Times Encounters Review

Encounters.timesonline.co.uk is the internet dating site for The Times and the Sunday Times National Newspapers, offering introductions and matching to everyone whether you are seeking a straight, gay, lesbian or bi-sexual relationship.

Almost all of the national newspapers have their own online dating site and The Times group is no different.

The website is refreshing in that it does not make any claims or promises but takes a "see for yourself" approach. What it does show is real-life examples of success stories from members who have used the site. There are lots of recent examples providing confidence that using the site will be worth your time and money.

Free Registration at Encounters Dating

The site offers a free registration, a profile build and photo up-loader service in the same way that other sites do. However, it also allows users with a basic free registration to receive anonymous emails existing subscribers who may have viewed your profile. Therefore, you really can get to see who is out there on the database and weigh up if it is worth subscribing.

Subscriptions are extremely flexible, with the shortest being 3 days at £6.95, to really get to know the site and decide if it's for you. A three month subscription costs £50.85 and six months will amount to £71.70. These subscriptions offer great value and are in keeping with The Guardian's "Soulmates" prices.

Encounters Dating Features

The functionality of the site is fairly good with lots of functions such as blocking, favourites lists, recently subscribed and registered members lists and a "find people" section whereby you can search for specific people via a number of methods such as location, interests, compatibility to your own profile, recently registered and more.

The customer service seems to be on target with information on dating and safety, online help with website navigation and a photograph scanning service to give your pictures a better finish on screen and cut to size. The website suggests that members with a good photograph on their profile are ten times more likely to experience success than those who do not, so this service may be worth more than initially perceived.

The profiling section is good too, and offers plenty of scope to write about yourself, upload several images, and answer lots of different questions on everything from hobbies and interests, to the type of relationship one is looking for. There is also a personality profiling section which really helps to narrow the search from a large pool of members to create a better chance of high compatibility.

Professional And Easy to Use

The overall look and feel of the website is professional, clean and user friendly. Everything is very clear and easy to navigate your way around quickly. The site is not quite as sophisticated and serious as the Guardian's Soulmates site, but this may be more appealing for a newcomer to the online dating scene. Nonetheless it is still likely to attract professional individuals who are serious about finding a partner to have a fulfilling relationship with and deter those who are not.

"Encounters" is a great site for newcomers of all ages and those who have been dating on other sites and want to try a new approach. The functionality and search engines should provide confidence that success is likely; if not, then the testimonials and success stories certainly will.