The Federal Court has found that eHarmony, a dating site, made misleading representations to consumers about the pricing, renewal, and duration of its online dating memberships. This ruling comes after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) brought proceedings against the company.

The Court determined that eHarmony breached the Australian Consumer Law by misleading consumers in several ways. These included offering free dating services while restricting ongoing communication, automatic membership renewals without clear disclosure, and misrepresenting the minimum duration of one-month memberships when the actual minimum was six months.

Additionally, eHarmony failed to display a single total price for subscriptions, instead presenting monthly costs without mentioning mandatory additional fees. The ACCC highlighted that consumers were not adequately informed about the automatic renewal of their memberships, which often resulted in significantly higher charges.

Commissioner Luke Woodward emphasized the importance of clarity in subscription services, particularly in the digital economy, and noted that the ACCC received numerous complaints from consumers regarding eHarmony's practices. The Court's ruling serves as a warning against misleading conduct and subscription traps that can confuse consumers.

The Court will later decide on penalties and consumer redress as sought by the ACCC, following the legal action initiated in September 2023 after receiving hundreds of consumer complaints since 2019.