Social Circles

07/26/2007 Posted by piercestein

I have very mixed feelings about Social Circles. I met my husband through SC so that is good - actually that is great. In the time I was part of the organization (2003-2007), I felt that the attention to events and the customer services really went down hill. When it was time to end my membership, I did not renew, only to find that months later they were still charging me a monthly fee and that they would not refund any of it because of fine print in the contract. I was lectured and dealt with dismissively by the staff. Since there are now other competing organizations that don't charge the same exorbitant fees (New York Social Network for example), I would recommend looking elsewhere for the benefits that this organization provides. Social Circles had a great personal benefit for me in that I met my husband. The organization however, is more interested in making money anyway it can than they are in running a good business.

Pros: Met my husband

Cons: Business practices like AOL, nasty office staff

05/17/2006 Posted by glorio

I was somewhat skeptical of Social Circles since they wouldn't let me try an event first. However, I decided to join and am really glad I did. Its a great alternative to the other things out there, and I've met some great people, and done some really fun events. The staff was great, very friendly and intelligent. I always got surprisingly quick and detailed responses to my questions. The events have been especially diverse and interesting lately so I decided to renew my membership. I'm not going to lie, this isn't a cheap club by any means, but I'm a professional and make a good salary and found this to be a good investment, and just a fun thing to do.

Pros: events, staff, members

Cons: cost

01/14/2006 Posted by ellendin

I thought about joining so I decided to check out some the feed-backs. Since they are here 50/50 I decided to check BBB too...guess what...they have 15 complaints and not even 1 resolved with customer satisfaction. Check it your self. And they are all about billing and overselling. Since I know first hand how BBB works, it must be true. I won't join for sure.

12/19/2005 Posted by olaurie

Before joining this club, my friends and i used to ask, where are 30s and 40-yr olds?!? Every time we'd go out, the only other single people we see tend to be in their 20s! It's like you know that the 30s & 40s singles are out there, but if you don't want to go to some cheesey, age-appropriate 'singles party' then how do you meet them? I'm 38, and I love that social circles has enough people in my age range to hang out with. Very refreshing in this city.

Pros: ages, singles, events

12/19/2005 Posted by tommyjay

It was pricier then I hoped for but turned out to be worth it for the most part. There's alot of fun events that I do when it fits into my schedule (which can be busy, to say the least). When you can't do events you can freeze your membership, so you don't lose the time. Its a really relaxed, and comfortably informal way to do more things and meet more people. The crowds can be varied depending on the event so your first event might not be the same as the next one, and so on. The staff is helpful and thorough when you have questions or feedback. I've recommended it to several people I know.

Pros: atmosphere, people, variety

Cons: price

12/19/2005 Posted by gloria502

i'm so busy during the week to take time out to plan stuff, that i found my wknds to be unproductive and not as social as i'd like. Social Circles has made a world of difference. I don't have to think about making plans (so time consuming), and my weekends (and weeknights, too, if i like) are packed. You have to commit for a year or longer, but it is soooo worth it.

Pros: convenience, fun

10/22/2005 Posted by amalthia

Join Social Circles and you will be paying the equivalent of a gym membership AND additional monthly dues AND pay for each event. The people at the events are ok, but not worth paying such an expensive amount for. I went to a Laser Tag event at a gaming center which was ALL WOMEN! Afterwards, the women commented about how they signed up for the laser tag because they thought more men would be at that event. You could have done all of their events just by getting a copy of Time Out NY or another local magazine and doing things in there.

Cons: expensive, not worth the cost, low quality events

10/05/2005 Posted by grego67

Social Circles has a wonderful sales team. They are big on touting how very selective they are on choosing new members. Anyone who wants to spend anywhere from 1500 to 2000 dollars can become a member. Turns out 95% of those so-called professionals that the Social Circles sales people rave about are not professional and may to some degree lack certain social skills. Dont get me wrong the people I met where very nice people. Just not the level of Social that is worth spending thousands of dollars to for. A VERY BIG WASTE OF MONEY. PS: Even you when you think you expensive contract is over, trust me its not. SC has wonderful fine print in their contracts.

08/14/2005 Posted by lizzie14nyc

To make a long story short: After my two-year membership finally ran out, I was left poorer in the wallet and richer with friends I treasure. (A trip to Iceland with the group was the final decisive thing that turned me against SC. It was handled badly, but I met great people.) SC is perfect if you are looking for new friends or things to do where you don't have to get bogged down by planning. The staff were total flakes, the pricing leaves you feeling like you were taken, and the events are repetitive after a while. HOWEVER, people are generally open and nice and there are gems among the groups that gather. Everyone joins with the best intentions and the cool, fun people find each other. I feel lucky to have met the people I did. BOTTOM LINE: Join for the shortest term possible to try it out.

Pros: new adventures in nyc, make great friends, most ppl in 30s

Cons: membership terms, overpriced, flaky staff

12/06/2004 Posted by nyman44

I've been in the city for a few years now, and where-as I don't normally write these things, I was compelled to do so in this case, as this is really one of the better things I've done in a while. I had been getting tired of going to the same places all the time etc. (especially considering how busy I am with work), but this turned out to be a worthwhile alternative. I've met some very cool girls, and more guy friends as well. The staff is helpful, and intelligent. I can't say I know of anything else like it in New York.

Pros: friendly people, great cust. service, creative