Love's newest messenger isn't a crossbow-wielding cherub who flies around shooting would-be romantics in the rear end with an arrow. He's a former insurance man who shows up at your office with a contract and some very bad news.

Bernd Dressler founded the Separation Agency (www.separation-agency.com) to inform dumpees that their relationship is over. Since the agency's inception, Mr. Dressler, otherwise known as "The Terminator," has received about 150 inquiries in about the last six months, and 73 relationships have been successfully "terminated."

If you happen to live in Berlin, and have a romance you'd like to end, Dressler's your man. For about $25, he'll inform your wish-you-were-my-ex of the relationship's demise by phone -- you can opt for either the let-'em-down-easy "Let's Just Be Friends" package or the more severe, "Leave Me Alone" package, depending on your particular romantic predicament.

Approximately $40 buys a "Personal Termination Call" from Dressler who will deliver the message personally to the dumpee. And, if you're worried about retrieving your ratty concert T-shirts and DVD collection once the deed is done, for about $65, you can get the full package which includes Dressler arranging for a list of your belongings to be picked up from your ex's apartment.

But before you start thinking Mr. Dressler is some kind of sadist who enjoys inflicting pain on others (kind of like dentists or bikini saleswomen) think again. He's actually a pretty nice guy. Many of his clients have attempted to end their own relationships repeatedly to no avail, finding themselves sucked right back for another round with a partner they can't manage to shake. Dressler makes it stick. Why does it work?

"A neutral person doesn't know anything about the affected," Dressler says, "and the person who decided to break up can avoid this unpleasant discussion."

According to Dressler, the problem he solves is, "how to tell it to the other one." He says, "Some just don't want to hurt the partner by telling him that it's over."

And Dressler won't just end it with anybody; he's pretty particular about who he'll break up with. He'll only accept requests containing three or more "reasonable" reasons. A 16-year-old girl reportedly asked Dressler to dump her boyfriend because he was, as she says, "getting on my nerves." Dressler declined.

Dressler, who calls himself "a kind man" says his work is fulfilling, "It's a pleasure for me to help other people and if I can make to happy singles from an unhappy relationship, it makes me happy too."

But how do the dumpees feel about it?

I'd imagine the life of a break-up artist to be fraught with angry exes, car chases, and the occasional lamp thrown through a window, but in a recent ABC News report, Dressler said, "Most of the time, my job is really unspectacular. Nothing much happens."

Dressler likes to keep the transaction as businesslike as possible. He stays "outside the house" during personal visits, offering the dumpee a look at the contract for verification, and commits breakups via telephone if the partner has a history of violent behavior. He also checks to make sure the dumpees aren't driving when he delivers the news, he doesn't want to be responsible for causing an accident. And once, Dressler received a request from the dumpee to help patch things up. But according to Dressler, "his ex-girlfriend did not give a chance for a new discussion."

Dressler is not the first relationship hit man. One of the first was the now-defunct letsbreakup.com, a U.S. company that would deliver the bad news via email, snail mail or telephone for a fee of $10 to $30. Another defunct U.S. company that offered breakup services was breakupbox.com, offering a $9.95 "dump your lover" box slathered in labels with "it's over" clich??s like, "When We First Met, I Thought All My Dreams Had Come True. Now All I Have Are Nightmares. Goodbye!"

While Dressler's Separation Agency business is brisk, the U.S. breakup companies are no longer operating. In love and business, some things just aren't meant to last forever.

Dating Expert Lisa Daily is the author of Stop Getting Dumped!