Chemistry.com Review
Is there only one match out there for each of us? Dr. Helen Fisher, Chemistry.com’s Chief Scientific Advisor, doesn’t think so. Dr. Fisher believes there are multiple people in the world who are compatible for each of us, but she thinks there is more to finding a person like that than searching for someone who has a big list of things in common with you. You’ve got to have chemistry—hence the name.
At first glance, the Chemistry.com website looks like just about every other online dating site, but look closer and you’ll see multiple references to Dr. Fisher. By clicking on these, you can find out more about Dr. Fisher’s connection with Chemistry.com, her research, and her methodology for online matchmaking.
Well, I’ve gone ahead and done that for you. It turns out that Dr. Fisher hasn’t just endorsed the site in return for plugging a book; she is actually quite involved with the direction Chemistry.com has taken. Dr. Fisher has designed many of the questions for Chemistry.com, not only taking into account the usual personality, interest, and demographic questions, but also questions involving genetics, hormones, and other physical characteristics.
You also have the opportunity to view videos of Dr. Fisher’s answers to frequently asked questions. I must say she comes across as a lot less nerdy than that Dr. Warren from eHarmony. But enough about her; let’s move on to the sign-up process.
Chemistry.com Sign-up
The sign-up process in one of the most in-depth ones out there, but you’ll probably find it fun and enlightening if your goal is to be matched up with people on more than just the simplest of criteria. If you’re looking for the basics, there are always sites like Date.com and Matchmaker.com.
You’ll be asked some unusual questions like these:
- Is your index finger shorter or longer than your ring finger?
- Which of these smiles are fakes?
- How do you feel when you see a public display of affection?
I don’t want to influence anyone’s possible answers by explaining what they can reveal about one’s personality, but I will say that these questions combined with the more traditional personality questions really hit the mark on assessing my personality. In fact, I had my fiancée take the test, and her resulting personality type matched the one that Chemistry.com says fits me best.
After you finish filling out your new profile, you’ll see that Chemistry.com has a link to your top five matches. Some of my top five matches didn’t sound too appealing to me, but maybe Dr. Fisher knows what’s best for me. The only way to know for sure would be to meet the matches in person. Of course, Great Expectations is the matchmaking service best known for doing that.
There is no search function. Chemistry.com picks your matches, and the only way to get more is to rate the ones they’ve already brought your way. That’s good for increasing the level of feedback, but it’s bad for control freaks. Also, the only way to do any of this is by first subscribing, and the costs are pretty steep, especially when there is no way to tell how many members are in your area. Costs range from $49.95 a month for one month down to $26.65 a month for six months. That is about twice the cost of Yahoo Personals and a little more than Perfectmatch.com’s price of admission.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, an online dating site like Chemistry.com best fits those of us a bit on the detail-oriented (some might say anal-retentive) side. People simply interested in a quick sign-up and search are less likely to join, increasing your odds of being matched with like-minded singles. Therefore, if you’re the type of person who lacks patience and planning regarding the online dating scene, Chemistry.com won’t be your bag. In fact, you probably couldn’t remain undistracted long enough to finish reading this Chemistry.com review. Hey, look at that colorful ad in the margin!
March 6th, 2008
I’m sure there are reputable online dating sites out there, but Chemistry.com is not one of them. I was lured by the matches that I received as a “free” trial member. I signed up and experienced the classic “bait and switch” manuever. I was matched with anybody! Didn’t matter what state they lived in, the race that they were, the interests they had that didn’t match mine etc. It prompted me to immediately call them to see if my profile preferences were recorded correctly. They were! I was told maybe I should reconsider the distance the matches and I had between us and reconsider someone besides divorced, widowed or single matches. I had three weeks to go and after that call they matched me with no one-even though they claim you will get 5 new matches a day. Bottom line: They have very few people signed up and you won’t know it till AFTER you are a paying subscriber. NO REFUNDS, learn from my mistake-go elsewhere
March 7th, 2008
Wow, I’m surprised to hear the matching system was that off base. Anyone Else have a different experience?
