Frequently asked questions
Need help? The following should cover most of your questions.
General help
- How does the Guardian Soulmates site work?
- What is the difference between a member and a subscriber?
- Is it free, or is there a catch?
- Why can't I send messages?
- Is my privacy respected?
- Is the content censored?
- How do I report a user for inappropriate behaviour?
Login help
Profile help
- Why must I set up a profile to use the site?
- Do I have to pay to set up a profile?
- How do I set up my Profile?
- Can I change my Username?
- How do I change my Profile?
- Can I hide my profile from public view?
- How do I delete my profile?
Photo help
- How do I add a photo to my profile?
- Does my photo automatically show on my profile?
- Are there any specific requirements for adding photos?
- Why did my photo disappear from my profile?
Search help
- How do I search?
- How do I search for a specific member name?
- Why do I not get any results when I search?
- What is a match?
- How do I refine my matches?
Contacting other members
- How do I contact another member?
- Can I send a message without always going to the other member's profile?
- Will any of my details be exposed?
- I received a message from another member. How do I reply?
- Must I be a Subscriber to receive messages?
- I accidentally deleted the message I received can you help?
- I'd prefer not to receive messages in my regular email inbox. Can you help?
- How do I stop receiving messages from a specific member?
Money help
- What does it cost to subscribe to Guardian Soulmates?
- How can I pay?
- What will appear on my credit card account?
- Will my subscription automatically be renewed?
- I have not used all of my subscription and want to delete my profile. Will I be refunded the balance?
- Why am I being asked to verify my card details?
Mobile
- What is the Soulmates mobile address?
- Can I get the internet on my phone?
- I already have a Soulmates profile, can I use it on Soulmates Mobile?
- How much will it cost?
- Will I still be able to get the main website on my mobile?
- How do I bookmark Soulmates Mobile?
- Is the mobile version the same as the website?
- Is Soulmates Mobile available on all networks?
- How do I contact Soulmates Mobile?
- Why can't I view profile listings on find > popular profiles and find > matches pages?
Answers
General help
How does the Guardian Soulmates site work?
Guardian Soulmates provides a safe, secure and anonymous way to find and communicate with people of your choice. In a nutshell, you choose a username (a screen name or alias) and set up a profile describing yourself and the type of person and relationship you are looking for. You can view other people's profiles by searching the site and in turn they can view your profile. When you find someone that interests you, you can send a message via the site to their username. The message is sent to their email address from your username - your real name and email address are never shown. In turn you may receive messages from other members in your email inbox. These messages will be from their username and not their real email address, protecting both your and their privacy. When you are ready you may choose to tell the other member your real contact details. We recommend that you read our guidelines for safe online dating.
What is the difference between a member and a subscriber?
Everyone who sets up a profile is a member. To send messages you need to be a paying subscriber.
Is it free, or is there a catch?
To become a member is free. Members can use most of the site’s features and can receive anonymous email through the site, but only paying subscribers can send anonymous email. Our subscription rates are very reasonable and start from £29.95 for 1 month. Please log in and then visit our subscription page to view additional rates.
Why can't I send messages?
To send messages you must be a subscriber. Please visit our subscription page to view our rates or to sign up.
Is my privacy respected?
Yes! We will never give your details to other members or use your details for any purpose without your permission. For full details please review our privacy policy.
Is the content censored?
As a rule, no. We're not here to police our members. However, we reserve the right to hide, delete or modify unacceptable profiles. Amongst other reasons we reserve the right to delete or modify profiles that:
- Contain contact information such as email addresses, ICQ numbers, telephone numbers, addresses, etc.
- Are illegal, e.g. under 18 years of age or solicit contact from people under 18 years.
- Are racist, or attack other groups or religions
Please refer to our terms of use for full details.
How do I report a user for inappropriate behaviour?
If you have encountered any inappropriate behaviour by another member (either online or offline) that gives you cause for concern, then you can report them to us in confidence, using our report abuse form.
Login help
I've forgotten my login details. How do I find them?
Easy! Just click on the forgotten password link, complete the simple form and we'll mail them to you. If you still have a problem, please contact us.
Can I change my Password?
Yes. Go to the Basic profile page of your profile and follow the edit instructions.
Profile help
Why must I set up a profile to use the site?
