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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: KitCarson on Thursday 05 April 18 18:18 BST (UK)

Title: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: KitCarson on Thursday 05 April 18 18:18 BST (UK)
Recently, when I've chosen 'hints' that appear to be from other family trees, they are not other trees, they are my own!!!!! 

Example - I've been given a hint for Mary Cunningham b1850 Glasgow (she moves to Gateshead by 1861 and Widnes by 1871) and it says "This hint compiles information from 10 other Public Ancestry Member Trees" The 'hints' are actually only 7, and from my own family tree and they are records that I have uploaded from Ancestry.

I know that there are other trees which have Mary, because I'm in contact with them, but they are no longer showing as options on the hint for family trees!

What's happening?  Do I need to reset parameters or something?

All advice appreciated.

Kit

EDIT:  Just noticed that when it offers me my own 'Private' tree to contact the owner, it asks me to sign in, although I already am!
Title: Re: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: RuthieB on Thursday 05 April 18 20:18 BST (UK)
There's something 'up' with Ancestry at the moment - I'm being offered US subscriptions when I hit 'search' on people in my family tree - extremely annoying.
Title: Re: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: JJen on Thursday 05 April 18 20:20 BST (UK)
There's something 'up' with Ancestry at the moment - I'm being offered US subscriptions when I hit 'search' on people in my family tree - extremely annoying.

Same for me  ??? It also happened yesterday evening.

JJ
Title: Re: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: davidft on Thursday 05 April 18 20:54 BST (UK)
Just my thoughts

1. I think they offer the US sub offer when they detect someone in your tree who has gone to America and they hope you may want to follow it up

2. Kit I think what is happening here is that you have people in your tree that you have not linked to the records Ancestry have and so their hints are remaining you they have these records and you can link them to your tree. If you don't want to see them just click on the "ignore" button and they go into the ignore zone which you can click on in the future to re-examine them. I think that's right, but you may want to get confirmation from someone else before you actually do it
Title: Re: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: KitCarson on Thursday 05 April 18 23:31 BST (UK)
Hi davidft,

It can't be that because Mary Cunningham is well researched and I have saved a number of census and other records via Ancestry.

Later, after my original post, where it offered me to 'sign in', although I already was .... when I did 'sign in' on that page, it brought up the usual other trees that I would have expected to see!

No idea what has been going on recently (this isn't my first disgruntled post about it).

thanks for your responses

Kit
Title: Re: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: DavidG02 on Friday 06 April 18 00:10 BST (UK)
I spent some time over Easter on Ancestry and I enjoyed it. Did wander around and have a look and looked at my trees. Checked out some hints and clicked on one or two to have a look. They were hints to information I already had and changing them over meant nothing.

I also added 1 American possibility and suddenly 800 more hints appeared. yeah nah not going to bother. I just added the person to link them to me. Unless I click through all of them , many duplicates of each other , I will never be rid of them.

I dont think its a bad feature , I think its a clunky feature that can get misused. The only thing I like is the ignore function , I want that for other records as well. Not just Ancestry but all sites.

eg 400 records of a person born between 1750-1765 and there are records I have seen and ignored before, records that are hundreds of miles from the birth of child records , records that I have no interest in .

But thats our lot when the bug bites
Title: Re: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: Helen D on Friday 06 April 18 18:52 BST (UK)
RuthieB I am getting that problem as well. I keep getting asked to join in $ when I am already signed in. I cannot get to see any new records :-\ Its been 3 days now. I have a worldwide subscription which is jolly expensive, so I do not expect this. If there are lots of us experiencing, you would hope they know it is happening. Where is the very cross and fustrated emogi when you need it !!  ;D
Title: Re: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: dowdstree on Friday 06 April 18 19:47 BST (UK)
Some of Ancestry's Hints are pathetic to be polite.

I has an email from them the other day saying one of my family trees was growing  8) but when I checked it out the new people were ones I had just added myself not from any other persons tree  :'(

Another thing that has been annoying me recently is coming out (not signing out) for a couple of minutes and being asked to sign back in  ??? It doesn't happen every time but often enough to be annoying  >:(

Lots of exasperating things happening with Ancestry at the moment.

Dorrie
Title: Re: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: KitCarson on Saturday 07 April 18 00:26 BST (UK)
Hi Helen D,

 I also have the Worldwide subscription, and it isn't cheap.

I've heard that if you don't re-subscibe, you will lose access to ALL the records that you have previously 'paid for' under your yearly, very expensive subscription.

 I might get busy downloading the records that I have bought over a number of years.

Kit
Title: Re: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: jaybelnz on Saturday 07 April 18 07:34 BST (UK)
I have a bit of a gripe at the moment too!  I recently had to change my Ancestry monthly payment details for my sub, as I had to get a new Visa Debit Card. My payment is made by Direct Debit, and I have a private tree! 

I duly changed the details, but when checking my Bank Statement online for something else, I noticed that the Ancestry debit was showing up as PENDING, and not debited! There's no reason for that, as there are always enough funds to cover my outgoings.

