Top Dating Services in Austin, TX
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Connections Dating
By mochacrittergirl at Citysearch September 14, 2010
If you feel cheated by Connections Dating I urge you to complain to the BBB and the Texas State Attorney General's office, don't do nothing, this is how businesses with questionable practices get away with things. You are not without recourse.\t\n\t\nDespite the glowing praise for "Mike" in the last post, the singles of Austin should be aware that Michael Miess who is the Executive Director/CEO/Manager whatever title you want to call him, of Connections Dating used to operate the business as Great Expectations and the laundry list of complaints against Great Expectations is miles long. If you go to the BBB website and look up Connections Dating you will see DBA names or business aliases listed there. You'll clearly see that Connections Dating and Great Expectations are the same business entity.\t\n\t\nI would direct link news articles which also name Mr. Miess as an owner of Great Expectations franchises but Citysearch doesn't allow links in reviews. However if you enter "Michael Miess" and "dating scam" into goggle you will find links to a news story from Tenn naming him as the owner of a Great Expectations franchise involved with claims of fraud and you will also find a Democratic Underground post which cites a Consumer Affairs post entry from "Melissa" of Round Rock in 08, naming him as the owner of Great Expectations. If you go to the Consumer Affairs source complaints about Great Expectations you will find a user "Samuel" of Austin, TX on April 6, 2009 calls out that Great Expectations changed their name to Connections Dating. \t\n\t\nI was taken for $2795.00 for a years membership plus monthly website maint fees, I bought in on the basis that it was a high end premier dating service for professional singles. Within two weeks I discovered that was not the case, their member base is a rather ordinary cross section of society and they charge different people different fees depending on if people tell them they can't afford their high fees or not. They ask you how much you spend on entertainment in a month. My guess is to gauge how much you can afford to pay for their service. I'm hard pressed to think of another reason for asking that question.\t\n\t\nAnother oddity of this business is that they control profiles completely. You are given a log-in and password that they give you and it can not be changed. Only they can put up profiles and take them down. I recognized someone in their database who told me their contract with them ended at the start of this year yet his profile was still listed as "active"\t\n\t\nI attempted to get a refund of my fees as the membership base was misrepresented to me but I was told that I am not entitled to a refund due to the contact I signed. I was also told I can not sue Connections Dating. I've submitted my complaint to the BBB and the TX Attorney General's Office. It would nice for it to be resolved favorably but based on the past history of this business entity, I am not optimistic that I'll get anything back without a fight. ...read more
Connections Dating
By ftanner19 at Citysearch August 14, 2010
I just wrote a letter to Connections office thanking them for treating me with such compassion and professionalism. I asked them if I could do anything else to show my appreciation: All they said was "Tell other people." so I decided I'd post a comment. I'm happy to see other comments too.\t\n\t\nI saw an ad for them a while back and called them to get some information. Since they're not an "internet dating site" they asked me to come in for the screening interview. Although I was a bit skeptical and nervous, I did keep my appointment. After going through their presentation I decided to join. The memberships cost more than I expected (more than online sites) but I thought it was well worth it. I was pretty excited but I was also worried. I just spent this money and had nothing but a piece of paper to show for it. I had lunch with my father and sister the next day and told them what I did. They were both furious and made me feel bad for jumping into this. I don't let other people make my decisions but they got me thinking. They told me I should cancel the membership and think about it. I told them I couldn't cancel which made them even more angry at me and made me even more worried about my decision so I decided I would try to cancel my membership and wait. My dad is a lawyer and told me Connections was going to put up a fight. I went back two days later while my dad waited in the car. I was so nervous because I really wanted to do this but I was regretting my quick decision. I sort of expected they wouldn't let me cancel so I decided I'd just go tell the receptionist and give her a letter and get out. Well, Mike, the manager walked out of his office at the same time and asked if he could help me. I immediately teared up and told him I wanted to cancel and handed him a letter. Then I started babbling about why. He just stopped me and said "Don't you worry, if you want to cancel then I'll cancel you." I could tell from the look on his face that he was genuinely concerned. I was stunned because I was prepared for resistance (thanks to my family). He asked me for my credit card and issued a full refund on the spot. We spoke for awhile after that and I told him the real reason. He was very understanding but just reminded me that this was my decision. Whatever that decision was. I walked back out to my dad's car and told him what happened and told him I was sad because I really wanted to do this. He went in and met with Mike for a bit and came back out to the car and handed me his credit card and said. "Honey, I'll pay for this. Go do it if you want." I think he too realized that these people are sincere. I did not let my dad pay but did end up keeping my membership and yes, I am enjoying it very much but I'm not commenting on the service or my success, I'm commenting on the compassion and professionalism I was and still am shown. If anybody wants to email me about them I will respond. My email address is ftanner19@gmail. I highly recommend this company. ...read more
Connections Dating
By jswest at Citysearch July 26, 2010
I would never have met my soul mate if it had not been for Connections Dating. I tried the online web sites only to be very disappointed when I met my "match" face to face. Most were not as they had seemed in their picture. (I'll leave it at that). I joined Connections Dating for three reasons 1) they do criminal background checks on every applicant 2) they do a credit check for scam artists/gold diggers 3) I would have events to go to 3 - 4 times a month and I could make single friends to hang out with. I didn't believe I was going to meet and fall in love with the perfect man. But that''s exactly what happened. We were matched up within my first month and both put ourselves on inactive status on the website within a week or two.\t\n\t\nWe are to be married August 28, 2010 and I have never been happier in my life. I would highly recommend their services. They not only take photos of their members, but also a video clip so you can get a sense of their mannerisms, etc. It's worth the few extra $$ it takes to sign up. Run from the online dating services..! They can be baaaadd news.\t\n\t\n ...read more
