RootsChat.Com
Census Lookups General Lookups => Census and Resource Discussion => Topic started by: Gadget on Tuesday 01 April 14 19:39 BST (UK)
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The census search 'form' doesn't make sense ::)
When born - Ok
Where - is that where born?
Address - street, etc. but no place (town/county) ::)
Added -found how now - you have to go through the collections rather than Censuses, land, & surveys in the Search Records list - how daft is that ::)
Second added - It seems to me that the Search Records tab is not really much use unless you select 'Search all records' and select from there!
Continued from:
The new Findmypast (Part 1) (http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=681106.0)
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I have not read all the comments in this thread, but my view is that this new format is designed to raise revenue by making those without a subscription view extraneous records using up credits!
The previous Army and Merchant Seamen's records search provided sufficient information to make an educated guess as to which record might apply, but now all you get is a list of possibles, which means endless viewing of original documents.
Unfortunately I suspect that the search engine has been designed by a programmer, and was not tested on user groups, otherwise these problems would have been thrown up before they allowed the new system to go live.
I'm seriously considering whether I will renew my subscription.
Martin
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I have not read all the comments in this thread,
Martin
I just did. Phew! Well done all of you. ;D
I do not subscribe to FindMyPast but to GR and was going to change over but not now.
I had an email yesterday to say that I had to use my "free" credits for FindMyPast Ireland before 6 April, acquired in early January via this site (some kind person gave out the information). :-*
I never found anyone in the Irish records and was very surprised to see that I could use these credits on FindMyPast UK! I found a newspaper article for my grandparents Golden Wedding which I had never seen before and which was very interesting. I shall now try to download it following your kind advice in this thread.
I preferred the layout of the old FindMyPast. When you opened up the site it gave you a "nice feeling". ;)
I agree with you all; why don't they leave well alone.
Judy
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The link is finally working!
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=681106.msg5264785#msg5264785
From the CEO:
The new findmypast site is designed to provide you with an improved service. We did a great deal of consultation and research and have now put the technology in place to be able to provide millions more records, a more powerful and accurate search, and a better user experience. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback, but we also acknowledge that there are some fixes still to be made. We recognise that some of the features you rely on most have not transferred smoothly, and we are working hard to resolve those issues as quickly as we can.
http://blog.findmypast.co.uk/2014/a-personal-note-from-annelies-van-den-belt-ceo-at-findmypast/
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I don't think the person who designed the new search fiters actually has any knowledge of the research we do. They may be qualified in computer programming but these filters just don't work to enable us to find elusive records.They only work when you have a lot of knowledge about what you're searching for, which is not always the case. If it was designed by a person knowledgeable in genealogy they would know the obscure "knotty" problems we slowly untangle.
I've just searched for something I resolved last summer on the old FindMyPast. I put in the few details I knew at the start of the search and the answer is now impossible to find.
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I assume that they had a project manager/project managers and a team of systems analysts who would have/should have fully investigated the type of information required by users (by talking to them -even the odd survey if not talking) and should also know the features of the individual data sets. These should then have formed the basis of a full systems spec, and specs for individual modules. Programmers would then have converted the specs into code and then fully tested the individual elements, using their own tests and then using 'guinea pig' users.... and so on.... testing to destruction!
But did this happen ???
As I said earlier on this thread, in the old days, if I'd have let lose such a system on my users, I'd have been slaughtered.
Gadget
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It seems Peter Calver from Lost Cousins was a beta tester. Wonder if he's going to be championing FindMyPast quite so much in his newsletter now. ;D
As I've mentioned in a previous post, I doubt if this had been a corporate website they would have dared roll it out in this form. I suspect it was believed they'd get away with it because we're all individual subscribers. Or perhaps I'm just being a bit too cynical. ;D
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we're not all individual subscribers, some of the features I use such as browsing the GRO birth, marriage and death indexes to avoid transcription errors and omissions, are no longer available but I have reported this.
There is one corporate user I know who totally relies on this browsability, I'm sure they have complained also.
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we're not all individual subscribers, some of the features I use such as browsing the GRO birth, marriage and death indexes to avoid transcription errors and omissions, are no longer available but I have reported this.
There is one corporate user I know w :Dho totally relies on this browsability, I'm sure they have complained also.
By corporate website I mean one provided for use by a single company and its employees only.
I don't doubt there are corporate users as well as people making use of the site in libraries, etc, but its not provided for their sole use. ;)
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But did this happen ???
As I said earlier on this thread, in the old days, if I'd have let lose such a system on my users, I'd have been slaughtered.
I have worked in industry on very large software projects for the last 35+ years. It is not just the old days that you would get slaughtered.
As the years have passed more and more emphasis is placed on testing the system at each stage and getting it right before it's released with all the quality controls in place. So what difference is there between a system designed for a spaceship, a power station, a bank or a military establishment and that produced by FindMyPast. There should be none, but the difference of course is the end user. In FMPs case it is the humble home user in her/his search for information for their pastime. And if it is wrong when released, we'll still have elecricity, we won't be invaded by a foreign power, nobody will be mortally wounded and FMPs profits are unlikely to decrease as the more casual researchers are enticed in. The end user in this case only has the power of not paying their subs. Many more first timers will replace them.
If such a dire product had been released at my place of work, there would already be people on gardening leave awaiting the inevitable.
Simon
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Is there any way now to see the 1911 cover sheet and summary books which were previously accessible? They were an important part of the 1911 "package".
I also cannot easily see a way of getting a list of all marriage parties on a page in the GRO marriages. In the four on a page era it tells me two possible bridegrooms for a bride, but not the name of the other bride (often so helpful for elimination purposes). Obviously in real life I would use FreeBMD (subject to coverage of the relevant dates) but it is irritating when functionality is reduced in so many ways.
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Apart from searching again on one of the possible partners, no I don't think you can get a list of all the couples with same reference. I have contacted FindMyPast about this - but no reply yet.
In fact has anyone had a reply to any of their complaints, queries, comments lately?
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Well, the dreaded e-mail arrived overnight welcoming me to "simpler to use" new FindMyPast. When I followed that link I was taken to the new site, but using the bookmark I have on my computer I am still taken to the old site. Is that normal - if so I wonder how long it will continue?
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I've just done a marriage search for a known entry in 1871 and the possible spouses are shown.
If you want to practice, use Henry Arthur Sherry in 1871
make sure you select marriage and divorce from the drop down box at the top of the screen
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I just looked at it dawnsh but it does not show the other groom which we often use when trying to eliminate. :-\
Rosie
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Also, I can't see a place to put in year or range of years for marriage. Only birth or death dates.
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I expect the names have been entered into a groom/bride field on their database and there is an assumption Henry wouldn't have married another man?
I can see your point about showing all 4 names though, just suggesting what FindMyPast's answer might be
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Hi Dawn
Where do I find the names of the potential spouses? All I can access is a transcript of the entry in the register and an image of the register entry.
Barbara
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I expect the names have been entered into a groom/bride field on their database and there is an assumption Henry wouldn't have married another man?
I can see your point about showing all 4 names though, just suggesting what FindMyPast's answer might be
You are right though their thinking may need updating ;D
We will just have to stick with freebmd my first port of call for this information normally.
Hi Dawn
Where do I find the names of the potential spouses? All I can access is a transcript of the entry in the register and an image of the register entry.
Barbara
Barbara F - you need to select the transcript option and not the 'camera' option
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I got the email last night and found I was moved to the new FindMyPast - it's absolutely awful.
I haven't been able to go back to the old via a bookmark or via the browsing history.
I previously found the census search brilliant, but this is ridiculous, I think it was 7 boxes of 'choose a county' to get to Worcestershire, with a long wait of rotating circles before it started. Entering a town had no effect at all.
The transcription over 2 pages is ridiculous. Do I need almost a half a page to tell me someone I looked up is a female daughter??!!
I sent an email last night via contact us saying I would like to return to the old FindMyPast - doubt I will get a reply.
It reminds me a bit of the changes presented as a 'fait accompli' last May over on flickr - you get a 'feedback forum', but no management response or changes as a result. On flickr it only cost about £15 per year, so with FindMyPast being about £100, it's more serious.
Lisa
PS flickr offered a pro rata refund to people not wishing to keep their paid for accounts.
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We will just have to stick with freebmd my first port of call for this information normally.
Mine too, but that's not the point, we are paying for this service on FindMyPast and not getting what we paid for!
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I sent an email last night via contact us saying I would like to return to the old FindMyPast - doubt I will get a reply.
I dont think that is an option, I expect it will only be a matter of weeks until the old version no longer exists. I'll keep using my bookmark to get in, as at the moment that is still taking me to the old site.
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PS flickr offered a pro rata refund to people not wishing to keep their paid for accounts.
