Dating sites and apps are a dime a dozen these days. From Tinder to Plenty of Fish (POF), there’s no lack of options, provided you give them your personal information. Where do you live? What’s your name? What do you like to do? This information allows like-minded people to meet and possibly pair off. In the event that you stop using the site or app however, your information will still be retained by the company.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- How to Permanently Delete Your Own Plenty Of Fish Account from the App or Desktop
- How to Delete a POF Profile for Someone That Died
Most times after finding a successful match, people decide to delete their dating profiles, or conversely, stop using them if they find it to be too onerous. If you or your loved one had an account on Plenty of Fish for example, and are no longer interested in maintaining the account, you can delete it. Particularly with the death of a loved one, it may be prudent to remove their profile to avoid their data being used or their profile’s presence online.
No matter the reason, here’s how to permanently delete a Plenty of Fish account.
How to Permanently Delete Your Own Plenty Of Fish Account from the App or Desktop
The name for the site comes from an old and popular saying, “there’s plenty of fish in the sea.” Dating can be a hit or miss for anyone. If one date didn’t work out, as the saying goes, you’ll find another single person out there for you.
The purpose of the dating site is to narrow down that ‘sea’ for you. According to some users, they do an admirable job. But if you’re ready to delete your account, here’s how.
Log in
In order to use Plenty of Fish, you need an account. Many dating sites require a paid membership. That allows the site to gather enough income to justify the site’s presence.
It also helps with hosting and moderation fees, too. If you have a paid membership, you’ll see that when you log in.
Consider the options
Of course, Plenty of Fish doesn’t want you to leave. On their Delete Your Account page, they offer a slew of alternatives. And if you aren’t committed to deleting your account, some of them might be worthwhile.
They offer better results, ones that occur when upgrading your account. Plenty of Fish also offers advanced search options, other dating sites, and the ability to hide your profile. If you’re not interested, you can still move forward with deleting your account.
Delete your account
After you log in, go to Delete Your Account. Like other social media and dating sites, you’ll need to choose a reason for leaving. Of course, yours might be incredibly unique. And you’ll probably need to fit it into the generic form provided. Once you’ve decided on an option, finish the process by clicking Delete My Account. This confirms that your account is gone.
Before you leave for good, Plenty of Fish suggests that you leave a testimonial. If the site worked, and you’re leaving because you’ve found the match of your dreams, this may be a good idea.
How to Delete a POF Profile for Someone That Died
Most sites offer detailed information when it comes to deleting an account after someone’s death. When it comes to cleaning up someone’s digital assets after death, things can get a bit more difficult. This is especially true for Plenty of Fish.
If you want to delete their dating profile, this is a smart idea. Not only does it protect their privacy and sensative data, but it protects them from hacks and scams. For more help with their digital estate, follow our post-loss checklist.
Rely on the housekeeping system
If your loved one has not provided a password or list of sites they used, it may prove to be tricky to find which accounts to delete. Furthermore, when it comes to deleting the account of a deceased loved one, Plenty of Fish doesn’t have an established policy for accounts of deceased members — as with most dating sites, they are used “as needed,” meaning active or inactive periods on their site.
When it comes to starting end-of-life-planning, dating sites may not top many people’s priority lists. In the end, providing a comprehensive list to family members can save a lot of stress. Unfortunately, with Plenty of Fish there may not be a way to completely deactivate a loved one’s account or remove all their personal data in one swoop.
All that said, you can leave your loved one’s account as inactive. Plenty of Fish will eventually delete the account if there’s no activity on it, which can be a good housekeeping policy. Many people will just abandon their dating profile without deleting it. But there’s no established time period on when that will happen.
Your inactive account could be deleted in a few months, or in a few years. There’s no way of knowing. If you’re okay with this uncertainty, inaction might be the best course. If not, there are still other methods.
Check password managers
The best way to delete a POF account is to log in and do it yourself. If your family member entrusted you with their username and password, it’s easy. If not, look for any major operating system or applications dedicated to saving passwords.
For example, Google and Apple may store a lot of login information in their web browsers. Search the name Plenty of Fish in the password manager on their computer. If it comes up, you’re in luck.
Contact them
If neither of those options works for you, your best shot is contacting POF directly. By getting in touch with their customer support team, you can explain your situation. Like with other social media or online accounts, you may want to offer a copy of their death certificate or other pertinent information.
Bear in mind that some companies have a policy against deleting user accounts, except in the case of bad behavior. When it comes to POF, consider contacting them and see what occurs.
Keeping Track of Online Accounts
If you’re responsible for a loved one’s digital assets, you’ve got a lot on your plate. In this case, it’s best to prioritize. For instance, utility bills will be due quickly. Dating sites are not time-sensitive in this case.
Making sure that your list is properly prioritized will help save you a lot of stress. And that way, you don’t feel like you absolutely have to do everything at once.
If you're looking to delete more online accounts, check out our guides to deleting a Twitter account, deleting your Amazon Prime membership, and deleting Spotify.