eHarmony Misled Subscribers on Renewals and Pricing, Court Finds
Aug 25, 2026Australian ruling examines what customers were told before they signed up and what happened when subscriptions renewed.
Australia’s Federal Court has found that dating site eHarmony misled consumers about key parts of its subscription offering, including automatic renewal, pricing and cancellation.
The ruling comes in a case brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, or ACCC, Australia’s consumer protection regulator.
The conduct examined by the court largely occurred between 2019 and 2024. eHarmony changed part of its pricing presentation in July 2024, so the findings do not necessarily describe the company’s current checkout experience.
The court found that eHarmony breached Australian Consumer Law through statements on its website and mobile app about both free and paid memberships.
One of the biggest issues was how automatic renewal worked.
Premium memberships were sold with initial terms of six, 12 or 24 months. Unless customers turned off automatic renewal, those subscriptions could renew for another 12-month period.
The court found that eHarmony did not prominently disclose those renewal terms. Information about automatic renewal appeared in small text late in the purchase process and in the company’s terms and conditions.
In some cases, the renewal price was substantially higher than the price customers paid during the initial subscription. The ACCC said renewal prices could be up to five times higher.
Pricing and cancellation were part of the problem
The court also found problems with the way eHarmony presented subscription pricing.
eHarmony advertised plans using a “from $xx/month” price that did not include an extra fee for customers who chose to pay monthly.
The company also did not clearly and prominently show the minimum total amount a customer would have to pay over the full subscription term.
Other findings went beyond pricing.
eHarmony advertised “free dating,” although consumers with its free Basic Membership could not have ongoing communication with other users without upgrading.
Some pages promoted one-month memberships even though the shortest Premium Membership available was six months.
The court also found eHarmony misled consumers by suggesting they could cancel after signing up when they could not end the subscription early.
The ACCC filed the case in September 2023 after receiving hundreds of complaints about eHarmony memberships.
eHarmony, a U.S.-based dating company that offers its service in Australia through its website and app, told Reuters that it is reviewing the judgment and considering its options.
The case is not finished. The court will decide penalties, consumer redress and other orders at a later date.
Insider Take
The eHarmony ruling is a useful reminder that customers experience a subscription as one offer.
What does it cost? How long am I signing up for? What happens when it renews? Can I cancel?
Those answers shape what the customer believes they are buying.
In this case, information about automatic renewal appeared late in the purchase process and in the terms and conditions. The court still found that the way eHarmony presented the subscription could mislead consumers about what they were signing up for.
The ruling applies Australian Consumer Law. But there is a broader lesson for subscription operators.
What customers are told when they subscribe needs to match what actually happens after they sign up. When it doesn’t, a disclosure problem can quickly become a customer trust problem.
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