Business ProfileforGreat Expectations

February 17, 2005:Valentine Kansas City LLC, which does business as Great Expectations, will pay $215,000 in restitution to 86 Kansas consumers to settle a lawsuit about alleged violations of two state consumer protection laws. In a written relase Thursday, Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline said he filed suit in February 2004 against the company; one of its owners, Michael Holland; regional director Robert Rance; center directors Nikki Sade and Jody Johnson; and salespeople Christina Morgan and Jules Seelen. Kline filed the suit in Sedgwick County District Court and alleged that the defendants had violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act and the Kansas No-Call Act in the course of seeking new customers. The suit originally sought consumer restitution and civil fines and penalties totaling $1.1 million for more than 100 alleged violations of the Kansas laws, Kline spokesman Whitney Watson said Thursday. Great Expectations admitted that it made misrepresentations to 86 consumers who had filed complaints with Kline's office and the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. Kline said the defendants admitted that they: • Told potential members that the company performed "criminal background checks" on members despite knowing that the business didn't conduct the checks. • Misrepresented the number of members available to consumers. • Falsely promised consumers dates with certain kinds of people. The consumers will receive letters later this month telling them how to submit claims for their share of the proceeds. Great Expectations agreed to: • Prominently post at its office the current number of members. • Continue recording all sales interviews and make the recordings available to the Kansas attorney general or Sedgwick County district attorney upon request. • Refrain from making any promises about a particular outcome through the dating service. The company also has started using an outside screening service that checks for criminal convictions of potential members but will disclose to potential members that the criminal screening process is limited. Valentine Wichita LLC, which also did business as Great Expectations, was named in the suit but declared bankruptcy on Dec. 10, 2004.