Who doesn't like a good horror story? As we approach Halloween, it seems like a good time to recount our favorite dating horror story. I hope this will inspire those who are wondering if the grass is greener in the single world to work on their relationships .

I meet most of my dates online. I like to email, text and talk to them on the phone and then eventually meet for a quick coffee date. You would think with all that screening you could figure out who's sane before you go out to dinner. <Sigh>, not always.

I had my first dine and dash last month. We were supposed to just meet for drink, but the conversation got really good and I really liked her company. It's actually a good sign when you can get lost in the conversation for so long, so I suggested we grab dinner.

One of the things she said that "getting her credit back after her ex's irresponsible money habits was important." As things would happen, my main debit card was still at the outside bar, and I used my other one to pay for dinner. Opps, forgot had an automatic payment post and the card was declined, not a problem, I just used the credit card. Bill paid.

I go out to outside bar to settle up, she was following, paid that, turned around and she was gone.

After a few minutes of wandering around looking like an idiot, I texted her to find out where she was so I could say good night.

She texted back, that "I told you credit was important to me, and your card was declined so I left." I told her, "well that took real balls to just take off like that" and then I sent her a bill for her half of the meal and drinks since she was so concerned about my financial condition.

Actually the $70 'she owed me' was probably a cheep price to keep that one out of my life.

Anyone else care to share?

Intriguing list of disasters... for some odd reason I feel that the gay cowboy story needs more elaboration. I mean, it is 2015 - why is he dating women? oh, so many questions.

I feel your pain but I have to admit, your collection of oddballs are odder than the ones I met.

What I want to know is what it is about "fake" bikers that attract them to me? I am talking about the dudes with corporate jobs who had a midlife crisis, bought a big expensive harley, got big (might I add poor quality and ugly) tatoos and insist on wearing leather everywhere you go? I met one on a dating website who immediately began talking about how I should get tatooed. Theyseem to be the ,main ones who ask me out, or ask me to dance or whatever from real life encounters also. I look at my girlie girl self, no tattoos, normal ear piercings and think.. why me?

Intriguing list of disasters... for some odd reason I feel that the gay cowboy story needs more elaboration. I mean, it is 2015 - why is he dating women? oh, so many questions.

I feel your pain but I have to admit, your collection of oddballs are odder than the ones I met.

What I want to know is what it is about "fake" bikers that attract them to me? I am talking about the dudes with corporate jobs who had a midlife crisis, bought a big expensive harley, got big (might I add poor quality and ugly) tatoos and insist on wearing leather everywhere you go? I met one on a dating website who immediately began talking about how I should get tatooed. Theyseem to be the ,main ones who ask me out, or ask me to dance or whatever from real life encounters also. I look at my girlie girl self, no tattoos, normal ear piercings and think.. why me?

Why are you getting tattoo pressure? Hmm, you are a fresh canvas?

The thing I like about online dating is you get a bunch of clues about people, and I know some are not going to be MY match. It doesn't mean they are not nice people but they are not for me. Things that make me hit the delete key (unless they are REALLY good looking, just being honest)

• Women who want a guy who rides a Harley (delete),
• I only am interested in people with photos and can spot ink (delete), selfies in bathroom with spots all over the mirror and debris on the floor (delete),
• People who have more than one reference to church and the Bible (delete)
• Education, high school (delete)
• No profession (delete)
• Only chain restaurants listed as a favorite (delete)
• Can't write a decent profile (delete)

I'm sure there is someone out there for them, but they have to look like a good fit for me to spend time getting to know them.

Does anyone have a list of things that you use to delete a person, but they slipped through the screening process?

Gay cowboy? Yeah, that caught my eye, too, lol!!!

I've gotten an astonishing number of cross dressers.

@@roundisashape - really? I guess we don't have much of that in Oklahoma...but then I saw this video

https://www.facebook.com/nicole.davidson.9889/videos/850112141749697/

Very funny

Cross dressers?

You all have way better stories...cross dressers?

Okc if I deleted every guy with lousy photos I'd never date again.

Okay, I met a self proclaimed metro sexual. He wasn't hot like Johnny Depp (his reference point for metro sexual ) so there was no second date. Still not as interesting as the gay cowboy, cross dressers etc.

@@bellabloom

1, kung fu movies rock!

2. you gotta do that so that people can understand you, loud speak is universal language

3. cults are awesome! you got lots of friends and it's a special club.

sorry I had to..those stories are horrible! All these stories are giving me tips on what not to do. haha

hmm, this 'may' be a bit extreme, but for the homeless date might be the right thing to do

@@OKCPirate why the <delete> for education high school? Did I take that the wrong way? High school graduate myself and I will admit I am curious as to why that's a deal breaker. I am happily married and have worked since I graduated from high school.

