A North Texas woman was willing to go the extra mile to find love, but it came at a huge cost.
Lisa Curiel grew up in a town with one blinking light.
"Yeah, I'm like a country girl," Curiel said.
When the dating website Dallas & Fort Worth Singles promised high quality guys just for her, she bit.
She wanted someone financially stable, a Christian and a cowboy.
"I wanted somebody who could dance," Curiel said.
Her contract essentially promised 15 names and phone numbers for $15,000.
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"They said the background checks, that they're good men, you know, good jobs and they're upstanding citizens," Curiel said.
She was set up on three dates.
"I would ask them, 'Do you know how to country western dance?' And they're like, 'No,'" she said.
She says the guys would say, "If that's what you're looking for, we might as well just hang up now."
She claims none of them fit her requirements, not even remotely.
"I wanted somebody that was definitely Christian, and none of those men went to church," Curiel said.
A representative for the dating company says the men didn't connect with Curiel for various other reasons, but they matched her correctly based on preferences.
And in one case, she had several dates with a gentleman before they both agreed to go in another direction.
The company says when that relationship failed, Curiel wanted her money back. Curiel says that's when Dallas & Fort Worth Singles started insulting her.
"She said that she had a recorded conversation from the third guy that I dated that said that we were sexual, and that he told her that all I wanted was a bed buddy," Curiel said.
Right off the bat, Curiel denied that, but was shocked by the claim.
An attorney for Dallas & Fort Worth Singles said they were wrong to say it, the staff would be counseled and it wouldn't happen again, but it did happen again.
Staff members at the dating company said the same thing to us repeatedly via text message.
"They prey on people," Curiel said.
The company's lawyer wouldn't give a refund, but he agreed Curiel didn't get all she paid for. They promised to restart their client relationship and promised entirely new staff members to help match Curiel with someone new.
Curiel decided to decline the offer and find love in a simpler way – love for the life she leads, as the country girl with goats.
Before signing up with a dating service, here's what you should keep in mind:
- Many of these dating companies don't have refund policies. You have to ask yourself if you're prepared to lose the money it costs if it doesn't work out.
- Talk to people who actually used the service, and think about it: does it take thousands of dollars to find a Texan who likes to dance? You might save some money.