One of the latest posts on FMPs own forum is from someone who appears tho have managed to get a pro rata refund. This appears to be a climb down from the blanket response last week that once you have looked at a single record you cannot get a refund (as per their Ts&Cs).
Simon
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Thanks Rosie.
This will take some getting used to.
Thank heavens for Free BMD which is always my preferred site :)
Barbara
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I understand there is no possibility of returning to the old interface, as FindMyPast are now operating from a new platform.
Whilst posting here may serve to relieve frustration, comments and constructive requests posted on FindMyPast’s own Feedback Forum are much more likely to be read by those who matter.
http://feedback.findmypast.co.uk/
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I understand there is no possibility of returning to the old interface, as FindMyPast are now operating from a new platform.
Whilst posting here may serve to relieve frustration, comments and constructive requests posted on FindMyPast’s own Feedback Forum are much more likely to be read by those who matter.
http://feedback.findmypast.co.uk/
Absolutely. And on their Facebook page.
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It seems Peter Calver from Lost Cousins was a beta tester. Wonder if he's going to be championing FindMyPast quite so much in his newsletter now.
I didn't know that but, coincidentally, wrote to him yesterday to ask if he was going to give us any tips on how to use the new FindMyPast site effectively. He replied "it's going to take quite a while to get used to findmypast's new search, and whilst I'll be writing about it in my next newsletter I don't have any particular tips to offer a this stage".
Lizzie
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I do not subscribe to FindMyPast but to GR and was going to change over but not now.
Unfortunately, GR is owned by the same company, so I foresee changes ahead on there too.
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Am very grateful to find this link - by accident as I'd just posted a lookup request because I can't access findmypast. I get to the home page but can't access the records although my sub has several months left to run. Windows diagnosed a firewall could be blocking the site - but I'm having no problems with other sites (like Roots!)
I also sent an email to findmypast, but am not sure whether it actually reached them. If anyone else finds a solution to this problem, or even gets a reply from the site I'd be very grateful to hear from you!
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I've just done a marriage search for a known entry in 1871 and the possible spouses are shown.
If you want to practice, use Henry Arthur Sherry in 1871
make sure you select marriage and divorce from the drop down box at the top of the screen
As with most of the records, if you want the search form specifically for the GRO marriage records you can select 'search all records' from the search records tab, then Marriages under 'Birth, marriage, death & parish records', then Marriage records 1538-2005 and finally England & Wales Marriages 1837-2005.
Having now looked at this England & Wales Marriages 1837-2005 search form, it has no search field for registration district, but has one labelled Page ?
Simon
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Am very grateful to find this link - by accident as I'd just posted a lookup request because I can't access findmypast. I get to the home page but can't access the records although my sub has several months left to run. Windows diagnosed a firewall could be blocking the site - but I'm having no problems with other sites (like Roots!)
I also sent an email to findmypast, but am not sure whether it actually reached them. If anyone else finds a solution to this problem, or even gets a reply from the site I'd be very grateful to hear from you!
I had same problem could do basic search as guest but as soon as I tried to log in, got message to say that Internet Explorer could not access this page. Complained to FindMyPast who said it was a problem with my browser not with them. Funny it only happened as soon as I was forcibly moved to new version. Never had a problem with the old. Have now downloaded Google chrome browser and works OK. Did try Firefox but it refused to download images although I could view them
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In fact has anyone had a reply to any of their complaints, queries, comments lately?
No. :o
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Just got two replies in quick succession after posting that.
I don't think they actually read them, a robot just picks out keywords and sends links to what they think is most appropriate FAQ.
My main problem is with census address searches, I know the address exists because if I search on name I can find it (correctly spelt). If I try and enter it in the road name field it tries to match with a list and will not allow me to type it and reverts to the name at the top of the list or nothing at all so I get 32 million hits.
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Have now downloaded Google chrome browser and works OK.
Why should we have to change browsers to suit FindMyPast? In any case, I've tried Google chrome twice now and each time my laptop froze, so I'm not about to try again.
The other thing that annoys me - and I've written to them about it, but not had a reply - is when you put in a year of birth and want to put +/- 2, it works OK, but if you want +/- 5 for instance, when you click to find it, all you get are a list of +/- and you have to work you way down to get 5, 10, 15, 20 etc. Why couldn't they just put the appropriate number after the symbols?
I used to use FindMyPast every day, but I'm afraid I've given up now and go straight to Ancestry, something I would never have done in the past. By the way Ancestry now has the 1911 census with images of the original pages, so we don't need FindMyPast for that any more.
Lincstothepast has the Lincolnshire BMDs which, although FindMyPast site states they have them, when you do a search, nothing comes up from Lincolnshire. I can't find the Crew members either, which I check regularly in case my g.grandfather's name should come up.
LizzieL, I couldn't even find my g.grandparents on the new FindMyPast, even though I know they are on the 1891, 1901 and 1911 census. I assume if I put in their places of birth, their ages, the place they lived etc. the new FindMyPast would find them, but usually when you search for an ancestor you haven't go all that info, and it should let you search on name only, as the old site did.
I also used to like the Search all records, which I used to use when searching for a missing ancestor. Putting in the name, year of birth and possible date of birth, it would then show a page giving all the instances where that name appeared, various census, births, marriages, deaths, newspaper articles etc. etc. but that search has gone too.
Lizzie
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Searches on places of birth seems to have gone . Subject of one of my many messages to FindMyPast yesterday.
I wonder what FMPs response will be to that one.
I used to have trouble with G Chrome and expunged it from my laptop. Redownloaded and so far it's fine but somehow it remembered my old bookmarks - interesting things I saved in 2007.
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Just got two replies in quick succession after posting that.
My main problem is with census address searches, I know the address exists because if I search on name I can find it (correctly spelt). If I try and enter it in the road name field it tries to match with a list and will not allow me to type it and reverts to the name at the top of the list or nothing at all so I get 32 million hits.
This I think is my main gripe with the searches. Where you have to enter something into a box that has 'Browse <something>' you cannot just type what you want, you are forced to select from a list. 'Browse Street Name' 'Browse House name' 'Browse Birth Town' etc. and it becomes completely unusable. A blank field to type into with wildcards is so much easier, quicker and efficient.
Simon
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Searches on places of birth seems to have gone . Subject of one of my many messages to FindMyPast yesterday.
I wonder what FMPs response will be to that one.
Lizzie,
Do you mean for Census Searches? If you do, then select 'search all records' from the Search Records Tab, you can then get to each individual Census Search Form after selecting census. You can then search on anything including Birth Town/City/Place. It's not very user friendly though.
Simon
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I think FindMyPast has finally ground to a halt! That little circle is just going round and round and round and round.........
Judy
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Tried that - hangs for ten minutes then gives me an error message. Using wildcards because the place is West (aka Little) Challow, but sometimes written Challow alone and in one case (but I forget which rellie and which census) transcribed as Charla - it did look like that on scan so some indication of his accent when pronouncing the place to whoever filled out his form.
I think FindMyPast has finally ground to a halt! That little circle is just going round and round and round and round.........
Get that too now
We killed it!
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So pleased to learn it's the same for others and not just me...I predict a melt down!!! I am tipping it will go down for maintenance soon....all the bad publicity won't help their cause.
Carol
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It's working for me - just tried Denbighshire marriages/particular name and place and it deliverd 15 for me - all my rellies.
*Now it's stopped ???
*Now it's delivered ???
*Now a black screen of death (spinning circle) :-X ???
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In the last half hour I have tried the same search about a dozen times -
Cue spinning green arrows followed (eventually) by "sorry, an error occurred" message.
Back to (blank again) search form and re-enter the search terms.
Repeat 11 times.
Then bingo - spinning green arrows take me to a list of results.
Click on one to see the image - spin, spin, spin...error message.
Sigh ::)
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At least they've now corrected the +/- problem, now there's a real choice, +/- 0, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 40 years, but as the others have said it's not working now, just the green circle going round and round and now a Yahoo Error Handler message
The requested URL "http://search.new.findmypast.co.uk/search/united-kingdom-records?hsimp=yhse-001" cannot be found or is not available. Please check the spelling or try again later.
Hope it's gone for good and they give us back the old site. ;D ;D
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Have now downloaded Google chrome browser and works OK.
Why should we have to change browsers to suit FindMyPast? In any case, I've tried Google chrome twice now and each time my laptop froze, so I'm not about to try again.
I am SO glad to hear other people are having the same problem. I'm old, and find anything to do with technology a bit scary, so I really don't want to change browsers - life is too short!
The first thing that warned me something was wrong was when I accessed the site via my Favourites bar and was asked to sign in again - already a problem trying to remember which password I used. It used to remember my details and log me in automatically. However. I couldn't get beyond the home page and my laptop froze when I tried the password I thought I remembered.
