Thousands lost to closed dating service

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - A woman said she paid thousands for a service she never got after a dating service Target 8 investigated shut down its Grand Rapids branch.

Millions of people across the country use some kind of dating service. Here in West Michigan, one woman turned to a dating service after her husband died. Another did the same after a nasty divorce. Both say they lost thousands of dollars -- and the company's phone is now disconnected.

Lisa Wheaton started looking for a dating service after she divorced a man she said abused her.

"Came home one night and beat the crap out of me and he was gone the next morning," Wheaton recalled.

Wheaton then found out her ex-husband had a criminal history, including an incident of assault.

So after her divorce she chose a dating service that ran background checks. She chose Two of Us in Grand Rapids, the same company Target 8 investigated.

"I went 'Oh! Oh my God, they're on the news!'" she said.

Last year, Target 8 met Elizabeth Labine, who sued Two of Us and got half of her money back.  

"I just remember feeling very pressured," she said at the time.
 
Labine paid nearly $3,000 and only went on two dates.

Wheaton paid more than $4,000 and only had one date in the past year.

Last year, Two of Us Vice President of Operations Ethan Baker said the company was not running a scam.   

Now, at the office where Target 8 interviewed Baker in May 2012, the Two of Us logo remains on the window, but the office is cleared out.

"I thought, 'Holy crap, I have a whole year on this contract to go and they ripped me off,'" said Wheaton.

Baker emailed a statement confirming the company's Grand Rapids office closed and that "all members were notified via email or mail, and instructed to contact Matchmaker Michigan," another local dating service.

The full statement --

"Two of Us Grand Rapids closed its doors and transferred all members to Matchmaker Michigan, another local dating service. Matchmaker Michigan has taken over the servicing of these members. All members were notified via email or mail and instructed to contact Matchmaker Michigan."

When asked why the office closed and if patrons would get their money back, he wrote back: "No further comment."

"I'm flabbergasted that they ripped me off of all that money, and I want it back," said Wheaton.

The Michigan Attorney General's Office is looking into Wheaton's complaint.

Wheaton, meanwhile, is dating someone. She met him through an online dating service that cost $24.99 per month.