You can search the site without setting up a profile. To view full member profiles you need to become a member and set up a profile. Remember, it's free to become a member.
Do I have to pay to set up a profile?
No. To set up a profile you need only become a free member; you only need to become a (paying) subscriber when you want to send messages to other members.
How do I set up my Profile?
If you are not yet a member, start by joining Guardian Soulmates for free. If you're already a member, just click on Profile.
Can I change my Username?
Yes. Go to the Basic profile page of your profile and follow the edit instructions.
How do I change my Profile?
Go to Profile and follow the edit instructions
Can I hide my profile from public view?
Yes. Go to the Basic profile page of your profile and change 'visible' to 'hidden'. Note that you can switch this back to 'visible' at any time if you so wish.
How do I delete my profile?
Go to the Basic profile page of your profile, click the 'Delete My Profile' button at the bottom of the page. NB: This process cannot be reversed and will completely delete all your details on the site. If you are a subscriber and have time left on your subscription, it will be deleted with your records and cannot be refunded or applied to other (future) profiles. If you are not sure about this, we recommend that you simply hide your profile.
Photo help
How do I add a photo to my profile?
Go to My photos and follow the guidelines for uploading photos.
Does my photo automatically show on my profile?
No. All newly uploaded photos must be checked and approved by our support staff before they become publicly visible. The same is true of existing photos if you change your primary picture. Photos are usually checked within 24 hours of upload, but this may be longer at times of high demand, and on weekends when we have fewer staff on duty.
Are there any specific requirements for adding photos?
Yes. Your photo must either be in JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF or PCX format. Your photo must be less than 4096kB, but there is no restriction on the dimensions of the image you upload. We will automatically resize it if it is too large. Please refer to the detailed instructions in My photos.
Why did my photo disappear from my profile?
Your photo may be deleted if it does not comply with our technical requirements, is obscene or is a picture of a celebrity or other copyrighted material such as cartoon pictures.
Search help
How do I search?
For a quick and simple search, specify your requirements in the Quick Search form and click 'Go'. For more advanced search options see the descriptions on the Browse profiles page.
How do I search for a specific member name?
Easy! Using the Find By Name page in the Browse profiles section, enter the other person's username or part of their name and click 'Go'.
Why do I not get any results when I search?
You are most probably making your search criteria too narrow. Try relaxing your requirements a bit, e.g. a wider age range, etc. If you are looking for a blonde, blue eyed 21 year old, non-smoking female living in Outer Mongolia who wants children, chances are you will not get many results!
What is a match?
Matches are other members whose profiles meet the criteria you specified in your My ideal match page when you set up your profile. Our matching engine performs two-way matches, so members will only appear in your match list if your profile also meets the criteria they specified for their matches.
How do I refine my matches?
Make sure your profile is as complete as possible and that your desired partner details are not too open. E.g. if your desired partner is a female aged between 18 and 80 living anywhere in the world matching will not work well for you. The trick is to find the right balance between too open a match and too narrow a match. As well as the profile details you specify for a match you have the option to rate how important each detail is.
Contacting other members
How do I contact another member?
When you view another member's profile you will see a 'Contact Him or Her' link. Click this link and then enter your message in the text box provided and then click send.
Can I send a message without always going to the other member's profile?
Yes, add the other member to My favourites by clicking the Add to My Favourites link on their profile. In the future simply go directly to My favourites and click the 'Contact Him (or Her)' link next to their username.
Will any of my details be exposed?
No! The message sent to the other member will only contain your username, your message and brief instructions telling them how to reply. See our privacy policy for further details.
I received a message from another member. How do I reply?
The easiest way is to follow the link provided in the email you received. That will take you to their profile, where you can use the 'Contact Him (or Her)' link to send a reply message. Remember, you need to be a subscriber to send messages.
Must I be a Subscriber to receive messages?
No, you will receive messages sent to your username even if you are not a Subscriber. You will, however, need to be a subscriber to reply.
I accidentally deleted the message I received can you help?
No. Sorry, we cannot retrieve the content of messages once they're sent.
I'd prefer not to receive messages in my regular email inbox. Can you help?
