Online dating sites failing to find 'the one' as number of Hong Kong singles grows

A man whose search for love turned to humiliation when he tried to find a partner through a dating company was one of a growing number of people complaining to the Consumer Council about such services.

Two face-to-face dates went badly when the women decided he wasn't suitable and an effort to set him up with an air hostess failed, prompting the matchmaker to tell him he simply wasn't "qualified" for such a relationship.

He was one of 22 people who complained to the watchdog last year about dating services - which include online dating, speed dating and one-to-one personal matchmaking. The figure was up from eight in 2012.

Professor Michael Hui King-man, chairman of the council's publicity and community relations committee, said a growing number of singles was driving demand for dating services.

"According to the 2011 population census, the proportion of never-married males and females aged between 20 and 49 increased significantly from 39 per cent and 34 per cent respectively in 2001 to 47 per cent and 39 per cent in 2011," he said.

The man cited by the council had paid an annual membership fee of HK$4,000. On the first date, he complained, the woman kept sneezing and talking about her depression. After their meeting she expressed dissatisfaction with him to the matchmaker.