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September 07, 2005

Fast Cupid seeks Fast Cash

I knew Spring Street was becoming Fast Cupid, and that they would be making changes to the service.

I never would have guessed, however, that they would do the following:

It's shocking that a company that had such a great membership and community would pull such an insulting move. My time on the network is limited, and I may ask for a refund for the $25 I recently spent for more credits.

The email I received touting the new features follows...

Dear member,

The Onion Personals Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to The Onion Personals, the personals for people who don't need personals – it's flirting, redefined. The Onion Personals has gone through a few changes. Below you'll find some of the most commonly asked questions and our best attempts at answering them. You can find answers to most questions in just a few moments. If your question is still unanswered, please contact our Customer Service department.

Let the games begin...

I used to have more than one profile, but now only have one. What happened to the others? Can I get them back?

Our new system offers many more features than the old one did, including various types of social networking. In order to make this possible, each member must have one identity on the site. To these ends, when we migrated your information, we chose your active profile and made that your "handle." Your handle is what you are known by on this site. We believe that by choosing your active profile, we chose the face you were presenting to the world and that you'd want to keep. There's always the chance that you would rather present another face on the site. If you have a problem or question, please contact Customer Service.

In the past, I had contacted people through a different profile name and now they see my emails listed as my current/only profile name. They weren't supposed to know that!

We apologize for any inconvenience that may have been caused by our transition from the old system to the new one. We have made every attempt to retain what was good about the old system while adding more features that members have been requesting. Some members were using multiple profiles on the site, and while we hope that the consolidation of profiles didn't expose anything you meant to keep hidden, we hope that the site is used with the full openness and honesty that makes for a solid foundation for any relationship.

I was able to view unlimited profiles without upgrading to a premium membership but now I can't. What happened?

We think that we've created the best system for meeting people online. It's more than just a way to browse/search for people, but a chance for you to get to know them through our new social networking features. To best take advantage of the new features, we believe that a premium membership is the best way to go, and we've fine-tuned our system for this. To help ease the transition from one system to another, we've allowed each member the chance to use the new system as they used to, but we hope that after getting to know the new site you will want to upgrade to a premium membership.

What is the difference between credits & points?

Our new system uses points instead of credits. They're basically the same, but with a different value per unit. Just like one British Pound has an equivalent value is US Dollars, there is direct relation between points and credits. Any existing credits you had were migrated over and converted to the equivalent number of points (roughly 200 to 1).

Why does it costs me more to email in the new system (by points) than it did before (by credits)?

Our new system uses points instead of credits. We've migrated any existing credits you had to the equivalent cash value in points (roughly 200 to 1), so you didn't lose any money. But if you have seen the pricing chart, you might notice that 200 points costs a bit more than 1 credit did (prices vary with the package you purchase). While we regret the confusion, we think we've provided ways to make up for the difference. First, in the new system in addition to the usual ways to SPEND credits/points, we offer ways to EARN them. By doing things such as uploading photos and referring friends, you can earn points which you can use towards contacting other members. More importantly, we offer premium memberships so that you never have to worry about how many points you have. Even more exciting, we're offering features you currently had to pay for (Instant Messaging) as well as new social networking features which are new to the site. We think that overall you're getting much more for your money.

What's the advantage of upgrading to premium memberships?

In the past, you've had to search very carefully and try to decide who to spend your precious credits on. Almost hoarding them. You just might have let that special someone slip by. But never again! With our new social networking features, you'll have many more chances to get to know other members and you're going to want to send messages to carry on the conversation. Premium memberships give you unlimited access to all the features on this site, so you never have to think about points again.

I'm getting so much more email, what do I do to stop it?

It's a fine line, we know. The old system might have left you with too few emails in your inbox as members hoarded their credits. And now the new system, with premium members' ability to send unlimited* emails, may mean you have too many. While you can't do much to save an empty inbox, we do offer useful tools to help you filter out unwanted emails. The Message Center offers a series of filters that allow you to direct email from unwanted contacts into a "filtered" folder rather than your inbox. Those filters can be part of your Cupid settings (age, weight, height, location, etc.). We give you the power to get it all, yet sift out the good stuff. We're tempted to call it "Panning for Love."

What happened to the "Get Matched" feature?

It's there and improved! Check out Cupid and choose what you're looking for. You now have the ability to apply Cupid settings to filter your search results. Cupid allows you to set many of the same preferences like before, plus you use those same settings to help filter incoming messages, to make sure you get emails from just the people you're looking to meet.

What happened to the people on my Hot List?

