Ancestry
reviews and complaints

I have been an ancestry customer for years. I have also been a member and user of Family Tree Maker, the only genealogy software that ancestry will synch to. I have a 2010 Macbook Pro and I am unable to install any more up to it. BUT the trouble with Ancestry and Family Tree Maker has been ongoing well before this latest update and here I have paid for both but cannot synch the two together therefore I am losing cash and don't have the ability to update my tree because of ancestry failures of not insuring that customers can effectively use both ancestry full services and be able to synch to Family Tree Maker by Mackieve. Neither Ancestry nor MacKiev will admit they are at fault and keep blaming the other for the problems. Neither company is working to resolve this mess for us and for many many others using both.

23 Mar 2023, 3.30pm CAT

I am unable to log into my Ancestry account. As soon as I try to access the website, an error message pops up. 'Error message 15' It says request blocked by security rules but I don't even get as far as inputting username or password.

I tried to access other pages or support for Ancestry but I get the same error message. I have a free version of ancestry account linked to my lds account. I want to update my tree but cannot even access it.

Please help me!

My wife and I sent our DNA samples in at the same time February. Her sample was received on 9 March and is now being extracted. My sample has not yet been received.

My name: Ronald Walker

Email: [protected]@optusnet.com.au

Batch number: J4J-3P8Q-5C9N-6G8E

This is the only way that I have found to contact you. I find it quite extraordinary that you do not provide telephone numbers or email addresses. I tried using the chat facility but did not receive a reply,

I have been trying to get on my tree and for some reason ancestry has misplaced or closed my tree down. i called them and the guy on the other end could not sort it out, now i have to start all over again, i also had my husbands and my dna on the site, they had old email addresses, which have not been used in 10 years, also old phone number which has not been used in 5 years. there chat auto is no help

I am not able to download my dna gedcom file after several (10?) attempts over the last few weeks.

During the validation process I am given a choice of using my email address or my current password. If I use the email choice and ask for the code to be sent, nothing happens. I never receive the code and must use the current password to verify.

I have made numerous calls to customer service without results.

What should I do?

What is going on?

When will this be fixed?

Robert Hager

[protected]@gmail.com

I have two charges on my credit card one for $32.99 and one for $25. As far as I know I only purchased one. Now I want to cancel my ancestry account for time being. I am retired on a fixed income and need to cut my expenses for forseeable future.

my email address is [protected]@aol.com and the account is under the name of Wiley Cutts..

Thanks for any help you can give me.

I am filing a complaint with ancestry.com I paid for a DNA test 11/1/2022 and sent the test kit in. Ancestry has failed to provide any results. They say that they have the results but will not give them to me electronically or by any other method. These DNA test results are confidential and should be provided to me and no one else. Please advise of your intentions.

Larry Kuka ancestry.com member

[protected]@yahoo.com

[protected]

I started a free trial offer in December 2022 and terminated the free trial within 7 days (the free trial was for 14 days). The company didn't end my free trial and charged my credit card for a monthly charge. the same day I saw the charge I went to the site and closed the account, because it was still active for some reason. The next day they charged my card $25.00 for some kind of termination fee. I normally never complain about stuff and was just going to accept the monthly charge, but the additional $25.00 charge pissed me off. This pure ans simple was a scam and ripoff... Shame on you!

Hi

Yesterday I suddenly received an email, which link to a DNA results from Ancestry. I have done my DNA about 10 years age, the results was totally different. I don’t know where this coming from. This is irresponsible to mix people’s DNA, please clear the link from my account ASAP.

My name is Julie Chen, birth year 1965 please contact me to get my account details.

I have repeatedly given more information than I have received. Even after indicating other relatives, (who also have ancestry accts), & I am still not linked to them. I have submitted & resubmitted family member info, only to have the people all mixed up! Like my maternal grandmother was somehow linked 2 being married 2 her own father instead of her husband, (of which are plenty of records 2 prove! I'm paying your company 2 recieve all my info, but I'm not recieving ANYTHING that I didn't already know!😣

I am extremely unhappy that having posted our (my husband and I) DNA testing kits over 4 weeks ago (ie 21 business days and counting!), they are still not even showing as 'arrived' let alone 'processing'.

Previously we had used MyHeritage and had our results within 4 weeks of posting the tests! So already Ancestry have exceeded that timeframe and we still are not even at the processing stage, let alone results!

I feel that they are extremely vague with the details when getting people signed up - they talk about 'results within 6-8 weeks' - they don't mention that you have to allow 5 weeks for the tests to even get to the laboratory! This means our '3 month free membership' will almost be ended, if not already ended, by the time we get results! This means that the sole purpose of doing tests with Ancestry which was to see if we have any DNA matches that could help us track both of our paternal grandfathers/heritage will have been in vain unless we pay more to have a longer subscription! Therefore it is a total waste of two lots of payments for DNA tests and membership for 3 months as we simply won't be able to use the membership time to look for matches!

