The Genealogist gets it right!

[CarolA3]

I reported two transcription errors to TheGenealogist on 2 January 2016.  (They don't buy other firms' transcripts, nor do they get the work done cheaply overseas, so they're usually accurate but the handwriting in these records was a bit tricky.)

They sent me two emails on 4 January 2016:  'our data team has now resolved the issue and the upload to our website will take place shortly'.  What   I had to read it twice to make sure it wasn't a dream

FindMyPast, on the other hand, have mistranscribed a printed GRO index entry so that my grandfather was born in Hendon (Middlesex) instead of Headington (Oxford).  I've reported this error several times over several years but they've never bothered to respond, let alone correct it.

Call me old-fashioned but I do like to support firms with a good attitude toward their customers

Carol

[Josephine]

ScotlandsPeople is always good about responding, too.

Best regards,
Josephine

[CarolA3]

Hi Josephine,

I've never needed to look at Scottish records, but from what people say on here SP do sound pretty good.

Carol

[Josephine]

Hi, Carol:

It's so refreshing to experience good, old-fashioned customer service, isn't it?

Best regards,
Josephine

[clairec666]

I'd imagine Findmypast and Ancestry have so many user-submitted corrections to look through, it's too much effort to look at them all. (I've certainly sent them a fair few!) Ancestry deal with this by adding the correction as an "alternative" which I guess means nobody on their team has to look at it. Sounds like TheGenealogist have a good system that works

[KGarrad]

FindMyPast, on the other hand, have mistranscribed a printed GRO index entry so that my grandfather was born in Hendon (Middlesex) instead of Headington (Oxford).  I've reported this error several times over several years but they've never bothered to respond, let alone correct it.

I always use FreeBMD for GRO indexes, and they always correct any errors I send in - just as long as they agree it is actually an error!

[CarolA3]

Yes Josephine - refreshing! - exactly the right word for this rare experience

And yes Claire, the bigger players do have more records and therefore more errors, but they also have more money and more staff so their service should be just as good.  Ha!

(I should perhaps mention that I don't work for TheGenealogist or anyone else.  I'm just a happy customer who likes to give credit where it's due.)

Carol

[CarolA3]

FindMyPast, on the other hand, have mistranscribed a printed GRO index entry so that my grandfather was born in Hendon (Middlesex) instead of Headington (Oxford).  I've reported this error several times over several years but they've never bothered to respond, let alone correct it.

I always use FreeBMD for GRO indexes, and they always correct any errors I send in - just as long as they agree it is actually an error!

Agreed, FreeBMD are good at corrections too!  They and (oddly enough) Ancestry have my grandad's record right, but FindMyPast and FS both have it wrong.

Carol

[DudleyWinchurch]

Agree with you CarolA3 too.

Never had a problem with FindMyPast before but their 1939 Database is absolutely shocking and after requesting (and receiving from me) extra information on one query they don't seem to have any intention of sorting things out.

Bought batch of 15 households, got 13 pages, the others were just duplicates of two of the earlier households with so many errors, but I still got charged even though I was technically opening the same page twice, via different name in the same household.

I will certainly think long and hard before attempting to purchase more.

Will have to look into the Genealogist.