I have been a basic member of BBWCupid for quite some time, however I just cannot bring myself to upgrade my membership. Having been an upgraded subscriber on Zoosk, Ourtime, and Tangowire, I have had the benefit of "test driving" these sites before paying to join.

I have read most of the user reviews published here regarding their experiences on the BBWCupid platform, and I tend to agree with the vast majority of them.

Although I cannot unequivocally report that BBWCupid is a total scam and disingenuous platform, I definitely have my suspicions. Here are my discoveries:

ALGORITHMS: As highlighted in several of the reviews, the algorithms employed on BBWCUPID to vet "members" are quite abysmal. FOR INSTANCE: I have entered search criteria that returned matches that were totally off-the-mark, especially location and demographics. When I entered search parameters for members within a designated radius and age range, I received listings of users who did not remotely match the criteria- users were located hundreds of miles outside of my parameters. I mean, a search parameter of 250 miles from New Jersey should not return "matches" in as close as Florida (over 1,000 miles away), and as far away as Colombia (2,500 miles away). I tried to be fair by testing, refreshing, closing, re-entering criteria, and each time, I either received the same members, or other matches that were totally incompatible.

MEMBER DEFINED SEARCH INPUT CRITERIA: One of the MOST annoying aspects of the BBWCUPID database is the manual input search criteria. Geographically, the site searches in chunks or regions, failing to allow the user more autonomy. For instance, I cannot search by my zip code. Instead, I have to choose a town, pre-defined and listed on the city drop-down menu list. The closest town in that list is fifteen miles from my current location. Since I can never find members in that search range, the next search choice is fifty miles away, which generally returns results of people who are at least sixty-five miles away from my furthest "closest" town. I have resorted to searching 250 miles away just to try and find someone remotely compatible. That is ridiculous and shameful.

SCAMMERS: BBWCUPID is loaded with scammers. Loaded may be a stretch, since the site has such a limited member database to begin with. Many, many of the profiles are obviously fake... profile descriptors that do not match pictures, as well as profiles with clearly fake pictures, overtly obvious content that uses classic scam language such as ridiculous misspellings, and profiles barely filled with any verifiable or genuine bios.

My favorite BBWCUPID Customer Service response: " Our fraud prevention team works 24/7 to remove non-genuine profiles. If you would like to report a suspicious profile, please submit a ‘report abuse' form or contact us at www.bbwcupid.com/en/help/helpdesk"

Two comments about that. 1.) I highly doubt your "fraud prevention team works 24/7." If so, they could easily batch delete all of the bs profiles since the fake ones clearly outnumber the legitimate profiles.
2.) Unless you only have two associates in the fraud prevention department, there are hardly enough overall profiles on the site to justify a full team.

LIMITED USER DATABASE: Same user "matches" over-and-over, despite entering new and different criteria. As mentioned previously, my assessment is that the database is so limited, the searches are desperate to find anyone to fill your parameters, even if those parameters are exceptionally broad and flexible.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF BBWCUPID: 1/5. In my opinion, there is much more risk than benefit to upgrading your membership. The same members since I joined as a free member over two years ago. The site is expensive with no value added or incentives to join. It seems like every potentiallty legitimate member refuses to upgrade, probably for the same reasons I have listed. That results in an inability to connect with members since messages are blocked until someone upgrades. Clearly, the site's administrative posture and philosophy is one of intransigence and poor business acumen. As a consumer, do what you want, but I am definitely not upgrading on the hope that BBWCUPID will improve, since they have shown no desire to improve after years of operations.

In conclusion, I recommend against paying money to upgrade your membership on BBWCUPID. Do yourself a favor to avoid endless annoyances, frustration, and canned platitudes from the site administration.