@ - I just know that I have a tough time communicating with someone who's formal education stopped at high school (and remember I use online dating as a screening tool to find people I might want to spend time getting to know). I'm sure I'm rejected for a number of reasons by women who have their own selection criteria. Here are my current numbers:

I found that I send 15 emails before I get a response

1 of 5 of those who I am in email communication with result in a coffee date

2 of those 5 get a real date

so I've gone out on 20 real dates over the last three months, and finally found two I was very serious about...one I had to say no to, but one I'm now getting VERY serious about.

See what I mean, its a numbers game?

@@OKCPirate that guy's song is a hilarious scream! Loved it.

@@OKCPirate that guy's song is a hilarious scream! Loved it.

. Thank you all for brightening up my evening. A good laugh heals the soul. I will spare you my own horror stories. They are from many years ago and maybe some other time we can laugh over those.

I LOVE THIS THREAD!!!! Hilarious =)

This is really bad, live tweet feed from the first date from hell:

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/8VWvSc/:OBNKGNwh:2ssD2Emu/aplus.com/a/anne-theriault-live-tweets-terrible-first-date

Your stats are very interesting. I don't keep track, but I would say that I get nearly 100% response to emails/first contact. When I was on POF, I hid my profile and so I only contacted men I was interested in (I could not handle one more email from someone out of the area, or the under 30 crowd which is why I hid my profile. I don't mean to sound old fashioned, but you need to be significantly older than my children for me to consider dating you!)

Alot of the email exchange dies away... kind of a natural death of boredom. Oddly, I am often the one that suggests meeting or talking on the phone ... I am just not into chatting for weeks on end.

I am glad you published the stats because while you talk about it being a numbers game, I guess I didn't realize the number of numbers it takes.

What I need to learn, the next time I give this a try, is to date several men for a good length of time before zeroing in on one. I am a relationship kind of person, so I let myself get sucked into a single person too quickly and then am disappointed when it doesn't work out. much to be learned.

@ - I just know that I have a tough time communicating with someone who's formal education stopped at high school (and remember I use online dating as a screening tool to find people I might want to spend time getting to know). I'm sure I'm rejected for a number of reasons by women who have their own selection criteria. Here are my current numbers:

I found that I send 15 emails before I get a response

1 of 5 of those who I am in email communication with result in a coffee date

2 of those 5 get a real date

so I've gone out on 20 real dates over the last three months, and finally found two I was very serious about...one I had to say no to, but one I'm now getting VERY serious about.

See what I mean, its a numbers game?

Your stats are very interesting. I don't keep track, but I would say that I get nearly 100% response to emails/first contact. When I was on POF, I hid my profile and so I only contacted men I was interested in (I could not handle one more email from someone out of the area, or the under 30 crowd which is why I hid my profile. I don't mean to sound old fashioned, but you need to be significantly older than my children for me to consider dating you!)

Alot of the email exchange dies away... kind of a natural death of boredom. Oddly, I am often the one that suggests meeting or talking on the phone ... I am just not into chatting for weeks on end.

I am glad you published the stats because while you talk about it being a numbers game, I guess I didn't realize the number of numbers it takes.

What I need to learn, the next time I give this a try, is to date several men for a good length of time before zeroing in on one. I am a relationship kind of person, so I let myself get sucked into a single person too quickly and then am disappointed when it doesn't work out. much to be learned.

@ - I just know that I have a tough time communicating with someone who's formal education stopped at high school (and remember I use online dating as a screening tool to find people I might want to spend time getting to know). I'm sure I'm rejected for a number of reasons by women who have their own selection criteria. Here are my current numbers:

I found that I send 15 emails before I get a response

1 of 5 of those who I am in email communication with result in a coffee date

2 of those 5 get a real date

so I've gone out on 20 real dates over the last three months, and finally found two I was very serious about...one I had to say no to, but one I'm now getting VERY serious about.

See what I mean, its a numbers game?

I do exactly the same thing. I've been told it's a good idea to date a few for awhile before getting serious about one

I also get about 100 percent response. In fact I get about ten emails to 20 emails a day from different men. It's overwhelming.

It's hard to focus and know who to go out with. That's why I think it's a good idea to email a couple times on the guys side to let a woman know your really interested

Edited October 12, 201510 yr by bellabloom