of Santa Monica.
Among other allegations, the municipalities claim eHarmony failed to properly represent the terms of its automatic renewal subscription service as required by federal and California consumer protection laws.
Members were not clearly notified about the automatic renewal, the amount of the recurring payments, or what they could do to cancel the service, the municipalities allege.
The settlement requires eHarmony to distribute $1 million in restitution to customers whose subscriptions were automatically renewed but who were denied refunds. This fund will be distributed by a claims administrator, similar to the way civil class action settlements are distributed. Qualifying claimants will receive either mailed checks or credits applied to their eHarmony subscriptions.
Another $1.28 million in civil penalties and investigative costs will be paid to the municipalities.
eHarmony will also be required to change the way it presents the auto-renewal terms of its memberships. The auto-renewal terms must be presented clearly and conspicuously, and they must be separate from other terms.
Customers will have to give affirmative consent to those terms by clicking a checkbox, entering a signature, or some similar mechanism in visual proximity to the presentation of the automatic renewal offer terms.
“The separate check-box is the key,” said Santa Monica Chief Deputy City Attorney Adam Radinsky in a press release. “Otherwise, it’s too confusing. Companies have too many ways to hide the auto-renewal terms. … eHarmony now will have one of the best online disclosure and consent pages in the business.”
Customers will then be entitled to receive a copy of the automatic renewal offer’s terms, notice of their right to cancel the subscription, and information on how to cancel.
eHarmony has also agreed not to take steps to collect past-due membership fees from customers that were incurred prior to the effective date of the judgment. California customers who have negative marks on their credit report due to eHarmony’s referring them to a third-party collector can have eHarmony contact the credit bureau to cancel the negative mark.
Top Class Actions will post updates to this class action settlement as they become available. For the latest updates, keep checking TopClassActions.com or sign up for our free newsletter. You can also receive notifications when this article is updated by using your free Top Class Actions account and clicking the “Follow Article” button at the top of the post.
The municipalities are represented by Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeffrey S. Rosell, Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeffrey F. Rosen, Santa Monica City Attorney Lane Dilg, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley, and Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie A. Bridgett, with the assistance of other attorneys in their respective offices.
The eHarmony Subscription Auto-Renewal Lawsuit is People of the State of California v. eHarmony Inc., Case No. 17-cv-03314, in the Superior Court for the State of California, County of Santa Cruz.
ATTORNEY ADVERTISING
Top Class Actions is a Proud Member of the American Bar Association
LEGAL INFORMATION IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE
Top Class Actions Legal Statement
©2008 – 2024 Top Class Actions® LLC
Various Trademarks held by their respective owners
This website is not intended for viewing or usage by European Union citizens.
66 thoughts oneHarmony Agrees to $2.3M Settlement over Auto-Renewal Terms
It is needed to open new collective case, as I have found so many people who suffered from this fraud done by eHarmony.
eharmony continues the illegal actions after the case in January 2018
I have the same problem. They charged me 114$ a month totaling 485$ now. I didn’t sign up for it and now they just say sorry for your luck. Our system says you did.
Please add me, thank you
Hello,
I sent the message below to Eharmony’s customer care and followed up with the Better Business Bureau. The case was resolved by the company stating that I had been given a refund. No such thing has happened to date.
I had several concerns in the way that my automatic renewal was handled. In the terms and conditions, it states that customers would get a 30 day notice regarding the renewal. I did not receive any correspondence/email. I restarted my subscription with Eharmony at the end of February paying $252.90 for a length of 6 months. At the end of my subscription, I was so disappointed to see $842.99 charged to my credit card for a year. That is not what I signed up for, and I understand that the company does this as a courtesy to not interrupt service. Again, I understand that part, but I was disappointed to see this company would take advantage of their customers. I literally believed that this was fraud because I could not wrap my brain around this predatory practice. At the beginning of my original subscription, I met an amazing guy, and did not use Eharmony after that. If I would have realized that this is how you all do business, I would have said no thank you. I will continue to tell other friends and family to avoid Eharmony at all costs. Also, I have seen that other people have had the same issues. As I have seen the reviews on the BBB website, Eharmony was in fact able to honor some people’s requests and either waive fees and/or refund money completely as an “exception” to the terms and conditions. All I want is a refund. I did not agree to the $842.99. For my lifestyle, that would be absurd. I would even pay the price of my previous subscription because that is what I believed I was paying for. Not this. I was not given the opportunity to choose this “premium membership”. Again, I was not notified. Please do better as a company and tell your customers what they are in for. Many former customers have had the same experience, and as a company that upholds integrity and honesty in the dating world, this goes against your reputation, culture, and image.
I need help. I never signed up for eharmony. Yes I filled it out and then backed out thinking it never went through. That was my intent. The company never sent may anything to acknowledge that I had started a subscription. Never an email, never a referral date, nothing. August 19, 2020 I was charged $300.00 and I called and told them I did not approve this and want my money back; September 19, 2020 I was charged again $300.00 and again I called and requested the same. I just found out that I was charged again October 19, 2020. Called and was told they were not giving my money back and sent me an email telling me that they will stop my subscription in 2021. I never asked for this or approved it. They have stolen $900.00 from me. I don’t know what to do and I cannot find the Corp. Office information to handle it. Customer Service is no help.
Please add me to this.
it happened to me too since April 2018 to today they were taking money every 3 months. i just sing up a friend for a 3-month subscription that it,
I am having the same problem with Compatible Partners with is part of EHarmony. This is still happening!! I live in California. Is there another Class action lawsuit on this again?!?!
It’s happening to me every 6 months and I don’t know how to stop it. They keep charging me over $600 and I have it in email that I’m disputing that I’ve asked for account to be closed and they won’t do anything.
Is it still possible to join this?
E Harmony is also known for matching you up with people who have not subscribed yet. So basically they are trying to entice the non-subscriber to sign up. They even send out your profile once you stop their service, then they send you matches to entice you to renew. This is total fraud and they should be sued for this too.
Add me as well. I would like to join the class action lawsuit if not to late.