All the rage in American relationships Breaking up is not so hard to do. when you pay someone else to make the call. Breakupservice.com is offering emotionally spineless Americans an easy way out SURVEYS EDITION

• Published in: The Financial times (London ed.)
• Main Author: Swann, Chris
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: London (UK) The Financial Times Limited 12.06.2004
• Subjects: Thompson, Deanna
• ISSN: 0307-1766

The emollient voice on the other end of the line belonged to Deanna Thompson, the founder of Breakupservice.com - a business dedicated to helping emotionally spineless West-Coasters end unwanted relationships. Since 2002 Thompson, a 37-year-old former manager, and her staff of six freelance dumpers have seen a steady increase in the number of people unwilling or unable to finish relationships themselves. Things seldom go smoothly, Thompson admits. Not surprisingly, a dumpee's initial response is often less than friendly. "Once they have got over the disbelief, there is sometimes quite a bit of swearing," she admits. One woman was so hostile that Thompson had to call three days in a row to get her point across. (Taking abuse on the chin is part of the service and does not push up the bill.) "But generally people calm down and by the end are quite glad I called, because it means they don't have to waste another month or year on a failing relationship," she says. The appetite for the service is clearly growing, Thompson says. To date the company has spent just Dollars 5 on advertising. Thompson simply tagged a bumper sticker on the back of her car, which quickly attracted the attention of unsatisfied lovers and the local media. "We haven't had to do any more advertising," she says.