Lawyer reveals whether you could actually sue for a bad Valentine’s Day date

Valentine's Day is rapidly on the approach, and the pressure is well and truly on to secure date for the evening. But, if you're single and putting your trust in the dating apps, we all know how quickly this could go rapidly wrong.

Catfishing, red flags, and ghosting galore, the post-dating app date feeling can leave you feeling like want a refund.

But could you...actually get one?

If your date wasn't how you expected them to be, you can still sleep peacefully at night knowing a lawyer has done some digging into whether you could actually sue for a bad date.

Notepads and pens at the ready.

“When it comes to services provided during a date, such as a restaurant meal or event ticket, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 protect consumers from poor service or misleading claims. However, these laws do not extend to the quality of the dating experience itself", says Head of Legal Operations at Lawhive, Daniel McAfee.

“The Fraud Act 2006 may apply in extreme cases where a date involves deliberate deception for financial gain, such as 'romance fraud' or catfishing for money. But general disappointment with a date’s personality, appearance, or behavior? That’s unlikely to hold up in court.”

Pexels

However, it could be a different story if you paid a matchmaking service to set you up with someone.

"One creative, though unlikely, legal claim could be arguing that a bad date constitutes a ‘breach of implied warranty of merchantable quality’ under consumer law. This would suggest that the date was “not fit for purpose.” However, since dating isn’t classified as “goods,” this argument would almost certainly fail", McAfee adds.

“The strongest legal case for a refund arises with professional matchmaking services. If a company explicitly guarantees a certain number of matches or a specific quality of service, and fails to deliver, it could be liable for breach of contract. Successful claims would require clear evidence that the service did not meet its contractual obligations.”

"If a service guarantees “10 qualified matches in six months” and fails to provide them, a claim for breach of contract could hold weight.”

But what if you've been catfished online?

“False advertising in dating is a legal grey area. While businesses must not mislead consumers, holding individuals accountable for exaggerating personal traits or using outdated photos is more complex. Under the Fraud Act 2006, a case could be made if deception leads to financial loss, but proving intent to defraud is difficult", McAfee confirms.

“Dating apps also protect themselves through their terms of service, which limit liability for user interactions. Unless an app engages in systemic failures, such as breaches of data protection, claims against them are unlikely to succeed.”

Oh well, it was worth a try.

Why not read...

Dating expert shares which gifts to avoid this Valentine's Day

This day is the most popular for breakups just before Valentine's Day

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings