In short
Before paying a dating agency, ask how members are vetted, how many active members fit your age and area, how many introductions you get and who chooses them, the full price and payment schedule, the contract length, and the refund and cancellation terms. Get the answers in writing. DatingAgency.com is a guide, not an agency.
| Get it in writing | In the UK, what an agency tells you can become part of the contract |
|---|---|
| UK cooling-off | 14 days for contracts made online, by phone or away from the agency's premises |
| Victoria and Queensland cooling-off | 3 business days for introduction agreements |
| Queensland | Ask for the licence number and disclosure statement first |
| Check the business | Companies House (UK); ABN Lookup (Australia) |
The consultation is part interview, part sales meeting. You will be asked a lot of questions; these are the ones to ask back. Take this list with you, or send it by email afterwards.
There is a legal reason to get answers in writing. In the UK, section 50 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says that what a business tells you about its service becomes a term of the contract if you take it into account when deciding to sign. An email confirming "you will receive at least six introductions to members aged 45 to 60 within 40 miles" is far easier to rely on later than a remembered conversation.
Questions to ask yourself first
Ten minutes with these makes the consultation far more useful, because you'll know which answers matter to you.
- What can I afford to lose? Assume most of the fee is gone once you've paid, and set your limit there.
- What are my firm limits? Age range, distance, children, faith, smoking. Write down no more than five.
- How far will I travel for a first date, honestly?
- Do I want someone else choosing, or do I mainly want a bigger pool to choose from myself? If it's the second, a dating site may suit you better.
The seven that matter most
- How do you vet members? Ask exactly what is checked: ID in person, address, marital status, photographs. See how agencies vet members for what good answers look like.
- How many introductions will I get? A number, in writing, over a stated period.
- Who chooses them, and how? Is it a person who has met both of you, or a database search?
- How long is the contract? And can you pause it if you meet someone?
- What are the refund terms? In writing, before you pay.
- How do I cancel? By what method, by when, and what you would get back at each stage.
- What happens if nobody suits me? Extra time, extra introductions, a partial refund, or nothing.
About the business
- What is your company's legal name, and is it the name on the contract and on my card payment?
- In Queensland: what is your introduction agent licence number, and may I have the disclosure statement now?
- How long have you been trading under this name?
A legal name lets you check the business yourself: on Companies House in the UK, or ABN Lookup in Australia. Queensland agents must show their licence number in advertising and online, and you can check it on the Queensland Government website.
About the people you'd meet
- How many active members do you have in my age range, living within a distance I'd travel? How many joined in the last six months?
- What proportion of your members are men and women, in my age range?
- Do you introduce me only to your own members, or do you approach other people (headhunting) or share members with partner agencies?
- Will I meet anyone who has paid less than me, or who is on a free or "passive" listing?
- What would make you turn someone away?
Numbers you hear at this stage are claims. Note them down and ask for them in your follow-up email.
About the introductions
- What counts as one introduction: a profile sent to me, or a date we have both agreed to?
- If I turn a profile down, or the other person does, does it still count?
- How quickly will the first introduction arrive?
- Can I set firm limits, such as smoking, children, faith or distance, and will you stick to them?
- Do you arrange the first date or pass on contact details?
- Is there feedback after each date, and from whom? Our guide to what happens after an introduction explains how this usually works.
About money
- What is the total price, including VAT?
- How much is payable now, and when is the rest due?
- What is included, and what costs extra (photography, coaching, extra introductions)?
- Does the membership renew automatically, and at what price?
- Can I pay by credit card? (In the UK this can give you extra protection; see contracts and refunds.)
In Victoria and Queensland the law generally limits introduction agents to taking 30% of the price upfront once a contract passes set thresholds. If an agency there asks for more, ask why. How agencies work in Australia explains the thresholds.
About the contract
- Can I take the contract away to read before signing?
- What is my cooling-off period, and where in the contract is it?
- Can I pause (hold) the membership, and for how long?
