Be2
Encyclopedia
The online matchmaking
company be2 is one of the leading matchmakers worldwide. Internationally, be2 is represented in 37 countries..
Since its foundation, be2 has expanded rapidly, mainly through a strategy of internationalisation.
According to members, who are asked for their reason for cancellation when unsubscribing from the Premium Membership, the success rate is 40%.
In order to write messages and see other members’ profile photos, members need to purchase a Premium Membership.
The automatic renewal of Premium Memberships has also been criticised. The membership is, in fact, a subscription, which is automatically renewed, unless the membership is cancelled in due time.
It should also be noted that cancellation of this service may not currently be possible, and credit cards may be charged regardless of cancellation requests made by email. The company is known to send threatening letters that may tarnish their credit history.
Thousands of users have been defrauded and find themselves unable to do anything about it.
In Denmark, a psychologist has rated BE2 as sophisticated fraud. Wildly different profiles are matches to the exact same potential partners. Also, membership is extended without consent which is illegal according to The Danish Consumer Council.
A google-search on "be2" and "matchmaking", in combination with the word fraud in either english, french or german results in 111.000 hits.
, Australia
, Austria
, Belgium
, Brazil
, Chile
, , Denmark
, France
, Finland
, Great Britain, Hong Kong
, India
, Ireland
, Italy
, Canada
, Croatia
, Colombia
, Mexico
, Netherlands
, New Zealand
, Norway
, Philippines
, Poland
, Portugal
, Russia
, Sweden
, Switzerland
, Singapore
, South Africa
, Spain
, Taiwan
, Czech Republic
, Ukraine
, Venezuela
, USA
Online dating service
Online dating or Internet dating is a dating system which allows individuals, couples and groups to make contact and communicate with each other over the Internet, usually with the objective of developing a personal, romantic, or sexual relationship...
company be2 is one of the leading matchmakers worldwide. Internationally, be2 is represented in 37 countries..
History
be2 was originally founded as a German matchmaking service in 2004 by online entrepreneur Robert Wuttke. The German Service went live on April 1st 2004. The same year, the Spanish and Italian service were added.Since its foundation, be2 has expanded rapidly, mainly through a strategy of internationalisation.
Facts
be2 has over 19 million registered members worldwide. However, it remains unclear how many of these members are falsely active and how many have a legitimate membership. According to company data, the male-to-female ratio is balanced, with a slight surplus of women (57%).Methodology
The be2 matchmaking system is based on a scientifically developed personality test. User profiles are compared to profiles from the database according to a matching algorithm. Psychological, anthropological and sociological criteria derived from the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator are employed to determine a suitable partner according to the results of the personality test. This business model specifically targets singles over 30 looking for a serious relationship.According to members, who are asked for their reason for cancellation when unsubscribing from the Premium Membership, the success rate is 40%.
Membership
The registration, personality test and the basic matchmaking service are free of charge.In order to write messages and see other members’ profile photos, members need to purchase a Premium Membership.
Criticism
The pricing of Premium Memberships are a regular cause for complaint.The automatic renewal of Premium Memberships has also been criticised. The membership is, in fact, a subscription, which is automatically renewed, unless the membership is cancelled in due time.
It should also be noted that cancellation of this service may not currently be possible, and credit cards may be charged regardless of cancellation requests made by email. The company is known to send threatening letters that may tarnish their credit history.
Thousands of users have been defrauded and find themselves unable to do anything about it.
In Denmark, a psychologist has rated BE2 as sophisticated fraud. Wildly different profiles are matches to the exact same potential partners. Also, membership is extended without consent which is illegal according to The Danish Consumer Council.
A google-search on "be2" and "matchmaking", in combination with the word fraud in either english, french or german results in 111.000 hits.
International
Internationally, be2 is active in 37 countries on all continents, in ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, , Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Great Britain, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, USA