Reviews of Lavalife

Pure unbridled fantasy for people who think that perfection is waiting out there, just for them, at the other end of a modem. Never seen so many people with completely unrealistic expectations and demands from others when they in fact are sorely lacking in those very qulities themselves. I think it does work for those who are deluded enough to convince themselves that the person they have met is "the one". But isn't that how it works through normal channels as well? The odds are fairly bad and there are plenty of "lavalifers" who who will be there indefinitely.

Sorry to sound so bitter. Left a very bad taste in my mouth.

AB

after reading a number of the comments on here i feel like putting my 2 cents in first of all take lava for what it is...a medium through which you MAY meet someone..i don't believe i read any promises anywhere on the site secondly, there are good people there, but like actual "real" life it does take effort to find them... and being angry and bitter about "fake" profiles and unreturned smiles? grow up and move on..it happens to everyone all the time you either make the decision to spend the credits or you don't...and it is cheaper than a night out (at least in Toronto) and if i don't respond? it usually means i'm not interested and i have learned that responding even nicely only encourages the conversation i'm trying to avoid or maybe i'm busy..or tired...or just not paying as much attention as i should or maybe my kitchen just caught fire either way...i've met some wonderful people and some wonderfully strange people dated some,befriended others, and some i would cross the street to avoid but i always try to play nice...perhaps that's the secret

I used to have such a hard time finding dates on Match.com and the blind dates were painful. I found a good website that will hook you up with someone in your area to go on a double-date with. Me and my friend John went on a few double dates with women we met on Match.com and there was a lot less stress. The women seemed to feel safer too.

The website also has this thing called Profile Overhauler. I haven't done it yet, but I guess they write a profile for you using all of these marketing techniques that get your more dates. They also take these really good pictures. I might do it soon. Anyways, the website is overhauler.741.com

Happy Dating!

I decided to try out Lavalife because it worked well for a friend of mine.

The Positives: It on;y costs 6 credits to do the intial mail message, but messages after that are free.

Now the Negatvies:

Fake Profiles: They send you a smile, you send one back, and then you spend six credits to contact them. Then nothing. Good0-bye credits

Unrealistic women: Maybe this is just Kelowna and Vancouver, but the women on these sites are looking for the reformed bad buy turned good who is both rich and great looking. And these are from women who are from barely average to good looking. I am a pretty good looking guy but I am not a model, so apparently I am ugly.

Average Body: Women who say they are of Average Body type are always about 30 to 40 pounds overwieght. Every woman I met who said she is avaerage, is actually fat. So ladies if you are overwieght then state it. Average is not 30 to 40 pounds overweight.

Heres how it works. If she says,

Slim: this means she is slim or skinny

Athletic: This means she is in really good shape or what us men would consider average(good body, just not Miss Fitness)

Average: this means 30 to 40 pounds overwieght. Women who say they are average are actually fat.

Slightly Overweight: This really means 60 to 80 pounds overwieght.

BBW: BBW

Glamour Shots: Watch out for these ones. Sure the shots are done artistically in balck and white or against some kind of background, but the women never look that good. If the woman looks like an 8 out of ten, she is probably a 5 out of ten. However she looks in the glamout shot, minus that number by three.

For me, I spent approx $60 Canadian. Went on dates with women who lied about their body type. Had some wasted dates, and had a few one night stands. Was it worth it, if I just wanted to get laid, then yes. But, I wanted to meet someon who I could have a long term relationship with. Impossible.

So what now. I am meeting women by actually going out and doing activites. This was I can see exactly how they look and they can see exactly how I look. Much better.

SUBJECT: The problem not getting responses with Lavelife is the inability, or lack of effort from the site, to attract women.

I have experienced many of the same things people here have mentioned. For example getting no response (similes and messages) and having women disappear while knowing that I'm a decent looking guy, have a decent profile, and have not done anything wrong.