I don't know what to do now, if findmypast blames my browser. Absolutely I won't ever renew my subscription, and would strongly urge other people not to use this site until these problems are sorted. As it is, I could lose 3 to 4 months' subscription if I can't access the site again.
Maybe if everyone who is having problems adds to this string they will have to take notice?
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Sorry, an error occurred while processing your request.
Our support team have been notified of this error and will correct it as soon as possible.
Over and over and over again >:( >:(
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lesleyhannah: FindMyPast may be watching this thread, but I wouldn't count on it as I should think they have their work cut out dealing with the many issues which have been raised directly with them. Their Facebook page seems to yield most acknowledgment that points have been received. If you raise your particular technical issue with them there or via "contact us" you'll give yourself a better chance of a relevant response (hope so anyway). Let us know how you get on.
For what it's worth I am on IE11 and (insofar as it works at all) it works on this browser.
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Posted yesterday that I can reach the home page but no further! Still the same and no reply to me message to contact them. I am definitely NOT changing my browser, I had enough problems with Chrome before. Like others I will not be using this site again and will ask for a refund of my remaining subscription.
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Sorry, an error occurred while processing your request.
Our support team have been notified of this error and will correct it as soon as possible.
Over and over and over again >:( >:(
I've had that several times and reported it to them.
No reply yet.
Not managed to get into my saved searches to check whether last weeks missing ones have reappeared but have managed to get into my account and stop auto renew.
I also found a little box checked which I don't recall seeing before and I never would have checked it if I had.
It said:
"Allow this website to share anonymised data with Google and Comscore to help us better understand usage patterns"
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In fact has anyone had a reply to any of their complaints, queries, comments lately?
No not about the website but I did get a reply to my complaint about the fact they won't amend a name on a Census entry because they are adamant that it says what they think rather than what it actually is. So I sent them a reply with a piece of my mind about their obvious disinterest in accuracy for their indexes. ;D ;D
It felt better although have to admit I can see why the claim the name Rosella is written Bosella on the entry because the tail of the R is curling the wrong way, but it's not identical to the B of the surname. I really do think they need to introduce some form of alternative names in these situations when there is obviously a problem with the entry. She's Rosella on other Census. Ancestry have indexed her as Bosella too but on ancestry I can submit a correction that should appear. ;D ;D According to the feedback forum the facility is under review but has been since January so doubt anything will happen. :-\
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Sorry, an error occurred while processing your request.
Our support team have been notified of this error and will correct it as soon as possible.
Over and over and over again >:( >:(
I'm going to make a cake. ;)
Judy
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Not managed to get into my saved searches to check whether last weeks missing ones have reappeared but have managed to get into my account and stop auto renew.
Checked mine earlier and I've still got a gap between 16 March and yesterday and they've not bothered to reply so won't hold my breath. ::)
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Looks like the new site is down as I can't get past the first page on that, yet by going through my bookmark into the old site I can search as normal. What a mess up.
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It seems Peter Calver from Lost Cousins was a beta tester. Wonder if he's going to be championing FindMyPast quite so much in his newsletter now.
I didn't know that but, coincidentally, wrote to him yesterday to ask if he was going to give us any tips on how to use the new FindMyPast site effectively. He replied "it's going to take quite a while to get used to findmypast's new search, and whilst I'll be writing about it in my next newsletter I don't have any particular tips to offer a this stage".
Lizzie
If that's his response now it has been launched then I think he has a lot to answer for.
We could/probably will cancel our ongoing subs and of course there will be new researchers taking our places but many of us are hard core members and if the new researchers also don't like what they find this will ultimately be the downfall of FindMyPast .......to say nothing of the lose this previously excellent resource will mean to the enjoyment of our hobby.
I was quite prepared to give it every chance but really am making no progress. In comparison the new search on Ancestry now feels like a comfy pair of shoes .......which FindMyPast is never going to feel like unless they make radical improvements.
Judy, I'm also going to bake a cake :) when all else fails, let's bake a cake :)
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It seems Peter Calver from Lost Cousins was a beta tester. Wonder if he's going to be championing FindMyPast quite so much in his newsletter now.
I didn't know that but, coincidentally, wrote to him yesterday to ask if he was going to give us any tips on how to use the new FindMyPast site effectively. He replied "it's going to take quite a while to get used to findmypast's new search, and whilst I'll be writing about it in my next newsletter I don't have any particular tips to offer a this stage".
Lizzie
There's another post on that thread on his forum asking for people's tips on how best to use the site so he can include the in the next newsletter. :-\
I suspect most of the beta testers are keeping their head's down in light of the problems with the site. ;D ;D
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I've just unsubscribed and filled in the subsequent survey :'(
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I posted here http://www.rootschat.com/links/0yqs/
placing a link to this thread, and my post was immediately removed by FindMyPast.
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After my rant to them they changed me! Out of the frying pan and into the fire...it's useless!!
I won't put what my husband says or I will be thrown of the Forum!!
That wheel going round and round, and round and round and on and on. I get dizzy anyway without having to cope with that.
There's no point asking for refunds, they won't give one as I asked them before.
rayard.
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I posted here http://www.rootschat.com/links/0yqs/
placing a link to this thread, and my post was immediately removed by FindMyPast.
Doesn't surprise me. Mind you I posted on ancestry's Facebook page in response to a person's request for Staffordshire and Oxfordshire parish registers that the former were due to be on FindMyPast and the latter had been digitised by the Family History Society. At some point ancestry removed the posting (probably 'cos I mentioned FindMyPast) but the OP had seen the message and replied something to the effect he'd read they were being made available online but hoped ancestry would get them in the future.
It amuses me on that feedback forum that the suggestion with the most votes, and probably comments, is requesting them to reinstate the old site and the comments are mostly about this too and complaints. I'm surprised they've not removed it. ;D
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I posted here http://www.rootschat.com/links/0yqs/
placing a link to this thread, and my post was immediately removed by FindMyPast.
Doesn't surprise me.
Well I suppose at least it means that they're being read ::)
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If it's right that the beta testers' feedback has been ignored (as Peter Calver seems to have said on that thread in relation to his own feedback) then we can't really blame them for the FindMyPast situation.
I wonder how many beta testers were used? I had an invitation to "try the new site in advance", expressed an interest, and heard nothing more. Anyone else?
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I wonder how many beta testers were used? I had an invitation to "try the new site in advance", expressed an interest, and heard nothing more. Anyone else?
Me :)
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Won't let me in at all now! ACCESS DENIED!
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I nipped out to the shops an hour ago, come back and find that the little circle thing is still going around on the black screen - I'd forgotten about it ;D
Jed - think it's technical difficulties - I could describe their problems in stronger language :-X
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;D ;D
Just got this message trying to access the site. So they've got a new error message rather than the OOPs we've got a problem we used to get on the old site.
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;D ;D
Just got this message trying to access the site.
Did you notice that it's accompanied by a picture of a sinking ship ;D
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She didn't snip the ship but it's on my posting ;D
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She didn't snip the ship but it's on my posting ;D
You've added that since I posted mine. ;D ;D
I thought I'd snip it while it was there just in case they removed it too. ;D
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Make's you think the Techie staff are becoming frustrated with the new site too. ;) Somebody's got a sense of humour.
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I saw Jed's post so added my bit about strong language and then saw that you'd posted without the ship ;D
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I posted here http://www.rootschat.com/links/0yqs/
placing a link to this thread, and my post was immediately removed by FindMyPast.
Your second post linking to Rootschat is up now. ::)
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smudwhisk - do you remember a few weeks ago when there was a bit of a problem with Ancestry's new site and a few of us tried to help and calm things down ?......................
:-X :-X :-X
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I saw Jed's post so added my bit about strong language and then saw that you'd posted without the ship ;D
To be honest I missed the ship when I first saw it as was busy snipping to add it to RC. ;D ;D It's only when the site kept refreshing in my browser and I went back to it that I saw the ship. Someone definitely still has a sense of humour in FindMyPast and I bet it's not the people who developed the site but the poor b***ers who have to maintain it. ;)
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She didn't snip the ship but it's on my posting ;D
Ah yes. I missed that. Too much information ;D
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smudwhisk - do you remember a few weeks ago when there was a bit of a problem with Ancestry's new site and a few of us tried to help and calm things down ?......................
:-X :-X :-X
I don't think anyone can calm us down this time. I've read every single comment on their Facebook page - and responded to quite a few and I've found ONE person who thinks the new site is good. He must be an employee. ::)
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smudwhisk - do you remember a few weeks ago when there was a bit of a problem with Ancestry's new site and a few of us tried to help and calm things down ?......................
