Illicit Encounters

Went for the one month premium upgrade to see if it was worth it. Mostly it is, the extra filters saved me scrolling through loads of profiles. The only annoyance is the renewal email came through a bit early and I had to find where to cancel.

Been using them on and off for about three years now and they've never let me down. Profiles are easy to set up and the matches feel genuinely local. Would sign up again.

The sign up fee was lower than I expected and the whole thing took maybe ten minutes on my phone. What I liked most was that I could cancel without ringing anyone, just a couple of taps in settings. I've been on for six weeks now and I've had a few proper conversations, which is more than I got from the paid apps I tried before. Good value for a dating site if you're not after anything fancy.

The boost feature is what I'd point to first, it bumps your profile for a day and I got more likes than usual. Quick to use on my phone. Would use it again when I'm stuck.

Compared to the main dating app I was using, this one feels far less cluttered and the matches seem more serious. The big app had more people on it but half of them never replied. Here I got a proper conversation going within a couple of days and felt more in control of who I talked to, although the free version is quite limited.

Bought the message boost pack to get seen by a few people in my area. It did get my profile higher up for a couple of days which was nice. The only thing is the boost ran out faster than the packaging said it would, so I'd want a clearer timer next time.

Compared to the big apps this feels calmer and less pushy about upgrades. The matches are a bit slower to come through though, so I'm not getting as many as on the other one. Cancelling my plan was a bit fiddly and I had to ring them.

The photo verification is the feature I'd mention first, as it gave me some reassurance when I was new to all this. I did find the registration process rather longer than I'd expected, and there were a couple of steps I had to repeat. Once I got going the matches were perfectly civil.

Way better than the other one I tried, which had loads of bots. This one has real people on it and the matches actually reply. Signed up in a few minutes on my phone and got a decent conversation going the same evening.

The profile checks are what I noticed most, every person I matched with had a verified photo. That meant far fewer fake accounts than I was used to elsewhere. Chatting is straightforward and I've had nice conversations here.

Back when I was single before, I used a paper agency that charged a fortune and gave me three names a month. This is a far better deal by comparison, I get daily suggestions and can message whoever I like. I've been a member for years and it's the first thing I check in the morning.

Good value for what you get, I paid for a month and it felt fair. The matches are fine, not amazing, and the chat feature takes a bit of getting used to. Would have liked a longer free trial before paying.

Booked one of their singles nights in Manchester after a mate kept going on about it. The booking page was a bit fiddly on my phone, I had to go back twice to find the ticket type I wanted. Once I'd sorted it the confirmation came through straight away and the night itself was well run, good crowd and a sensible mix of ages.

Split up with my ex last year and wanted to meet people without it being awkward. Signed up on the bus home and had my profile sorted in ten minutes. Easy to use, will keep going.

Got divorced a couple of years ago and needed somewhere to meet people who weren't from the same circle. I'd used dating sites before so I knew what to expect. The sign up was straightforward and the matching has been decent, though I wish the search was a bit quicker.

Moved to Bristol for a new job and didn't know a soul, so I needed a way to meet people quickly. Signed up on my lunch break and set up my profile between meetings. Got a few good matches in the first week and it's been easy enough to keep up with.

Honestly didn't get much out of it. Signed up, paid for the upgrade and got only a handful of matches in the first month, most of whom had stopped logging in. Support took nearly a week to answer my question about a refund.

The photo verification step was the first thing that made me take it seriously, which I liked. I tried two other apps before this and neither had anything like it. Signing up took a while though, and the price is on the higher side compared to the rest.

Been on here a fair while and it does what I need it to. The profiles are a bit thin in some areas but the site is quick and the chat works well. Occasionally a notification comes through late which is the only thing I'd change.

I'd moved up to Leeds for work and didn't know anyone outside the office. A mate suggested this site and I've been a member for a good while now. The matching has got better over the years and I've met a few decent people through it, so it's done what I needed.