ScotlandsPeople (New website now live).

[Ayashi]

Just tried SP for the first time since the change... The new way of searching puzzled me at first and I think it will take some getting used to. That said, the idea that I can now search the index without paying for it is a welcome one!

[rosie17]

PS - they've given me 20 credits while they sort out the Worldpay problem. 

That was a nice Gadget 
Rosie

[Gadget]

Very nice, Rosie.   I think I've kept them afloat for years 

I remember when you had to order OPR images and wait for a few weeks to get them.  They were all certified so were expensive.

My first purchase was my 2 x grt grandmother's baptism entry 

[Forfarian]

I don't recall them using World Pay before the new look site was launched.

Yes, it used Worldpay but it was a much simpler and quicker procedure.

[rosie17]

Very nice, Rosie.   I think I've kept them afloat for years 

I remember when you had to order OPR images and wait for a few weeks to get them.  They were all certified so were expensive.

Yes ordered a few myself and thought they would never arrived and also a few wrong ones 
Rosie

[Rena]

Phew !

When the site didn't recognise my user name and password, I thought I'd probably lost all my records.
Then saw the offer to contact them - wrote a nice letter asking what's up.
Decided to try again using my email address together with my password and up popped a notice to say that my complicated password wasn't complicated enough.

As others have said before me, I'll probably get used to the new layout before too long, but on first time viewing;  my eyes "went all funny"

[lanercost]

Received this positive reply from SP about returning the birth year field to the deaths searches. Sounds like it should be making a comeback once all the bugs are squashed in the new system.

This was probably the most contested and debated issue in discussion and testing with users of the website (a mixture of existing site users and new users) over the last year. It was decided, by a very slight margin, to exclude it. Our technical support are currently working to solve issues with search fields on the site as it stands, but afterwards we will be looking at enhancements to the site. I think the reinstatement of the 'birth year' field in statutory deaths will be high on the agenda for enhancements, as many people have reported that they found it a helpful addition.

Many thanks for letting us know that you would like the 'birth year' field reinstated; I hope that its omission does not cause too much inconvenience while we look into having it added to the new site. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any assistance in the meantime.

[Ian Cowan]

SP is a very useful resource, but given that family history research can be very hit and miss with many wrong turns and blind alleys, their PAYG pricing structure can soon mount up. The commercial web sites cost up to £150 per year, depending on where and what you want to research - but the searches are more or less unlimited, and blind alleys cost no more than buried treasure.

I have two suggestions that might make SP more attractive -

One: Whether you buy £10 or £40 of credits, the cost per credit is the same. Why not give discounts for the more credits that are purchased?

Two: Not everyone can travel to a designated centre to spend £15 on unlimited searches. Why not have "all you can eat" days for home users for the same price?

I agree that SP has to pay its way. However, despite its usefulness, does anyone agree that SP is in danger of becoming a rip off? (I know you can minimise the cost by researching commercial sites beforehand, but this does not make economic sense because it drives researchers away from SP.)

[lanercost]

I agree that SP has to pay its way. However, despite its usefulness, does anyone agree that SP is in danger of becoming a rip off? (I know you can minimise the cost by researching commercial sites beforehand, but this does not make economic sense because it drives researchers away from SP.)

It needs to be compared to the GRO in England and Wales more so than Ancestry or Findmypast and it's an absolute bargain compared to the GRO.