People in your Hot List didn't move, but they may be called a different name (handle). Since members now have one profile, some of their less active personas dropped off. For some, that means you can search the listings and find that member to re-add them with their right handle. It could be that the person you had in your Hot List didn't log in for over 12 months. In that case, you can find "new" Hot List-worthy members.

What happened to the "Find Online Matches" feature?

This feature is still there, just called something different. To see online members, just choose "Who's Online Now" on the home page. It's in the "Find Your Special Someone" section of the page. This search, like all others, can be filtered using Cupid settings that include things such as preferred age range, location, etc.

What happened to the "Don't View Again" feature?

It's been improved to cover a wider range of members fitting (or not fitting) certain criteria. When searching, use the Cupid Filters to avoid undesired members. You can also use your Message Center Filters to free your inbox of unwanted messages.

How do I hide my instant chat status?

You don't need to. The new system works a little differently. In the old system, anytime you were logged in, you were "available" for chat. In the new system, you choose when you'd like to chat or message someone. When you've entered those sections of the site, you'll see other members who are ready to chat and they'll see you.

How can I hide my uploaded photos?

Hide those "special" photos or old pictures by setting your profile to "off". For more information, see "How do I temporarily turn my listing off?" in the Help section.

If you have any questions or comments, please logon to the site and click Help.

Thank you!
The The Onion Personals Team!

Posted by bengel at September 7, 2005 11:58 PM

Comments

My empathies and sympathies. Fast Cupid sucks in more ways than I can possibly count. Not only is it more expensive, invasive, and totally lame - it's just plain more difficult to use. I really liked onion personals, and have used them for years. I just can't see using this service.

Posted by: skm at September 15, 2005 02:15 PM

I agree, I agree. I used to be on nerve and I hate the new service. Maybe this will be the end of online dating for me. It's totally invasive. I deleted my profile when I found I had been posted without any kind of consulting, on something that looked an awful lot like a gay dating site. huh? How did that happen? When I tried to delete that profile, which I didn't want going up, I could no longer log in to nerve personals, but was prevented from rejoining because I am still in their database as a member.
I was reading a blog of one of the people who is also pissed with the changes, but you can't comment on it unless you are a member. Of course, having lost my membership (credits and all) by accident, I couldn't do anything. agggrh.

Posted by: reb at September 17, 2005 10:20 PM

Just got into theonion personals a few weeks ago before the change. i agree, it seems like the new changes really suck. completely useless/broken interface now... stupid stupid stupid... glad I didn't drop some money on credits a few weeks back when I was thinking about it... stupid stupid lame lame lame...

Posted by: Something at September 18, 2005 05:33 AM

Yes. Fast Cupid most definitely sucks. Ferociously. I have been accidentally locked out of my profile twice, both times I wrote them letters and both times they have ignored them, not writing back until roughly a week later.

The whole gold membership thing is idiotic. The personals questions are more menu driven now, such that you cannot enter clever/witty answers ... and the page layout is well ... terribly designed.

I still cant log in and I recently bought credits. What a bunch of assholes.

They've lost my business for good, I wonder how many more.

Posted by: Anonymous Coward at September 27, 2005 06:00 PM

Wow, the new site really does suck!! There was an initial communication a few weeks ago promising that things would improve quickly, but the site remains the same, and the setup & philosophy is just plain bad.

Count me as one more they've lost for good.

Nerve, The Onion, and other respected (intelligent) publications would be wise to disassociate from the low class outfit that is now running Spring Street.

Posted by: Stacy at October 1, 2005 11:31 PM

does anyone know any TRULY free ones that actually have intelligent, cultured people on them? i checked makeoutclub.com but ALL the girls are snobs. all of them. i've emailed like 500 of them, too. never once got a reply.

-chris

Posted by: chris at October 4, 2005 03:33 PM

This is my problem with FASTCUPID

I have got my friend's handle and password and I can see that xxx's profile is turned off. What is that? I don't WANT TO RESTORE ANY ACCOUNT.For the LAST TIME I want it fucking deleted.


Date: 8 Oct 2005 03:02:30 -0000
subject: Re: fastcupid.com - Remove/Delete Account [19484817]

personals.fastcupid@fastcupid.com wrote:

Dear xxxx,

The system shows that your account was deleted by the owner - you. Whether intentionally or not, it seems that you clicked on the "Delete account" link located on My Account page.

If you wish to restore this deleted account, please send the following information so that I may help you:

* Your handle
* The site you are on
* Your password
* The email address used to join our site

Thank you,

Sasa M.
fastcupid.com Support


=========================================================
====================
Part 1
====================
Dear Yok,

My profile name is xxxx, my email address, xxx@yahoo.com and my old handle is joana_2. However I no longer can log in to fastcupid personals. But the profile is right there.I`m sure there is something that you can do to resolve that.