:-X :-X :-X
I think FindMyPast's problems are way above the complaint level ancestry got when they closed down old search. ;) It's been going on for far longer and there are far more problems with the site which should have been resolved prior to launch, as everyone has said numerous times. It's actually well above an ancestry c***up which says a lot. ;D ;D
I do feel sorry for anyone who was a beta tester and whose feedback was completely ignored. I'm sure most are keeping their heads down so as not to be blamed.
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I don't even get the message about the site being down when I go to FindMyPast, but I thought I'd try a "Search All Record" and suddenly up popped the original search page - I was just thinking they'd listened to us, when it reverted to the new one again. The search is working again - if you can call their new searches working. ::)
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Well, at least they found the death entries for Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ::)
Tis back up now - no ship - maybe it's sunk.
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Well, at least they found the death entries for Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ::)
Tis back up now - no ship - maybe it's sunk.
I bet management weren't too thrilled with the site down message. ;D ;D Probably why it's back now. I bet we don't see that message again. ;)
Yes I was wondering whether Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was their April Fools Day joke but as it's still there, the joke would be on them.
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I'm going to have to tick "Unnotify" for this thread, my inbox is getting full. ::) ::) That's not to say I won't read every post though.
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Well I've tried FindMyPast again and the old Search all record pages is back so I did a search for my g.grandfather but instead of listing so many occurrences on each census, so many BMDs etc. it now actually lists every occurrence of his name - in this case 2058 ::) So I'm supposed to trawl through them all - how ridiculous.
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Since all the comments re FindMyPast, I just went into it for the first time in about a year. Did a census search for the first name that came to mind from my tree from Aberdeenshire, and it came up no problem.
I will watch this with some interest.
Regards
Malky
I do go into "Internet options" and clean my "Browsing history" twice per week resetting every link.
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Since all the comments re FindMyPast, I just went into it for the first time in about a year. Did a census search for the first name that came to mind from my tree from Aberdeenshire, and it came up no problem.
I will watch this with some interest.
It's fine for people you know about - it's the complex searches that are the problem. AND the options that were there and aren't any more - JenB's address listings for e.g.
Added - Are you still on the old search ?
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No, I seem to be on the new site as the front page and search criteria seems to be different when last on.
Regards
Malky
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I do go into "Internet options" and clean my "Browsing history" twice per week resetting every link.
I don't think that would make any difference as it looks like they've probably got a redirect on each account when you authenticate with the website. This obviously happens automatically if you've a cookie stored on the PC to remember your ID and password (ie. when you click the remain logged in box), but if you logged in each time it would most likely redirect to the new website. In fact clearing browser history is more likely to redirect you to the new website if your account has been moved. I could login to the new site two weeks before I was moved (tried out of curiosity) but managed to remain on the old site until the end of Monday.
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I had a reply from FindMyPast to my email, in which I asked for refund as \I could no longer browse records, or move from image page to image page, they'd taken down the Lincolnshire Collection, and that now I could not log-in at all.
They're response to my being unable to use my subscription was to "give me" another two months for "free". Wow
They told me to reset my password. laughable.
They told me that they were "working on" getting back the ability to browse original images, but it would not happen soon.
They said they were aware of problems viewing images, and maybe I should use Google Chrome.
SO.... yesterday and today.......
first I played about on lap top, and managed to get into Login page, and Logged in.
Did some searches- all very slow, and seemed to be being timmed out, just like the old site.
Could view no images at all in any record set.
I have used chrome before, and its caused problems- techy son told me to take it off computer, but, as I now seem to be in FindMyPast for another 3 months thought I'd have a try. Great for about 10 minutes. Then laptop froze.
Tried again, ok, for about 10 minutes, then lotle arrows started going round, and round and round. refreshed page- "403 server error access denied."
tried to get on again in Internet explorer.... "403 etc"
again, and again.
Went back- Home Page back!!!! Cannot log-in.
Went back- everything "working"
Hours of irritation and I've achieved nothing.
My real gripe remains whether or not I can stay accessing the site. It's not what i paid for. Like anything in life, if you design a tool, or system, you have to know what the tool or system is to be used FOR. These clowns have obviously never done any sort of research in an archive in their lives! If I look for a parish register entry I need to see that entry in context- to scroll through pages to find variant names, marriage witnesses, places of abode. One image is of very little use when you are well passed the "EASY_BIT" in family history. argh!!!!
ps- just tried to post this...........Google Chrome is not responding......wait, wait.....am back so try again
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Just to clarify which version I am suceeding with, I have the following :
Census, Land & Surveys
Who: First Name Last Name
When: Year Year of birth Year of death
Where: United Kingdom (other option)
Other household member: First Name Last Name
Address: House Number Start typing house name
Start typing a street
Record Collection: Browse Record Collection
Record Set: Browse Record set
Search Census, Land & Surveys
Regards
Malky
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Interestingly, I tried a search from the front page "Search all records" and got the seemingly unpopular error message. I then tried a direct "Census, Land and Surveys" and got the same error message. I went to the internet options and cleaned the history, then again tried the "Census, Land and Surveys" and had no problem. Parts of the site is obviously affecting other parts.
Regards
Malky
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I wonder whether, under the law, people who have been transferred to the new FindMyPast site without their permission, are entitled to a refund of their subscription or a portion thereof? They are now paying for something they didn't ask for and in some cases can't access. The service they are offering is not fit for purpose.
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Perhaps if we all cancel our automatic renewal they may start to worry.
Surely they would notice people were doing it and it would at least make them think.
Seems to be the only protest we can make.
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I wonder whether, under the law, people who have been transferred to the new FindMyPast site without their permission, are entitled to a refund of their subscription or a portion thereof? They are now paying for something they didn't ask for and in some cases can't access. The service they are offering is not fit for purpose.
I agree, I don't think anyone chose this.
I've been wondering whether these unsatisfactory changes mean that subscribers are entitled to cancel and receive a pro rata refund.
I certainly would not have subscribed to a site which has a search page and results like those of the new FindMyPast, so as far as I am concerned, this is different to what I subscribed to, and not fit for purpose.
Does anyone know the legal position?
Lisa
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Perhaps if we all cancel our automatic renewal they may start to worry.
Surely they would notice people were doing it and it would at least make them think.
Seems to be the only protest we can make.
I cancelled my automatic renewal last night as soon as I was moved, thinking they might take note of everyone doing that.
Lisa
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Yes I was wondering whether Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was their April Fools Day joke but as it's still there, the joke would be on them.
How tasteless to use the report of someone's suicide as part of an April Fools gag.
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I wonder whether, under the law, people who have been transferred to the new FindMyPast site without their permission, are entitled to a refund of their subscription or a portion thereof? They are now paying for something they didn't ask for and in some cases can't access. The service they are offering is not fit for purpose.
Although policitians bandy around the phrase "fit for purpose" in all sorts of contexts, to a lawyer it has a very specific meaning and application under the Sale of Goods Act 1979.
When you subscribe to FindMyPast or similar, you are not purchasing "goods". You are purchasing a limited use licence to access and use certain digital content. This is not covered by the SOGA 1979.
However, there is draft legislation, the Consumer Rights Bill 2013-2014, currently making its way through the Parliamentary process with a view to remedying what are seen as important gaps in consumer protection.
It is proposed that relevant SOGA-type protection be brought in for digital content, including (by clause 35 of the Bill) that it should be fit for a particular purpose (if communicated expressly or by implication by the consumer).
The draft legislation also contemplates (by clause 33(2)) that digital content should be of satisfactory quality. This would mean meeting the standard that a reasonable person would consider satisfactory, taking account of its description, price and "other relevant circumstances". Aspects of "quality" include fitness for the purpose for which digital content of that kind is usually provided, freedom from minor defects, safety and durability. This test is intended to be flexible and proportionate, depending on the price and nature of the content.
Obviously the conclusion of this legislative process is some way off. In the meantime there is a consensus that consumers of digital content are underprotected.
The usual caveat: Nothing in the above should be taken as legal advice or relied upon for any purpose.
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alunno-a you've convinced me - I'm not even going to try to change browsers - OK I've now lost 3 or 4 months subscription (which I can ill afford) but at least my laptop works for everything else. I've learnt from experience that messing around with things I don't understand invariably ends in tears, so I'm going to try FindMyPast a few more times, and if I can't get through I'll put it down to experience and rely on other sites. Going to make myself a very large coffee and forget about technology for a few hours!
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still getting error messages every time I try even the simplest search. My search should return one hit on each of 1891, 1901 and 1911 censuses and it can't even manage that.
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Perhaps if we all cancel our automatic renewal they may start to worry.
Surely they would notice people were doing it and it would at least make them think.
Seems to be the only protest we can make.
I cancelled my automatic renewal last night as soon as I was moved, thinking they might take note of everyone doing that.
Lisa
Me too.
