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            TOGETHER  LEADS "DATING SERVICE FROM HELL" CONTEST


    NEW HAVEN, Connecticut--Together  Dating Service has been nomi-
nated over seven times more often than the next closest competitor, 
during the first 40 days of the "Dating Service from Hell" contest,
which ended on Friday, December 13, 1996, according to the interim
results that have now been announced by the Association of Ethical
Matchmakers and by Victims Together, the competition's cosponsors.

     "While every national dating service received complaints from
some unhappy customers, Together  Dating Service received nearly
three times as many complaints as every other company combined,"
reported Joan Bowman, Association of Ethical Matchmakers president.

     "Complaints closely mirrored those filed against the Together 
chain by the Attorneys General of New York, New Mexico and Arkansas
in previous and current fraud actions against the Together  chain,"
said Bowman, "along with claims of wrongdoing by its customers that
Attorneys General in Maryland, Florida and California have acted on
administratively, and that the Connecticut Consumer Protection Com-
missioner ordered to 'Cease and Desist' on October 25, 1996."

     "Nominations were received from all parts of the country, with
particular concentration noticeable in states where some government
agency has taken 'official' actions against fraudulent practices,"
reported Roger Keeling, president of the Victims Together group.
 
     Allegations were made against the Together  chain primarily in
two major areas: (1) fraudulent claims of being able to "guarantee"
introductions to highly "compatible" members of the opposite sex in
return for prices ranging as high as $5,000, and then a failure to
meet this important "guarantee," and (2) extremely "high pressure"
sales tactics, including claims that customers were prevented from
leaving the "hard sell" pitch until they surrendered their credit
cards -- for over six hours in at least one case in Connecticut --
as Arkansas' Attorney General previously claimed to a court there.

     The statement that "Together  is a sham operation" made on na-
tional television by Arkansas' Attorney General, Honorable Winston
Bryant, was also mentioned by several persons nominating Together.

     Complaints against other dating-service agencies also included
allegations of "high pressure" tactics being used, but not nearly
as often, nor to the same extremes.  Except for Together  Dating
Service, claims of fraud against any introduction agency were rare. 
     
     On New Year's Day, 1997, the "worst dating service in the Eng-
lish-speaking world" will be declared over the Internet at the high
traffic Cupid's Network  website (http://www.cupidnet.com/aem). Un-
til then, nominations can be made either electronically at that web
address or by U.S. mail at AEM, Box 99, Kirkland, Washington 98083.