'Dating checklist': Elite matchmaking service offers 'money back guarantee'

An elite matchmaking service for the rich and famous is offering members a ‘money back guarantee’ if it can’t introduce them to their ‘perfect partner’.

SEI Club has a global member base of 20,000 with matchmakers across two departments - for people in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s, and the other that serves the 50+.

Craig Forster is a Senior Matchmaker with SEI Club and tells Yahoo Lifestyle that all members are vetted and verified and sign confidentiality agreements before participating.

“The service was created nearly a decade ago to provide an upscale, private dating venue for men and women who, due to their position and genuine time constraints, are often unable to date on typical dating sites, as it would end up in the tabloid’s the next day,” Craig tells us.

“Many services allow random members of the public to input their information into the site to be considered and contacted as matches for paid clients. Our application process is far more thorough.

“Everyone - even A-List celebrities and Forbes Billionaires - go through the same application process which requires a basic questionnaire, followed by an entrance fee of $495 ($750AUD), and an in-person consultation.

SEI Club has a 100 per cent money back guarantee if members decide they aren’t a fit for the club.

On top of that it also provides a ‘Meet the Right Person’ guarantee, which promises each member at least 95 per cent of everything he or she is looking for in a partner when presented with a match.

According to Craig, some of the most common traits people on the platform are looking for include mental, emotional, and financial stability.

“Someone who is optimistic, generally happy, and has a healthy, productive life they enjoy,” he explains.

“Also someone who is ready for a deeply fulfilling, meaningful relationship with an equally accomplished, kind, caring, compassionate, evolved person.”

The service claims it is able to successfully match 98-99 per cent of the applicants, but then it’s up to them to develop the relationships.

“By match we mean ‘put qualified candidates who fit all of their preferences in front of them – who also want to meet them’,” Craig says.

The club currently receives over 1,000 applicants a week and has plans to keep growing, with one member telling Yahoo Lifestyle he found out about the service in a magazine.

“I tried Internet dating and found it frustrating and fraught! I've tried the bar scene, with mixed results,” he says, adding he has met three women through the site so far but is ‘still dating’.

“The women affiliated seem to be high-quality and attractive people.”

But while having a ‘money back’ guarantee might make it sound like you’re simply going shopping, Craig stresses the club’s members don’t see people as ‘objects’.

“The money back guarantee is in place to ensure we are responsible about who we take on as members,” he explains.

“The members we admit often are fairly open-minded and understand the value of other humans…they tend not to see people as “objects,” so rather than it being about “shopping,” its more about the club providing a risk-free experience for members who are a great fit.”

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