On December 12, 2022 I tried to signup for 10-day free Trial period but was moved to the subscription section where the monthly rate was $30+ dollars. Thinking Ancestry was reputable, I agreed only to the monthly rate of $24.99 (I thought I would be charged after the 10-day period). Wrong. IMMEDIATELY a $49.98 pending charge was placed on my bank account! I called Ancestry customer service and was told, no, I did not have a 10-day Free Trial period, only a monthly rate of $24.99 showed up. I explained that my bank statement showed $49.98 pending to Ancestry. The agent insisted she only saw $24.99 and after the pending period it should resolve. It has not resolved so I phoned Ancestry today (12/15/2022), was given the same information, left on hold for an extended period of time and the agent claimed to have phone issues when I asked how it could be that her company shows a charge of $24.99 when my bank clearly shows Ancestry has a charge pending of $49.98. The agent said she could refund my account $24.99, not $49.98. I am being cheated.

I called to cancel my Ancestry membership on November 29th 2022. The following day, Ancestry then charged my credit card, $180.63. I have called everyday since and talked with numerous customer service agents to no avail. They have a scrip they follow and they ask is everything concerning your account current. I was promised on November 30th, I would receive my refund. This isn't true and was told by each sales associate, I would indeed be getting my money back. After 7 days, I'm filing my complaint with the company and I would like my money back.

I cancelled my membership 6 months ago. Even when on the website, and it said INACTIVE.

Never received an email saying that my subscription was going to be renewed. Today I received a charge for $187 for renewel.

Immediately called them to ask for a refund.. They will not give me a refund. I said you can look at my account, it had not been used for last 6 months... there response is:

Unfortunately we are unable to refund renewals once they have gone through. Usage is not an exception to this policy I am afraid. It is cancelled and you will not be charged again.

If my account wasn't renew at the last 6 month renewal, how can I have a subscription renewal at 3 months?

Very upset.

I am a disabled veteran that struggles each day with pain. I mistakenly removed a key link in a tree. I immediately contacted support by Live Chat and asked a very specific question, “Can a tree be recovered to the prior day? Is there a BACKUP of my account?

Can the tree going back to the 1700s be restored. Three customer support employees ran me around in circles for over an hour. Finally, I was told that no such restoration is possible. I am heart broken that over a year’s research and legacy to my children is lost forever because of one mistake. I asked for a corporate phone number and was told that violated their privacy standards. I then signed off.

Now I find (from your website) that they will charge me $25 to cancel my account.

I have to tell you, I just had a horrible experience with Ancestry regarding a Facebook ad. I attempted to purchase the offer for two people for gifts, I was charged $132.90 total for the two, however, they tell me I will only receive two DNA kits and they will NOT include the advertised free 3-month memberships.

The Facebook Advertisement states that for $60, I can receive a DNA Kit plus a free 3-month membership.

They tell me the free memberships cannot be included to another person, that the free membership is only for me and that it says this in their ad. This is not stated anywhere in their ad. This is false advertisement, as far as I am concerned.

Sincerely,

Pat McCurdy

You are intentionally misclassifying those Americans who have been here for generations as "African Americans" PLEASE STOP IT! IF this continues, I will cease to use your platform to determine my lineage. These people did NOT come from Africa and you know this. Please stop pushing your agenda!

I do not need to write a book to let you know that this is extremely troubling to me and I'm sure others who are trying to use facts to determine who their ancestors are. Please stop trying to push forward your agenda that all people are from africa. It is simply not true.

The web site says they should receive your sample within 5 weeks. So I contact them, after their auto reply thing sent me to a info page that no longer exists! The lady I spoke to told me it can take up to 40 business days... That is 8 weeks to receive the sample NOT the 5 their web site says everywhere! That straight up breaks Australian Consumer Laws and it's not a postage issue as if the staff know this there is no reason it can not be on the web page!

Meanwhile your free access to the tools is running out as you have no results.

WHAT A SCAM!

I canceled my subscription today and learned, just as I canceled, that there is a $25 "cancellation fee."

There was no warning that there would be a cancelation fee, nor is there any explanation of why a fee is being charged.

There is no way to contact anyone except by chat for technical support.

The email confirming my cancellation doesn't mention the fee (screenshot below).

When I went to "cancel my membership (screenshot below)" there was no mention of a fee to cancel.

Your site is very manipulative when it come to customers trying to unsubscribe

Everytime you follow the cancel instructions - you end up back in the same place.

I joined in early July2022 - my iphone email number is [protected]@icloud.com

and my home email is [protected]@gmail.com

Deductions come out of my Nab credit card ending in 9469 with this number on statement - [protected]

Michael Purcell