I remember joining my first dating site.
It had been a while since I'd been in a relationship, and with Internet dating all the rage, “Why not”? I thought.
Besides, I was busy with work and it seemed like an efficient way to skip past the chance bar and party encounters and quickly funnel my way to some dates with real potential.
It didn't go to plan at first.
After days of pouring over matches, I found myself thinking, “Is it me or is there no one out there like me?”
Don't get me wrong, I wasn't looking for a carbon copy of myself, but no one seemed to have the same outlook on life, and very few of the same interests – at least no one within a 25 mile radius!
To be honest, at the time it left me feeling more hopeless than hopeful.
Sound familiar?
But, in the end, I met someone. Hurrah!
We had a fruitful relationship and, when that ended, I met someone else afterwards on the same site. That was a great summer 🙂
You just have to hang in there; these things take time.
Eleven years later and I'm happily married, but I still see many of my single friends struggling with that same dating dilemma.
Dating sites, despite their marketing ploys are essentially a catchall for singles. They are built on the precept that if you put a bunch of single people together they will naturally fall in love/hook up, just because they are single.
It's a numbers game. And that does work, if the numbers are high enough – and the algorithm used is efficient at matching your preferences.
So, where am I going with this…
Well, just recently, while out with a single friend, she mentioned her recent foray into the world of “mindful dating” – on a site called MeetMindful.
Knowing that I'm into this “mindfulness stuff”, she gave me a tour on her phone.
I was impressed, and jealous, I might add. I wish this platform had been around when I was dating!
But! Hold your horses there. Long story short, it didn't work out.
And in this review, I'll explain why…
MeetMindful & The Mindful Dating Concept
MeetMindful is a dating site aimed at those who live life on a mindful pathway.
It is targeted at those with an “awakened mind” that's open to learning and self-development: those who want to live life positively and explore opportunity and potential; those who are compassionate and kind; health conscious, etc.
It's a place for creative types, spiritual types, mindfulness types, worldly types, travel types…
It's meant for those who “live alternatively” in various ways: those who practice meditation, spirituality, eat healthily, enjoy fitness, nature and green living, volunteering, self-development… you get the picture.
It sounds perfect!
So why didn't it work out for my friend?
Well, quite simply because there wasn't enough choice. Globally there seems like a lot of people, but locally she really struggled.
Furthermore, the dates she was interested in mostly didn't respond – which made her question whether those profiles were computer generated. That's speculation, of course.
She's on Match.com now, and has finally met someone – so her profile will no doubt be coming down!
I'm so pleased for her.
So why did it work out on Match but not MeetMindful?
Well, the idea of attracting all the “mindful” singles in one place is a wonderful one, but the reality is that people go where the numbers are, because dating is a numbers game, right?
Moreover, simply being a meditator, a vegan, a yoga enthusiast, or all three, doesn't mean you aren't into other things like a glass of wine of an evening, or the odd sofa-day with a good Netflix series and box of delightfully unhealthy chocolates.
We're all pretty unique, in our own way.
The bigger dating sites have such huge membership databases that you are much more likely to find that vegan-yoga goer and occasional drinker you're looking for.
Of course, for a niche site like Meet Mindful to take off, it needs to attract members over time. This means huge marketing costs, which means they need income from memberships to pay for it. It's a catch 22 and why it is so hard to establish a new dating site like this.
If you are prepared to wait around until it grows and more members come on board, it might pay off. But love waits for no man, or woman!
Sure, the MM matches are guaranteed to be targeted toward your way of life, but in my opinion, in this situation it is better to have a small piece of a big pie than a big piece of a small pie.
Match has a whopping 13.5 million members.
> Click to register a free profile on Match.com <
While they won't all be of the mindful persuasion, the reality is that the odds are better among 13.7m members.
What to Expect on MeetMindful
The concept is wonderful but the feedback hasn't all been flattering. Since writing about this new dating concept I have received a few complaints from readers. Here's just a couple of them:
This website is a scam! If you provide credit card info and then want to stop your membership, you MUST cancel your credit card or they will continue to charge even after you have terminated your membership.
