Stef and the City

After trying online dating, I thought I would give a matchmaker a try. That’s when I found Stef and the city. I liked the fact that she meets with each person that she sets up even if it is to join her database. She really makes you think about what you have a «wants» and «must haves» in a partner as well as physical and characteristic specifics. She also lets you know if your requirements are too narrow and lets you know what is realistic. Besides the personalized matchmaking, I enjoy the fact that she has several rules that she has the men and women follow. My favorite one is the no texting the first 3 weeks, which is true because it gets rid of ambiguity of text messaging etc. Also, I enjoy that fact that you give and receive detailed feedback on how the date went so that you can gauge any habits that you need to correct. Overall a great service and I recommend!

Stef’s service provides an opportunity for women of any age to feel like they are heard. She gets that the dating rules:
1.Men CALL you for a first date and continue to call you and not rely on texting
2.Women don’t get picked up but do get to pick a spot by them
3. Men aren’t required to take you out to dinner, but her dates are NOT just coffee
4. Men pay for a first date
5. Both sides get to hear feedback in a respectful way and not feel like people can just «disappear».
These are things that help the dating process and make me comfortable so that I know when I am paying to meet someone, I am getting quality men and not men who don’t take the process seriously.
I am sure that Stef will continue to attract quality people to her service since she insists that anyone who wants to join goes through a serious questionnaire and process that weeds out the people who are flaky.

Terrible TERRIBLE person to deal with. She charges a LOT, you can’t see pictures of the people before the date, then on the date you find out they’re not what you’re looking for. But the worst part about it is dealing with Stef. She’s extremely rude, abrasive, brash. After the date she has a follow up call with you where she bashes you with harsh criticism. No compassion or consideration whatsoever. She has these dating rules that she enforces like a nazi. I scheduled a date with a woman literally 2 miles away from where the woman lived, and Stef said it was too far and charged me $ 15 as a penalty. The dating process is hard enough, dealing with Stef is even harder. She has terrible people skills. I discontinued service with her because dealing with her was so negative and off-​putting and she gave no refund of the $ 3000 I plunked down for this wasted service. Better to be single than deal with Stef.

I enjoyed working with Stef last summer and I am still using the tools she taught me. I not only use the tools for dating, but for an effective social life. I learned about places and things in the city I never knew existed. Her sessions were the social «therapy» I needed. She tells the truth, you may not want to hear. Facing the truth about myself has made me more confident. Using the techniques has resulted in more dates and has made me a master dater and a true social butterfly. Nothing happens overnight, but she taught me how to have the time of my life in the process.

In theory, Stef and the City is a great concept. In a big city, the idea of meeting someone chivalrous who is pre-​screened is appealing in the world of app-​based dating. Unfortunately, these people exude no professionalism and do not understand that this industry is client-​driven. They are happy to take your money and make you sign an extensive, rule-​based contract, but they have no desire to follow up with you unless it is for their own benefit. I should have listened to others who had the same experience and stayed away.

If you are serious about finding love, then Stef is your girl! I tried a number of different websites and went on a tons of dates, but wasn’t meeting quality guys, until I went to Stef in the City. She was able to match me with guys who were on my level. Her business is more than just matchmaking, it’s also about personal growth. Stef is warm natured and genuinely cares about each one of her clients. I would hands down recommend her!

Stef is a great listener and prides herself in finding you someone that fits your interests, of course also using her expertise to find you a good match that you yourself may not even know.
I would recommend her service as it is a great way to meet a quality person that IS as advertised.
–WH

This company is very new and as a consequence does not have many clients to match one up with — resulting in over-​promised sales pitches.
No matter how large she makes her company sound — it does not stack up after she takes your money.
Buyer beware. Save yourself the money.

I was hesitant to use a matchmaking service, but after my first two introductions, I have been impressed with the women that Steph has introduced me to. The women have been very successful, intelligent and attractive. So far, Steph has exceeded my expectations with the high quality of women that she has introduced me to. Instead of dreading the «first date», I am now excited for the first dates that I get through Steph. Steph makes the first date experience easy and very low stress. It has been a great experience for me and I would highly recommend using Steph!

I have tried endless matchmakers as you can see from my reviews, but Stef was great! She is polished, classy, and honest! If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen! She will tell you how it is and that is good for a matchmaker because you need to have realistic expectations. The price is VERY reasonable and definitely worth it!
Our meeting went well and she had someone for me already. He turned out to be good looking and exactly what was mentioned. The date was awesome and we hung out all weekend! Unfortunately, he wasn’t looking for something serious and I am. Hopefully she will have more guys soon! I am hopeful for the future and you should try her as well!