Just think of lavalife being a night club. Often clubs have an event like "ladies night" or specials like "Ladies drink free" in order to attract girls. Why for girls and not for men? Because where there are girls the guys want to go. And what do guys do when they get in a club? They buy drinks. A lot for themselves and some for the women there.

Well if we think of lavalife like a club and except for drinks we instead have credits. Now let’s face it, in this society men are generally expected to make the first move. And by this reasoning we would expect them to buy the bulk, but not all, of the credits. Just like in clubs they buy the bulk, but not all, of the drinks. But herein lies the problem, unlike a club where a guy can walk in and see that there are a way more men than women and simply leave, it is not readily apparent at lavalife that there are way more men than women on the site. (Just do a quick google search on men to women ratios on dating sites)

So the moral of the story is that to get girls to use your dating service (or visit your club) you have to do something to attract them. Guys usually search for women and women often try their best to attract guys (Just think - why do women take way longer to get ready than men??). So guys are going to go on lavalife as an extension of their search for women. Women won't search the sites they have to be enticed too. So with the above reasoning my theory as to why we not getting responses is simply:

- The Law of Supply and Demand.

Simply put there are more men on lavalife so women can be much more choosy.

But the reasoning does not stop here. (Please take note that the following are just theories of mine and may or may not be true) Now couple the supply and demand with other factors like:

1. Some women joined the site out of curiosity and never really would want to meet someone over the internet.

2. There are probably a few who are really crazy and just screwing around with fake profiles (not company created) to see how many responses they can get.

3. There are probably girls who like the attention they get from the site but don't really want to meet anyone there.

4. In all probability there exist a higher proportion of women online, especially the attractive ones, who have really high standards and unrealistic expectations so they will not respond to someone unless they are absolutely perfect.

5. Maybe some women are online because they are pissed off with men. They may have been hurt recently and now be in an "all guys are jerks stage" and therefore not receptive to men. They are looking for reason to reject rather than to accept guys who contact them.

6. And finally, some girls just don't like your profile or the way you look.

So add up all the above reasons and it is easy to see why so few responses are received.

So why does lavalife, or any other dating site for that matter, just simply make efforts to attract more women? Simple, Money. The more women that guys have to contact the more credits they spend. And then it gets like a casino mentality, oh I got a response from that girl but she is not receptive. So maybe the next six credits will be the real women I'm looking for. A lot of these sites are built on great marketing schemes and, what I assume to be, cheap overseas labor. Not quality services.

Not to be all negative I have met some nice women in person on Lavalife but not nearly what the marketing campaign promises. So this fall I think I'll try volunteering and maybe join a club or two. At least if I don't meet someone then I'll be helping someone in need and won't spend any hard earned dollars for a poor quality service.

So in the mean time for all you singles out there best of luck in your search for that special girl or guy. If you're on Lavalife you'll need it.

I must be incredibly lucky. I used Lavalife for about 3 years. Actully met some really great women during that time. Well, last year I met my true love. We met in June '04, got married in May 05 and are expecting our first child this October, a boy! Hey, I don't believe in wasting any time. Again, I do realize that I was very lucky but my point is that sometimes e dating does work and I found LL the best of the bunch.

Ok folks, let me give you the run down of this site. I have been on it on and off for a few years. There are real women on it, as i have met a few. if the women profile isnt long enough, or has strict restrictions as to what she wants, then its most likely fake. This site is FULL of fake accounts. They go the extra mile too with these fake profiles. They will send you smiles, then not reply to your messages. Some will even give you an msn email, chat with you for a lil bit, and then disappear forever. And let me tell you folks, its by no fault of yours. I was kind, nice, polite, and attractive, so there was NOTHING they could say bad about me. Yet they all seem to follow the same game plan. Some will even msg you via live chat, and then go offline, so that you have to spend to get in touch with them. Yet, they never come back online, or never reply. Lets face it, women, as strange as they can be, do not act that way. I know, my sisters, my friends that are girls use these sites and they do not do this. They dont reply to men that are rude and married and whatnot. Not nice guys that are polite and cute. This site is a joke, and to scour and search to find the REAL women within it is almost impossible. Dont waste your money and your time. I say go and meet women in person, you'll have better chances that way. oh yeah btw, i've noticed that when you dont have credits anymore, you suddenly receive more smiles than before...coincidence, i think not!!

