Whaleboy: Thank you. Althoug i would strongly recommend what you did (compensate after having gotten set up) in place of paying the fee up front.
As i have mentioned numberous times, compensating them and treating them like a success when they set you up to date #2/#4 will do wonders for your relationship with them. They are human like the rest of them.
Coffe Fan: I feel for you, however most people are not nearly as considerate as your are in temrs of how when they contacrt and treat shadchanim. As a result, unfourtanetly there are some shadchanim that that due to the tremendous abuse they take have lost some of their idealism that they had when they started. If people started appreciating them for their time efforts etc. you can be sure what happened to you would happen far less, and there would be far far more people who get involved and stay involved.
Of Course: You are sooo correct!
Those that get it- get it. Those that don’t think the wolrd would be a much bettr place off if all the hardworking shadchanim quit. How wrong they are, but I wouldn’t waste my time trying to convince them.