DateableHow to rate a Board date honestly
Rate the person's behaviour and reliability, not whether you felt a spark. A low mark protects the next person from someone unsafe or rude.
After a Board date, each side rates the other from one to five and chooses whether to say 'would meet again'. The rating measures behaviour and respect, not chemistry. A five-star rating for someone who showed up on time, was honest about what they wanted, and treated you well earns a good mark even if you felt no spark. A one-star rating is for someone who was rude, unsafe, dishonest or dismissive.
Why ratings matter on the Board
Unlike swipe dating, the Board is an invitation. Someone makes an offer, you apply, and they choose you. That choice matters. A host who has five-star ratings from ten people is someone who listens, shows up, and does what they say. A person with a string of one-star ratings has a pattern, and the next host gets a warning.
Ratings are private. Nobody sees them except Dateable's team, who uses them to spot abuse and trust signals. You never see who rated you, or their comment. The host sees only their own average score, not who gave it.
That privacy makes ratings honest. You are not rating someone you have to see again, and they are not trying to negotiate your mark. You can write what happened.
Rate behaviour, not chemistry
A three-star rating is not a failure. It is the most common honest mark.
You took the time to meet. They showed up. You talked. You found out you want different things, or no spark was there. That is not a problem to punish in the rating. It is information. The other person did their job: they were present, they were honest, they did not push you into something you did not want. A three-star covers that.
The difference between a three and a five is respect and care. Did they ask questions about what you wanted? Did they listen to your answer? Did they keep their promises about timing and place? Did they suggest something and follow through? A five-star date is one where both people felt heard.
The difference between a two and a one is directness. A two-star date is awkward, or they were rude to a waiter, or they talked about themselves the whole time. You felt bad. A one-star date is when they behaved in a way that made you unsafe, or they lied about what they wanted, or they ignored a boundary you set. You felt disrespected.
Mark safety concerns low
If someone behaved in a way that frightened you, or made you doubt their story, or pushed when you said no: that is a one-star. The rating system exists to warn the next person.
Do not leave a bad rating and hope they do not find out. The point is the opposite. If someone was unsafe, the host after you deserves to know. Your one-star rating might be the first, or the fifth. By the time five people have rated them one star, Dateable's team will look at the reports and the pattern. The Board stays safe because people are honest.
Honesty also means giving low ratings only when they fit. If someone was simply not your type, or the time was wrong, that is not their fault. Rate fairly.
What to say in the comments
The rating itself is one to five. You also write a comment. Keep it short: one or two sentences. This is for Dateable's team, not for the other person.
For a five-star date: say what went well.
Showed up early, was kind, listened carefully when I explained what I was looking for. Great conversation.
For a three-star date: say it was honest and worth both your time, even if you did not match.
We both tried. They were upfront about their expectations. Not a fit for me, but they did nothing wrong.
For a one-star date: say what happened, without language that a lawyer would argue about.
They said they had no arrangements with anyone else, but mentioned a partner twice. I did not feel safe when they ignored my request to stay in public.
That last comment is evidence. It is specific, it describes what you saw or heard, it does not accuse them of lying. Dateable's team uses comments like that to spot patterns.
The 'would meet again' button is separate
A rating is not the same as 'would meet again'. You can give a five-star and say no, because you want different things. You can give a four-star and say yes, because you like them even though they were slightly late.
The 'would meet again' button is a private message to the other person: if they also say yes, you both see that, and you can message each other without going through the Board again. It is a shorthand for 'I would see you again if you want to'. Nothing more.
Rating someone well and saying no to a second date is not cruel. You are saying 'you behaved well, and I respect you, but this is not the right fit'. Most people on the Board understand that. It is the whole point.
If you need to report something serious
The rating is not for crimes. If someone assaulted you, stole from you, or put you in danger: report that. The rating says 'this person was rude or dishonest'. The report says 'this person harmed me or broke the law'.
You can do both. One-star and a detailed report. One-star and a call to police if it was serious enough.
Read the community rules before you rate so you know what Dateable asks of members. Knowing what the rules are makes it easier to rate fairly: if someone broke a rule, you have a reason to mark them low.
Ratings protect the Board
The Board works because people are honest. If hosts start rating low to punish someone for not clicking, the system collapses. If guests start rating low because they are angry they were not chosen again, hosts stop using the Board. The whole thing breaks.
Rate fairly and you protect the Board for the next person. Someone reads your three-star comment and knows the host is reliable. Someone reads your one-star comment and cancels a date with someone unsafe. You are part of what makes this work.
Before your Board date, read about how to confirm and prepare. After it, rate what happened: how they behaved, whether they kept their word, whether they listened. Be honest. That one star or five star lands in a real person's history, and it matters.
