Thank you for your question!
I’m Kida, the club’s representative, and I’ll answer this one.
I have to say, I’m honestly a little intimidated by how gentlemanly the other responders have been.
Let me share the club’s perspective.
“I’m sorry.”
There are various arguments and legal issues involved, but imagine booking a hotel and feeling nervous and excited, only to have the woman make an apologetic request once you’re seated for dinner.
That ruins what was supposed to be an important time for the two of you.
But I don’t think that was what truly disappointed you. I think it was the club’s evasive response.
Apparently, when something like this happens, some capable staff members at other dating clubs will kindly direct the man to a high-quality adult entertainment establishment.
Wouldn’t that make you feel much better?
No, I don’t mean “feel better” in that sense. I mean the way they handle the situation.
I imagine the staff member who handled this was probably based in Tokyo, and I think they’ll come to understand with experience that men who were expecting intimacy but couldn’t have it deserve some sympathy.
For your information, staff and women actually exchange quite a lot of messages.
If all she said was, “I’m sorry... my period came earlier than expected. Could you let tomorrow’s gentleman know?” then the staff might simply be able to ask the man:
“〇〇, who is scheduled to go on a date tomorrow, may not be feeling well. She says she can still meet for dinner. How would you like to proceed?”
But in reality, it’s more like:
“Should I tell him? It’ll be awkward to say it in person, so could you tell him for me? But he might cancel, right? I wonder what I should do. I was planning to wear a white skirt, but that probably wouldn’t be a good idea, would it? The second day is usually the heaviest for me. Oh, by the way, I got a haircut—would it be okay if I went to have photos taken? Also, a senior coworker from my part-time job asked if I could cover their shift tomorrow because they’re feeling sick. What should I do?”
All sorts of things end up happening at the same time.
Unless you’ve gained a certain amount of experience, it can be hard to know what to tune out, and you may not be able to respond appropriately.
You may receive similar treatment from the staff again in the future. But that’s what a dating club is like.
With an app, an error message appears and that’s the end of it. With us, because real people handle things, the quality of the response can vary. We’d be very happy if you approached it with the attitude of, “I’m going to get at least one of the staff on my side.”
I’m sorry if that sounds like an excuse.
Starting in October, we’ll be switching to a system where each male member has a dedicated representative. We’ll do our best to improve the quality of our service.
This is Saito, the columnist♪
I hope you don’t mind me butting in, but that’s just how it is.
I’ve suffered quite a lot of actual harm myself, too.
You’ll only wear yourself out if you get angry every single time.
I’m Maezawa from the CEO’s office.
(An addendum: I’m sorry for answering even though you requested a response from the company representative. I only realized that afterward.)
Regarding the question box, this is a place where individuals share their own opinions. It is not a place for the club to issue an official statement.
I believe this is something most working adults would understand, but a staff member’s response is considered the club’s response. If a supervisor responds, then that supervisor’s answer represents the club’s position.
Of course, if you are still not satisfied, you may ask to speak with someone higher up. But is it really appropriate to conclude that something is not the club’s official position simply because you personally disagree with it?
Now, speaking only for myself regarding this particular matter:
Within the company, it is a shared understanding that we cannot tell clients whether a woman is on her period.
That is because Universe Club is a company that arranges dinner dates, and we believe that deciding whether or not to arrange a date based on whether a woman is menstruating would go against the original purpose of our service.
This rule was adopted after consulting with our corporate attorney. So even if we are told to abolish it, as a sound and properly operated company, Universe Club would probably have to respond that we will consider it at this stage.
Then why do staff members give differing answers?
It may be because the branches have been given fairly broad authority.
As a company, we have decided that this information must not be disclosed. If the police intervened and deemed it illegal as a result of someone disclosing it, the branch manager who made that decision independently would naturally be the one held accountable, and the branch manager would be the one to face the consequences.
I believe that only branch managers prepared to take responsibility for that potential offense—although whether it constitutes a crime would ultimately depend on a court’s ruling—would tell male clients whether a woman is on her period, including through their own staff.
Of course, if the branch manager were arrested, responsibility could also extend to the company president, depending on whether supervisory responsibility were deemed applicable. Even so, I think it would be clear that, as a company, we are trying to operate the club within the bounds of the law.
Incidentally, with Dating Type C, there is only a 50% chance of being able to pursue a private relationship after dinner, meaning there was also a 50% chance that you would be turned down. So even if you reserved a room, there was a 50% chance it would end up being unnecessary.
You wouldn’t go so far as to call that “dating-type fraud,” would you? Reading what happened this time, I do find myself a little concerned about that possibility.
If that is how you feel, perhaps a dating club is not the right place for you.
If this had been Dating Type D, I would sympathize with you. But since it was Type C, I find myself wondering, “Why?” more than anything else.
(Incidentally, even with Dating Type D, the woman is still free to decline.)
Also, why didn’t the dinner go well?
Was it because you kept trying to talk about what might happen after dinner?
I understand how you felt, but situations like that can happen. I think it would have been better to quickly shift your mindset and focus on having an enjoyable time, even if it ended with dinner only.
If the woman had agreed, then your wishes could have been fulfilled on the next date. You might even have been able to keep the conversation upbeat by looking forward to seeing her again.