- If I cancel after the cooling-off period, how is any refund worked out?
- What happens to my membership if you close or sell the business?
Where you sign matters in the UK. Contracts made online, by phone or away from the agency's own premises (at your home, say, or in a hotel lounge) generally come with a 14-day cancellation period. A contract signed at the agency's office does not carry that statutory right, so ask what the contract itself offers. In Victoria and Queensland, introduction agreements carry a three-business-day cooling-off period.
About your privacy
- Who will see my profile and photographs?
- Will my surname, workplace or address ever be shared before I agree?
- How long do you keep copies of my ID, and how do I ask you to delete my information when my membership ends?
A follow-up email you can adapt
Send this the same day, while the conversation is fresh. It is an example; change the details to match what you were told.
Example: "Thank you for today. To confirm what we discussed: the fee is [amount] including VAT, with [amount] payable now and the rest on [date]; I will receive at least [number] introductions over [period] to members aged [range] within [distance]; declined profiles [do / do not] count; and if nobody suits me, [what happens]. Please reply to confirm, and send the contract so I can read it before deciding."
If the reply changes the numbers, or doesn't come, you have learned something important before paying.
How to judge the answers
| Area | Good sign | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Members | A number for your age and area, confirmed by email | "We have lots of people like that" |
| Introductions | A written minimum over a set period | "As many as it takes" |
| Money | Staged payments, total price stated | Pressure to pay in full today |
| Contract | You can take it home; cancellation terms are clear | Not allowed to take it away |
| If it doesn't work | Extra time, extra introductions or a partial refund | Nothing, or "that never happens" |
Our list of red flags goes into the warning signs, and what happens at a first interview helps you prepare.
If no agency's answers satisfy you, that is useful information too. Our agency guide explains how to compare agencies where you live.
Questions people ask
Should I sign at the first meeting?
No. Take the contract home, read it and ask your remaining questions by email so the answers are in writing. A reputable agency will wait a few days. In the UK, signing at the agency's own office generally gives you no statutory cooling-off period, which is another reason not to sign on the spot.
What is the most important question?
What happens if nobody suits you. The answer tells you whether the agency shares any of the risk, through extra time, extra introductions or a partial refund, or leaves all of it with you. Ask for the answer in the contract, not just in conversation, because that is what you can rely on later.
How many introductions should a dating agency give?
There is no standard number, and agencies vary widely. What matters is that the contract states a minimum number over a set period, defines what counts as an introduction, and says whether profiles you or the other person decline still count. A promise of 'as many as it takes' with no number gives you nothing to hold the agency to.
What should be in a dating agency contract?
The total price and payment dates, the minimum number of introductions and the period they cover, what counts as an introduction, how to pause, how to cancel and what you'd get back, what happens if nobody suits you, and any automatic renewal. In Victoria and Queensland, introduction agreements must also carry set cooling-off information.
Can I record the consultation?
Ask first; recording without saying so will not help the relationship. It is usually simpler to follow up by email afterwards, summarising what you were told about members, introductions and refunds, and asking the agency to reply confirming it is correct. That email can matter later if there is a dispute.
Keep reading
- After an agency introduction: the first date and the feedback callWhat happens after an agency introduction: arranging the first date, safety, giving useful feedback and deciding what next.
- What happens at your first dating agency interviewWhat a dating agency asks at the first interview, what to bring, what to ask back and why to leave without signing.
- Dating agency contracts: cancelling and getting money backCooling-off periods, upfront fee limits, unfair terms and refunds for dating agency contracts in the UK and Australia.
- Dating agencies for people over 50Using a dating agency after 50: members your age, home visits and cooling-off rights, protecting your money and alternatives.
Sources
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, Part 1 Chapter 4 (services)
- Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, Part 3
- Introduction agreements, Consumer Affairs Victoria
- Using an introduction or dating agent, Queensland Government
- Check an introduction agent licence, Queensland Government
- Find and update company information, Companies House
- ABN Lookup, Australian Business Register
Checked 18 October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.