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still getting error messages every time I try even the simplest search. My search should return one hit on each of 1891, 1901 and 1911 censuses and it can't even manage that.
Yes I now have the same problem. Will cancel my renewal if does not improve
Kay
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Checking on their Facebook page again, there are two good ideas. Oops guess what FindMyPast has removed these ideas from their page. I wonder why? ::)
First go to www.bbc.co.uk/news/10725415 and make a comment on there.
Secondly contact the CEO of D C Thomson who own Brightsolid. The person to contact is Richard Higgs, Chief Executive of Brightsolid online technology (BSOT).
Tel: 01382 429 000
Fax: 01382 429 001
brightsolid Gateway House, Luna Place Technology Park Dundee DD2 1TP
Unfortunately, I can't find an e-mail address on their website and as I mentioned above, FindMyPast on Facebook have deleted the post that gave it.
Lizzie
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Although a minor point in this debacle, I wrote to support@findmypast.co.uk about the ordering of "First Name" and "Last Name" boxes on different search pages and actually had a reply.
My email:
Why do some search page layouts have "First Name" then "Last Name" and others have "Last Name" then "First Name"? It is very frustrating. Presumably the search pages have been designed by different individuals but surely you must have a basic layout to follow?
The reply:
Thank you for taking the time to write to us ......,
This changes was not intentional and we will be making all of the order of the search boxes consistent very soon.
Please bear with us while we work to resolve this.
Kind Regards,
.........
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My email:
Why do some search page layouts have "First Name" then "Last Name" and others have "Last Name" then "First Name"? It is very frustrating. Presumably the search pages have been designed by different individuals but surely you must have a basic layout to follow?
The reply:
Thank you for taking the time to write to us ......,
This changes was not intentional and we will be making all of the order of the search boxes consistent very soon.
Please bear with us while we work to resolve this.
Kind Regards,
.........
I know this is just a minor point (although very irritating) and there are other examples like this (forms that have redundant search boxes on them, same boxes in different orders on similar search forms) which don't affect the usability, but it does seem to indicate shoddy/sloppy design/programing practices. If the simple things are wrong well...
Simon
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I too (unfortunately) was switched to the New FindMyPast yesterday. I hated (and still do) the new Ancestry but this new FindMyPast is far worse!!
My renewal is due in October - unless things improve I'm another who won't be renewing.
Annual subscriptions are not cheap and can see no reason right now to pay for an inferior service.
Annette
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My subs ran out in October,so I rang and told them to cancel my continuous subscription because all that year I had nothing but trouble.They cancelled but gave me 3 months extra for free.I have not renewed,and after reading all the comments,I dont think I,ll bother again until they lift their game.
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I contacted 'support' this morning via the 'contact us' form about the GRO birth, marriage and death index images not being available to browse now. I received a response within a couple of hours.
Thank you for your email.
We are aware that the ability to browse by image is not currently available. Our technical team have been made aware of this and are looking into it.
Please note that only images which were previously available to browse will be available under this facility again.
Your patience will we work to resolve this is greatly appreciated.
I imagine they have one hell of a 'to do' list at the moment
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I have received an reply to my enquiry about how to do an address search in order to get simply a list of place names within a given registration district/town for any given census.
I was instructed to fill in census year, the place name, and the address details.
They haven't taken in that I don't want to enter the address details - simply the place name - in order to get a simple list of all the names within that place at any given census year.
I have tried to explain this to them. My hopes aren't at all high.
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Hi
Ive just gone over and October is my renewal ??? maybe. At the moment not, but I do not like
ancestry either
HELP!!!!
Thanks for that feel better now
Westmorland
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Ive just gone over and October is my renewal
That's interesting as my renewal is October as well, and I received the email today telling me I'd been changed to the new site (as yet I haven't as I can still access the old one). I wonder if they are changing people over depending on which month their subs runs out?
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My renewal is December and I had the changeover email a few days ago and for a short while could still access the old "unimproved" version.
Also considering not renewing but they might have got themselves organised by December..............
Nanny Jan
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I get the home page and when I try to sign in or go to my account I get a message "internet explorer cannot display the web page"
help (sorry third post on this)
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I contacted 'support' this morning via the 'contact us' form about the GRO birth, marriage and death index images not being available to browse now. I received a response within a couple of hours.
Lucky you, its over 24 hours since I used the "contact us" form and they haven't bothered to reply. OK I did have a little dig at them about the site but I also raised an issue with the fact I've missing entries in "My Records" which they've not bothered to reply about.
I suspect they're ignoring anyone now that complains about their ability to implement a site migration properly. ::)
Edit - just submitted another "contact us" form regarding problems, minus the major dig I had at them yesterday but still highlighting why I believe they are getting so much flack, and then realised I may not have clicked the second submit button yesterday which may be why I haven't had a reply. ::) We shall see ...
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That's interesting as my renewal is October as well, and I received the email today telling me I'd been changed to the new site (as yet I haven't as I can still access the old one). I wonder if they are changing people over depending on which month their subs runs out?
No my sub runs out in October and I was changed over a few days ago.
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They haven't taken in that I don't want to enter the address details - simply the place name
They don't seem to have realised that we use the site to find ancestors when we don't know their address or other details. What is the point of using a search engine where you have to fill in name, age, address etc. if you knew that you wouldn't be searching for your ancestors would you? ::)
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What a dog's dinner they have made of the site. I've only been changed over this afternoon & am seriously disgruntled. It used to be the only one that assumed you wanted to find the person/address you entered in your search boxes, not some random census entry in the wrong country, 20 years after they had died. Now its worse than New Ancestry, bleugh
I've added my opinion to the long and pretty much wholly negative thread on their Feedback Forum (under Help and Advice - How Can We Improve FindMyPast; thread title "Improve features to bring in line with the old site") Do add your opinion there as well as here. Loads of people are saying they will not renew.
Remember the 'new Coca Cola recipe' and 'changing Coco Pops name to Choco-whatever it was?' Voted out and back to the original, thanks to people leaving the brand in droves. Hopefully we can make this happen again.
:) Barbara
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I've added my opinion to the "long and pretty much wholly negative thread" too, and also to Reviewcentre and Trustpilot. As FindMyPast seem to be removing quite a few very negative threads on their site, it's worth commenting on sites over which they have no control.
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Hhm, I wonder whether some of the instability and slow response issues with the new site might be down to them not resetting sessions (connection to the website) that have been idle (ie. you have your internet browser open on the site but not done anything) for a period of time. ??? I've just been watching TV for a couple of hours but had left my PC switched on with FindMyPast loaded in the browser. Now on the old site in such circumstances when I tried to do something I would have been returned to the homepage, which means they've reset my session. This hasn't happened since I was moved across to the new site.
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On a positive note the new newspaper search is far better than the old one and now uses similar filters to the excellent BNA search facility. A great improvement.
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I think I'm getting the hang of it now but it's so ploddy compared with the old search (those forms take up too much space). Don't like the lack of an address search.
Gadget
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I am just baffled by it. Very depressing as it was always my favourite.
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I had no notification that they were changing me over to the new format. It's so slow and time consuming - if the aim was to attract "newbie" researchers then I think they have failed.
It seems a general complaint that there is a lack of response from FindMyPast - the damage has been done they are losing loyal subscribers.
If some people still have the old search site then it is not dead as they have claimed - answer surely is to run both in tandem until they can resolve the issues.
R
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Just for info, as this was mentioned earlier, Brightsolid's e-mail address is:-
getintouch@brightsolid.com
Regards
Malky
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Not quite sure if this is any help - or even if it's been mentioned on this thread before - but just been looking at Twitter FindMyPast thread and they said at one stage last night that they had introduced a new sub-index that might make searching easier!
Here 'tis:
http://search.new.findmypast.co.uk/historical-records?region=united%20kingdom&page=1
Gadget
Also, they say that we have to keep track of what they're doing ::) :-X
http://new.findmypast.co.uk/articles/help/whats-new
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I think I'm getting the hang of it now but it's so ploddy compared with the old search (those forms take up too much space). Don't like the lack of an address search.
Gadget
Hi Gadget :)
There is an address search facility but it is beyond ploddy. It seems to be accessed via different methods and one which "sort of" works is......
home page, search all records, then scroll down to census land and surveys, choose which census...
Then you can choose the filters. If you start to type in a town it recognises what you're doing and so you can select from their list. I haven't tried a specific road that way but did find a village.
Ploddy isn't the word for this though. It was a much better facility on the old site.
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FindMyPast are removing negative posts so the feedback is being monitored - interesting that they are not responding to the rapidly growing complaints.
Yes the new sub- index arrived last night but now I can't even get into the site!!!
R
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home page, search all records, then scroll down to census land and surveys, choose which census...
