Ah, Tinder. Originally launched in 2011, we’ve had eight years of navigating the divisive dating app – and yet horror stories still cause us to put our heads in our hands while groaning with despair.

Why do we do it, eh? Well, recent research showed that, despite meeting someone on a dating app being the least ideal way of meeting a new partner, over half of 25- to 34-year-olds said they still use them. “It’s a numbers game,” preach experienced friends who eventually found love through a swipe. But those numbers can often represent a series of disastrous – and sometimes harmful - experiences, which is what can make the world of digital dating a serious concern.

But, the latest dark Tinder tale took a powerful turn at the end, which might just make users think twice about their bad behaviour on the app.

It started with a match between Thea and George…

George quickly took it upon himself to give student Thea his thoughts on the (very lovely) dress she was wearing in one of her photographs.

“Not gonna lie you’re a bit of a joke but that dress in the last photo is not doing any favours,” he started, in one of the top ten worst opening lines in Tinder history. “Hope this helps.”

Thea, who hadn’t asked for any opinion on her dress, simply replied: “Excuse me?”

“You heard,” George retorted, still not grasping how to chat to another human being.

Thea then gave the best possible answer, writing: “Why did you feel like you needed to comment on it? Is your head that far up your own arse that you thought your opinion mattered?’”

“Literally had to tell you else I wouldn’t of slept,” George wrote, caring even less about grammar than he did about giving a girl unsolicited and hurtful advice. “It’s awful you not reckon? Charity shop job! I tell you what… GROW UP! And shop somewhere decent! Thanks. Hope this helps.”

So far, so bad. Although Thea’s answer was pretty much perfect, she didn’t stop there.

Thea took screenshots of the conversation and shared them on Twitter, which quickly garnered lots of attention – probably because so many women can, sadly, relate. It also caught the attention of the brand who made the dress in question, ASOS, and what they did next was pretty amazing.

The online retailer used the photograph of Thea wearing the £75 lilac dress as one of their advertising shots. Their Twitter account replied: “Here’s to finding our perfect match. Thea babe, let’s talk.”

Thea and ASOS have taken Twitter by storm with the story, with Thea gaining over 105,000 likes on the image. Of course, she has been inundated with positive messages. 

Speaking to Stylist.co.uk, Thea explained: “I was just absolutely gobsmacked that somebody could be so mean, I was quite upset and angry so I decided to post them on Twitter to ‘expose’ it a bit. I never thought I’d get the response that I have done. It’s been absolutely incredible and I couldn’t be more grateful for the amount of support I’ve received so far. I also can’t believe that ASOS have used my photo, it’s amazing and so surreal.”

Maybe - just maybe! - this will finally make dating app users think twice before writing an unwanted message. 

Image: Instagram and Twitter - Thea Lauryn Chippendale, Getty