And…
I joined and cancelled my subscription all in the same month. Since then I have been charged every month even though I am no longer on meetmindful or receive any action. My profile no longer exist or is hidden. This month Meetmindful took the fees out twice. I'm furious over this, and would not recommend this dating site. The only thing I know to do is change my credit card number which will be a huge hassle.
To their credit, I contacted the company on behalf of the reader above, and MM said they had responded to the customer to sort out the misunderstanding.
And for balance, I received positive feedback too, as follows:
Meet Mindful has made some really wonderful changes for those who aren't Premium members. I am genuinely impressed, and wanted to share my experience with the update!
Every day a welcome screen opens with a note that says something along the lines of, “Welcome back, take a moment to get present”. Then you are taken to a page with 10 potential matches, who you can't yet see. You are given the opportunity to carefully read the first in queue, (it initially prompts you to take your time in viewing the individual as a whole) and decide if you like their profile or not. You can chose to Pass on all ten, but you can only Like three (3).If you Like a profile, you can only message them if they like you back. If someone who is a Premium member likes your profile and you haven't connected with theirs yet, I believe they can message you. Considering non-Premium members weren't allowed to message or read messages sent before, I really appreciate the changes that were made… I'm in the middle of a great conversation with someone who seems very genuine and kind
Searching for a Date
Having registered a profile to check out the platform myself, I was impressed with how easy it is to use. You're able to easily include and exclude the lifestyle choices you want your matches to have. You'll see what I mean in the screenshots below.
I also liked the fact that I could skip what I didn't want to fill out immediately and get onto viewing profiles. Let's face it: the determining factor as to whether you stick around or not is whether you see potential dates in other members.
The thing is, you can also do all this on Match, apart from the My Mantra and Mindfulness Commitment parts. But then you can just write that stuff in your profile on any dating site, anyway. So while it is very tailored and seems very unique, maybe it's not really that different.
Here's an overview of the sign-up process:
My Matches!
Okay, so this is a hypothetical exercise, but I did find a match.
Not many, though, and only one I would consider messaging.
One thing I found pretty odd was that most of the matches hadn't bothered to write hardly anything in their profile. Looks-wise, I only vibed with a few. I'm sure they wouldn't vibe with me either!
Below is the profile of my favorite match. I have blurred her face and name out to protect her identity.
What attracted me to this particular person?
- Great quote used at the top of her profile
- Has a thirst for wisdom
- Likes music and exercise
- Likes travel and exploring outside of her comfort zone
- She wrote about kindness, love and positivity in her profile
- She has a wonderful smile!
I love the concept and this was a great match for me, but I'd need more of a pool of fish; because if it didn't work out I'd struggle to find another in my locality.
Finding Friends Not Dates
One great aspect of the site is that while the main marketing is aimed at single people, the MeetMindful concept is about bringing together people who have similar mindful living interests.
This means friendships and not just dates.
You can state that you are married or in a relationship, and explain explicitly that you are looking for friendships. That is unique to this platform.
I've actually been thinking about this myself. I now live in an area where I have none of my old friends around. It's a lovely place to live for my daughter but my social life has taken a tumble.
MeetMindful Pricing
The good news is that it's free to join and register a profile. It's also fairly priced at the premium level.
A free MeetMindful account enables you to complete a detailed profile with up to 6 photos and a questionnaire, and allows you to view 10 daily matches.
You can like up to 3 of your daily matches, and if they like you back, you can message them for free and start the connection!
Here are the 4 key benefits of premium membership:
- Message and like unlimited matches
- Advanced filtering to find better matches
- See your admirers (those who like your profile)
- Faster customer support
Sam says
I recently signed up with them, I gotta say, it’s easily the best experience I’ve had in online dating. What I like the most is that the people I was matched with were all people that live passionately and held wonderful values in their lives. I’d recommend it to anyone looking to find quality human beings. I meditate, do tai chi, play piano and but am currently very busy building my career, I don’t drink and I don’t do hook ups, so while the people on this site have the options to say they want hook ups and that they drink, I was able to find matches who wanted to find a quality connections.
