Together Dating Service Agrees To Stop Defrauding Customers
a...@cupidnet.com
TOGETHER DATING SERVICE AGREES TO STOP DEFRAUDING CUSTOMERS
New York, ST. PATRICK'S DAY, 1997 -- Exactly one decade ago,
today, the self-styled "Principals" of the Together Dating Service
settled the New York Attorney General's litigation against them and
the company for fraud and for unfair trade practices by agreeing to
have the New York Supreme Court enter a Consent Order against them,
immediately, whereby they committed themselves, personally, both to
"be permanently enjoined from engaging in any illegal practices," and
also to "be permanently enjoined from engaging in fraudulent,
deceptive or illegal practices."
This Consent Order was entered precisely ten years ago, today,
by the New York Supreme Court in Albany.
Today, one full decade later, the Together chain's Operations
Manual sets out telemarketing "scripts" (to be memorized "word for
word" by its "boilerroom" telemarketers) which state that its sales
interviews are "casual and a lot of fun. I'm sure you'll enjoy it."
However, once potential customers are lured in for interviews,
the same Operations Manual instructs Together sales people that they
"MUST CREATE MIND SET "MY LIFE STINKS! WHAT CAN TOGETHER DO FOR
ME?" Further, the Together chain's national sales training program
instructs sales staff in very high-pressure sales methods, which use
psychological test results from its potential customers (particularly
regarding their own "self image" concerns as "single" adults), in
order to be able more effectively to "go for the pain," "make them
cry," "cause pain" and "make them feel pain."
Does this suggest that the Together Dating Service has really
stopped "engaging in fraudulent, deceptive or illegal practices," as
its self-styled "Principals" agreed to do a full decade ago, today, in
order to cause the New York Attorney General to settle its litigation
for fraud and unfair business practices against the Together chain, or
is it back up to its same old fraudulent tricks?