Genealogy Chat

I see theyve doubled the price on Friends Reunited now its £7.50 for 6 months membership.I think its time to move on when mine runs out as well

Yes Ann, its a whinge. And I've done my fair share of asking for help from censuses before they all became available online. I don't respond to people who ask for a blanket look up for 7 censuses and then want bmd info as well. I will help newcomers, just not freeloaders If you are serious about this hobby if costs, but there are plenty of free sites to look for. Google doesn't cost either! When my renewal comes up, this time I'll be going. Helen

I agree with all the moans about puting up the cost...But this site does beat all the others including Ancestry! Why? Because there are so many people on this site that are willing to help others and steer them in the right direction...you dont get such great help on Ancestry unless you are searching for USA people. And....... you can learn so much more from reading the 'Tips & Record Office' boards questions.......... and answers from those that are kind enough to supply such good information. ....this site is a goldmine of information.....mostly supplied by its users...so keep up the good work and make sure that you educate everyone else to the same standard as yourselves! WITHOUT YOU...THIS SITE WOULD BE NOTHING. NOW, ALL TAKE A BOW..... WHILST WE ALL APPLAUD YOU. Regards...Teresa

Breezy Brian Yes, the tree programme on here is, erm, idiosyncratic, to say the least. Most people get round the deletion problem by putting their tree onto a Gedcom, exporting it, making the corrections and then re-importing it back into Genes. This incidentally has the happy-for-GR result of clocking up another 5000 ancestors, or how ever many people you have in your tree. But this Site is a money-spinner, with all its present faults and foibles - why on earth should they spend any money to improve it as long as people are queuing up to join? OC

Thanks Ann I have just sent them an email so I will see what happens

Samantha, if it was continuous send them an e mail querying it. In the past they have refunded the difference when peoplehave bothered to complain. Ann Glos

I have renewed on the 3 July and continous from last year and I have been charged 9.95 and not 7.50

Helen If I read you correctly and that is a winge about people asking for look ups. You have the choice not to respond. Ann Glos

Hi All, After reading all the remarks about this site, majoriy of them valid, I might add, I have made a mistake on my tree, and according to what I understand, I have to delete a whole family, and all the details pertaining to them, and then re-enter everything, just to correct that mistake. Is there a genealogy site, that allows a mistake to be corrected at that position the mistake is made, without all this deleting of relations, seems to me GRs way of correcting a mistake, shows up a shortcoming in their programm, or am I showing my inexperience at genealogy research here?. Would like to add, that I do enjoy this GR site, BECAUSE the people who use it are SO helpful to each other, and that is what makes the site so attractive. Brian.

£9.95 is quite a good price to pay if you post a request for a look-up on the records board for something like Joe Smith 1841-1901 census Pleeeeease, and then Fred Brown, the same, please please pleeeease!!!!!! Oh and who was Dad, and now find me Mum. Beats paying Ancestrys £70. On the subject of the ITV buy out, it was Friends Reunited that was the money spinner. We're just along for the ride. Helen

Wasn't it significant that the prices rose almost immediately the site was bought out by ITV? Ann Glos

Wow! ! Many thanks to Isobel and Ann for their information and offers. What a great lot you all are on GR, they really do not deserve you. Thanks again Brian

Hello Brian.Why buy credits from this lot for information that is free on other sites.Youd be much better off asking for a 1901 lookup on general boards and if you want to buy credits for BMDs going to 1837 online or Ancestry or TheGenealogist site,at least the credits have a lot longer life.The free sites are Roots Chat and Roots Web they are slower but if more people were using them I,m sure you would get your information as fast as on here.Maybe others could add sites that they use for free. Id be happy to do any lookups on BMDs for you or Ancestry British Origins Familyhistory online for free as would everyone on here.

Well said all you posters. I agree entirely. Nowadays they all do the 'money grabbing' bit just because they can. One lady spoke of using the free sites. Would she be really kind and let us know what they are please? Thankyou. I had another issue with GR by only allowing 7 days to use ones credits where other sites allow months and then will reinstate them if you request it. I am really very slow at all this and only use my computer very occasionally. I e-mailed GR about this and received a load of clap trap about most people using them in 7 days etc but not picking up on my question of reinstating unused credits so I sent another e-mailing saying that I was not satisfied with the answer and that they had ignored my question on reinstatement. That was a month ago and they have not responded. So 'SOD 'EM' I says ! ! ! Start walking feet ! ! Brian

Couldnt agree more Ann you hit the nail on the head.If we all switched to the free sites they would have nothing on this site to offer.Even your tree isnt safe on here.

The £7.50 a year I pay for this site is well worth the money,it was £5 when I first joined.I agree with what everyone has said though.If only the owners were doing their family history,they would pull the stops out and get improvements done to the site.It reminds me a bit of how different organisations work ,how the managers are trained to be managers and have no idea what really happens in a school,hospital etc.

Merry If they are a PLC then in theory their accounts should be available at Company House. However, the fact that they were bought out by ITV recently, may obscure the records.(lost in the middle of ITV's records, I dare say). At the time of the sale to ITV the GR site had a paper value of £135 million(???) which is a ludicrous, but legal, overvaluation, based on projected profit in the future, rather than any actual assets, which seem to comprise of a couple of computers and a small number of part time staff! OC

Is there any way we can find out how much money they make? Merry

My membership is due for renewal and I will, reluctantly, pay up. I agree with everything that has been said about the shortcomings of this site, which has the feeling that it still operates from someone's back bedroom, by people who dont have any great interest in genealogy. Its operating costs are a shoestring budget and the main focus of this Site is PROFIT for the owners. My biggest complaint though, is the way this site advertises itself - its misleading if not actually illegal. To read the blurb, you would imagine that there are many records held on site to search - there arent, the only database on this site is the trees entered by members. The 1901 census, the bmds etc are all only links to a paying site. Any useful information you get on this site will be from the other members, who have paid for the privilege of being a member! I am also maddened by the supposed membership figures and the Search 90 million Ancestors. Take away Mickey Mouse, Darth Vadar and all those people who regularly update a Gedcom and the reality is very different - Search Half A Million Useful Ancestors might be nearer the mark. And, careless as they might be, the owners of this Site are never going to do anything which reduces the supposed membership/ancestor figures - they just keep going up and up, according to them. OC

I agree with Ann from Sussex 'When I joined, several years ago, the fee was £5.00...and there have been no improvements to speak of since then' There are other free sites out there who do the same, if not more than this one.