Andreas says
Hi, all well. Yet this seems an english dating site. Correct? I live in Germany and I suppose it won’t make sense then to join. Of course I speak english fluently as I lived in the US for six years. But I am back to good old Germany and cannot change because of my job. It just is so.
Are there any people around Munich? Are they all english speaking people or also German speaking people?
Thank you for a mindful answer. And I hope a true one.
It doesn’t make sense to join when I am the only one around in a 20 miles radius.
Thank you
Andreas
Alfred James says
Hi Andreas, there are people from all over the world. I think the best thing to do is register (free) and have a search for people in your city before taking it further. All the best!
Alex says
How to I get matches?
Stephanie says
Hi Andreas,
I speak German (and am German) but I wouldn’t pop up in your search results if your search criterium is for your march to be living in a 20 mile radius around Munich. You could consider increasing the radius.
Good luck,
Stephanie
Siobhan says
Hi there! I’ve been on this site for quite awhile (over a year or so). I wasn’t sure if I was ready to get back into the online dating world. Really I was just curious as to who is out there, but sometimes the giant list of individuals felt overwhelming.
Well! The other day I randomly logged back in, and lo and behold, Meet Mindful has made some really wonderful changes for those who aren’t Premium members. I am genuinely impressed, and wanted to share my experience with the update!
Every day (when you initially log in), a welcome screen opens with a note that says something along the lines of, “Welcome back, take a moment to get present”. Then you are taken to a page with 10 potential matches, who you can’t yet see. You are given the opportunity to carefully read the first in queue, (it initially prompts you to take your time in viewing the individual as a whole) and decide if you like their profile or not. You can chose to Pass on all ten, but you can only Like three (3). Once you’ve passed on them and the day is over, you are not shown those profiles again. (Ever, unless you pay for the Premium package.)
If you Like a profile, you can only message them if they like you back. If someone who is a Premium member likes your profile and you haven’t connected with theirs yet, I believe they can message you. I’m not sure, however, so don’t quote me on this.
Once you’ve gone through the ten options, you aren’t able to undo any likes or dislikes. You are also not taken to a browsing page with everyone on there. You are also still unable to see who has liked your profile, but that’s to be expected IMO.
Considering non-Premium members weren’t allowed to message or read messages sent before, I really appreciate the changes that were made. I love the way the site encourages you to be present with each person as a whole, and I’m in the middle of a great conversation with someone who seems very genuine and kind. (Which is what I was desiring!)
Anyway, thank you for writing this review, and I hope my additions are beneficial in some way!
With gratitude,
Siobhan
Jess says
So exciting! I went on a date over the holidays and while I’m not sure it will go places I’ve definitely made a friend. I have another date lined up too.
Marjorie says
It’s a nice idea but coming from a small town there just isn’t enough choice. I’m 52 too, which narrows my prospects further. I joined Match and I’m getting more interaction, which is nice.
Joy says
I joined MeetMindful recently and didn’t like it. I guess I’m spoiled as a member on Match, which is much better, in my opinion. Why? You can read and reply to messages sent to you, for free. And they have all kinds of matching tools including astrology and match questions which go into really good depth. There are no restrictions on searching and I can use as many filters as I like. Their subscriptions are less than MM and the site has a great vibe in general. And, the members seem to take it seriously with many having very complete profiles. I like the creativity that SS offers in allowing members to create and answer their own essay questions too. I haven’t seen that on any other dating site. I know this is a discussion about MM, but I just wanted to give my two cents and recommend a site that has been around for almost 20 years and is very, very good.
