Free Ancestry UK Access this weekend

[groom]

I've also discovered this afternoon that other people's public trees are not available on Ancestry without paying... not sure how much of a loss that is though. I was a bit intrigued to see that Herbert John Bell born in Hickling, Nfk in 1882 died somewhere in Suffolk, but how that works is something I'll just have to sit here and think about 

Not much of a loss if the tree I stumbled on the other day is anything to go by. A couple had 15 children according to the owner of the tree, all born within 10 years. Not only that, every alternate child was born in America, so they ended up with, for example, a child born October 1862 in Lancashire and the next one in February 1863 in Philadelphia. Definitely a case of just accepting hints and not checking if they made sense.

[Nick_Ips]

To fit all that in over just 10 years is very impressive... unless there were several sets of twins involved!

[Rosinish]

I don't think any of us with subscriptions are saying that you should not get free access weekends, what we are complaining about is that we are not offered extra days on our subscriptions to compensate.      

Rosie,

I'll be honest, I thought those extra days were added to 'full subs'...

People who pay annually as I used to (worldwide) when I afforded it, should be getting those free days added.

You need to all send emails to complain before anything can be done.

For many years from when I 1st subscribed for WW which I wanted/needed I was paying a wee fortune & after many yrs (after I had to cancel my continuous sub), I discovered by chance when going to reinstate (when I could afford it again), the price was so much cheaper 

I emailed them to ask why my sub had been so expensive over several yrs......I'd registered under .com & not .co.uk & they told me my bank was to blame (exchange rate blabla)!!!

I told them it was strange that over all those yrs that no-one had picked up on the fact that my address was a UK address & why they didn't get in touch to tell me I'd been overpriced etc.?

I sent a list of all my payment amounts over the yrs & asked for a FREE yr sub which I got as it hadn't been my fault & I'm sure when I 1st subscribed there was no .uk available but it was so long ago I can't be sure.

If you don't ask, you don't get i.e. get your complaints in as it's only right they see to their fee paying customers too regardless of how long you've been a subscriber.

Annie

[rosie99]

Rosie,

I'll be honest, I thought those extra days were added to 'full subs'...

People who pay annually as I used to (worldwide) when I afforded it, should be getting those free days added.

You need to all send emails to complain before anything can be done.

Hi Annie

As I mentioned earlier extra days on FindMyPast are only added to a world sub not a UK one.  In my opinion a subscription be it World /UK /USA etc is still an annual subscription. I was not asking for my UK sub to be extended as anything other than UK.

I have written to complain about the free days and their attitude was 'tough'  you get 1939 register and have access at all times not just when the free weekends are on. 

At least with FindMyPast you get a discount on renewal without having to beg for it.

Rosie

[maiseyday]

I was a paid member a few years ago, for 1 year, got completely lost with it all,  so I left it off, then having this free weekend thought I would see about starting my searches again, but I am still in a muddle with it,  but thanks to Christine, she has found some info for me re: General Peel ship, which I am very greatful for. What I need is someone/club I can be with to show me how its done.  It seems so easy, just work backwards but hey-ho , my hat gets taken of to all you knowledgable people out there.

[Nick_Ips]

I think you've already found the right place here maisey    But you might also want to see if there is local club or society if you also want to meet people and get face-to-face help.

It is easy, so long as you take things step by step and don't make assumptions without looking for the evidence to support them.

[groom]

I have written to complain about the free days and their attitude was 'tough'  you get 1939 register and have access at all times not just when the free weekends are on. 

That's a very strange attitude when you think about it isn't it? Of course we get access at all times - that's what we pay for. They would soon be in trouble if everyone stopped paying and waited for free weekends.

It's like everything though, loyalty doesn't mean anything to the big companies. How often have you seen a good deal on things like Sky or on insurance, only for it to say in small print "New customers only." ? A friend who worked for an insurance company told me to shop around every year as once they had you as a customer they didn't decrease your payments, just increased them hoping you couldn't be bothered to go elsewhere. Last time I renewed my car insurance I rang the old one to tell them I wasn't renewing. I quoted the new deal and the man on the phone actually said, "Don't blame you not going with us, I'd do the same" 

[Nick_Ips]

But the trick then Groom is to tell the old insurance company you've had a quote for a lot less than you have actually got from the new one, then ask them if they can match it. The answer is usually initially no, but you can end up with a price which is equal to or lower than the new quote. Play them at their own game 

A certain large mutual building society has just announced the second interest rate cut in a year on its 'loyalty' savings account, it will soon only be 0.75% if you have 15 years of membership. There are many places you can get 1% or more without needing to have shown any loyalty. That shows the value even a mutual organisation places on its customers.

[groom]

But the trick then Groom is to tell the old insurance company you've had a quote for a lot less than you have actually got from the new one, then ask them if they can match it. The answer is usually initially no, but you can end up with a price which is equal to or lower than the new quote. Play them at their own game 

That's what I was trying to do, but he said there was no way they could match it and he didn't blame me for leaving! Both were reputable companies so it wasn't as if I was changing from a well known one to an unknown one. In the end I felt if they didn't want my custom that was up to them. It doesn't stop them sending through emails etc asking me to go back.