People are increasingly putting their social skills to the test via partner exchanges. Are dating agencies, on the other hand, dependable?
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| Best dating sites in Europe |
"Dating with style," "singles with class," and "serious online dating" are some of the promises made by today's most popular dating websites. Many people are hoping to form a relationship using this site. It is estimated that about seven million singles in Germany are seeking for a spouse in this manner, and if you believe elite partners, nine million Germans are living with someone "whom they met online." The placement business is thriving right now. The year 2014 saw her generate about 192 million euros in revenue.
Which partner exchange offers what?
In February 2016, the Stiftung Warentest conducted a series of tests on a variety of suppliers. Eleven dating websites and dating agencies were put through their paces by psychological and legal specialists, as well as five real-life singles. A total of 55 contracts were signed by two fictitious women and three fictitious men, all of which were terminated after the test phase. The personality profiles were both open and conservative in their outlooks.
Data security, partner search, membership, website and app are all areas where people are either impressed or disappointed. The outcome is unexpectedly encouraging, with four placements achieving "good" results. In addition, we paid great attention to the partner interactions. The most significant findings are presented in this section.
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| Parship dating site |
The swapping of partners Parship performed "acceptably" on the exam. The fact that Parship has a very detailed personality profile, as well as a decent overview in the free mode and a large number of relationship recommendations, speaks well for it. Furthermore, Parship provides the most up-to-date information about partner offerings. Encryption of user data is scored as "very excellent," and the general terms and conditions are rated as "extremely minor," with the exception of a few typographical errors. Its downsides include a lengthy minimum term of six months and high fees - six months of premium membership costs slightly less than 360 euros (approximately) (approx. 60 euros per month).
Benefits
*Extensive personality profile
*Good overview in free mode
*Many partner suggestions
*Good use
*Very good information and help
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| Elite Partner dating site |
A successful relationship search is guaranteed by Elitepartner.de, according to their website. In many situations, if one believes the portal's "success tales," it follows through on its claims, which is not always the case. Couples who have just fallen in love, long-distance relationships, happily married couples, and new parents are all featured in this section. Elite Partners are subject to the following fees: Three months of premium membership costs around 210 euros (69.90 euros per month). In the test, the supplier received a favorable overall rating, earning a recommendation. The well-structured and visually appealing website, as well as the many partner ideas, are the primary reasons behind this. When it comes to managing client data, Elitepartner merits particular attention (due to its very effective data encryption) because of its exceptional security.
Benefits
*Privacy
*Good sorting options in the partner search
*Good fit of the partner suggestions
LoveScout24 (formerly Friendscout24)
Until recently, the well-known partner exchange LoveScout24 was known by the moniker Friendscout24, which stood for Friendscout24. Every minute, up to 17,500 users are believed to be online, and about one million singles are said to be looking for a companion on this site every month.
Two simple actions are all that is required to set up a profile with this service. Premium Plus members are provided with choices for compatible partners based on the results of a personality test. One-third of the price of a three-month Premium Plus membership is less than 60 euros. Aside from the really outstanding search choices, LoveScout24's easy cancellation, profile deletion, and helpful advise all speak in favor of the site.
According to the Stiftung Warentest, when it comes to data encryption, the partner exchange falls short of expectations. As a result of the testing, the Tagesspiegel technology has determined that LoveScout24 has corrected the problems and that the login data is being sent securely via the network.
Benefits
*Extensive personal profile
*Very good search options
*Tailored search results
*Hassle-free termination and profile deletion
*Good advice
Neu.de
Neu.de promises a serious partner search and truly delivers: The partner exchange, in collaboration with its cooperation partner LoveScout24, achieves the highest rating of 1.4 in the area "partner search." Neu.de's excellent search choices, daily relationship recommendations, helpful advise, and ease with which cancellations and profile deletions may be completed speak in favor of the site. Due to significant data protection flaws, Neu.de was dissatisfied..
Benefits
*Good personal profile
*Very good search options
*Tailored search results
*Hassle-free termination and profile deletion
Finya.de
Finya.de, a free partner swap service, has a "acceptable" assessment from the Stiftung Warentest (2.6). The accuracy of the search results, the evenly distributed male-to-female ratio, and the high number of users all speak in favor of the website.
Stiftung Warentest, on the other hand, expressed concern about the unencrypted data transfer in the most recent study. Nonetheless, Finya.de has followed suit and now only transmits data in encrypted form using the SSL connection. In addition, according to Finya.de, no personal information about users is shared. A solid entrée into the realm of online dating, according to Stiftung Warentest, may be found with the entirely free service Provider.
Benefits
*Good partner search
*Many members
*Warm community
*Completely free
eDarling
eDarling promotes with a high success rate, claiming that 13 million users are seeking for their ideal match on the website. Every five minutes, a new pair is expected to get together. The following is the result of the matching process: A successful dating service should be made feasible via the use of a comprehensive personality test, according to experts.
The consumers get a large number of ideas, but none of them are visually appealing and are thus difficult to understand. Although this is the case, over 13 million users have previously placed their faith in eDarling while seeking for a relationship. The site guarantees that member data will be treated in a "very private" manner.