Pauline says
What is SS? Thanks
Rebecca says
I’m disappointed to discover: even the mindful approach to online dating has its scammers. Beware, dear dater, of a handsome 59-year-old Aussie widower named Archie, six years single by choice. His Meetmindful profile is a fake. An attractive, successful, foreign, middle-aged widower should be cause for suspicion. Good-old average-looking divorced American men are a surer bet, yet eww, maybe not very desirable . . .
Catherine Shores says
I set up an account without the premium, since I have a specific age bracket I am more compatible with. There are women who date younger men. I received attractive weekly matches and liked several, but none liked back. I deactivated immediately after I was liked by someone very unattractive in the age range I avoided.
KW says
Please be WARNED that Meetmindful Dating website is fraudulent and makes it impossible to communicate with them or receive a valid refund for their false practices. I realized this after just one week of their misleading and faulty service and tried to correct it with them, with no response at all….nothing.
Here are examples of what was advertised, yet not adhered to:
– Matches that were sent had little or nothing to do with me as written in my profile.
– The matches sent ignored for the most part the location and distance parameters I set.
– Values that I expressed had no bearing on what “matches” were created, such as ages and lifestyles.
Basically, this is a not a “Matching” service, but more of a round up of paying customers who are stuck with the program once paid for with no opportunity for a refund, much less actual and honest communication from the business.
Notice that here is no direct email communication between the business and customers. You have to have an “account” to exchange emails…and the topics for emails are very limited, leaving out actual issues the customer is having with the business. This is intentional on their part for in order to receive a refund from your credit card company you have to show an email exchange that shows you tried to resolve the issues…which I tried, but had no record of.
So, if you don’t mind doing business with a company that does not follow through on their advertised policy, basic fraud, you are welcome to feel good about the above review and jump in. Best of luck to you!
P.S. I’ve had some experience with another matching site that was very respectful and professional, so I have a clear vision of how this type of business should be managed.
Kcb says
Horrible site, don’t be fooled it does not matter it is easy to build a profile. No way to test how it works if your ‘likes’ don’t do anything!!! It is like the wizard of Oz, who knows what is behind the curtain and you are just send on a wild chase.
I live in a major metropolitan area so they cannot use that as an excuse. I was on for two month to give it a fair chance and eventually ‘liked’ just about every person they showed me. I did limit them initially to only people that actually did a full profile. But in the end I did 60+ likes and started liking all of the gentlemen because the application didn’t seem to be sending my ‘likes’ to anyone. Using the ‘numbers’ approach didn’t work either.
Also read numerous guys profiles that indicated that they too were not seeing any mutual ‘likes’.
Don’t waste your time even if building a profile is easy. Taking a closer look at the reviews even with a subscription it probably isn’t worth it.
NJ says
I have tried this site for about 3 weeks. I have liked many matches and searched profiles and followed up with specific (not generic) messages. My messages are still unread and I have not received any messages from anyone who has liked my profile (there have been quite a few) Is something wrong with the messaging capability of the site? Or I’m learning that the profiles may be fake? But some of the profile pics (no offense to anyone) I would think would look better if they were fake. Wondering if I should give this more time, or is it a dead end. I like the idea of the mindful dating.
Alfred James says
Getting a lot of complaints on here, so what started out as a good thing initially has fallen from grace.
Mark says
All attempts to contact this company have failed. Their website/server seems to have crashed. The home page load but disappears after approx. 1 second. they charged my credit card last month and I am not a Premium member. I am going to have to cancel/invalidate my credit card. I’m Pissed!
Mary Montes says
Meet Mindful is pretty bad. I have tried contacting them several times. They have no email, no phone # and is a big waste of $. There were several scammers I wanted to discuss with them and have not been able to reach them I sent an email to an address that someone posted online and it was never answered. Nowhere on their site is there a way to contact them. Obviously they just want your $. There should be someone who monitors complaints and a way to reach them.
BEWARE. And they seem to only respond when you report them to BBB.
Hreg says
I joined MM tree tears ago…was dissatisfied with the sire, deleted my profile within a month or so and recently got an email stating that someone had liked me…lo and behold, there’s my profile, in all its relative glory…not deleted! WTF?