Perfectmatch.com
Encyclopedia
Perfectmatch.com is an online dating and relationship service based in Seattle, Washington. The company reports “it is the best approach for adults seeking successful, lasting relationships.” The company offers the Duet Total Compatibility System (Duet), co-developed by Seattle relationship expert, Dr. Pepper Schwartz
who based Duet on more than 30 years of research. Duet is modeled after the Myers-Briggs test.
Since 2003, Perfectmatch has partnered with the entertainment industry to build the Perfectmatch brand in a non-traditional manner. For example, they have partnered with iVillage
, MSNBC
, Oxygen Networks
, Warner Bros.
and NBC Universal Studios
and many others. The company has also been prominently featured in these entertainment-related shows or events:
The Retirement Living Television series “Another Chance for Romance” in February 2008. Hosted by Roger Lodge
, the segments also featured commentary by Dr. Pepper Schwartz, utilized the Duet Total Compatibility System, and included numerous Southern California-area members of Perfectmatch.com, all of whom paired up on blind dates using the Duet System.
In August 2007, Commission Junction
published an Advertisers Case Study about Perfectmatch.com discussing how affiliate sales increased by 300 percent.
The NBC Television special in June 2007 called “The Science of Love
: A Modern Dating Experiment.” Dr. Pepper Schwartz and the Duet Total Compatibility System were also featured.
The Warner Bros. 2005 summer movie “Must Love Dogs
” starring Diane Lane
and John Cusack
whose movie characters met on Perfectmatch.com.
The company reports that an entire Valentine’s special Dr. Phil Show broadcast on February 11, 2005 resulted in 207,000 women joining their site that day.
In October 2005, Perfectmatch served as the online dating service working with Live with Regis and Kelly
in their efforts to assist show Production Coordinator, Lori Schulweis, during her two week search to find her own perfect match.
Perfectmatch partnered with CBS
in the fall 2005 to kick off the first season of “How I Met Your Mother
” by creating a matching game of the shows characters based on the Duet Total Compatibility System and helping to stage a dating/social event in New York City
at Grand Central
.
Perfectmatch was the backdrop of the Lifetime Original teleplay “Perfect Romance” featuring Kathleen Quinlan, Henry Ian Cusick, star of “Lost
”, and Lori Heuring. “Perfect Romance” originally aired in June 2004 and continues to be aired routinely.
Perfectmatch was also shown in the movie Paul Blart: Mall Cop.
, a relationship or marriage
.”
The Duet Total Compatibility System was written and developed by Dr. Schwartz and the Perfectmatch.com team. Duet does not match people only on similar character traits, but complementary traits of two potential partners.
In January 2006, Dr. Schwartz published the book "Finding Your Perfect Match" (Penguin) based upon The Duet Total Compatibility System. According to Amazon.com as of September 27, 2007 the book “helps readers identify the eight specific personality characteristics that they need to understand about themselves-and others. And the Duet(tm) Total Compatibility System, a sophisticated yet easy-to-follow series of self-tests that have helped thousands of people in their search for love, gives them an intimate and honest appraisal of who they are, what they want, and ultimately, who they should be with.
This approach not only helps reveal each person's unique romantic profile, but also identifies five major lifestyle issues that can have a dramatic impact on the long-term success of their relationships: money, sex, children, core values, and social life. Readers will also be able to uncover the deal-breakers, to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and to determine whether someone is a potential match before getting deeply involved.”
The test for The Duet Total Compatibility System is broken into specific testing areas: Similarity and Complementary. When score from these two areas are combined, they give a member a description of and an explanation of their personality type.
Barry Glassner, Ph. D – Professor, University of Southern California
Judith Sills, Ph. D – Clinical Psychologist
Ross Koppel, Ph. D – Sociology Department, University of Pennsylvania
Barbara Risman, Ph. D – Professor, North Carolina State University, Raleigh-Durham
Judith Sills, PhD – Author
is a published authority and a tenured professor of Sociology
at the University of Washington
. Dr. Schwartz regularly lectures on topics ranging from communication between men and women in intimate and work relationships, to maintaining personal and family well-being in today's world.
She has appeared as a frequent guest expert on the Today Show, Oprah
, The Dr. Phil Show and CNN. Her written contributions have appeared in the New York Times, Parents Magazine, Psychology Today
, iVillage, and LifetimeTV
.com. Dr. Schwartz has authored 16 books including Everything You Know About Love and Sex Is Wrong and Finding Your Perfect Match: Eight keys to finding lasting love through true compatibility.
Dr. Schwartz’ holds a B.A. and M.A. from Washington University in St. Louis where she was also a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. She holds an M.A. and PhD in Sociology from Yale University
. In August 2005, she received the national award for the Public Understanding of Sociology by the American Sociological Association
and is the recipient of numerous distinguished awards including the Matrix Award for Achievement in Education.
