I-Team: Online Matchmaking Site Accused Of Cheating Customers

BOSTON (CBS) -- A Massachusetts matchmaking company is under fire from customers who say the company left their wallets and hearts empty.

"You're kind of vulnerable and she played on that a lot," says Sandy Joslin, a onetime customer.

"Just preying upon people that are looking for some hope and happiness and joy in their lives and she gives them exactly the opposite," said another customer.

Both of these alleged victims are talking about The Relationship Co. and its owner Mary Elissa Gouge.  The company provides matchmaking services to singles throughout New England.

Impressed by their website and the Gouge's pitch, Joslin signed up for a $7,000 matchmaking package in 2014.

"She could flip through her phone and say these people are going to be great for you," Joslin recalls of her initial meeting with Gouge.

The package included multiple introductions with men who met the criteria Joslin was looking for.  But she says, that's not what happened.

"I met one man. I had one date," Joslin says.

After that, she claims contact with the company was scarce.  Frustrated with the lack of progress, Joslin took Gouge to small claims court and won.

She isn't the only one.  The Relationship Co. has been sued by more than two dozen people in New England.  15 of them have successfully sued in court.  Others settled with the business out of court or had cases dismissed.

The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office collects consumer complaints and has received 22 complaints against The Relationship Co.

The Better Business Bureau has registered 26 complaints. The company now has an "F" rating.

Joslin and her brother began seeking out other people who believed they'd been cheated by the matchmaking service.

"I began speaking with other people who have been victimized by the company and their stories are all the same," she says.

One of them was a man who wanted his identity concealed.  However, he did share his story with the I-Team.

"I had been off and on different online dating sites, Local and Match, and was looking for something different," he explains.

He sought out The Relationship Co., paying $2,500 for their services.  "It seemed like it was going to be a more adult kind of approach," the former client told us.

He says he was looking for a woman close to his age who did not want children, but the only match sent his way was a much younger woman who was looking to start a family.

That was his last match, he claims.  "After repeated calls from me after a couple months, I stopped trying."

The Relationship Co has offices in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut.

When the I-Team visited two of them, we found signs on the door but no one around.  The website is still operational soliciting business from "discerning singles throughout New England."

Mary Elissa Gouge, the owner, did reach out to the I-Team with a statement.  She accuses a small group of individuals of trying to destroy her business.   She also claims a woman who was convicted in court in 2009 of stealing client information from her company's database is behind the group.

The I-Team has had no contact with anyone convicted of a felony in regards to this piece and did independent research.

Here is Gouge's entire statement:

"The individuals involved in this production are part of a small group, known as Core Group 8/Study Group 10…. Their efforts have been ongoing since 2009. They have been actively involved in accumulating and creating as much negative information as possible to disseminate through all forms of media, including the internet, direct mail, phone calls, facebook, etc. for 7 years. In compiling data, their investigator has…refused to accept positive information from clients stating that was not the purpose of his investigation. Most of the complaints registered with entities that are described in this presentation are the direct result of the activities of this group. In addition to the phone calls, letters to clients urging them to file complaints with the BBB and/or the Attorney General, members of the group have used multiple email addresses and a variety of pseudonyms to post a plethora of negative posts on the internet. Many of these posts remain to this day. These protracted activities over a seven year span have impacted this company. In 2009 had been awarded Best Dating Service through the Valley Advocate for 5 consecutive years. We were second place for 3 years thereafter. We held an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and serviced clients in 5 states. Today, our scope is smaller, but the commitment to our clients to provide a quality service in spite of the obstacles from Core Group 8/Study Group 10 is stronger.

Finding love is the rarest treasure of all. This business can be a painful one. We reach out to people who have had heartbreaks and sometimes, a lifetime of unfulfilled longings and unhappiness. We strive to bring joy where there was none, to unite individuals in a lifetime of love and companionship. 99% of the clients who marry through The Relationship Company stay married - quite an achievement in a society that has a huge divorce rate. I attribute that success to the quality of people who use this service, their ability to make lasting commitments and their strong desire to share their lives with a special person. Our screening process remains the same with criminal background checks and focus on keeping our clients safe in their new relationships.

The information in this show has been compiled by Core Group 8/Study Group 10 to thwart those efforts.Members of the group have gone to great lengths over seven years to assure the availability of negative information. I would encourage anyone interested in obtaining a comprehensive unbiased representation of this company to contact us through our website (www.therelationshipco.com) for further information."

Joslin admits she has been in contact with a number of other people dissatisfied with The Relationship Co. but denies Gouge's accusations.  She maintains her only purpose is to stop the company from hurting other vulnerable singles.

"Why can't it be stopped?" she asks.  "There's no good answer."