eHarmony: Pay $5K, Get Matched by a Human

Company VP admits some things are 'too hard for a computer'
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 6, 2013 8:48 AM CST
eHarmony: Pay $5K, Get Matched by a Human
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eHarmony is pretty serious about about pairing "deeply compatible singles," but if its 29 Dimensions® of Compatibility can't find you your perfect mate, the dating site will soon offer a Plan B: Pay $5,000 for eH+, which lands you your very own personal counselor for a year who will essentially be your human matchmaker. Except the "you" in that equation has to be someone with money: The service, which officially launches Dec. 1, is geared for those who pull in a quarter-of-a-million a year.

Quartz talks to an eHarmony VP about the offering, and this quote may not do much to bolster the confidence of everyone else using the service:

  • "It's too hard for a computer to take two people and understand what they want from a physical standpoint in a way that really elicits chemistry between them. We think it’s much more likely that a human being can do that sort of thing."
What that $5,000 gets users: a Skype or phone interview with a psychologist or certified marriage counselor, who will then troll the site looking for Mr. or Ms. Right and even screen matches on the phone, reports Fast Company. It explains a possibly-not-obvious upside: If that would-be match says no, the client never hears the rejection. Another fringe benefit, per a press release on the service: "Freedom from your computer—no updating profiles, managing matches, or juggling communication." (More dating stories.)

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