September 1st, 2008
I had a similar experience with chemistry.com. The site seems to “bait” you with “interested members” and does not allow you to even view the interested persons profiles without first subscribing to the site. If the persons are interested - if I turned up in their search, it should be considered a “match” that you can view and respond likewise or decline if interested.
March 21st, 2009
I joined Chemistry and paid a week ago. They have been sending me my promised number of matches, and I actually got as far as a phone call with one guy. But lots of their “matches” have no photo, anonymous/generic profiles, and didn’t even run spellcheck. And although I said I was open to any background, everybody’s white (me too but their pool seems to be very un-diverse). I make these matches most of these matches active in order to find out if there might be something there that the profile doesn’t hint at, but hardly anybody responds to my expression of interest. What’s more, presumably they’re sending my profile to guys as well, and not one has expressed interest. Seems unlikely that it hasn’t appealed to ANYone. Not happy with this service. Glad I paid for only a month.
April 1st, 2009
I agree with the other reviews. No one so far in my geographic area. Others within driving distance but just outside my geographic area showed no interest, so I’m not sure they even exist. Could be someone at chemistry.com making up phony “matches.” This is a case of buyer’s remorse. I contacted chemistry.com TWICE to ask how many men they have in my age group and geographic area but they have not responded.
April 13th, 2009
I live in the San Francisco area and the matches were unbelievably good. The infrastructure, though, regarding billing and handling disputes was horrible. Come on, chemistry, get with it. you’re not the only site in town. you need to offer better service and when people complain about nigerian scammers and your billing practices, you need to do something about it.
April 14th, 2009
I am deeply underwhelmed by Chemistry and will definitely not renew when my subscription runs out. Good thing I searched for promo deals and got three months for the price of one–$50 a month is ridiculous, but $50 for three seemed worth a shot.
Except that after just a few weeks I’m sick of the whole enterprise and they seem to have run out of every available woman-seeking-woman in my region.
PROS:
• The personality test was pretty accurate.
• Random people can’t browse your profile.
CONS:
• The matches are 5% appealing, 20% eh, and 75% absurd.
• Members who signed up but haven’t paid will never be able to contact you back, or even see your profile at all once you’ve clicked “interested,” but there is no way to tell if someone is an unpaid member.
• Chemistry keeps sending me matches who live 2-3 hours away, even though I specified a 100-mile radius max.
• Even weirder, I have received notification that I have been “noticed” (a mysterious thing whose workings I do not understand, as I seem unable to “notice” others) by people several STATES away. Who are you people? How did you find me?
• Finally, the last straw: I’m a lesbian. Today I received TWO matches from Chemistry who were men. Let me just say it’s deeply vexing for those of us in this particular minority to receive suggestions of male partners. Not because I hate men, I don’t–but because the last thing I want to do with them is DATE THEM. And it gives me the creepy feeling of creepy dudes who have “mistakenly” listed themselves as women trolling through the lesbian profiles.
Then again, one of them headlined himself “Goon Man Seeks Good Woman,” apparently unintentionally, so maybe it was an honest mistake.
In any case, I am totally unimpressed with this service and do not recommend it.
May 11th, 2009
Chemistry.com is a joke. I was under the impression that if I paid for a membership I would receive more than 5 matches per day. 5 people per day is not enough because they do not allow you to select enough criteria to eliminate features that you do not like. The personality test was accurate, but do not pay them for the matches.
June 15th, 2009
This site is definitely a scam. I joined based on several “interested in you” emails. I too joined taking advantage of the “risk free trial period.” I received two days of matches and refreshed twice as well. That means in two days I got a total of ten matches. 80% of the matches did not have photographs. I don’t know about you, but if I don’t get a photo, I don’t caree how great the profile may sound, I am not going to pursue anything further. Call me shallow, but experience with Match and other sites has proven that strategy to be not only appropriate, but a must! The remainder of the matches were anything but!!!! Don’t waste your time or money with this site! I quit after the second day. Still waiting to see if I get billed or not! Good luck!