eHarmony found to have misled Australian subscribers

The Federal Court of Australia has ruled that the US-based dating platform eHarmony misled hundreds of thousands of Australian subscribers regarding subscription costs and renewal terms. The court found that the company breached consumer law through deceptive practices between November 2019 and June 2024.

Key findings included the company advertising free basic memberships that did not actually allow users to communicate with others for romantic purposes, effectively forcing them into paid tiers. Additionally, eHarmony misled customers by suggesting premium subscriptions were for finite periods, such as one, six, or twelve months, when they actually automatically renewed for much longer durations at significantly higher costs.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) initiated the legal action following hundreds of consumer complaints. Evidence presented to the court highlighted instances where users were charged hundreds of dollars after deleting their profiles or were referred to debt collection agencies following unexpected auto-renewals. Approximately 1.3 million Australians registered for basic accounts during the period, with over 258,000 paying for premium services. The court has yet to determine the penalties for these breaches.