Lavalife, possibly the best of the online dating site. But the reason it's the best is simply that it has the most available contacts. In all honesty, almost all dating sites are horrible, yes, even the free ones.

Lavalife has a descently appealing interface, which is simple enough to use. My gripe is that the interface relies heavily on java and flash; which can be a problem for quite a number of people. Some users may not have a stable java implimentation, and other may not have a platform with flash (Linux, though thats been corrected recently).

As many have said before, I'll repeat it, THERE ARE FAKE PROFILES! This is a given for any pay personals site, they are often used to lure people into joining the site, which is a common tactic and shouldnt be held against them. As for fakes actually contacting me, its never happened. Personally, I think those people simply got shafted, but it is entirely possible lavalife has taken more underhanded techniques.

The price *seems* very inviting, at 1/2 of what friendfinder charges, Lavalife appears to be the better deal, but as others mentioned, its actually VERY expensive. Over my 4 years on the site, I rarely bought, and was very VERY selective with my credits.

Lavalife was actually somewhat good for me meeting people. The number of "crazies" is only as high as you let find you. Ive seen so many of the reviews, men yelling that most of the women are nutters. Honestly, take a quick boo of the men also on the site. A good portion of them are crazy as well. Its just life people, you dont think everyone is a great catch normally anyway, right?

Whats really a major point of problem with lavalife is the relative inconsitancy with reviews. At times, my profile would be approved in seconds, others it could take *days*. As well, some reviewers are overly choosy, claiming details as a general description of your job as too much information. Infact, my poor choice of extra info finally led to lavalife banning me. A paying customer of 4 years. Ouch, just ouch.

I did meet some very nice women, and enjoyed my time very much. However, its flaws, and poor customer support and treatment have left me less then pleased. Im a professional student (masters), and I almost feel its now neccessary to go back out and spend much of my time at bars. Thankfully theres okcupid.com and plentyoffish.com

Enjoy!

There are things to like about lava, i have been on there for more than 4 years, and have in fact met almost 20 women in person because of it. The problems with lava are the same as with other online daying sites, people who can't be objective about themselves, people who lie and play games just for the fun of it, there is no way of getting around that when you are looking online. Recently things seem to have gotten worse, in my eyes, I know there are real people out there who are seriously looking, but they seem to be harder to find, lately it has been all game players and people who can't be objective about themselves....or am i the only one who believes that being 40 pounds overweight is average, and 80 pounds over counts as 'a few extra pounds'? Also of particular note, of late I have noticed a number of women who send smiles, then when an email is received in return, they delete their account, and start another one. I am certainly not irresistable lol, however, there is no reason that this account jumping should have happened on my account, as my messages were polite and respectful, some people even find them funny. I don't know what advice to give to people who are considering lava for the first time, it can be wortwhile, but you have to put up with a lot to get the rewards out of it. The best advice I can give newcomers, unless you are hooking up for an agreed upon intimate encounter, don't rush into trying to meet people, and don't let them rush you either, talk for long enough that you are comfortable that the person is actually as they are representing themself. Be smart, and be objective, keep your eyes open for substantial inconsistencies. Also, it may not hurt to sign up with more than one site if you are serious, you may be surprised how many people who have caught your attention are on different sites, and you may be able to learn more these profiles.....and on occasion, you will find glaring inconsistencies. OK, think that is enough of a rant for one night, good luck y'all

Lavalife sucks. Plain and simple. 50 credits does not divide by 6 credits that you pay each time you email someone. So you're left with the decision to abandon the 2 remaining credits or dish out some more. It's driven by the worst customer service available. One person will approve your ad, another will deny it - even if it is the exact same.

The do indeed have fake profiles designed to make you spend credits on such profiles. Talk to those who have worked there.