Barwon Health doctor Eileen Moore sues Elite Introductions dating agency after dud date

A Victorian doctor who paid thousands to find love says a dud match by an exclusive dating agency dashed her high hopes. Now she wants her money back.

Eilleen Moore has sued Elite Introductions dating agency. Picture: Facebook

A love-starved doctor has demanded a full refund and a written apology after an exclusive dating agency lumped her with a dud date who failed to meet her height requirements.

Dr Eileen Moore sued Elite Introductions after she slapped down almost $5000 upfront to join the agency in February 2019.

Dr Moore said she was “excited” to find love after her “career-focused” lifestyle kept her on the dating sidelines.

“I was at a stage where I was ready to settle down, get married and start a family,” Dr Moore told the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Thursday.

“I was a career woman, I was 36 … I was ready to embark on the next chapter of my life.”

Dr Moore said she checked out online dating apps but they “weren’t really for me”.

She said an Elite Introductions advertisement pitching dreams of matching time-poor professionals had “resonated” with her.

Elite Introductions chief executive Trudy Gilbert, Australia’s “Millionaire Matchmaker”, promotes her business as an exclusive agency for well-educated professionals with the potential to land client’s an “intellectual, financially secure and confident partner”.

“There was a lot of positives … it really attracted me … I was ready to meet Mr Right,” Dr Moore said.

Trudy Gilbert.

The Harvard-educated Barwon Health researcher told the tribunal she set out a criteria of her dream man with Exclusive Introductions “psychotherapeutic consultant” Lisa Hayes.

Dr Moore’s requirements for her ideal partner was that he only be of Australian/Irish descent, have Australian-born parents, be a Roman Catholic, be like her, be driven and be taller than six foot.

“I really want someone six foot tall, it isn’t uncommon … I’m five foot nine and I like to wear heels … I really want a tall man,” Dr Moore said.

Dr Moore told the tribunal she left the meeting with Ms Hayes hopeful that her dreams could be met.

The tribunal heard Ms Hayes contacted Dr Moore with the good news that she had matched her with mysterious businessman ‘David’.

Ms Hayes asked Dr Moore if she could pass her number to David after telling the doctor her potential beau was overseas at the time.

Gilbert and Lisa Hayes.

David’s stocks rose with Dr Moore after she heard he was “relationship-ready”, family-oriented and played the piano.

The love plan was on track until Ms Hayes allegedly told Dr Moore, that David was “around the same height” as her.

The doctor, who had told the tribunal countless times that she wanted a tall man because her brothers and mother were all tall and she was considered the short one in the family, said the late information left her “gobsmacked”.

Dr Moore said she attempted to contact Ms Hayes on the final day of her three-day cooling-off period but insinuated she was stonewalled.

The tribunal heard Dr Moore phoned Ms Hayes several times but couldn’t get through.

However, Ms Hayes sent Dr Moore a text message which she replied to.

Despite her doubts Dr Moore felt obligated to meet David but the dud date did not lead to another liaison.

“I really feel David was a decoy,” Dr Moore said.

Dr Moore was ready to meet Mr Right.

Dr Moore asked for a refund but saw out her year-long membership without another “meeting” with David or any other man, the tribunal heard.

“Obviously David was a disappointment,” tribunal member Danielle Galvin said.

Ms Gilbert and Ms Hayes never had their chance to reply due to Dr Moore’s near three-hour detail-laden submission.

Dr Moore is seeking a full $4995 refund, legal costs, extras for alleged misleading conduct, bullying and breach of verbal contract and a written apology from Elite Introductions.

“I was not expecting them to find me love, I was expecting them to find me a man who met the criteria I wanted,” she said.

Member Galvin urged Dr Moore to attempt to reach a private settlement after indicating she would be lucky to get a partial refund.

But Dr Moore insisted on pushing on with the matter to return in February next year.

“I urge the parties to keep trying (to settle),” Member Galvin said.