Ancestry.com

Hi All.... hope this is ok for the Tea Room..

Ancestry.com.

I don't normaly get very annoyed but I was really miffed about ending my subscription with this company.

I paid a months subscription and cancelled the subscription a few days after I had looked for information, well within the imposed time limit.

I recieved on the webpage a cancellation advice note and a plea to think about what I would be missing out on, however I was not impressed with the sneaky way that relevant information is witheld unless further payments are made.

I would have thought that was it.... I didn't use the website again and forgot about it, to my surprise on my bank statement I noticed that the subscription had been taken again a month later!

I telephoned the customer helpline only to be told that I had not cancelled the subscription properly and should have noted the cancellation number and other details, also that it is company policy not to re-imburse any payments..... after a somewhat irate conversation I managed to secure a repayment.

If anyone uses Ancestry, be very carefull when cancelling your subscription, they hold all the cards and after looking at the reports on Trust Pilot it appears that others have had similar or worse problems.

...Bob.

In this case it does look as if the contract was directly with Ancestry, but on a general point, we need be aware that some companies use third-party payment agents.

Whilst your dealings with the company may have ended as far as you know, it might not have told the middle-men who are only to happy to continue taking your payments knowing that a) you made a contract with the company not agent, and b) the agent is now keeping all the money!

It's recommended to cancel the Direct Debit or Standing Order with your bank and NOT rely on it NOT being collected by whatever company is involved.

Credit Card recurring payments are more difficult to cancel!

It galls me how much these companies such as Ancestry.com charge for public records which should be available to all for just a nominal charge, they are raking it in. Dave W

I have never let anyone bill recurring payments to either my credit card or bank account. To me that puts all the power in the hands of the Merchant in case of dispute. At the very least, it puts all the onus on me.

If the Merchant refuses to agree to a more acceptable (to me) way of doing it (such as a monthly bill or an account number that I can pay of my own volition using online banking) I refuse his business. (It's quite surprising what you can do without).

Edited By Peter Greene on 29/04/2021 18:10:57

Following the deaths of our parents about 10 years apart, some of our family looked into tracing us, which is not easy as we have no private archives and very little information to seed the search.

I tried an on-line service - I forget the name but I don't think it was Ancestry - but when I discovered only after the first session I would have to pay an apparently open-ended and quite stiff fee to do all the work in however many half-hour sessions it would take, I abandoned it.

What really made me cross was not so much that they charged but gave no indication of this, and no price, at the beginning. It's a cynical ploy but all too common.

At one time if you wanted to trace your family you had to examine the official records yourself, which is admittedly not easy when your ancestral homes were some 200 miles away and apparently in two counties.. I do not know if this is still possible or if the Ancestry-dot-coms of the world have taken all the church and official records for their own use.

Bob - thanks for the heads up. Sounds like sharp practice.

Will conclude my family tracing and cancel the subscription and also cancel the direct debit at my bank at the same time.

Chris

I have never had problems with Findmypast and of course there is the free site Familysearch.

John

Thanks to all for replies,

it is a good idea as ChrisH says to cancel any payments when terminating the subscription, I just wonder how many people are caught up in this scam.

I agree with John (modeng2000) there are other free sites which in my opinion give just as much information as paid sites, I have learn't my lesson with this one, I am indebted to TrustPilot for giving me an edge in the ensuing confrontation with hard faced 'helpline' staff....(I have no connection with TP) although some 100% reviews are a bit suspicious.

My other axe to grind is with Virgin Media who seem to treat customers as a commodity...but I will leave that for now in case my blood pressure goes off the scale....!

..Bob...

