Perfectly Matched Review [Best Colorado Springs Matchmaker?]

Single in Colorado Springs and looking for a matchmaker? It’s no surprise you’re wondering if Donna Shugrue and Perfectly Matched can help find your ideal partner. 

She’s been in the industry for over 3 decades, but is her approach right for you? This Perfectly Matched review will help you answer that question.

From the small independents to the big industry players, our team of experts has reviewed over 200 matchmaking services. 

Our insight comes from comprehensive research, real customer reviews, and a deep understanding of the matchmaking landscape. With 14+ years of firsthand industry experience, we know what customers value in a service!

Let’s dive in… 

Donna Shugrue’s Road To Matchmaking

Donna Shugrue's path to becoming a matchmaker began after experiencing an upheaval in her own personal life.

Fresh out of high school, Shugrue relocated to Scotland with her family when her father, a Colonel in the US Air Force, was stationed there. 

During her time overseas, she met and fell in love with a young pilot. The couple eventually moved back to the States, and by the age of 19, Shugrue was married and awaiting the arrival of their first child.

Decades later, at the age of 40, Shugrue found herself post-divorce and in search of a full-time career. Her lifelong enjoyment of connecting couples served as the inspiration for the next chapter in her life.

Her first foray into professional matchmaking started with a Denver-based company called Successful Singles International, which ended up going out of business.

Still passionate about finding the right matches for people, Shugrue joined another matchmaking agency but eventually decided to leave due to her dissatisfaction with the company's sales strategies and approach to matching clients.

In 1991, Shugrue established Perfectly Matched in Colorado Springs, and has been working with singles there ever since. 

Perfectly Matched: What To Expect

Potential clients typically start the process by completing a compatibility profile test. This assessment covers 6 components of compatibility: temperament, sociability, conformity, affection, religion, and finance.

The test consists of 46 statements designed to help reveal different aspects of your personality. You indicate to what level you agree or disagree with each statement on a scale of 1 (“Clearly Agree”) to 5 (“Clearly Disagree”). 

You'll see things like, "I have pleasant memories of childhood" and "I like to shop at discount stores."

A score ranging from 1 to 10 is assigned in each of the six categories. As the theory goes, your responses provide details about your sense of humor, romantic inclinations, spending habits, and more. 

These tests and their scores serve as the foundation of Shugrue's matchmaking process. 

After completing the test, Shugrue schedules a consultation to discuss the results and find out more about your long-term goals, interests, and lifestyle habits. These may include considerations like if you smoke, consume alcohol, your education level, and income. 

If you decide to come on as a client, Shugrue selects possible matches where the scores are closely aligned. As she puts it, 

“All my matches start with these scores. That’s how strongly I believe in them.”

Once Shugrue selects a match, she reaches out to both clients and shares details about the other person, minus a couple of things. While she keeps someone's income level in mind when she's suggesting matches, she doesn't share that information with you. 

Pictures are also left out, so you’ll be going on blind dates. Shugrue does, however, describe the other person’s physical characteristics. So at least you’ll know their eye color, hair color, height, and weight, along with other details. 

As she explained in an interview, 

“Before you meet someone, you know where they were born, how many brothers and sisters they have, whether or not they own their homes, whether or not they have pets, what religion they are, if they go to church, what church they go to…” 

Perfectly Matched offers 4 membership packages, with each one offering between 10 and 20 introductions. 

According to an interview with Cipher, a starter package with 10 introductions begins around $1,800. Contracts span 2 years and all clients must consent to background checks as part of the agreement. 

Now, let’s take a look at what some former clients had to say about their matchmaking experience with Donna Shugrue!

Perfectly Matched Reviews

This Colorado Springs matchmaking service has a 2.7 rating on Google based on 40+ reviews.

Some reviewers reported a positive experience, saying they had met someone special through the service:

This client was happy with the quality of his matches:

And this one commended Shugrue for her dedication to the process:

But there were as many negative reviews as there were positive ones, most of which expressed frustration with the quality and quantity of matches and a perceived lack of communication:

Over on Yelp, Perfectly Matched has 20+ reviews resulting in an overall rating of 1.9.

Many of the negative reviews mentioned waiting a long time for just a few - or no - matches:

However, there were a few 5-star Perfectly Matched reviews on Yelp. This client mentioned Shugrue’s methodology:

And this reviewer shared that Shugrue gave her good advice:

Perfectly Matched is not accredited with the BBB but has an overall A+ BBB rating. But the star rating is only 1 out 5 stars, based on 2 reviews.

This 1-star reviewer claimed they paid $2,000 for the service and only went on 5 dates:

The other 1-star review was with the service for 2 years and they still had not met the 10 matches that were agreed upon:

The BBB also reports there has been 1 complaint closed within the last 12 months, however the details weren’t available. 

Is Donna Shugrue & Perfectly Matched Right For You?  

Selecting the right matchmaking service hinges on several factors, such as your initial consultation experience, and your feelings about blind dates and any fine print that may be in your contract.

It’s important to read that carefully, so that you understand exactly what you’re paying for. Most matchmaking services require payment in full, up front - even if your contract spans multiple years. 

Or, in some cases, it may not even have an end date. It’s not uncommon for a package to include X number of matches, but not specify the time frame over which you’ll receive them. That approach is neither right nor wrong, but it’s definitely something you’ll want to fully understand before you commit yourself to the service! 

Another important consideration is where your matchmaker finds the singles you’ll be meeting. Boutique matchmaking services often match exclusively from within an internal database.

That means you’ll be meeting other paying clients, or, if the service offers the option, singles who have joined the database for free.

And while your perfect match may indeed have signed up for the same service you did, here’s something to keep in mind: compatibility isn’t one sided.

For it to be a successful pairing, your match has to fit your criteria, but the reverse also needs to be true. You have to fit theirs.

And consistently finding matches who truly mesh is exceedingly difficult to do from within a limited Rolodex of singles in any one area, like Colorado Springs. 

That’s the reason why meeting people who don’t align with some - or any - of your preferences is one of the most common complaints you’ll see in online reviews. 

If you opt to work with a matchmaker who strictly uses an internal database, you may often find you’ll be asked to “keep an open mind” or you may not be shown photos prior to a date. 

Everyone has different comfort levels with the 'blind date' setup. Some singles may thrive on unpredictability, while for others physical appearance is a big part of attraction and they’d rather not invest time, money, and energy on a first date when that piece of the puzzle is missing.

That’s why you may also want to consider a matchmaking service that vastly expands the search by scouting outside of an internal database.

VIDA Select, for instance, takes a modern approach to matchmaking that leverages the single largest source of Colorado Springs singles there is.

And when you’re paired with a dedicated VIDA matchmaker, you’ll get to pre-approve every single potential match based on a profile and photos. You can walk into every first date confident you’re about to meet someone with true relationship potential - and they’re excited to meet you, too!

Offering an array of monthly packages, finding one that fits your budget is easy. Basic matchmaking starts at just $1195. And because VIDA offers service on a pay-as-you-go basis, there are no long-term contracts.

Finding out if VIDA is the right fit for you is easy - just go here!

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