Watchdog takes swipe at dating app's fees

Dating app Tinder has an "unfair" pricing mechanism that charges users an annual subscription according to age, the Consumer Council has found.

The fees cost at least HK$900 - with the highest for those who are 38-year-olds, followed by for 18-year-olds and 58-year-olds. The cheapest are for those whose ages are 28, 48 and 68.

The council ran a test by registering a series of accounts for users aged 18 to 68 with intervals of 10 years then checked the subscription prices.

The plans are for "platinum" account holders who can enjoy extra features including messages before matching and priority of getting seen faster.

The app charges 38-year-old platinum account holders HK$1,318 annually, 42 percent higher than users from the lowest-priced group, according to council chief executive Gilly Wong Fung-han.

Calling the nontransparent pricing mechanism "unfair," the watchdog urged the app operator to make rectifications.

The council found dating apps reveal users' personal information for marketing and advertising after a trial on nine popular ones in Hong Kong between October and December. The nine tested were Bumble, Coffee Meets Bagel, Goodnight, Heymandi, OkCupid, Omi, Paktor, SweetRing and Tinder.

All were found to have preset permission to use account owners' data, including name, gender, sexual orientation, date of birth, location, e-mail address and phone number for marketing or advertising but only three apps allowed users to opt out.

All nine required user's information to open an account, with two requiring up to 12 items of information.

Six required users to upload photos with their faces clearly visible or users may have their accounts banned for not complying with the rules.

Nora Tam Fung-yee, chairman of the council's research and testing committee, said it is a dilemma when users offer information to the platform.

"When you want to use these apps, you really want to get the right person to date. And since you want to get the right person, you need to give them more information," Tam said.

Wong reminded the public to be careful when disclosing personal data online.

All apps surveyed offered basic functions for free. But users can subscribe for features such as "additional likes" and "increased exposure" - which cost from HK$78 to HK$235 per month. Users can subscribe to advanced plans with wider features such as "reconnecting with expired matches" from HK$138 to HK$468.

Apart from Tinder, a price differentiation was also found on OkCupid, which is under the same parent company as Tinder.

Both state pricing "varies by a number of factors," with little explanation of their pricing.

Tinder did not respond to the council's inquiries, but OkCupid denied varying pricing based on user age, claiming the phenomenon could be due to "random pricing tests" of the app.

The council also warned against virtual items sold on dating apps to indicate one's interest or increase interaction with other users.

The charges - ranging from HK$15 to the highest of HK$252,200, in the case of Goodnight - were usually nonrefundable.

The council received some 50 complaints in the past three years, mostly against service quality, each involving HK$10,000 to HK$20,000.

Age is not covered under Hong Kong's anti-discrimination laws, an Equal Opportunities Commission spokesman said.

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com