Then you can choose the filters. If you start to type in a town it recognises what you're doing and so you can select from their list. I haven't tried a specific road that way but did find a village.
Thanks ever so, but that's not what Jennifer and I are referring to. In the old system, you clicked on 'Address search' . A form came up and you could select a town or village and up came a list of addresses. Your way just gives a list of names and the parishes/EDs within the town/District :'( :'(
Unless, I've missed something ???
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Doesn't seem to be the same for the 1911 but since your reply (4 mins ago?) I've just checked a street in my own town on the 1901, by that method, and found 26 houses......so I guess that's not too bad.
Try it and see if it works for you.......I may have explained it badly ;)
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There is an address search facility but it is beyond ploddy. It seems to be accessed via different methods and one which "sort of" works is......
home page, search all records, then scroll down to census land and surveys, choose which census...
Then you can choose the filters. If you start to type in a town it recognises what you're doing and so you can select from their list. I haven't tried a specific road that way but did find a village.
As Gadget says, that isn't the result we're looking for.
If I do a search on a specific town the only result I get is the names of all the people living there.
So for Lanchester in County Durham I get over 38,000 results!
I don't want to search on a specific street name either!
I am looking for the simple list of place names/street names only which came up on the old address search.
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Yep - sometimes you don't know the street name or it was tucked into 'Other Establishments'. This facility is just not there anymore.
I do wish I'd kept a snip of the process and results to show.
It can't be just Jennifer and I that used it, can it ???
Gadget
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On a positive note the new newspaper search is far better than the old one and now uses similar filters to the excellent BNA search facility. A great improvement.
The newspaper search is not like the BNA search facility. Here is the comparison
BNA, simple quick drop downs for publication place and Title.
FindMyPast, clunky time consuming filter selection, but has the advantage that you can select several which the BNA cannot.
BNA, Define range of dates day/month/year to day/month/year.
FindMyPast, Filter system that starts with every thing and eventually down to a single day but constricted to the range of the filter.
BNA, 4 search boxes that allow 'all these words' 'some of these words' 'none of these words' 'phrase' 'exact search.
FindMyPast 'name' ' surname' 'other', any attempt at using a wild cards doesn't work and gives you thousands (yes thousands) of results as the wild card rearch fails to restrict itself to single words but keeps on searching until (i think) the end of a page.
BNA, Save facility.
FindMyPast no save facility
The filtering on place and title remains almost as it was before, although achieved slightly differently. The selection of dates maybe someone's cup of tea, but not mine. If you want to look between say 5/2/1889 and 1/6/1892 it cannot be performed in one search but would need several ups and downs of the filters (together with green whirly arrows) and several separate searches. Word/name searching is poor. The wild card search doesn't work. I would rather have the boolean searches provided by BNA than this.
Simon
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As Gadget says, that isn't the result we're looking for.
If I do a search on a specific town the only result I get is the names of all the people living there.
So for Lanchester in County Durham I get over 38,000 results!
I don't want to search on a specific street name either!
I am looking for the simple list of place names/street names only which came up on the old address search.
I misunderstood you then. I did use the address search on the old site but only for a specific road, so am not sure what you mean.......and now I can't discover that facility because it's gorn ;D
At least it is possible to narrow things down to all the houses in a road though, which I was struggling with at first.
It's all such an effort to work their filters out. Should need just common sense but I don't think my brain is hardwired the same way as their programmers.
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Don't know if this has already been posted but it would appear the Northamptonshire FHS's Wills and Admons index is now missing from the site. ::) Well I can't find it anyway so we'll see if their Contact Us form brings a reply this time. :-\
The site is so slow it's ridiculous. They're either doing a lot of "tweaks" in the background which is impacting service or they've really got a major infrastructure problem. The old site had it's moments but the slowness of the new site over the last couple of days is way above that. >:(
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While looking for the contact us form I noticed that FindMyPast had a "new" against their site T&Cs although it states at the bottom they were last updated in August 2012 so why they've listed them as new, unless they were missing from the site when it was originally launched..
Anyway, skimming through the sections, I noticed the following. Now what's the chance this is the "new" part of the T&Cs. ;)
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Just adding my voice of dissent. FindMyPast have decimated a once loved site.
I really do feel so sad about what they've done to it :'(
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Yep - sometimes you don't know the street name or it was tucked into 'Other Establishments'. This facility is just not there anymore.
I do wish I'd kept a snip of the process and results to show.
It can't be just Jennifer and I that used it, can it ???
Gadget
I am sure it was not just the two of you but I must say I did not know that facility was ever there (wish I had!).
I have just tried the new address search for an address previously found in all censuses 1861 onwards (Beresford Terrace in Islington, built in the 1850s).
1911: address search yields 0 results for Beresford Terrace
1901: the address does not come up on the dropdown list
1891: address comes up, list of results, but cannot see image (the eternal swirling circle)
1881: the address does not come up on the dropdown list
1871: the address does not come up on the dropdown list
1861: same as 1891
So: 6 inquiries, 2 results, 0 records viewed.
Incidentally, whoever thought abandoning wildcards in favour of scrollable dropdown lists was a good idea had apparently never used an iPad!
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Gadget
I used to make use of the address search to identify roads within a town. I found it really helpful where roads have changed names or may have been transcribed/recorded oddly. I could then "walk" along the street(s) I was interested in.
I haven't found a way of replicating this. All I get are lists of people's names - 1000s of them!
I am so glad I am not on PPV - I would be wasting so many credits just trying to sort out what I can do.
Barbara
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avm - on the old site, if you clicked for census, you would get a list of years and by each one it said either search by name (or something similar) and just below that search by address. I used it quite a lot. Another good idea gone.
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avm - on the old site, if you clicked for census, you would get a list of years and by each one it said either search by name (or something similar) and just below that search by address. I used it quite a lot. Another good idea gone.
I knew about search by address, but the only way I knew how to use it was to enter the target address with a wildcard e.g. Beresford*, and then a placename or reg district etc in the relevant fields.
It did not occur to me to use it speculatively to find all possible addresses in a town.
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I knew about search by address, but the only way I knew how to use it was to enter the target address with a wildcard e.g. Beresford*, and then a placename or reg district etc in the relevant fields.
It did not occur to me to use it speculatively to find all possible addresses in a town.
You could in fact go further than that use it to find all addresses within a given registration district.
I found this facility most useful when trying to answer enquiries about unusual place-names, because, as Barbara F said, it enabled you to look for unusual variations of names, since it recorded them as written by the enumerator at the time.
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It's very frustrating that when I choose to search just Australian and New Zealand, I get results for other parts of the world as well.
I'm also getting frustrated by pages that download blank.
Dee >:(
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Ive just gone over and October is my renewal
That's interesting as my renewal is October as well, and I received the email today telling me I'd been changed to the new site (as yet I haven't as I can still access the old one). I wonder if they are changing people over depending on which month their subs runs out?
My renewal would have been late September, and I got the email moving me about 6pm on Tuesday.
Lisa
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My renewal was June. Fortunately due to many people's disenchantment with the new site it became apparent that there was an 'auto renew' button that was defaulted to 'yes'
Er, not so fast! I have now unticked the box and I never thought I'd say this but I'm off back to Ancestry! So sad.
I think as much as folk are unhappy they are never going back to the way it was. I just wish they would explain the reasoning behind such sweeping changes. Its not as if its a tweak here or there. They keep saying they listened to us? Who? How many out of the thousands of subscribers emailed to say 'you're site is rubbish please change it completely'? Not one I bet.
Cor I'm mad!
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I didn't even get the e-mail advising me that I was being moved over. One minute I was using the old site, the next there was the new site. :'(
I've given up using the site now and just use Ancestry. I'd been using their new site for many months so am used to it, but even so it was never so difficult to use after their old site, unlike FindMyPast who have shot themselves in the foot. Ancestry must be rubbing their hands with glee.
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I'm stuck with them until the end of January next year. >:(
I got the dreaded email last night while I was busy getting some newspaper items before I got downgraded. Logged in this morning and did exactly the same search and went from 106 items to 3 (2 of which are irrelevant as well!) but at least now I know there are over 15 million other newspaper items around the world with the same phrase.
I've emailed asking for a refund and a request they stop making themselves look stupid by using words like "improved" and "easier" but I suspect that if I ever get an answer it will be January 2015 by the time they wade through the many emails they must be getting.
And, mentioned earlier but worth repeating, go to My Account > Personal Details and even if you don't uncheck the auto-renew option, make sure the option to allow data sharing with Google is cleared. It may claim to be anonymised but I don't trust Google and I now no longer trust FindMyPast.
Glen
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Don't know if this has already been posted but it would appear the Northamptonshire FHS's Wills and Admons index is now missing from the site. ::) Well I can't find it anyway so we'll see if their Contact Us form brings a reply this time. :-\
There is a set called Northamptonshire and Rutland Probate Index. Is this the one?