Perfectmatch has seen an increased level of membership in the 50+ demographic. Perfectmatch.com allows same sex matches on their site. Competitor eHarmony
does not.
and the Better Business Bureau
(BBB) handled nearly 150 incidents in the last 3 years and does not hold a good standing with the BBB. The Seattle Times stated that the Attorney Generals Office gave up on some complaints when the company didn't respond to their letters.
Many of the Perfectmatch complaints were about the company's automatic-renewal policy. Unless members cancel their membership before the end of the period they agreed to, it is automatically renewed at the end of the period and they are billed again, although this is stated on their website as a practice. Members complain about a lack of cooperation in obtaining refunds to this practice.
There is also widespread controversy about the site not being as 'active or responsive' as it claims, with members not getting responses from other members and lack of matches per numerous postings and online reviews.
Pepper Schwartz
Pepper Schwartz, PhD, is an American sociologist and sexologist teaching at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, United States. She is the author or co-author of numerous books, magazines, website columns, and a television personality on the subject of sexuality.Schwartz is notable...
who based Duet on more than 30 years of research. Duet is modeled after the Myers-Briggs test.
History
Perfectmatch.com is venture capital funded and was founded in August 2003. It was created and is managed by Duane Dahl, Cindy Henry-Dahl, and Jason McVey who previously built and managed Kiss.com/uDate.com to over seven million members. Kiss.com/uDate was sold to InterActiveCorp (Match.com) in 2002.Since 2003, Perfectmatch has partnered with the entertainment industry to build the Perfectmatch brand in a non-traditional manner. For example, they have partnered with iVillage
IVillage
iVillage, Inc. is a media company that is owned by NBCUniversal. The site focuses on categories targeted at women, including Food, Health, Entertainment, Family, Beauty & Style. Additional businesses and brand extensions within iVillage Networks include iVillage UK, NBC Digital Health Network,...
, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, Oxygen Networks
Oxygen (TV channel)
Oxygen is an American cable television specialty channel with television programming marketed towards women, with a format similar to Lifetime.- History :...
, Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
and NBC Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
and many others. The company has also been prominently featured in these entertainment-related shows or events:
The Retirement Living Television series “Another Chance for Romance” in February 2008. Hosted by Roger Lodge
Roger Lodge
Roger Lodge is an American game show host, sports radio host, and actor.-Life and career:Lodge was born as Rogelio Chavez in Fontana, California and raised in Cerritos, California. Lodge currently serves as Executive Producer and host of HDNET's "CELEBRIDATE", scheduled to debut in October of 2011...
, the segments also featured commentary by Dr. Pepper Schwartz, utilized the Duet Total Compatibility System, and included numerous Southern California-area members of Perfectmatch.com, all of whom paired up on blind dates using the Duet System.
In August 2007, Commission Junction
Commission Junction
Commission Junction is an online advertising company owned by ValueClick and operating in the affiliate marketing industry. The company is the largest affiliate network in North America and operates worldwide. Among the top 500 retailers using 3rd party affiliate marketing software, 62% are powered...
published an Advertisers Case Study about Perfectmatch.com discussing how affiliate sales increased by 300 percent.
The NBC Television special in June 2007 called “The Science of Love
Science of Love
Science of Love is an NBC reality dating show hosted by Mark Consuelos and starring NFL football player Adam Johnson. It premiered on Monday, June 25, 2007....
: A Modern Dating Experiment.” Dr. Pepper Schwartz and the Duet Total Compatibility System were also featured.
The Warner Bros. 2005 summer movie “Must Love Dogs
Must Love Dogs
Must Love Dogs is a 2005 romantic comedy film based on the book written by Claire Cook. It is the third film directed and written by Gary David Goldberg. The film, starring Diane Lane and John Cusack, was produced on a budget of $30 million...
” starring Diane Lane
Diane Lane
Diane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
and John Cusack
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
whose movie characters met on Perfectmatch.com.
The company reports that an entire Valentine’s special Dr. Phil Show broadcast on February 11, 2005 resulted in 207,000 women joining their site that day.
In October 2005, Perfectmatch served as the online dating service working with Live with Regis and Kelly
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
in their efforts to assist show Production Coordinator, Lori Schulweis, during her two week search to find her own perfect match.
Perfectmatch partnered with CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in the fall 2005 to kick off the first season of “How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
” by creating a matching game of the shows characters based on the Duet Total Compatibility System and helping to stage a dating/social event in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
at Grand Central
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
.
Perfectmatch was the backdrop of the Lifetime Original teleplay “Perfect Romance” featuring Kathleen Quinlan, Henry Ian Cusick, star of “Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
”, and Lori Heuring. “Perfect Romance” originally aired in June 2004 and continues to be aired routinely.
Perfectmatch was also shown in the movie Paul Blart: Mall Cop.
The Duet Total Compatibility System
The Duet Total Compatibility System analyzes takes into account each member’s Personality, Values and Ideals, Life and Lovestyle and Preferences to identify and help them find the person right for them. The company reports that “Duet is a unique and proprietary system that enables Perfectmatch to provide both the best online capabilities and member experience to those seeking a real loveLove
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
, a relationship or marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
.”
