Don't be fooled by this organization. It's Just Lunch charged me $1000 for membership in what was to be a professional organization that would "match" me on dates. Supposedly it is a service for busy professionals - not true. From the inception of my membership I have had to manage the organization. Once I signed up and paid $1, 000, I didn't hear from them for several weeks. After I contacted them to find out if I would actually be matched with a date, they told me I would have that date. Then someone called and asked me for available dates - I gave them 3 dates and never heard back from them. I contacted them again at which point they told me they had a great match for me, again I gave them dates. When they confirmed the location of date, they gave me misinformation only after they scheduled the date at a restaurant that was closed. I showed up for the date and was stood up. No phone call, nothing. The next day, I couldn't even reach someone at IJL - funny, I thought they would reach to to me with some type of apology or explanation - nothing. At that point, I wanted out - I had a sense that they were not a professional organization as evidenced by their actions. They refused my request only after passing me around to several of their "employees". When I finally agreed to continue with the membership, they matched me with someone who was completely inappropriate for me - as if they hadn't read my profile. After that date I again tried to secure a refund even willing to have the fee prorated for the one mis match they made for me. I was assured by one of their managers that she would personally oversee my next match. 5 weeks passed without a word from them - that was her idea of overseeing my match. Since then I have been trying to secure a refund to no avail. I have been passed around from one "manager" to the next. I was insulted by one of the managers which was truly unbelievable until another manager said "there is nothing in our contract about customer service, that's not what we offer..." Then I realized that it was a total scam.

On 1/13/10, I joined the dating service It's Just Lunch. I met with Director Tsuki Reynoso who interviewed me and decided immediately that I would be a good candidate. I had some doubts, especially given the exorbitant annual membership fee of $2200 and had wanted to think about it, but felt pressured by Ms. Reynoso to make a payment before leaving. While I did sign a contract that Ms. Reynoso completed on my behalf, I was still a little uncomfortable and hesitant and offered to only pay 50% ($1100) on my debit card. After additional research I decided to cancel my membership. I have found numerous complaints online from other members across the country and in Canada. Membership fees vary from region to region ($1100, $1400, or $1600), I suppose that variance could be attributed to how large a city/pool of candidates is, but the one consistent issue is that everyone has been VERY unhappy with the service: either they’re poorly matched; the members are not thoroughly or even marginally screened, etc. I read one story of a woman who had been set up with a married man! Ultimately, I am a traditionalist and I just don't feel comfortable meeting men this way. I also found complaints from former employees who have stated that It's Just Lunch institutes discriminatory and deceptive practices, i.e. they do not accept African American or overweight members. Their directors are encouraged to sign up as many members as possible regardless of whether or not they think they have suitable matches AND they do not set up members on their first date until after three business days, which is the grace-period to cancel the agreement without penalty.

On 1/21, I wrote a letter, which I faxed and mailed on 1/22 notifying Ms. Reynoso of my decision to cancel the membership. I further explained that with the demands of my job and heavy travel schedule, I would not be able to maximize the potential benefits, and if I couldn’t do so there was no point in continuing the service. To be fair, I deducted the $200 administrative fee and since I was unsuccessfully matched on one lunch date (1/20), I prorated the incurred expense of $142.86. These figures combined amount to $342.86. I asked to be reimbursed for $757.14. Late in the day on 1/25, I received a call from their coordinator Lindsay to schedule a conference call with Ms. Reynoso for the next day. I gave Lindsay two available timeslots: 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Lindsay never called to confirm an exact time. The following morning (1/26) when 11:00 a.m. came and went without a call, I assumed that Ms. Reynoso would call me at 2:00 p.m., but by 2:05 p.m. when I had still not heard from Ms. Reynoso, I called her. Ms. Reynoso explained that they have a no-refund policy and offered to put my membership on hold. I explained that I was resolute and that if I felt uncomfortable today, I would feel the same two weeks or two months from now. I also confided that I had recently rekindled a former (serious) relationship, but she insisted on placing my membership on hold. I could not understand her inflexibility. What if I were to marry my ex-boyfriend? Would my membership remain on hold indefinitely? Unfortunately, I signed this contract during an especially vulnerable time and if they are never compelled to reimburse me, that will be one VERY expensive date and lesson learned; nevertheless, I wanted to bring this issue to your attention because at the very least, I think their agreement needs to be modified. I am hoping that an attorney of interest will read this letter as I would be willing to join a class action lawsuit. I have found their behavior deplorable, unconscionable, and question the legality (at least) of their actions and most certainly the ethical and moral implications of being forced to go on dates against my will!

Ms. Reynoso then offered to speak with her management team and call me back the next day. Late afternoon on 1/27, I received a voicemail from her that she discussed this issue with her manager, but that she was about to go into a meeting. I called her on 1/28, but she was at lunch, so I left a voicemail. She never called me back. I called her on 1/29; she had already left for the day, so I left another message. I received a voicemail from her on 2/1. I called her back straightaway, but she was unavailable AGAIN! Oddly enough, each time Ms. Reynoso has left me messages, my mobile never rang. I suspect that Ms. Reynoso was surreptitiously calling me from a mobile instead of her landline to avoid speaking with me directly. I joined this service and attempted to quit one week later, but I feel as though the employees at It's Just Lunch are trying to drag out the process until I give up or too much time passes. It's a matter of principle, I should not have to pay for a service I never have any intention of using. I have also filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau (Oakland, CA) and the State Attorney General and will move forward with arbitration, if necessary, but I have no desire to continue this service and they shouldn’t be allowed to hold onto my money. I would appreciate any assistance or intervention you, any fellow “members” or attorneys interested or in the process of litigation can provide on my behalf.

