Ancestry.com

[Bob McParticipant @bobmc91481]

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.

[Bob McParticipant @bobmc91481]

Ending subscription advice

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

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!

[Dr. MC BlackParticipant @dr-mcblack73214]

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!

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

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

[Anonymous]

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

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

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.

[ChrisHParticipant @chrish]

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

[modeng2000Participant @modeng2000]

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

John

[Bob McParticipant @bobmc91481]

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…

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

some years ago Ancestry was notorious for this – almost making it impossible to stop payments – they appeared to mend their ways after significant complaints but from the above comments it sounds as tho they have reverted to being just a nasty American based company.

[john fletcher 1Participant @johnfletcher1]

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

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

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

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

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

[Philip RoweParticipant @philiprowe13116]

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

[Bob McParticipant @bobmc91481]

Thanks Philip… will have a look.

[Peter G. ShawParticipant @peterg-shaw75338]

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

[Bob McParticipant @bobmc91481]

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..

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

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.

[modeng2000Participant @modeng2000]

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

John

[Peter G. ShawParticipant @peterg-shaw75338]

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

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Philip Rowe on 30/04/2021 11:22:54:

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

.

Allow me, Phil

**LINK** : https://www.findmypast.co.uk

Thanks for the info.

MichaelG.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Thank you Peter!

Actually my cousin's wife managed to search back a couple of generations or so, but I don't think she was able to find much more.

The family legend that "our" John Kay was the flying-shuttle's inventor is almost certainly a mix up with a contemporary inventor who happened to have the same name, but we do know a much later Kay established a successful bicycle manufacturing business in Nottingham. A few of his products survive in preservation. So I know from which side of family I inherited the engineering gene!

I think you need a pretty solid family history extending back at least four (i.e, your own Great-Grand) generations before your can start to search reliably, and it seems we lack that.

'

Somewhat at a tangent there are now rather dubious companies who profess to trace your geographical and ethnic history from DNA, but the claim is so weak I for one would not bother. A little arithmetic soon reveals the basic flaw – the 2 is a dear little number but oh, such a powerful exponent!

[Peter G. ShawParticipant @peterg-shaw75338]

The man I mentioned, possibly my wife's grandfather, is quite an interesting story. And it's also a good example of being able to ask the right questions.

It all started within the last 10 years. I had long been aware that my father-in-law officially didn't have a father, his mother being single at the time. My brother-in-law said that he thought the missing man was an Arthur Forrest, a painter and decorator who emigrated to America. Talking to my wife, I eventually asked the crucial question: "Who was the man that you called Grandad Jones?" "Oh, he was my grandmother's husband and is not our real grandfather" So from that I started looking at marriage records between a spinster, Jane Copley, and Grandad Jones, only there wasn't one. Turn it round and ask the question who was Jones married to, and the answer came back, Jane Forrest. Which immediately started the old bells ringing. It turned out that Grandmother had two children out of wedlock, neither of whom have a father shown, and that in 1933 she married Richard Forrest 5 weeks after Forrest's first wife died. Forrest himself died 2 years later leaving the widow free to marry Harry Jones.

Of course, since the surname was the same I immediately started looking into Forrest's family, and discovered that he was knocking about Bradford at the time of the two conceptions (1912 & 1914); he was single, possibly a bit of a "lad" as in 1911 he was shown as visiting a woman who he later married in 1916; he'd been in prison three times (with hard labour), had joined the Army in 1915; discharged as unfit for further service in 1918, and as far as I can tell, lived with a Jane Forrest from 1924 to 1931. Given that it's not illegal to use another name as long as it is not for nefarious purposes, it is my belief that Jane Forrest was actually my wifes's grandmother.

I was able to trace his family back through the 1800's and discovered that two branches of his ancestors originated from just south of Lancaster around 1800 or so, whilst another branch originated from around Knaresborough. Given that one of the Lancaster branches appear in various church records, yet in the 1841 Census appear in Bradford, one does wonder how they got to Bradford.

I also discovered that Richard was the second child in that family to bear the name Richard, the first having died at 3 days old. And that exactly the same thing occurred in one of his ancestors back around 1800.

All in all, quite fascinating really. And quite time consuming. As far as generations are concerned, I think we are talking either four or five (without calling up Ancestry and looking at the family tree, I can't be certain).

Peter G. Shaw

ps. Genealogical research sometimes throws up some fascinating facts, eg, it seems that my maternal grandparents were never married. Why? Because grandfather was already married to another woman. Not only that, but he had a son with this woman. Furthermore, it became quite obvious that our mother knew all about this, yet we, her three children, were never told anything, not even a hint about it. Of course, Grandfather was an adulterer, whilst mother, technically at least, was a bastard, ie illegitimate as her parents were not married at the time of her birth.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Family histories are fascinating.

My great-grandfather was a murderer who did away with his uncle and assumed his identity (Davies).

When he died the family tried to register his death, but it seemed he was 'already' long dead, so to speak.

The police came around my grandmother's house, and under the floorboards of his bedroom they found papers relating to his true identity (Groucutt).

This all happened back in the fifties, I think.

The other side of my family can be traced back 400 years to a chap who shared my Dad's name.

There are other stories to be told some day.

Neil

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