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Ancestry

1.6

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Ancestry Reviews Summary

Ancestry has a rating of 1.6 stars from 637 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers dissatisfied with Ancestry most frequently mention customer service, free trial and credit card. Ancestry ranks 54th among Genealogy sites.

service
173
value
169
shipping
73
returns
89
quality
153

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Pennsylvania
1 review
5 helpful votes
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Ancestry decided to cancel my subscription today - was told it was due to a "system issue" and offered me a month free. I used PayPal for my subscription but they insist I need to give a credit card to get the month free! When I go in to adjust it back to PayPal, no PayPal option! They tell me I can't update back to PayPal until the free month expires. Sounds like a play to stop using PayPal to me! Their loss - I don't plan to renew at all when my month is up.

Date of experience: March 28, 2018
Ohio
1 review
4 helpful votes
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Free trial
March 22, 2018

1. When i tried to access document after logging in, they asked me to sign up for another 'free trial' again

2 could not locate ANY record of my mother born in 1928!

Waste of money!

Ps dna record is way too vague

Date of experience: March 22, 2018
Virginia
1 review
2 helpful votes
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Pissed off
March 21, 2018

I signed up for ancestry.com DNA service. They hit me up for $288 but so far I have not received anything from them. They are robbers in my humble opinion.

Date of experience: March 21, 2018
California
1 review
4 helpful votes
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Web site sucks big time, their main (only?) concern is to keep you from sharing info with anybody else

Date of experience: March 13, 2018
Ohio
1 review
13 helpful votes
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Ancestry Charged me $35 for a 14 day free trial that did not work half the time, I don't want to pay that much for something that doesn't work. So I down grade to the $19.99 plan and I am Now being charged twice for the same month $35+$20 = $55.00 for a service that works only Half the time? How much do you charge if it works all the time?

Date of experience: March 11, 2018
Pennsylvania
1 review
4 helpful votes
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A year after I cancelled, I noticed a new charge on my credit card.
Finding a customer service number is very hard.
Weight times are very long.

Date of experience: March 10, 2018
California
1 review
4 helpful votes
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Make sure you REALLY want the kit before purchasing, unless you want to lose half of the money you put down. Trying to contact customer service was a complete hassle, and when I finally got to talk to someone they couldn't help me and kept apologizing for it.

Date of experience: February 28, 2018
Texas
1 review
6 helpful votes
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I have been a member of Ancestry.com for at least 15 years. Over the past two years I have noticed a significant drop in the quality of their service. I am disappointed that Ancestry has wiped of 133 of my DNA matches. Also the hint section doesn't work anymore. My DNA does not show how I am related to those people I match to. Also it does not show how geographically I am related to my DNA matches. I kept called their service reps? And nothing ever gets fixed. I have had it. My concern is that they spend all their money on advertising and nothing on their product. This is just a farce.

Date of experience: February 17, 2018
NL
1 review
4 helpful votes
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This is a really cool concept but the site should help their clients do their own research with steps and how to's, and where to research archives, rather than collecting personal information in ways that are alarming. The fact that they are collecting so much personal information when they don't need to is very concerning. Personally I think it's a scam and I think they might steal. Don't ever use or give your personal information online, use a PO box for deliveries and an alternative name and email for online purchases. Don't give your personal information online.

Date of experience: January 18, 2018
Georgia
1 review
9 helpful votes
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I called customer service today to find out why I was being charged $99 every six months (presumably because I failed to see some tiny print on a back page somewhere that made this unconscionable "renewal" occur-- that in itself a scam), and I was on hold 50 minutes. Finally, I reached a customer service representative. But when I told her that I needed to inquire about an unauthorized subscription charge, without comment, she transferred me to a number that caused a loud screech to come out of my phone. Then after 30 seconds, my call was intentionally dropped. WHAT A SCAM! Seriously!

It gets worse. At a minimum, I knew I needed to cancel my so-called subscription online immediately. THERE WAS NO WAY TO DO SO. I clicked on How to Cancel My Subscription. I followed the instructions exactly, going to My Accounts page that said Cancel My Subscription. But guess what? The link to Cancel My Subscription does not exist! I even had my twenty-year-old come over to the computer to double-check the process. She said "Wow, what a scam. The link's not there."