Unfortunately, after volleying emails back and forth with It’s Just Lunch San Francisco franchise owner, Amy Brinkman, the BBB case has been closed and I am awaiting a response from California AG. On 2/24, I followed up my complaints with an email to Irene La Cota, which was interestingly enough intercepted by Ms. Brinkman, wherein she actually had the audacity to threaten me with a collections agency if I do not pay the balance of $1, 100 by March 13th. Do they really expect me to throw good money after bad? Do they actually believe that I would want to remain a client? Quite frankly, I have a very demanding job and have been travelling heavily over the last month. I resent the fact that I am forced to write letter after letter and file complaint after complaint; I have much more important issues/priorities to be addressing just now, mainly an ailing mother and teenage brother to look after, but I will continue to write letters and file complaints because ultimately I question and challenge the immoral and unethical practices of this organization. I will never go on another date arranged by this organization. I want nothing more to do with them. I regret ever setting foot into their offices and wish that I had listened to that little voice in my head telling me to rip up that contract and run away as fast as I can!!! And whether or not anyone can assist, I hope that for the other members my letter will provide a sense of empathetic frustration and for those considering a membership, this should serve as a cautionary tale and if you have the slightest doubts at all, please heed those subconscious warnings…


Warm regards,
Lisa Martinez

I have to agree with the other reviews. In this case, you don't get what you pay for. The membership $1, 800, outcome zilch. The director spent two hours with me describing how wonderful their service is, now that I have personally experienced it... boy are they delusional. They claim to understand what you are looking for, however they don't seem to match you up with your criteria. They tell you one thing, but do another. For me, this is a very expensive lesson learned. For you, buyer beware.

I wanted to let everyone know about this dating service that I recently was a part of and why NOT to sign up for it.

I signed up for the year membership which costs $1, 800. Pretty extreme, but you can take it however you want. When I first began I decided this would be a good investment into my future to find a wonderful woman to spend the rest of my life with. The dating world is not easy here in Chicago and the typical "bar" women are far from the best. So this was another option other than the online dating scene.

Anyway, throughout the year membership I went on over 25 dates with different women, so I feel I am experienced on how this works. IJL leads you to believe that they have the perfect matches for you, which they don't! They call and tell you about the new match: What they like to do, their looks, their activities, their travels, etc... After hearing basically the same description for each woman, I eventually told them to not waste their time in telling me about the details. Every one sounded fantastic, until you went out on the date! Out of these 25+ dates, I would say that only 2 were good looking. Only a few (6) could hold a conversation, and many had completely different views/likes etc...and weren't even close to a match. It is very frustrating to go through that many dates throughout the year and not find 1 woman that I would like to date. This service had no idea of what I was looking for, after several conversations stating what I was in search of. They only meet with you once and somehow they "know" you. You have to explain your likes/dislikes over the phone to someone you have never met. Supposedly, there are a group of people who sit in a room and go over all the different profiles to match you up. I think they just grab the closest match and that's who you will be meeting. There was never a good match and then after complaining several times, IJL had the nerve to ask me to sign up for another year! Crazy! I haven't even spoken to the woman who interviewed me initially (Since I signed up). You would think that she, being the one who "knows" you, would do her best to advise or help in any way possible. She explained that she knew exactly what I was looking for, and I believed her. Unreal. IJL doesn't even show you a picture of the person you are about to go on a date with. If they did that, it would have saved the woman and I a bunch of time. There were very few good looking women, and the ones that were good looking, couldn't hold a conversation or didn't have the same likes/dislikes as I. And I'm sure that everything is vice versa as well...if I wasn't the woman's type, it would have saved her time/money. I wanted to let you know that I wasn't the only one. Several dates (10) that I went on said they hated the service as well and they weren't listening to what they wanted. Some tried to cancel the membership, but IJL wouldn't let them. Throughout the 25+ dates, there wasn't 1 compliment about IJL. Only complaints.

Anyway, to make a long story short:
IJL DOESN'T LISTEN TO YOUR NEEDS
IJL DOESN'T ADVISE YOU ON DATING, OR HELP WITH MATCHING
IJL DOESN'T MATCH YOU WITH PEOPLE THAT YOU CAN RELATE TO
IJL DOESN'T MATCH YOU WITH GOOD LOOKING PEOPLE
IJL ISN'T ANY BETTER THAN ONLINE DATING, WHICH IS MUCH CHEAPER
IJL DOESN'T FULFILL...SIMPLE.

So, in conclusion, if you are considering this service, take my advice and don't waste your money. IJL has been more of an annoyance than anything else. No one seems to know what they are talking about and they are just reading profiles...you could do that online for much less than $1800 + all the food and drinks that you have to spend when you go on these dates. Back to the real dating world...in fact, already have 2 dates lined up WITHOUT the service! Good luck.