They have put a big box on their home page entitled what's new. If you select that and then select 'A new way to browse every single record set available on the site, available here' under new things added on Tuesday you can search for any record set. I typed in Northampton, and up came the above set.
Simon
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There is an address search facility but it is beyond ploddy. It seems to be accessed via different methods and one which "sort of" works is......
home page, search all records, then scroll down to census land and surveys, choose which census...
Then you can choose the filters. If you start to type in a town it recognises what you're doing and so you can select from their list. I haven't tried a specific road that way but did find a village.
As Gadget says, that isn't the result we're looking for.
If I do a search on a specific town the only result I get is the names of all the people living there.
So for Lanchester in County Durham I get over 38,000 results!
I don't want to search on a specific street name either!
I am looking for the simple list of place names/street names only which came up on the old address search.
Hi
I seem to have the old site still ;D
Is this what you mean? Sticking Plumstead in the residential place box brings (Added: or perhaps I should say brought ::) ) up all the streets etc in Plumstead:
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Gaie - Lucky you. If you read all the posts on here, on FindMyPast's forum, on FindMyPast on Facebook, on Trustpilot, on Reviewcentre and probably lots of other sites, there is no-one who is happy with the new site.
One telling comment in their own Terms and Conditions is Changes to the website or records: We reserve the right to make changes to the website, including the records and services we offer, without notice; however, we would not be in business very long if we suddenly took things away that you've paid for without offering you a decent replacement.
They've obviously already forecast the end of their business. ::)
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Anyone know where the useful list of "known issues" in censuses (i.e. which geographical areas suffer from missing coverage in each census) has gone - formerly in the Knowledge Base?
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avm - does anyone, even FindMyPast, know where anything is on their new site. Every time I've asked them where something is they tell me it's there but I need to use the new filters. :o
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avm - does anyone, even FindMyPast, know where anything is on their new site. Every time I've asked them where something is they tell me it's there but I need to use the new filters. :o
Understood - just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something obvious before I raised it with them (which I now have).
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Anyone know where the useful list of "known issues" in censuses (i.e. which geographical areas suffer from missing coverage in each census) has gone - formerly in the Knowledge Base?
Hopefully they'll restore it. If they don't then hopefully someone with the old search has taken notes ... ;)
Gaie
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Anyone know where the useful list of "known issues" in censuses (i.e. which geographical areas suffer from missing coverage in each census) has gone - formerly in the Knowledge Base?
I tried googling it and it gave me a link for the old topic
www.findmypast.co.uk/help-and-advice/...base/census/known-issues
but the link just took me to the new FindMyPast home page.
On another topic andycand has just given old links to parish register coverage and the same thing happened.
Rosie
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Does this work?
http://www.findmypast.co.uk/help-and-advice/knowledge-base/census/known-issues
Gaie
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Does this work?
http://www.findmypast.co.uk/help-and-advice/knowledge-base/census/known-issues
Gaie
Unfortunately not - for those of us subject to the new regime it redirects to the new blank home page.
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Does this work?
http://www.findmypast.co.uk/help-and-advice/knowledge-base/census/known-issues
Gaie
Unfortunately not - for those of us subject to the new regime it redirects to the new blank home page.
I have just logged out of FindMyPast & cleared my cookies and it works for me now ;D
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Hi
I seem to have the old site still ;D
Is this what you mean? Sticking Plumstead in the residential place box brings (Added: or perhaps I should say brought ::) ) up all the streets etc in Plumstead:
Yes, that's exactly it.
I can't replicate it on the new site.
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So how is anyone going to find that caravan ???
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On a positive note the new newspaper search is far better than the old one and now uses similar filters to the excellent BNA search facility. A great improvement.
I find the newspaper search worse. When I put a phrase in quotes, it used to search for the words as a phrase (same as BNA). Yesterday it was ignoring quotes and searching for each of the words separately, so a handful of hits turned into tens of thousands.
Also one of my surnames of interest is the same as a town in Kent. If I enter it as a surname and put the town where the majority of them lived in keyword. I get a massive number of hits for both the town in Kent plus the town of residence of my family. Somewhere among them there might be a few articles on members of my family, but life's too short to check
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On a positive note the new newspaper search is far better than the old one and now uses similar filters to the excellent BNA search facility. A great improvement.
I find the newspaper search worse.
I agree, much worse. And as I stated here
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=682699.msg5272140#msg5272140
it's not like the BNA search facility in many ways.
Simon
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Just managed to log in and found they've extended my sub (originally due to expire October) until December - so two months for free! Whoopee.
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LizzieL - Did you ask for it?
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I think it would be in their interest to do it for us all :)
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LizzieL - Did you ask for it?
No, but I did send them lots of queries, complaints and comments on Tuesday. Making the point that I was not getting what I paid for when all the searches ended in error messages, culminating in the "sinking ship" home page.
I'm now following up on the messages which I've sent and had no response to, the two working days having elapsed.
(It has been said I was probably a Jack Russell Terrier in a previous incarnation)
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OK All, this as many will know was always my preference search site, I have spent hours on the PC at work trying to fathom out what was so easy for me to help out, I now have unticked the box for automatic renewal (which is due 29th April). Such a shame, but to add to my woes a lot of my searches were via my mobile a waste of time even contemplating in the present format?
Sorry all for rant, but I feel a great loss at present to RC!
Keyboard86
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Looking at FindMyPast's Facebook page - you have to be quick they are not responding now just removing comments they don't like - I have seen this.
It seems that there are more complaints than first thought, it has now reached over 322 thousand. It also appears Who Do You Think You Are will be taking up the complaints plus, 2 London based companies who also had accounts have cancelled their accounts with a loss of revenue for Findmypast in over £16000............Yes 16 thousand
My belief is that they want to close down the company and making such a hash of the website was the easiest way to do it.
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Don't know if this has already been posted but it would appear the Northamptonshire FHS's Wills and Admons index is now missing from the site. ::) Well I can't find it anyway so we'll see if their Contact Us form brings a reply this time. :-\
There is a set called Northamptonshire and Rutland Probate Index. Is this the one?
They have put a big box on their home page entitled what's new. If you select that and then select 'A new way to browse every single record set available on the site, available here' under new things added on Tuesday you can search for any record set. I typed in Northampton, and up came the above set.
Simon
Thanks. You know why I couldn't find it originally? They've listed it under the sub category of Deaths & Burials. ::) ::) So if you follow their procedure of selecting a sub category under the BMD search page, you don't get it where it normally was under Wills & Probates. :-X
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Thanks. You know why I couldn't find it originally? They've listed it under the sub category of Deaths & Burials. ::) ::) So if you follow their procedure of selecting a sub category under the BMD search page, you don't get it where it normally was under Wills & Probates. :-X
I knew it would be somewhere because they have mad a bit of a pig's ear of organising the data sets on the search all records page. I noted when I was looking that 'Great Western Railway Shareholders 1835-1932' was listed under Wills and Probate. ???
Simon
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I knew it would be somewhere because they have mad a bit of a pig's ear of organising the data sets on the search all records page. I noted when I was looking that 'Great Western Railway Shareholders 1835-1932' was listed under Wills and Probate. ???
Simon
That's about right. :-X :-X :-X Mind you if I'd not filtered to a sub category I would have been none the wiser, but was following their suggestion on how to best use the site. :-\
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Looking at FindMyPast's Facebook page - you have to be quick they are not responding now just removing comments they don't like - I have seen this.
It seems that there are more complaints than first thought, it has now reached over 322 thousand. It also appears Who Do You Think You Are will be taking up the complaints plus, 2 London based companies who also had accounts have cancelled their accounts with a loss of revenue for Findmypast in over £16000............Yes 16 thousand
My belief is that they want to close down the company and making such a hash of the website was the easiest way to do it.
Yes but £16k is only the equivalent of about 160 annual Britain subscriptions, so on the scheme of things it's not that great a loss of income. I doubt DC Thomson are trying to close down the site, it wouldn't do their reputation much good trying to get other Genealogy business and lets face it they are as has been seen by the recent announcement of the 1939 Register.
Also Hertfordshire Records Office mentioned in an email reply to my enquiry in January 2013 that FindMyPast had "IT problems" which was holding back the launch of the Hertsfordshire parish records on the site. I suspect that the site has been in development for most of the last year. It's just they've paid more attention to fixing their infrastructure problems and little to the presentation of the data through the search engine. That's where the problems are.
It's obvious they didn't realise just how much opposition to the new front-end they would receive, because no commercial company would put itself through this many complaints when introducing a new website. Sadly the blame is really on the senior and project management with the obvious lack of involvement from people who actually use the site. Their staff may have test driven the site but I doubt many of their staff spend that much time actually using the old site.