I was skeptical about the process, and even more so that Stef could get the job done given my high expectations. Well, I was proved wrong and could not be happier. From one of the most intense guys out there with very high expectations, if she can make a believer and fan out of me, definitely worth the shot. What do you have to lose? Meeting someone incredible. Do it.

I was previously an intern for Stef and couldn’t of been happier with my experience. Stef is a very passionate person and cares about her staff and clients very much. Stef knows how to network like no one I’ve ever seen before and I would definitely recommend her to anyone who is looking to start dating, continue dating, or to try something new. Personally, she taught me many things about what it takes to run a business and how to network. She not only focused my internship on what I could do for her but also what she could do to help me grow professionally.

Although the thought of enlisting a matchmaker was a bit uncomfortable for me, I had a very productive and thorough first meeting with Stef back in January. I found her to be honest and upfront, which she has continued to be throughout all our conversations. She is frank and direct but always professional and polite.
Through her, I recently met a charming gentleman, someone with whom I connected on so many different levels. I feel quite certain we wouldn’t have met were it not for Stef.
Stef clearly loves what she does and her passion for her work is obvious. She does all the legwork which, in turn, takes all the guesswork out it for you so, when you have that first meeting with your match, you’re relaxed, comfortable and able to be yourself.

Stef runs a highly effective and professional service. She is an amazing networker and knows just how to use her wonderful skills to get the job done. I have been recommending her to all my single friends.

I wouldn’t even give one star to this awful business, but Unilocal requires at least one to post. I met with Stef and she charged me to meet me, which I have to say was off-​putting from the start. For the love of G-​D, I have gone to real professionals like Doctors, Beauticians, Grad Schools, for a consultation meeting to see if I wanted to use their service or skill set and I have never been charged! Anyway, I would not even have minded that if she actually did what she offered in that first meeting. We spent what seemed like a lifetime (time I will never get back) going over everything about me and what I am looking for. That was great and I left feeling like I would get a great set of «matches» out of this because it was so detailed and because she said she had a few great guys that she could set me up with. In that initial meeting she told me that she had some men in my range that she would like to set me up with, but she had one in mind immediately. She told me that he would be a great fit, that she had coached him and he followed all of her «rules» and we were off. I paid again (an actual date is more expensive) and was set up with a person who was nothing that would fit the lengthy «get to know me» meeting that I paid for. Instead I found a man who followed none of her «rules», talked about himself and other women endlessly and was just a mismatch for me. Following her «rules» (see the theme here?) I sent my review of this date and waited. And waited. And waited. I heard nothing from Stef. And still nothing. I finally called her and she actually said «Oh, I thought I contacted you already.» What!!! She had no feedback from the guy, which did not surprise me. I guess he really wasn’t interested in her «rules». I then asked about the other men she had told me about during our initial meeting. «Well, I will have to look into that, one of them is just divorced and I’m not sure if he is ready to meet anyone (Then why did you talk about him in the initial meeting, may I ask?) and then she made excuses as the other possibilities evaporated. Long story short, she didn’t have anyone else. So how about this idea: Don’t charge people when you have NOTHING to offer them. My advice to Stef would be to follow some «rules» herself: Follow up when you say you are going to do so. Don’t tell people things that you aren’t sure of until you can verify your facts. Give the service that you are asking people to pay for. Earned media is great, but if your product sucks then the people/​customers who really use them will post reviews and those reviews can make or break a business. I would say based on what I am reading on Unilocal,you are on your way to the break.

Save yourself the time. I met with Stef on a recommendation from my friend, who hasn’t had any luck with her either but still continues the service. I found her to be rude, pushy, and flat out insulting. She kept pushing on the having me meet with men who I know I wouldn’t be attracted to due to height. It maybe silly but I know this about myself. That’s not that bad but what was down right out of this world rude was how she kept, at least I felt she did, harping on my body image. First she asked how I would describe my body type, a legit question. I told her and she gave me a blank look and then asked again. I said it again and she said well you know this will be important to the guy and ask AGAIN. So then when she was almost done she said and «remember if you look different like you lost 20 lbs you should let me know».NOT if you go blonde but if I lost 20 lbs. This service isn’t worth your time and money. The only good thing about her was Holly. She was attentive and helpful also very sweet. The only positive thing she has going. And I did let Holly know that I had a less then stellar experience with Stef and I have YET to hear from her to as least apologize. Going to Stef is just as equal to meeting a douche bag at some bar. You want to feel bad about yourself just set up a meeting with her and waste $ 40 bucks!
Based on Stefanie’s feedback below I’d like to point out that she had my feedback for over a week before I posted my review on Unilocal.And she only reached out via the post only. A personal email before posting would have been a better idea. This shows a lot about her services and the follow up. Good luck to who ever works with her.

Went on a date last night that Stef set up. Stef hit a home run: Wonderful woman, great looks, and great interests in common.