Continuing our top ten tips for using dating services…

6. Always meet up with any prospective dates in a public place in daylight or at least where there are a large number of people about. A popular restaurant in the heart of the city would be an appropriate choice. You don’t need to have a chaperon, however you should take some care with your safety.

7. Make sure before you give any dating services your credit card information that you understand what you are getting for your money. If they are offering a free trial, check with the fine print on their site or contact their support personnel to confirm that you will not be getting sucked into some type of subscription you had not bargained for.

8. Be cautious and conduct appropriate research before you dive in and sign up with any dating services. You need to carry out some online research to see if there have been any complaints filed and check if they have real customer testimonials. Your local Better Business Bureau can advise if they have received any complaints.

9. Do not give any personal information or photographs to the dating service until you are sure their service is legitimate. If you are required to enter in your email address to access the service or to find out additional information from them, make sure you open up a Hotmail account and give them that email address. This is a good standard practice for anything you do online anyway, but here it would be a definite “must have”.

10. Make sure your personal information is kept secure by any dating services you use and that your information is deleted totally from their database and website should you wish to discontinue using their services at any time in the future.

Dating services have fast become the fastest and easiest way to meet people, but always do your homework to ensure you have the best possible experience and increase your chance of successfully meeting your soul mate.

Whether you are young or old, male or female, if you are single and looking for the right partner, using dating services can save all the stress and hassle of finding them. But at what cost?

Here’s our top 10 tips on how to make the right connection with the man or woman of your dreams through dating services - without losing all your money in the process:

1. Dating services can typically cost up to $50 or $60 each month and you would normally sign up for a certain contract length, however you need to be careful that your contract is not renewed automatically. Make sure with the dating service that they do not automatically renew.

2. Understand that sometimes you are just not going to meet the right person for you through some dating services. You should set yourself a reasonable limit of what you are willing to spend before you decide to leave their dating services and try elsewhere. Once you reach your financial limit you’ve set, pull out and move along.

3. Don’t allow yourself to be pressured into anything. Always use your better judgment about what the best action for you to follow is, and if in doubt - don’t. Never jump into any contracts without carefully considering the terms and conditions first.

4. Read through the company documentation on the dating services websites and check what they offer and what you can expect from them. Always look for a support number in case any issues arise.

5. Good dating services should allow you to check their site out and view some profiles before you sign up. Look for a site that looks well establish and longevity is a plus. If they have been operating for a decent length of time you can be reasonably sure they are looking after their clientelle.

More tips in the next post…