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TOP 10 WAYS TO BE MORE APPROACHABLE
Having close relationships is one of the most meaningful elements to happiness. It’s not always easy to make friends, however. To form a friendship, you must like someone—and you must also be likable. How can you boost the chances that someone will like you? Here are eight strategies to keep in mind—not ways to manipulate people or to be fake, but to make sure that your desire to be friendly effectively shines through: Smile. Now, this is no shock, but studies do show that the amount of time you smile during a conversation has a direct impact on how friendly you’re perceived to be. Also, people mimic the expressions on the faces they see, soif you smile, you’re more likely to be smiled at. (Scientists have identified 19 types of smiles, by the way.) Be easily impressed, entertained, and interested. Most people get more pleasure from wowing you with their humor and insight than from being wowed by your humor and insight. Have a friendly, open, engaged demeanor. Lean toward people, nod, say “Uh-huh,” turn your body to face the other person’s body. Don’t turn your body away, cross your arms, answer in monosyllables, or scan the room (or look at your phone! I have seen this happen!) as the other person talks. If you’re worried that you’re boring someone, here aresome waysto tell. Remember trait transfer. In “trait transfer,” whatever you say about other people influences how people see you. If you describe a co-worker as brilliant and charismatic, your acquaintance will tend to associate you with those qualities. Conversely, if you describe a co-worker as arrogant and obnoxious, those traits will stick to you. So watch what you say. Laugh at yourself. Showing vulnerability and a sense of humor make you more likable and approachable. However, don’t push this self-deprecation too far—keep it light. You’ll make others uncomfortable if you run yourself down too much. I met a guy who kept saying things like, “I’m an idiot,” “I have the most boring job ever,” etc. He was trying to be self-deprecating, but it was hard to know how to respond to that kind of comment from a stranger. Radiate energy and good humor. Because of the phenomenon of “emotional contagion,” people catch the emotions of other people, and they prefer to catch an upbeat, energetic mood. Even if you pride yourself on your cynicism, biting humor, or general edginess, these qualities can be conveyed with warmth. Show your liking for another person. We’re much more apt to like someone if we think that person likes us. Look for ways to signal that you enjoy a person’s company. When I call my daughters’ pediatrician with some health question, she always says “Hello!” as if she’s genuinely thrilled to hear from me, and I’ve really noticed what a difference it makes on my feelings of warmth toward her. Try to remember the person’s name! If you can’t remember it, here aresome tips for coping with the situation. Studies suggest that we decide how close a relationship we’ll have with a new acquaintance within the first ten minutes of meeting that person, and that in evaluating people, we weigh early information more heavily than information acquired later. So make a big effort to be openly friendly the first time you meet someone. How about you? Have you found any good strategies for showing your eagerness to be friendly? ...read more
By Something More April 01, 2019
College News from Texas: College Week Live November 4 - 7, 2009
College Week Live is coming to you. College Week Live is a virtual college fair that features representatives from over 300 colleges and educational consultants. College Week Live launched in 2007 and has held more than six successful virtual college fairs. During the dates of November 4 – 7, this Wednesday - Saturday, College Week Live will connect students from across the country and the world to the college search and application process without leaving their home, office, or school. I will be a featured guest representative for IECA on November 5th from 5:30PM - 6:30PM (EST) and November 6th from 1 - 2PM (EST). Please register at collegeweeklive.com and log on this week to explore this college educational tool. Among the highlights: the opportunity to speak to representatives of over 300 colleges, the chance to hear keynote presentations via Webcast (including Ted Fiske of Fiske Guide and representatives from the Department of Education, among many others), and the chance to video chat live with college students. One of the most popular features last spring was the "Counselor-on-Call" chat area where students and parents by the hundreds were able to pose questions to professional counselors. IECA Members will be staffing the counselor-on-call area, and are doing so as volunteers, like myself. We expect to answer questions ranging from testing, to volunteer service, to financial aid, and much, much more.(Independent Educational Consultants Association). Texas Universities participating in College Week Live: Texas Tech, University of Houston, Schreiner College, Sam Houston State, and University of North Texas. Scholarships.... There are promotional prizes that you can win for registering and participating in "College Week Live." Juniors and seniors, tell your English teachers about the virtual college fair. Maybe, they will even allot class time for you to visit the virtual fair. Upcoming CollegeWeekLive Promotions College Scholarship: $2,500 CollegeWeekLive Scholarship Contest Looking for a college scholarship? CollegeWeekLive is proud to help our audience pay for college with the return of our scholarship contest! One student will win a $2,500 college scholarship, good at any accredited institution! To enter the contest: 1.Register for CollegeWeekLive 2.Login/ attend CollegeWeekLive during a live event during the Fall 2009 semester A lucky attendee will be chosen to receive the $2,500 scholarship. Please see contest details on the website. If you are a junior, it is time to move forward with the college planning process. Contact Lone Star Ed Consulting at 512-294-6608 to speak with our lead educational consultant, Lauren Kahn. Ms. Kahn received her B.A. from Emory University (‘98) and her M.A. in Education and Human Development from George Washington University ('04). She is a member of both NACAC and IECA. She has guided dozens of students through the college application process and has students enrolled at Rice University, U of Texas (Austin), Middlebury College, Georgia Tech, and many other top 50 ranked public and private universities. www.lonestar-edconsulting.com http:lonestaredconsulting.blogspot.com ...read more
By Lone Star Ed Consulting, LLC November 05, 2009