Thank you so much for the help and attention.

Yours sinceraly,


personals.fastcupid@fastcupid.com wrote:

Dear Member,

I have received your email requesting Customer Support, but was unable to find your account. Please send the following information so that I may help you:

* Your handle
* Your password
* The email address used to join FastCupid
* The details of your situation

By sending this information, I will be able to access your account right away and have this situation resolved for you.


Thank You,
Yop K.
Billing Services
FastCupid

=========================================================
====================
Part 1
====================
Dear Ms.C

I put my name on that profile and I would like to see it deleted.Is it possible that my profile is deleted?


personals.fastcupid@fastcupid.com wrote:

Dear Member,

Unfortunately, every handle and password that is created is unique to that site. If you would like to use any of our other websites, you will need to sign up for them seperately. You can do so by the following:

1. Go to the site you wish to join.
2. Click on any of the "Join Now" buttons.
3. Fill out the membership forms - it takes 5 minutes!
4. Click on "Join".

Please contact us if you have anymore questions.

Regards,

Mary C.
FastCupid Billing

=========================================================
====================
Part 1
====================
Dear Ms. G

I would like to rejoin the Friend Finder but I don't want to have my old account and profile available online at the same time! When will the old account be removed so I can join the personals again ?

Yours faithfully,

xxxx

personals.fastcupid@fastcupid.com wrote:

Dear Member,

We're sorry to see you leave our site, and hope that you have enjoyed your time here. As per your request, your account has been removed from our system. If you wish to rejoin the Friend Finder community at any time you will need to create a new profile.

If you have any further billing related questions, feel free to contact the Billing Department directly at:

Telephone: (650) 847-3149 or (888) 575-8383
Email: billing@fastcupid.com


Thank You,

Maria G.
FastCupid Support

=========================================================
====================
Part 1
====================
Dear Mr. K

Why can't my profile be deleted?

personals.fastcupid@fastcupid.com wrote:

Dear Member,

Due to accounting purposes we cannot delete all the information. If you have any further questions please feel free to email us back.

Thank You,
Yop K.
Billing Services
FastCupid

=========================================================

Type: Remove/Delete Account
Handle:
Email:
LEVEL:
PWSID:
Browser:
Date: 09/30/2005

COMMENT:
Browsing the site I found my profile xxxx online. I think there`s an error because I have already requested the cancellation of my account. I would like to request the password to this account since the email address witch I joined in with is not available so I could access the account to delete it. I would be grateful if you could look into this matter and ensure that my account is removed.

Posted by: Joana at October 8, 2005 08:38 AM

Joana, your story is infuriating but hilarious. And it seems like Reb (commenter above) had a similar problem.

The more I see from Fast Cupid, the more it seems that they are outright unaware of the community they serve. There are companies that claim to be close to their customers, those who actually are, and those that don't realize that they should be. Fast Cupid seems to be the latter.

Fast Cupid, we *want* you to be good. We loved you so much. We beg you, take a step back and a humble look at the people who use your service. You'll discover amazing things, and I'm willing to bet you'll attract new users by the droves and get your existing ones to engage more.

And a little plug: You might want to start by hiring an outside firm to help get you on the right track.

Posted by: Blake at October 8, 2005 12:21 PM

Since so many of us lost money (or will be losing it) on this deal, I'm wondering if it's worth registering a complaint with the Dept. of Consumer Services in the state where FastCupid has its headquarters. Does anyone know where that is?

Posted by: sweetaddie at October 10, 2005 08:49 PM

Well, Fast Cupid is based in California. But I'd rather encourage people to take the positive route on this -- write a letter to them, tell them how much you value their service and want to continue to use it and be a part of their community. But if you feel they've made mistakes, tell them! If they are running an ethical business (and I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt that they are), they will want to fix the problem.

Posted by: Blake at October 11, 2005 10:26 AM

Hello my friend, I'd like to ask you a suggestion on how to answer this enphamia: Dear Member The account is deleted. But due to accounting reasons we cannot
delete all the info in our system. If you have any further questions
please email us back.
This was sent last week after the email I sent and posted here, the previous one (and also added the url of this page, I hope you don't mind).All I want is to disable the profile that has my name and initial last name on it.Otherwise I'll be married and the profile will still be there, maybe it is my contribution to the future, who knows? Seriously, I do not know what else to say to them, maybe I'm being too harsh on them? I did not spend a nickel on the site (and obviously won't do it). Give me an idea will you? Desperate.

Posted by: Joana at October 19, 2005 11:12 AM