The Duet Total Compatibility System was written and developed by Dr. Schwartz and the Perfectmatch.com team. Duet does not match people only on similar character traits, but complementary traits of two potential partners.
In January 2006, Dr. Schwartz published the book "Finding Your Perfect Match" (Penguin) based upon The Duet Total Compatibility System. According to Amazon.com as of September 27, 2007 the book “helps readers identify the eight specific personality characteristics that they need to understand about themselves-and others. And the Duet(tm) Total Compatibility System, a sophisticated yet easy-to-follow series of self-tests that have helped thousands of people in their search for love, gives them an intimate and honest appraisal of who they are, what they want, and ultimately, who they should be with.
This approach not only helps reveal each person's unique romantic profile, but also identifies five major lifestyle issues that can have a dramatic impact on the long-term success of their relationships: money, sex, children, core values, and social life. Readers will also be able to uncover the deal-breakers, to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and to determine whether someone is a potential match before getting deeply involved.”
The test for The Duet Total Compatibility System is broken into specific testing areas: Similarity and Complementary. When score from these two areas are combined, they give a member a description of and an explanation of their personality type.
Similarity
A set of true or false questions addressing Romantic Impulsivity, Personal Energy, Outlook, and PredictabilityComplementary
A set of true or false questions addressing Flexibility, Decision Making Style, Emotionality, and Self-Nurturing.Endorsements
Graham Spanier, President – Penn State UniversityBarry Glassner, Ph. D – Professor, University of Southern California
Judith Sills, Ph. D – Clinical Psychologist
Ross Koppel, Ph. D – Sociology Department, University of Pennsylvania
Barbara Risman, Ph. D – Professor, North Carolina State University, Raleigh-Durham
Judith Sills, PhD – Author
Pepper Schwartz PhD
Relationship expert, Dr. Pepper SchwartzPepper Schwartz
Pepper Schwartz, PhD, is an American sociologist and sexologist teaching at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, United States. She is the author or co-author of numerous books, magazines, website columns, and a television personality on the subject of sexuality.Schwartz is notable...
is a published authority and a tenured professor of Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. Dr. Schwartz regularly lectures on topics ranging from communication between men and women in intimate and work relationships, to maintaining personal and family well-being in today's world.
She has appeared as a frequent guest expert on the Today Show, Oprah
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, The Dr. Phil Show and CNN. Her written contributions have appeared in the New York Times, Parents Magazine, Psychology Today
Psychology Today
Psychology Today is a bi-monthly magazine published in the United States. It is a psychology-based magazine about relationships, health, and related topics written for a mass audience of non-psychologists. Psychology Today was founded in 1967 and features articles on such topics as love,...
, iVillage, and LifetimeTV
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
.com. Dr. Schwartz has authored 16 books including Everything You Know About Love and Sex Is Wrong and Finding Your Perfect Match: Eight keys to finding lasting love through true compatibility.
Dr. Schwartz’ holds a B.A. and M.A. from Washington University in St. Louis where she was also a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. She holds an M.A. and PhD in Sociology from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. In August 2005, she received the national award for the Public Understanding of Sociology by the American Sociological Association
American Sociological Association
The American Sociological Association , founded in 1905 as the American Sociological Society , is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology by serving sociologists in their work and promoting their contributions to serve society.The ASA holds its...
and is the recipient of numerous distinguished awards including the Matrix Award for Achievement in Education.
Claims
Perfectmatch consciously avoids attracting members interested only in casual dating.Perfectmatch has seen an increased level of membership in the 50+ demographic. Perfectmatch.com allows same sex matches on their site. Competitor eHarmony
EHarmony
eHarmony is an online dating website grounded in relationship science that matches single men and women for long-term relationships. To optimize the matching process, eHarmony operates eHarmony Labs, a relationship research facility, and publishes eHarmony Advice, a relationship advice site...
does not.
Criticism
In 2006, Perfectmatch.com was stung with controversy over numerous complaints about poor service and failure to response to refund requests. The Washington State Attorney General's office fielded at least 18 complaintsand the Better Business Bureau
Better Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau , founded in 1912, is a corporation consisting of several private business franchises of local BBB organizations based in the United States and Canada, which work through their parent corporation, the Council of Better Business Bureaus .The Better Business Bureau, through...
(BBB) handled nearly 150 incidents in the last 3 years and does not hold a good standing with the BBB. The Seattle Times stated that the Attorney Generals Office gave up on some complaints when the company didn't respond to their letters.
Many of the Perfectmatch complaints were about the company's automatic-renewal policy. Unless members cancel their membership before the end of the period they agreed to, it is automatically renewed at the end of the period and they are billed again, although this is stated on their website as a practice. Members complain about a lack of cooperation in obtaining refunds to this practice.
There is also widespread controversy about the site not being as 'active or responsive' as it claims, with members not getting responses from other members and lack of matches per numerous postings and online reviews.