At this point, I've contacted American Express to dispute the latest charge. I will NEVER, EVER, EVER use Ancestry again. I am appalled at this entire
Scam by what I thought was a reputable company. WHAT A WAY TO MAKE MONEY! You've breached the public trust with your consumers, Ancestry, and I couldn't be more disappointed.

Date of experience: December 26, 2017
Indiana
1 review
3 helpful votes
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Nobody home at Ancestry
December 4, 2017

Good luck trying to get a hold of anyone. Wait times are ridiculous. I had a 45 minute conversation with someone, arranged for my account to be credited and the subscription extended. Hah... nothing has happened. I am thinking this is a scam.
Looking for others to consider a class action suit.

Date of experience: December 4, 2017
California
2 reviews
5 helpful votes
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I tried a few years ago due my curiosity of my heritage being 1/2 Japanese, 1/4 British, 1/8 Scottish, and 1/8 German but cancelled my subscription. After a few years later, after few months of paying my subscription dues, no new information were provided.

Perhaps with their DNA service, they can start gathering data to make their services to provide more information on other races and countries you may have hour heritage, this service is still very restricted to Caucasian heritage only. Don't bother if you are mix of anything else than being of Caucasian (or a mix of Caucasian heritage)

Date of experience: November 13, 2017
Virginia
1 review
1 helpful vote
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Adding photos
October 29, 2017

VERY disappointed that I can't add photos easily. Every time I try to do this, I get a "time out" message

Date of experience: October 29, 2017
Kentucky
1 review
3 helpful votes
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Bad advertising.
October 27, 2017

The ad where the individual says she didnt know how to answer the question what nationality she was. She could have answered she was American. And let it drop. I turn that ad off when it comes on.

Date of experience: October 26, 2017
Pennsylvania
1 review
9 helpful votes
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You want people to jump thru hoops to cancel their acct. Then say the acct. Does not exist yet twice you have taken 19.99 from my bank acct. I can see my acct. Info on your sight but you can't find it? I will go to great lengths from this day forward to tell people to never join your sight. As far as I am concerned you are stealing my money.

Date of experience: October 19, 2017
Wisconsin
1 review
7 helpful votes
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Don't waste your money
October 17, 2017

I spent $99.00 for a pie chart of highlighted regions I came from. It is a joke. It didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, it's so vague, it's a total waste of money. I also felt that after waiting 8 weeks for virtually NO information, they were asking me to submit information so they could use it for future customers with out doing any footwork themselves.

Date of experience: October 17, 2017
Utah
1 review
8 helpful votes
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DNA TEST TIME
October 6, 2017

I am very disappointed with Ancestry.com. I was super excited to get my DNA tested. So I ordered a kit from them. They acknowledged receiving it on August the 18th and started processing on the 24th. Since then their website says: We're processing your DNA kit. Please allow 2-4 weeks to get your DNA results. We'll send an email when they're ready" but the lab started processing my DNA test on August 24,2017. I called them 3 times after the 4 weeks period. But the only answer I get I have to wait for the lab. I think they can tell me more, like let us contact them and go back to you or at least to contact to lab and give me an answer very poor CS. Very disappointed

Date of experience: October 6, 2017
New York
1 review
6 helpful votes
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DNA testing doesn't hone in on specific regions in Asia - just the continent itself. Thanks for verifying what I've already know - enjoy my $79!

Date of experience: September 20, 2017
California
3 reviews
15 helpful votes
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Typical scam to auto bill you... read all fine print! Try calling them to cancel... you'll be on hold forever. The only way to get out is cancelling your credit card

Date of experience: September 18, 2017
Illinois
2 reviews
21 helpful votes
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Why does ancestry allow base information such as birth records to be changed by anyone? It means that the data people use for their family trees is inaccurate, useless.
I discovered that my estranged sister had changed my birth name and records Ancestry doesn't care. They should know that if the basic information can be manipulated by people with agendas, its useless.

Date of experience: September 17, 2017