When looking into our family past some 25/30 years ago I used to visit the local Mormon Church who have vast copies of the 10 year censors. I am no way connected with the Mormon Church but I found them extremely helpful. John

Nigel Graham 2

Local archives are still there and available to use but as you say it is not easy, I think most Counties have now put all their archives under one roof, so to speak, but don’t quote me on that. Dave W

John

The wife’s cousin used the Mormon Church records when tracing his family tree, they were extremely helpful and in fact because he spent so much time researching their records the local Mormon Church made him their honorary librarian, he has no connection with the Church. Dave W

If anyone is interested Find my Past have free access to all their census records 1841 - 1911 for the duration of this weekend. Findmypast.co.uk

Sorry don't know how to do a link. Phil

Thanks Philip... will have a look.

I use Ancestry.co.uk & FindMyPast.co.uk (ie the UK versions) off and on, most usually during the winter months when it is too cold to use the garage/workshop. I have used the Ancestry £5 per month once and didn't have any difficulty cancelling the subscription, and have just cancelled both long term subscriptions because I simply don't have time now to do anything.

I think that it is worth remembering that whilst records may be available elsewhere, it is not always easy finding them, nor is it easy finding just what is available. Yes, a lot do appear to have been computerised, but just who is doing the necessary copying? And here is where the likes of Ancestry and FMP come to the fore. It is also worth remembering that someone has to pay for all this copying, but of course, if you wish to travel to wherever the records are held, then copy them yourself, then fair enough. For me, the ability to see the records as published by Ancestry & FMP outways the costs of having to do it myself. For example, I have traced a man who may be, (and can never be proved), my wife's grandfather. This involved researching census records for Bradford, Knaresboro, and Lancaster, then researching Electoral Roll records for Bradford. Plus searching Church records for places I have never heard of, and of course, I don't know where the originals are held, eg some of the records for Bradford appear to come under West Riding/West Yorkshire.

Yes, it does seem expensive, but I really do think the convenience makes it worthwhile.

Yes, there are other sources available - FreeBMD, Family Search etc. One can even find information via the General Registry Office but at a price. For me, I found that FreeBMD is effectively a work in progress, and it doesn't show all the information that is available whilst Family Search, (the Mormon site,) frankly throws up far too much American based stuff which is of absolutely no interest to me.

I notice that the OP mentions Ancestry.com. If you are in the UK, then the correct site is Ancestry.co.uk. Could this be a part of the problem?

Cheers,

Peter G. Shaw

Thanks Peter,

yes I do agree with the fact that the website is more convienient than having to look all over the place for records, however my main complaint was about cancelling subscriptions, I too like yourself had cancelled once before, using exactly the same procedure as I did the last time, there should have been no dispute.

I did state that the company has a .com url, and you are correct in saying that it should be .co.uk , it was peculiar that the lady who I spoke to had quite a pronounced American accent even though I selected the uk helpline on the web page.

Rgds..Bob..

I have no objection to companies charging for their services, for the reasons Peter Shaw explains; and if your family was widely spread geographically it is probably far cheaper and easier to use a reputable geneologist than by searching for yourself. .

I like to see honest up-front fees and payment practices, though.

Just to tidy this up, Familysearch is the current name for the Mormon Church family history web site.

John

Bob,

FWIW, my daughter-in-law is American. She & hubby, my son, live in the north of England along with their 6 year old daughter.

Now, I can't say whether or not she has a strong American accent for the very simple reason we've known her for about 20 years and thus are used to her. Not only that, but she attended an English university so I rather suspect that her accent has probably been modified somewhat.

Interestingly though, their daughter occasionally pronounces words in the American way, eg a few years ago she said something like Grandad's got his "kemera" out. Checking with her mother and she did indeed pronounce camera as "kemera". Exagerated somewhat, but you get the gist of it.

Nigel,

Strangely, once I get back into research mode, I can find it quite fascinating looking up old records. And especially trying to decypher what has been written. Scribes of yesteryear didn't seem to pay too much attention to clear, careful writing! I can't think why not !!!

As far as the fees are concerned, I found them reasonably clear, the main problem being my own inability to remember to cancel in good time. Which suggests that I really ought to devise some sort of aide memoire for these practices.

Regards to one and all,

Peter G. Shaw