By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-06 17:30:03 | Updated at 2024-10-06 19:20:39
2 hours ago
A matchmaking company charged an 80-year-old man with dementia nearly $8,500 so he could be set up on dates - despite the fact he couldn't go on them because of his illness, the man's son claimed.
Blake Mooney, who manages his father's finances because of his condition, discovered that his dad paid $8,495 to the Matchmaking Company on June 28.
His father, who remains unidentified, lives in an assisted living facility in Lake County, Florida, while Mooney lives hundreds of miles away in North Carolina.
Mooney figured out that his dad, who is a widower, managed to take an Uber to the Matchmaking Company's Winter Park office, where he reportedly signed a contract that would entitle him to 12 'introductions' or dates with women. That's also when he forked over the staggering four-figure sum.
'He's not going on a date. He can't go on a date. He has dementia,' Mooney told News 6. 'Unfortunately, when I try to speak with him about it, he doesn’t recall everything.'
Blake Mooney, left, is pictured with his 80-year-old father, who paid nearly $8,500 to The Matchmaking Company in hopes of meeting 12 different women
Pictured: The credit card charge made by Mooney's father for the dating service
Pictured: The receipt showing exactly where Mooney's father traveled in order to sign the contract with The Matchmaking Company
Mooney believes his dad may have stumbled on the company's website, which promises to 'create long-lasting, authentic, and loving relationships' for its clients.
He added that while his dad's memory loss may not be noticeable right away to people who first meet him, spending extended time with him will reveal his mental challenges.
'Once [the conversation] starts involving financial situations, numbers, and dates, he would have no idea,' Mooney said. 'You could call him right now and ask him what the date is and he wouldn’t be able to recall it for you.'
According to the application paperwork Mooney's dad submitted with the Oklahoma-based dating service, he listed his birth year as 1922, which would have made him 102 years old.
Once Mooney figured out what had happened, he began calling every number he had for the Matchmaking Company, desperately trying to explain the situation.
'I lost count when I hit 51 phone calls in the first two days,' Mooney said.
Sometimes he was hit with an automated voicemail system and other times, he actually did get in touch with company representatives.
Mooney claimed that when he called The Matchmaking Company, he was met with resistance and inquiries about whether he'd like to sign up too
Pictured: The Matchmaking Company's office in Winter Park, Florida. This is where Mooney's father signed the contract
Though, according to him, they didn't have much interest in refunding the money.
'There’s nobody to talk to,' Mooney explained. 'There’s nobody who can help you in any way other than [asking] "Would you like to sign up? Would you like to have some matchmaking done for you?"'
After Mooney contacted News 6 for help, reporter Mike DeForest visited the company's Winter Park office - the same place where Mooney's father signed the contract - to hopefully get some answers.
DeForest's questions weren't answered by staff, but shortly after his visit, Mooney was contacted by Chase Overstreet, the company's general counsel.
Allegedly, Overstreet refused to void his father's contract.
'He stated, "Well, I called your father, and he says he doesn’t have dementia,"' Mooney said.
Since Mooney is his father's power of attorney, which entitles him to make legal and financial decisions for him, Mooney was able to continue his battle with the matchmaker.
Once Mooney sent over the power of attorney documents to the company, he received the contract his father had signed.
According to that contract, his father had three days to cancel and receive a full refund.
The saving grace within the document was the fact that it could be canceled 'if, upon a doctor’s order, you cannot physically receive the services.'
Mooney, pictured, had his father's doctor write a letter to The Matchmaking Company attesting to his patient's dementia
Orlando-based attorney, Raymond Traendly, advises families to check in on their elderly relatives to make sure they're still sound of mind. If doubts appear, it might be time to explore obtaining power of attorney to mitigate situations like the one Mooney found himself in
'It's ridiculous, the hoops they're making us jump through,' Mooney said.
Mooney contacted his father's doctor, who wrote a letter stating that his patient 'has been diagnosed with dementia' and 'experiences significant cognitive impairment that affects memory, reasoning, and judgment.'
'After comprehensive evaluation and clinical assessments, it is my professional medical opinion that he lacks the capacity to make sound decisions regarding the use of Match (sic) Company services,' the doctor concluded.
Once the Matchmaking Company received the letter, it issued a $5,953 refund, which is nearly $2,500 shy of what Mooney's father actually paid.
DailyMail.com reached out to the company, but it didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on why it still has a hefty portion of the payment.
'This would have financially killed him,' Mooney said, while arguing his father should have been entitled to a full refund. 'It would have been bad had we not caught it. It would have been very bad.'
Attorney Raymond Traendly with TK Law in Orlando told News 6 that family members with aging relatives ought to check in regularly to see if their decision making is still sound.
If not, it might be time to secure power of attorney just in case they begin haphazardly swiping a credit card.
'You want to have a conversation with your loved ones early and often,' Traendly said. 'The best time to do a power of attorney is before there’s any dispute about a lack of capacity.'
