Jocelyn P.

Scam. Scam. Scam. Super shady business practices... I saw a digital ad for Events & Adventures on my Facebook feed, and I was curious because the marketing materials looked really great, so I signed up for an "interview." The hour long Zoom meeting I went to with one of their representatives was one really long sales pitch, and highly manipulative. What to Expect in Your Interview - Over the course of the hour, they will continually ask you to identify things that are important to you in terms of dating, socializing and activities, and then they will explain to you how E&A is the perfect fit for exactly what you are looking for in a fun and exclusive membership club. It will seem like they'll say anything to get you to sign up and that it's too good to be true. They will use high pressure sales tactics at the end of the meeting to try to force you to commit to an expensive one or two year contract right there in the Zoom meeting, based on vague information about the membership communicated orally (nothing in writing is offered). The answers I was given for specific questions I asked in the interview felt deliberately vague. For example, I pointed out a logical fallacy - If you commit to a two year contract, and then begin a romantic relationship with someone nine months in, you can't cancel your paid membership, but you also would no longer meet the criteria to be a member because you are no longer single. The sales rep brushed off my point with a vague answer about how alot of marriage engagements last as long as three years and technically those people are still single. I also asked about the diversity and demographics of their membership. I was told that the diversity of the membership in my area "looks like Chicago," even though the sales rep was in South Florida and said she had only been to Chicago one time. She also said that I'm in the "sweet spot" center of the age range for members at 45 years old, and that the gender ratio for the membership is 50%/50%. They painted a rosy picture of a demographic catered specifically to me, giving no actual evidence, facts or statistics. The activities calendar I was showed in the meeting included no pricing information for events. I asked for an estimate of additional costs beyond the membership fees. I was told that other out of pocket costs would include parking, event tickets, and food/beverages, but given no estimated dollar amount. Which begs the question, what does the $3,000-4,000 that I would be paying (broken down into a high monthly fee) actually cover? I told the sales rep that I needed to sleep on it and couldn't commit to a membership at that moment. The representative then proceeded to use bullying, guilt tripping, creating a sense of urgency and other manipulative tactics to try to persuade me to sign up right then and there. (I think they are trained to take advantage of the emotions people feel when speaking about personal things like dating, divorce, family and socializing, for sales purposes). The rep also later sent one of the most unprofessional emails I've ever seen requesting personal information like a copy of my Drivers License or Passport and the last four digits of my SS#. I was never shown a contract or any contract language, and I never received any details about a background check. I sent the sales rep an email response letting her know that I wouldn't be moving forward with a membership because of the negative reviews and information I found on the Better Business Bureau's website. I was sent this short email back (the typos are real!) - "You might want to look at Goggle comments and Consumer Affairs where to comments are verified, I think you will see a big difference. We would never be around for 37 years!" I feel very lucky to have taken a beat and done my due diligence before signing anything with E&A. Comments on the BBB's website were particularly helpful. It seems that people who actually signed the contract and tried to use the service have had even worse experiences including financial harm and terrible experiences at their events. My pre-sign up experience checks out with the other complaints I've read. My Advice - RUN, don't walk away from this company. Do not sign any contracts or give them any form of payment. Save yourself the hassle and seek out other options.