The Consumer Council warned people on Monday to choose matchmaking services with care, noting that the number of complaints it had received had reached a record high.

In the first 11 months of this year, the watchdog got 88 complaints, almost a 50 percent rise from the same period last year.

The council said the majority of the complaints stemmed from matchmaking companies rather than dating apps.

It said customers were most unhappy about the lack of background information on potential matches and the number of dates arranged, which were fewer than promised.

Kenneth Chan, a vice chairman of the council's sustainablility, public affairs and education committee, noted that in one case, a woman earning HK$3 million a year paid HK$70,000 for the service but wasn't happy with it.

"Agency B promised to recommend members' meetings to her, [meet] her requirements and arrange eight one-on-one dates... within the first year, Agency B recommends 18 male members, but none fully matched the complainant's stated criteria," he said.

"She expressed dissatisfaction with Agency B, noting that the average cost was nearly HK$10,000 per date, yet no recommended partner fully matched her expectations."

Chan said the agency denied breaching the contract and refused to offer a refund, saying its system selected candidates that had "an overall compatibility score" of 80 percent or above.

He said the watchdog advised the complainant to consider seeking legal advice on what to do next.

In another case, a father paid HK$2,000 to a different agency for his son to find a partner, with the contract stating that the service would continue until he was married.

However, most of the partners recommended were significantly older than promised, and the customer found it unacceptable when the company offered to expand the scope to non-local women provided he would pay tens of thousands of dollars more to the bride's family.

The council advised people to manage expectations, saying a perfect match was not guaranteed with the use of matchmaking services and that they should guard against romance scams when using dating apps.

It added that firms should operate with transparency, telling consumers their selection criteria before transactions, and avoid making promises that were impossible to keep.