RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Speedwell on Wednesday 27 March 19 02:10 GMT (UK)
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Hi Folks,
Just a warning to keep an eye on your online finances. GenesReunited set up an annual subscription for me while I was asleep and took out 17 pounds. This was through PayPal!
I'm trying to get it sorted out but felt everyone with an account should ber warned.
Speedwell.
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I always receive an e-mail from GR about a fortnight before my renewal is due. At that stage I have the opportunity to agree or disagree to continue membership.
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Even so, "Speedwell", you did contract an agreement to allow them to take the funds.
Rootschat users frequently remind people that when they sign up for paid membership/services, check the small print!
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In their terms and conditions it does say " A continuous Standard Membership is automatically renewed every time your membership lapses and your credit card will be charged again based on the membership type you previously subscribed to. Credit card charges will be processed on the renewal date."
You have to be very careful on a lot of these companies to untick the renew automatically box.
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I let it automatically renew every year because I want to. But I don't understand why you're paying £17 and I'm only paying £8.96.
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I let it automatically renew every year because I want to. But I don't understand why you're paying £17 and I'm only paying £8.96.
Because not everyone pays the same. The most veteran members, presumably like you, pay far less than newer subscribers. This unfair practice was the main reason for my leaving the site.
Bev
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I would not sign up for anything of an ongoing nature that required my Credit Card. Just asking for trouble. Scotlands People, General Register Office, Durham Records Online are the only Genealogical Sites I use and pay for. No problems with them.
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I let it automatically renew every year because I want to. But I don't understand why you're paying £17 and I'm only paying £8.96.
Because not everyone pays the same. The most veteran members, presumably like you, pay far less than newer subscribers. This unfair practice was the main reason for my leaving the site.
Bev
Hmm, seems unfair. The opposite of insurance and utility companies and the like, which offer special deals to new members that aren't available to existing ones. I await my GR May renewal email with interest.
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I let it automatically renew every year because I want to. But I don't understand why you're paying £17 and I'm only paying £8.96.
Because not everyone pays the same. The most veteran members, presumably like you, pay far less than newer subscribers. This unfair practice was the main reason for my leaving the site.
Bev
Hmm, seems unfair. The opposite of insurance and utility companies and the like, which offer special deals to new members that aren't available to existing ones. I await my GR May renewal email with interest.
If you emailed GR I am sure they could explain the differfeing rates. It was done initially for a very good reason (which I will not try to recall for fear of getting it wrong) so rather than people (in general) giving it a knee jerk reaction I ask them to establish the facts first.
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Back when I joined GR, it was simply a place to upload a family tree and contact other members who might have the same individuals. That's all I've ever used it for, and I rarely visit now. Very occasionally someone contacts me through GR. Once in a blue moon it's been very worthwhile.
The only reason I am still a member is that it costs me less than £9 a year. If they ever increase my payment they won't see me for dust. I guess it's worth it to them to keep all us old members in the database.
Do note that the £8.96 rate doesn't give access to any records. All you can do is search for names in other members' trees, view the results and contact the member. You can't see the tree unless and until the member allows you to.
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As I pointed out in #1 - you receive an e-mail about a fortnight before renewal is due and you are given the option to cancel (including instructions on how to do it), which I think is good. :)
And surely it is more ethical to ensure that faithful customers receive the benefits for their loyalty.
As someone who has subscriptions to Ancestry and FindMyPast, it really gets to me when non-subscribers are offered free weekends, etc. >:( A real kick in the teeth. :-X
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Fair point BumbleB, but I understand why Ancestry & FindMyPast want to give folks a taster. Not as bad as the companies that disreward loyalty straight out.
Sloegin, it varies. I had no enquiries on GR for 10 months, then I get 4 in a month. Go figure. Mind you, Ancestry has shown a similar pattern recently.
I've just about stopped messaging anybody on either as no-one seems to reply. I think I figured it out - a lot of these people are lapsed, or no longer with us, and it suits these companies to keep the trees up so you can find more matches.