Before anyone accuses me of trying to support them, I'm as p***d off with it as the next person and I've sent in some strongly worded complaints detailing what I think of the new site.
However, whether they like it or not, people are going to complain and removing the comments isn't helping whatever they think. There is far too much publicity about the complaints for it to go unnoticed by other organisations who could give them potential new business. Something I've pointed out to them politely in one of my messages. ;D
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Vote to bring back the address list here:
http://feedback.findmypast.co.uk/users/49253976-jenny-hillier
I just can't believe that they've let this new system go live. I keep going in and, though I seem to get most of what I want, it takes so long to get there (and it's notjust learning a new system, it's all the steps to get there - where it was one click before it now seems like 4-6).
Glad I've got my mind on housing :-X ;D ;)
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Maybe everyone's found this already but on the homepage if you scroll down and then click on any of the links to say census, bmd, or whatever on the right-hand side of the next screen there is a link to search all records. This then gives you a list of all the records and a space to type in the title of any record. It moves on to the required title quickly as it anticipates what you need.
Still don't like it though.
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I`ve now been moved to the new search ::) It`s dire and I have given it my best shot and this may have been mentioned before, but there are now no images for Devon and Cornwall parish records, just transcripts.
Mo
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Maybe everyone's found this already but on the homepage if you scroll down and then click on any of the links to say census, bmd, or whatever on the right-hand side of the next screen there is a link to search all records. This then gives you a list of all the records and a space to type in the title of any record. It moves on to the required title quickly as it anticipates what you need.
Still don't like it though.
Ah, that's where they've hidden this link. They introduced this on Tuesday, but didn't say where to access it from.
Simon
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B silly place to put it if you ask me ;D
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I like this older post on the 'Whats New section:
"Launching soon
Improvements to visual record browsing
Improvements to site speed and performance
Improvements to printing
Improvements to household transcripts
Please note, the above items are subject to change. We will endeavour to keep the list updated and as accurate as possible"
That would be the word "Improvement" that is "subject to change" then!
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I'm ready to give up. I received a very friendly reply from FindMyPast, which said my problem was that my laptop had cached the last page I looked at which meant I couldn't open the new website page. There was a helpful link to a site which told me how to clear the cache. I followed these instructions to the letter, feeling guilty about my grumpy old woman role in this link.
So I've just tried again. And nothing's changed . . .
I'm not complaining that the site is less user-friendly than before. I can't even get beyond the home page.
I need to consult some old local newspapers - am resigned to the fact I've lost my money on FindMyPast - can anyone suggest an alternative site - ancestry doesn't do it.
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Hi again, really getting frustrated with trying to get to grips with the new format, ie is it me but on a reference search on a census it is Piece/Folio/Page if so try 1901 RG13/3574/159/25?
Maybe problem on mobile?
Keyboard86
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I`ve now been moved to the new search ::) It`s dire and I have given it my best shot and this may have been mentioned before, but there are now no images for Devon and Cornwall parish records, just transcripts.
Mo
Hi Mo
I only have a few interests down there - OH's rellies moved from there in 1815, but I've just checked the Plymouth Marriages (in Plymouth and West Devon ) and images are there.
I can't remember but I do recall that the D&C parishes ones were only ever indexes - maybe wrong but only have P & West Devon images on file :-\
Gadget
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I can't remember but I do recall that the D&C parishes ones were only ever indexes
Just looked and I can't see any images from Cornwall on the old site.
They still seem to have forgotten to switch me off, even though they said I'm now on the new one. ;D ;D
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Hi again, really getting frustrated with trying to get to grips with the new format, ie is it me but on a reference search on a census it is Piece/Folio/Page if so try 1901 RG13/3574/159/25?
Maybe problem on mobile?
Keyboard86
That reference brings up a page beginning with 9, Grafton Street, Newton-in-Makerfield
But for some extraordinary reason the numbers have to be entered in the order folio/piece/page.
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But for some extraordinary reason the numbers have to be entered in the order folio/piece/page.
Are the programmers dyslexic?
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To me that proves the people responsible have no grasp of the requirements for family historians.
Surely getting the order of the reference numbers correct is pretty basic?
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*Please* tell them this needs fixing.
It's not urgent but should be on their 'to-do' list
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*Please* tell them this needs fixing.
It's not urgent but should be on their 'to-do' list
;D Have not checked all of them, but 1891 in correct order, 1851 WRONG!
This is driving me mad!
Keyboard86
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No wonder people can't find things if the order differs on each census/page.
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It's in the correct order on the 1841, which also contains a space for 'schedule' above the piece number.
What do you think they mean by that - the Book number?
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It's in the correct order on the 1841, which also contains a space for 'schedule' above the piece number.
What do you think they mean by that - the Book number?
;D If it was not so bad and ridiculous! But 1851 also wrong!
Keyboard86
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It's in the correct order on the 1841, which also contains a space for 'schedule' above the piece number.
What do you think they mean by that - the Book number?
I don't think that does mean the book number - the other years have schedule at the bottom of the form ::)
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I`ve now been moved to the new search ::) It`s dire and I have given it my best shot and this may have been mentioned before, but there are now no images for Devon and Cornwall parish records, just transcripts.
Mo
Hi Mo
I only have a few interests down there - OH's rellies moved from there in 1815, but I've just checked the Plymouth Marriages (in Plymouth and West Devon ) and images are there.
I can't remember but I do recall that the D&C parishes ones were only ever indexes - maybe wrong but only have P & West Devon images on file :-\
Gadget
Hi Gadget,
The following people I downloaded the original images (not the transcripts) from the old FindMyPast to name but a few.
Marriage of Grace Peak 21st August 1845 to William (Baker) Rich at Stoke Climsland, Cornwall
Marriage of Jenny Martin to John Walter 10th October, 1819 at Sydenham Damerel, Devon
No images now available ::) I was just testing the new site to see what turned up.
Previous baptisms that I downloaded the original images for are not there either, just the transcriptions ???.
Mo
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Hi Mo
Just checked the peak marriage.
It's on Family Search and the image is also on there (if you are a member)
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/QJHB-V6DJ
No ref to FindMyPast. haven't tried the otehr one but maybe that's on FS as well.
Gadget
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Hi Gadget,
I definitely got the images from FindMyPast not Family search. May have to scroll through what was once 147 pages of saved searches on FindMyPast whichhave now turned into 550+ to find it ::)
Mo
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Jenny Martin's baptism is there but only transcript of the marriage.
We need Jan/Groom or AN Other with old search to check it up.
Gadget
PS - do you have the image of the 1845 on your computer ?
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Jenny Martin's baptism is there but only transcript of the marriage.
We need Jan/Groom or AN Other with old search to check it up.
Gadget
PS - do you have the image of the 1845 on your computer ?
Certainly Do :)
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Doing a check on the various Plymouth record sets - for Edward Matthews b. 1809, Plymouth. I have him ( in the past and his parents marriage in Exeter) but can't get him up at the moment, apart from censuses in Worcester and other places ::)
(PS - can't remember if I had images as it was a long time ago and on my laptop!)
Think I might be using the wrong record set.
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Doing a check on the various Plymouth record sets - for Edward Matthews b. 1809, Plymouth. I have him ( in the past and his parents marriage in Exeter) but can't get him up at the moment, apart from censuses in Worcester and other places ::)
(PS - can't remember if I had images as it was a long time ago and on my laptop!)
Think I might be using the wrong record set.
found him when I did a global search ::)
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You called? ;D ;D
Jenny Martin's marriage is there twice - once as Jenny with no image and once as Jeany with the image.
I cant find Grace Peak at all - not on the Parish records anyway.
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You called? ;D ;D
and once as Jeany with the image.
Yep - it's on the new search too as Jeany as an image - obviously not a variant as Jenny on new search!
(PS - found Grace on FS with image but no ref to FindMyPast which was strange!)
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Just managed to log in and found they've extended my sub (originally due to expire October) until December - so two months for free! Whoopee.
Well I hope they send me two free months after my complaint, not that it will be of much use as I cant make head nor tail of the shambles now called Can't Find My Past!
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Well at least this has made me realise that I'd not found Edward's father, Charles, only his mother's line - another lose end to find.
Should I try FindMyPast :-X
Gadget
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Thanks groom for assuring me that I am not going completly doolally with Jenny Martin. I am only glad that I managed to get most of them off the site before the change. I certainly wouldn`t have searched for Jeany ::) and I searched for husbands/spouses individually.
I have told them what I think on the feedback and that I have unticked the automatic renewal, but doubt if they will reply.
Regards,
Mo
Topic continued here: The new Findmypast (Part 3) (http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=679363.0)