EchoDate.com Online dating, deceptive marketing practices, Internet

I signed up for this site about a week ago.  The site permits only paying customers to message site members.  I promptly began receiving messages from 20 - 28 year old girls (I am 39 and find it hard to believe that college age girls would be seeking me out).  Also, the pictures provided were typical model types. 

Ok, there may be some who were real.  How do I know they weren't?  The reply messages were typically received approximately the same time from multiple profiles.  The messages were vague and did not typically address the question that was posed.  Things that were innocuous yet specific to where a computer bot could not answer readily.  In essence, these responding bots failed the Turing test that was presented. 

Further proof to help weed out the bots from the real profiles are that no less than three profiles e-mailed me with the SAME header and message over a three day period.  Sadly, only two of approximately 45 contacts left enough room for doubt that they could have been real.  The site appears to run an automated script to message from fake profiles in order to maintain active users with the lure of possible companionship.  This is deceptive and shameful in addition to damaging to consumers who are paying for results.

The contact information leads to a web form that apparently goes nowhere as a response to a question regarding preventing automatic billing was never answered.  Upon canceling the account, multiple options are available, but only one can be selected.  Hmmmm?  Do I choose discontinue messaging or discontinue billing?  Billing was requested to be discontinued and further e-mails from the site are shunted to the bit -bucket.

For anyone else thinking about throwing away their hard earned money, donate it to a cause on Facebook, try e-harmony and look for confirmed identities, or try asking a neighbor to join you for a cup of coffee.  It'll save grief, provide a 'real' response, and be cheaper in the long-term.