Edmonton matchmaking consultant found not guilty of high pressure sales tactics
A former employee of a dating company has been found not guilty of pressuring an Edmonton woman into buying a $7,000 membership.
On Tuesday, judge D'Arcy DePoe acquitted Sharon Claire Jones, who previously worked for Edmonton Matchmakers, of exerting undue pressure on consumers to enter into a transaction.
"I cannot find the Crown has proven the case beyond a reasonable doubt," DePoe said.
Last summer, Jones was charged with three offences under the Fair Trading Act, two of which were dropped before going to trial.
The Jan. 10 trial on the remaining charge hinged on evidence from former client Val Taylor, who filed a complaint with Service Alberta in April 2017, after signing up with Edmonton Matchmakers in July 2015.
Taylor said her one and only date was with an unemployed, homeless man — far from the criteria she had laid out in her appointment with Jones.
In court last month, Taylor said when she deferred her decision to sign up, she was berated by Jones. Jones slammed her hands on the desk and warned she would be a "lonely old woman," leaving her feeling demoralized and afraid, Taylor said.
According to DePoe, Taylor, who was not in court Tuesday, presented as sincere, and believed she was being truthful. But a survey filled out by Taylor after signing the contract was the "most important piece of evidence," DePoe said.
In the document, Taylor agreed that she was treated in a courteous, professional manner. She called Edmonton Matchmakers months later to find out what was going on, which indicated she still wanted the service, DePoe said.
"It puts her evidence of … undue pressure into question," DePoe concluded.
'Strong evidence'
Jones was very happy with the judge's decision, her lawyer Evan McIntyre said afterwards.
He said the complaint wasn't filed by Taylor until nearly two years after her appointment but the survey showed how she felt about Jones' service at the time.
"We felt that was strong evidence of the complaint and state of mind at the time she purchased the contract directly after interacting with my client," said McIntyre.
Taylor filed a complaint after Margaret Clark went public about her lawsuit against Edmonton Matchmakers detailing how she bought a $10,000 membership but only went on a single date.
Her story inspired others to file complaints with the province. In total, Service Alberta received 19 complaints against Edmonton Matchmakers. Four were investigated but only Taylor's case made it to trial.
But McIntyre said Jones felt she had always treated her customers fairly and courteously and the issue of the complaints seemed to be with the company itself, which has since changed ownership. Jones no longer works there either.
"She left actually when these other complaints started to come forward and she wasn't satisfied with the answers she was getting about these complaints. She was surprised about them as well," said McIntyre, adding that the case has been incredibly stressful on Jones.
"So it was really nice for my client, very satisfying for her to get her day in court, and to show the truth of these allegations," said McIntyre.
Despite the ruling, DePoe criticized the contract as being "extremely one-sided," containing "vague terms" and being written in a way to "absolve the company of any blame."
andrea.huncar@cbc.ca @andreahuncar