I kept getting notices on my tree, stating that my membership payment was overdue, and then one that said - Do you want to re-subscribe!   Apparently my private tree is no longer private. Everything seems to still be in there though, thank goodness for that.  I've had quite a hassle with them, by messages, email etc. but keep referring me to another Dept., or to ring an 800 number! 

Thank heaven though -  last week when I was out and about, I noticed there is an LDS Family History Centre quite near to where I live, I hadn't been out that way before, since I have only fairly recently moved into the Area. I looked it up on the net to find where they were their opening hours, and I can go Tuesdays, Wednesday's or Thursdays. I'm looking forward to getting some face to face help with sorting it all out!  I have been to a centre before, in another town, in the very early days of my research, (winding through miles of microfilms) and had found that the people there were extremely kind, knowledgeable and helpful.

It'll be so good to get it all straightened up and sorted! 👍👍
Title: Re: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: BumbleB on Saturday 07 April 18 07:47 BST (UK)
jaybelnz - not sure why you think LDS can help to sort out your problem with Ancestry.  I didn't think there was any connection, other than Ancestry (and FindMyPast) upload a lot of LDS "transcriptions".   :-\
Title: Re: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: Romilly on Saturday 07 April 18 09:27 BST (UK)
Has anyone else noticed that Ancestry never correct wrong entries when you report them? FindMyPast are pretty quick to respond in similar cases, and tell you why they're not changing them if they decide not to.

6 (!) years ago, I wrote to them pointing out that the Entry that they have for my Grandfather William James Wilson on the 1911 Census for Swansea is incorrect. (They have him mixed in with the Norby family).

I've phoned and written to them, and put notes against the Entry, but nothing has changed. Ancestry are keen to take our money, but obviously not bothered about whether their info is correct or not.

And yes, - the 'hints' can be very annoying!

Romilly.
Title: Re: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: jaybelnz on Saturday 07 April 18 11:48 BST (UK)
jaybelnz - not sure why you think LDS can help to sort out your problem with Ancestry.  I didn't think there was any connection, other than Ancestry (and FindMyPast) upload a lot of LDS "transcriptions".   :-\

Thanks for your thought BumbleB!  I have had help from them before re Ancestry, when first subscribing so I could set up my tree, and again when Ancestry changed everything around a couple of years ago!  As I said in my previous post, they really were very helpful, and very familiar with the procedures, and very good at explaining. The young woman that helped me with setting up my initial Anc. membership sub., had sat me down at her computer and talked me through the process of registering, and how to enter my personal details etc. When I was actually entering a password, or adding in my payment info, etc, the private stuff, she walked away while I was doing them. She was very discreet and respectful, but extremely knowledgable about how Ancestry worked. She seemed to know the process inside out.

Then she showed me how to start entering the tree detail, starting of course with myself, but I managed to get as far as my great grand parents!  I already knew their BDM dates and details, as I already had a lot of certs that I had found when clearing out my grandmother's house after she had moved in with my Mum!  (That was actually what inspired me to start my research)!

Later, when I was looking for some microfilm records from The IGI, she was still working there, ordered them in for me, and when they arrived, rang me to go in and she showed me how to use the reader to find the records I was looking for.  I don't see any reason for that kind of service not to be in place, 14 or 25 years later, but I won't know that for sure until I go up during the week! I can only try though, I'm so sick of tearing my hair out over it!

So that's what I need now, someone who will sit down with me in front of a computer, and take me through the process of regaining my original private membership status! Fingers crossed hey!l

Thanks BumbleB, I'll keep you posted anyway - hopefully I'll know more next week 🌺
Title: Re: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: chris_49 on Saturday 07 April 18 13:46 BST (UK)
Hi Helen D,

 I also have the Worldwide subscription, and it isn't cheap.

I've heard that if you don't re-subscibe, you will lose access to ALL the records that you have previously 'paid for' under your yearly, very expensive subscription.

 I might get busy downloading the records that I have bought over a number of years.

Kit

This is pretty mean! FindMyPast don't seem to do this - I can still access saved records, mostly from the 1939 register, even though I'm no longer a member. I downloaded them as well, of course, but I'm even getting updates - my uncle, who was redacted when I was a member, is now visible.

I'll save that one again just in case they decide to do an Ancestry!
Title: Re: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: andrewalston on Sunday 08 April 18 01:42 BST (UK)
The Family Tree Magazine (US edition) podcast this month is all about "hints".

Basically it tells people to check the details before accepting them.

Don't we all wish that more people actually did!  ;D
Title: Re: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: jaybelnz on Monday 09 April 18 03:34 BST (UK)
Home made Quote from BumbleB.  "jaybelnz - not sure why you think LDS can help to sort out your problem with Ancestry.  I didn't think there was any connection"!

👍👍👍 All done BumbleB!  I went to the LDS this morning, and it was sorted in a jiffy!  Woohoo! 😄
Title: Re: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: BumbleB on Monday 09 April 18 07:20 BST (UK)
Very pleased for you.   :)
Title: Re: Anyone else getting fed up with Ancestry 'hints'?
Post by: jaybelnz on Monday 09 April 18 07:28 BST (UK)
Thank you!👍