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I'm still a standard member (free) on GR and still have a fairly large tree there which I update from time to time.
I haven't had a match or a message for over three years. As I understand it, trees are never deleted unless the owners themselves remove them. and there is no way of knowing when a specific member last logged in.
I think the site is basically unmanned and the one or two employees who are supposed to keep an eye on it log in once every six months!
It might be cheap compared with other sites, but if you get nothing for your money, it's still not worth it. And the problem with the differing subscription rates is/was the lack of transparency: some member would say how much they were paying for the coming year and it didn't seem to coincide with anyone else! It was almost as if the rates were picked out of a hat at random.
Bev
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But I didn't Pauline J. I made two Pay Per View purchase but purposely never signed up for a subscription.
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I have deleted my original post as it appears to have upset ozigal.
I offered what I thought was positive and constructive advice but apparently not ??? ::) (still as it has been quoted by others you can still see it if you want).
I have my suspicions about the opening post but as I can not prove them I will let that go.
I just think its sad that people bad mouth a commercial organisation whilst they are apparently "still in the process" of sorting it out. What happens if GR says our mistake here's your refund will this whole thread be removed. And perhaps more pertinently what if GR says they are right and explains why, will the OP come back and say so?
I regret ever getting involved in this thread. You just cannot help some people.
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I strongly believe that any of the major companies would correct and refund any dispute to protect their relationships.
Martin
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edit: my apologies
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But I didn't Pauline J. I made two Pay Per View purchase but purposely never signed up for a subscription.
May I suggest -
If you feel that what you say is true then contact GR and tell them. They will investigate and either find you are correct and refund the amount paid or find you are wrong and explain to you why.
A more positive course of action than posting here where no one can resolve the issue for you.
davidft … AND MAY I SUGGEST that you don't jump to conclusions AND you re read the OP's original post that states they were in the process of sorting this out (prior to posting here)
Wow, well, you see, I read the opening post when it was first posted, before anyone replied. I have read it through just now. I was concerned the first time I read it... Wow I thought, ... and I am NOT a member of GR ... but wow, that's a tough comment being made ... GR or any organisation needs to be given opportunity to reply BEFORE they made that post... BUT on the other hand, they are trying to alert us all to a possible rip off...
Now, after re-reading, I am shocked at all the harshness .... RChat's threads are readily found via the usual Google search engines, and posts on the Common Room board are frequented by RChatters from around the globe.
JM
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As someone who has subscriptions to Ancestry and FindMyPast, it really gets to me when non-subscribers are offered free weekends, etc. >:( A real kick in the teeth. :-X
I don't begrudge it at all. I think it's a really nice gesture, particularly at times like Remembrance weekend when interest is stirred. It's no skin off my nose if I am currently subscribing, and I've been glad of the opportunity to nip in and do the odd look-up when I'm not.
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I am very sorry to have caused everyone upset. That was certainly not intended.
My original post was put up in a bit of a panic and I didn't intend to 'badmouth' GR. My ONLY purpose was to warn other people to check their own Paypal accounts - I did not expect people on RootsChat to fix things.
If you haven't had what you thought was unauthorised activity through Paypal you may not be able to imagine how that makes you feel about the security of your Paypal account. It was a bit scary.
I can report that GR have indeed refunded my money.
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If you haven't had what you thought was unauthorised activity through Paypal you may not be able to imagine how that makes you feel about the security of your Paypal account. It was a bit scary.
When somebody tried to make an unauthorised withdrawal from my Paypal account, Paypal were on to it in a flash and dealt with it before I was even aware it had happened. That was reassuring!
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"When somebody tried to make an unauthorised withdrawal from my Paypal account, Paypal were on to it in a flash and dealt with it before I was even aware it had happened. That was reassuring!"
Same for me too - they were great. It was just a bit scary at first.
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Excellent news. Many thanks for the update.
JM