While the partner exchange disappointed in the Stiftung Warentest 2011 with "inadequate" data protection standards and general terms and conditions, it now impresses in this area with only "very minor" flaws, according to the Stiftung Warentest 2012. Overall, the site received a score of 2.6. In order to get a three-month premium membership on eDarling, around 210 euros are necessary; the site is therefore priced in the center of the spectrum of partner exchanges.
Single.de
Every day, it is estimated that 3,000 new individuals join this site in search of a spouse. According to the dating agency's website, this should be the reason why it is considered one of the "most popular single exchanges in Germany." At the very least, when compared to the larger ones, it did not do terribly in the testing. The personal profile design, as well as the extremely excellent search options, received favorable ratings from the Stiftung Warentest.
Single.de promotes with the slogans "security, seriousness, and free of charge" - according to the Stiftung Warentest, however, none of these claims are met in practice. Also in this case, registration data is delivered in an unencrypted format, and there have been issues with removing the profiles: Despite the deletion request, two of the five bogus profiles have been retained and are still active. At 24.90 euros for a three-month subscription, it is one of the most affordable dating services available, but it is by no means one of the most free.
Dating Cafe
It is clear from the advertisement's phrase that this dating service is geared at the older generation, with an average age of around 39 years. Members of the Dating Café pay little under 75 euros for a three-month membership at the establishment. The mediation impresses with extremely strong search options, excellent data encryption, and the absence of any issues with termination and profile deletion, among other features. With a rating of "satisfactory," the dating site is positioned in the middle of the field.
Zoosk
No partner exchange performs particularly poorly in the test, but there is one last position, which is held by the American dating service Zoosk, which has a quality rating of 3.5 out of 5.
Finding a companion on Zoosk is a breeze; the site's extremely strong search capabilities and helpful information about partner offers are both given high marks (a 2.4 out of five). It costs 90 euros to become a premium member for three months.
The drawbacks are as follows: The provider's terms and conditions, as well as its compliance with data protection requirements, have "quite obvious" flaws. For certain information, only members may access it since it is only accessible in English.
Is the Dating Café something you'd be interested in? With a copy of your picture ID, you may try out the premium membership for a week without paying anything.
Partner.de
According to Stiftung Warentest, as a low-cost partner exchange (74.70 euros for three months), Partner.de provides an overall "passable impression" and receives the grade "satisfactory." The assistance and information section is very noteworthy. Furthermore, the free edition should be commended since, in contrast to the majority of other portals, users may compose and send messages on this platform.
Partner.de provides its members with openness, profile control, clear pricing, and a safe place to do business. When it comes to data protection, the site also performs well. The Stiftung Warentest, on the other hand, has a different point of view and gives the management of user data a rating of 4.5.
50plus-Treff
The title of this portal, "Enjoying life together," already conveys the message: this site is not just for those who are seeking for a spouse, but it is also a location where people can meet for recreational activities and friendships. 50plus-Treff is geared at persons aged 45 and above and, at little less than 60 euros for three months, it is one of the most affordable of the agencies on the market. The site is user-friendly, and there are several options for users to communicate with one another. Credible profiles are made possible by the voluntary verification of a copy of the identification card. In addition to shortcomings in data encryption and faults in the terms and conditions, the overall grade of "adequate" is based on these factors as well. The company's own comments indicate that these shortcomings in the terms of service and privacy policies were addressed in collaboration with the Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervision. Today, the whole site is protected by SSL encryption.
Flirt Cafe
In a report published by Stiftung Warentest, the partner exchange www.flirtcafe.de was deemed "dubious." Objection was raised to the terms of the contract, as well as the management of user data and the terms and conditions. Aside from that, the testers received the feeling that a large number of the profiles were not genuine. Flirtcafé had a lot of negative feedback, and they weren't the only ones. A consumer advisory center in Hamburg has even issued a warning to the corporation about its handling of the right of withdrawal. Many people who had signed up for a two-week trial membership were refused access because they were utilizing premium services, which was cited as a reason.
So which dating sites can you really trust?
At first sight, it seems as if there is nothing to be concerned about on any of the exchanges that have been tested in 2016. The online dating service Zoosk came in bottom place, with a rating of 3.5 overall. Stiftung Warentest, on the other hand, had to award it a total of five points for being unsatisfactory. When it comes to data privacy, LoveScout24, Neu.de, Finya, and Single.de all fall short, with Single.de failing once again in the area of "Termination and profile deletion." LoveScout24 has undoubtedly responded to the criticism by encrypting the data that it sends to users.
We suggest the test winner LoveScout24, which received an overall score of 1.8, and Parship, which received an overall rating of 2.3, for online partner searching. Parship and LoveScout24 provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date information. However, Parship and LoveScout provided excellent or very good recommendations, although the replies of the support centers to enquiries were unsatisfactory on the majority of portals (responses took a long time or did not arrive at all).
There is no need to be concerned about data security with either portal since the login information of members is sent via the network in encrypted form.
Another benefit of LoveScout24 is that if you decide to cancel your membership, you can do so with a single click via your online account. Parship, on the other hand, requires a written notice of termination, such as an e-mail.
Source: DER TAGESSPIEGEL