It's Just Lunch ripoff, fraudulent business practices, deceptive service offers Boise Idaho
As an ex employee of It's Just Lunch, I am concerned about this company getting away with deceptive business practices. This is not a service for "Busy Professional People," as they state in their advertisements. This service is for any one foolish enough to pay for it. I say that with respect because I know first hand they are simply preying on people in vulnerable situations. They literally will take anyone who will sign up. They also make false claims as to how many people they have as clients. If you are told 300, the real answer is probably around 60. I believe it is common practice in all locations for them to create this figure by including anyone who may have ever been a client, active or not.
Yes, you are guaranteed 14 to 16 dates within a one year period. What they fail to tell you is that it is only going to be a date with whoever comes up on their query and needs to "GO OUT". Potential clients sit thru a LONG interview process with a director and are made to feel that they are special and there are many matches for them. This is all a sales ploy and rehearsed script to gain your trust. Often times, there are not any matches that are anywhere close to what the customer is "looking for."
Yet, they are assured there are many and that IJL needs new members just like them. Once a pontential customer pays the enormous fee upfront anywhere from $995 to $1500, they are pretty much turned over to a coordinator with whom they will only speak. There will be no more contact with the Director that they signed up with. They will always be told that the Directors are in an interview or meeting should they want to speak with them.
Customer service becomes an issue because the client will usually start to complain about the type of people that they are being sent out with. They will be told that they may "need to relax their parameters." Basically meaning that they are expecting to much from this service.
They DO NOT match from criteria such as professions, religion, political preferences, children, smoking, weight, height or baldness. Although during the interview these things are stressed so that you will feel as though IJL really carea about your choices. For example: If you request that you do not wish to date someone with children or anyone the smokes and no LDS. Chances are you will end up going out with someone that has one of more of these criteria. You find out during the course of the date and can't understand why they would send you out on with this person because you specifically said that was not your wishes. You will be told that you need to "Relax your parameters" You are to hard to match.
The reason that person was chosen is because you had x,y,and z in common. This is what they use to match your activites and interest.
Also, there is a Large turn over in employees, Directors are required to meet unrealistic sales goals from 10 to 16 joins every 2 weeks. Coordinators also have goals that have to be matched. This is why they will send you out with anyone because their pay checks depend on it!! Everyone has strict sales scripts that must be used.
I am SOOO thankful that I am no longer an employee of this FRAUDULENT company. I could not believe the business practices that are allowed, encouraged, worst of all expected within this company. They put on such a front about being featured on Oprah and Wall Street Journal.
I am sure that Oprah would not endorse this company if she really new the inside practices used. I just emplore anyone that is thinking about joining this company, DO NOT DO IT save your money and used all the old fashioned methodsof dating you will be much happier and have more money in your pocket.
If you are thinking about applying for a job because of the amount of $$$$ they say you can make, it is a farce. You will not work there long enough to see it. You will either quit because you can't sleep at night or you will be fired because you missed you sales quota. Plus, by this time you have caught on to all the underhanded tactics of the company and if you question them you become a unstable asset. They will remove you quickly so that you can't "rock the boat."
This company needs to be shut down. Please do not let your friends or family fall for any of the unscrupilous tactics.
Concerned Ex-Employee
anywhere, Idaho
U.S.A.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Possible Prior Client
Lombard,Illinois,
U.S.A.
A possible prior client....
#4Consumer Comment
Sat, July 11, 2009
I'm just curious if anyone knows if IJL went by a different name at one time? I'm asking because I used a service that sounds VERY similar to this one about 11 or 12 years ago. The office was located on Butterfield in Downers Grove (a suburb of Chicago for those who are not familiar), and the interview process went almost exactly how Daphne had described it......they stroked my ego and lifted me up, leaving me feeling so good about myself. I felt so good, that a small part of me did wonder if it was all an act. They also matched you with everyone and anyone that was available, regardless of anything that was discussed prior. At one point in time, they had me going out with so many guys.....it almost felt like a second job, and my friends were laughing because they'd say the company was actually "pimping" me out. Yes I know that it's kind of funny, but the reality of it, was that the company charged me for their service, yet they used me and disregarded what I was looking for completely. One thing they did differently, from the sounds of it, was that they would actually send each person a letter form saying something along the lines of, "Company XYZ thinks that we should meet."
I have searched and searched and I can not seem to find anything at all on this company, so I am convinced that they have to still be in business, just under a different name. Does anyone know if this may be the case and what the old company name might have been?
Mark
Las Vegas,Nevada,
U.S.A.
what's Daphne's failure?
#4Consumer Comment
Sun, May 11, 2008
I feel there's more than just a grain of truth in this complaint. It seems to me that she quite because she found a lot of things repulsive about It's Just Lunch. I'm sure that you don't tell people all the negative things about the job going going in because you don't want to turn off prospective employees. This former employee had discovered some particulars around those negatives and simply decided to quit accordingly, and you haven't given any real reason for anyone to doubt that.
She certainly didn't make any personal stabs in her complaint, such as you have in your rebuttal of it, with suggestions of individual "failure", or whatever. And just about everything she said stands totally unrebutted in your flowery reply about how happy you are to be doing such wonderful things.
I'm an interested party because I've been wronged by this company as a client. Please refer to my complaint I have posted.
Its Just Lunch
Kuna,Idaho,
U.S.A.
Dating Made Easy!!
#4REBUTTAL Owner of company
Fri, August 31, 2007
Well, this report has just been brought to my attention and I am shocked to read it!! Obviously Daphne is a great example of a disgruntled employee. She was in our office here in Boise for about 10 days. I feel sorry for her. Unfortunate that this was not the job for her, but how sad to try to blame It's Just Lunch for her own failures.
I am very proud to be the owner of the It's Just Lunch Franchise here in Boise, ID. Though we have only been here about a year and a half, we have already had such amazing successes that it is so rewarding. We have about 450 clients now and continue to ad anywhere from 15 to 40 new clients per month. We have had one wedding that came to fruition through an introduction through our service and several engagements. We have over 40 people that are exclusively dating people that they met in our service. Pretty exciting!!
What we offer our clients is a safe, no pressure environment to meet like minded professionals that they would not normally meet. We are first date specialists. And when you join our service for one year (which costs $1,500 now) you are guaranteed a minimum of 14 dates. Depending on how you use your membership you could take up to two years to fully utilize it. You get 12 months of active dating time and 12 months of inactive dating time when you join. This gives you the flexibility of putting your membership on hold if you are busy with work or family OR if you meet someone that you want to date exclusively for a while. Once you join our service we do all of the work for you. We hand pick your matches and we arrange schedules and actually make the reservation for you. Reservations are made on a first name basis only as we never give out last names, phone numbers, or place of employment. Everything is professional, discreet, and confidential.
I have had the joy of watching this service change many people's lives in a positive manner and in many different ways. I have seen people who have been through nasty divorces regain their self esteem and zest for life and for fun by joining our service and putting themselves back out there. I have seen people fall madly in love. I have seen many new friendships born and enjoyed by many, many people. We are so lucky here in Boise, ID with the quality of people that live here and want to date here. My clients are fit, active people that do not smoke, take pride in themselves and their environment and are generally positive minded.
Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions regarding our service and I also have available many testimonials from happy clients that I am happy to share!!
I am hopeful that Daphne has found joy in her life and wish her the best in the future. Thank you, Daphne, for giving me another outlet to talk about the wonderful service that we offer, the wonderful clients that we have, and what a joy it is to own It's Just Lunch in Boise, Idaho!!