In short
These DatingAgency.com guides help you decide whether a dating agency or matchmaker suits you, check one before paying, and understand what happens after you sign. They cover agencies compared with dating sites, matchmaker value, the first interview, questions to ask, vetting, warning signs, contracts and refunds, agencies for over-50s and agencies in Australia. Start with the agency, matchmaker or dating site comparison.
| Start here | Dating agency, matchmaker or dating site? |
|---|---|
| Before you pay | Questions to ask, vetting, warning signs |
| Before you sign | Contracts and refunds, UK and Australia |
| Our status | A guide, not an agency |
If you are still deciding, start with dating agency, matchmaker or dating site, which compares who does the searching and what you sign. Once you have an agency in mind, take questions to ask a dating agency before you pay to the first meeting. And read dating agency contracts: cancelling and getting money back before you sign anything.
Which guide for your situation
| Where you are | Read this |
|---|---|
| Not sure you need an agency | Agency, matchmaker or dating site |
| Wondering whether the fee is worth it | Is a matchmaker worth the money? |
| Booked a consultation | Your first agency interview and questions to ask |
| Handed a contract | Contracts and refunds and warning signs |
| First introduction arranged | After an agency introduction |
| Over 50 and dating again | Dating agencies for over-50s |
| Looking for agencies near you | Choosing a dating agency and our Manchester guide |
Is an agency right for you?
- Dating agency, matchmaker or dating site: which suits you?: who searches, how people are checked, what it costs and what you sign, side by side.
- Is a personal matchmaker worth the money?: when a matchmaker earns their fee, a cost-per-introduction check and ways to test one first.
- Dating agencies for people over 50: members your age, home visits, cooling-off rights, protecting your money and the alternatives.
- How dating agencies and matchmakers work in Australia: Queensland licensing, Victorian contract rules, cooling-off, upfront limits and scams.
Checking an agency before you pay
- What happens at your first dating agency interview: what you'll be asked, what to bring, what to ask back and why to leave without signing.
- Questions to ask a dating agency before you pay: questions about people, introductions, money and contracts to put to any agency or matchmaker.
- How dating agencies vet members, and what to ask about it: what each kind of check does and doesn't prove, and how to find out which ones an agency uses.
- Warning signs when choosing a dating agency: the red flags, romance scams that start with an introduction, and what to do if you've already paid.
After you've signed
- Dating agency contracts: cancelling and getting money back: cooling-off periods, upfront fee limits, unfair terms and refunds in the UK and Australia.
- After an agency introduction: the first date and the feedback call: arranging the date, staying safe, giving useful feedback and deciding what next.
How these guides are written
Every guide is written from primary sources: legislation and regulators for the law, and agencies' own websites for anything about an agency, with the date we checked. We don't publish invented statistics, testimonials or rankings. Our editorial policy explains the rules, and our safety guide applies whichever route you choose. DatingAgency.com also runs its own online dating service, kept separate from these guides; how it works explains it.
Questions people ask
Which guide should I read first?
If you haven't decided whether you need an agency at all, start with the comparison of agencies, matchmakers and dating sites. If you already have an agency in mind, read the questions to ask and the contracts guide before your first consultation.
Do these guides recommend particular agencies?
No. We don't rank agencies or take payment for listings. Our city guides name agencies only from what each says on its own website, with the date we checked, and the guides explain how to judge any agency for yourself.
Are the guides for the UK or Australia?
Both. Most advice applies anywhere, and where the law differs, as it does on cooling-off periods, upfront payments and licensing, the guides set out the UK rules and the Australian rules separately, including Victoria and Queensland.