We suggest you set up a free Web-based mail account with a service such as Hotmail and use this email address in your profile. Note that there is a potential down side to using free email services. Some of them disable your account if you do not check it regularly. In that case the email other members send to you will be lost and, if we receive several consecutive bounces from your address, we may hide or remove your profile. Please ensure that your junk filter is set to accept email from Guardian Soulmates
How do I stop receiving messages from a specific member?
Follow the link to their profile in the email you received from them, or use the Find By Name function to locate the other member's profile and click the 'Block Him or Her' link under their photo. If they try and contact you in future, they will see a note saying that you have blocked messages from them and that they cannot contact you. Remember only you can remove the message block.
If you feel another member has behaved in a threatening or abusive manner then you can report them to us in confidence, using our 'report abuse' form.
Money help
What does it cost to subscribe to Guardian Soulmates?
We offer a range of competitive subscription packages, ranging from 6 months (£89.70) to 1 month (£29.95). Please visit our subscribe section for further details.
How can I pay?
We offer a secure credit card payment facility. Alternatively you can pay by credit card using our fax facility, by direct bank deposit or by posting a cheque. Full details appear in our subscribe section.
What will appear on my credit card account?
Payments will be shown as a purchase from "Telecom Express Ltd - 121d8.com" (Telecom Express is the name of the company that runs this site).
Will my subscription automatically be renewed?
Yes, if you subscribe using a credit or a debit card, then you will be re-billed at the end of your first subscription period. However, if you purchase a subscription as a gift for someone, pay using an alternative method, or cancel your agreement before your renewal date, then you will not be re-billed. You can find out more about the automatic renewal by clicking here.
I have not used all of my subscription and want to delete my profile. Will I be refunded the balance?
No, unused portions of a subscription are not refundable. Deleting your profile will result in your unused subscription being lost.
Why am I being asked to verify my card details?
You will be asked for an additional level of authentication called MasterCard SecureCode or Verified by Visa depending on your card type. These systems have been put in place by the card networks and the banks in order to provide an extra layer of security against fraud, and some banks have started to make it compulsory for all online transactions when shopping with a merchant that supports SecureCode / Verified by Visa as we do.
Mobile
What is the Soulmates mobile address?
m.dating.guardian.co.uk (no www. required) is the address of Soulmates Mobile.
Can I get the internet on my phone?
Most new mobile phones in the UK are capable of accessing the internet but it varies from handset to handset. If you are unsure, please contact your mobile network provider for advice.
I already have a Soulmates profile, can I use it on Soulmates Mobile?
If you already have a profile on Guardian Soulmates, you can access it on Soulmates Mobile in exactly the same way. You will be able to view your mailbox, favourites and fans the same way you would if you were logging in on your PC.
How much will it cost?
Soulmates Mobile is free to join and search for other members, and a subscription fee is payable should you wish to email other members.
Depending on the mobile contract you have, there may be certain costs for accessing the internet on your phone. Please note these are usually referred to as 'data' charges. If you are unsure please contact your mobile provider to ask about the potential charges before trying to access Soulmates Mobile.
Soulmates will not charge you to access its mobile site.
Will I still be able to get the main website on my mobile?
Yes, you can still access http://dating.guardian.co.uk if you are browsing the mobile service. There is a link to the full website at the bottom of the page however the specific Soulmates Mobile site is optimised for mobile phones so we recommend you use this version.
How do I bookmark Soulmates Mobile?
After typing in the address http://m.dating.guardian.co.uk (no www. required), simply highlight the link and then choose the 'bookmark', 'add bookmark' or 'favourites' option on your phone. This will save Soulmates Mobile to your bookmarks/favourites and make it easy to find the next time.
Is the mobile version the same as the website?
The mobile version contains most of the features and functionality of the Soulmates website. Some functionality such as advanced search, saved search and the voice playback and voice mail section is only available via the main site.
Is Soulmates Mobile available on all networks?
Yes, however some operators may require you to register that you are over 18 before they allow you access to dating sites. If in doubt, please check with your mobile network provider.
How do I contact Soulmates Mobile?
If you are unable to find the answer to your query within the FAQ section, answer 'yes' when asked to be presented with a 'contact us' form. Please complete all details before you press submit.
Why can't I view profile listings on find > popular profiles and find > matches pages?
Some handsets have 'Automatic reload' of web pages option turned off. You can turn this option 'on' from the page settings menu on your handset.