Genealogy Chat

Good point Jax. Oh well, this will possibly be my last post then. How comes I'm reading that some received 30 free credits after a site outage in October? I didn't get any credits. Admittedly, I wouldn't want them anyway, I'm quite happy with my Ancestry Worldwide for that.

I think that 30 free credits after a site outage in October were given to people that complained :)

The credits for standard members and extra days for platinum members were given to every one who had used the site during that period, as far as I was aware

In my case it is true Jax...I didn't complain as I had very few errors though was still "rewarded" with 30 credits as a standard member.

Same here Linda...I did'nt have much of a problem

I am sure I remember people wondering why they had been given extra days or credits back then

I'm "johnny-come-lately" to this debate, because I have been away on holiday


My understanding was that there was a "grandfathering" of the subscription rate paid by existing members when ITV took over GR in 2007. The implication was that this would be maintained.

That grandfathering is what led to the £9.95 per year for existing members vs £9.95 per 6 months for new members.


I started off paying £5 for a year when I first joined in 2004.

One year later, it had increased to £6.

And the sub had increased to £9.95 by 2007 ...........


so that was a fairly rapid increase in subscription rate over a 4 year period ............... 2004 to 2007.


In several of the years between 2007 and 2012, "loyalty"discounts were given to these long time members such that the rate paid dropped to around £7.60


HOWEVER ......... the difference now is that the current increase is

a) unannounced

b) hitting a relatively small number of members out of all proportion to the other members

c) insufficient notice has been provided .................. emails should have been sent to all members, and full disclosure of the proposed increase made ON THE BOARDS and ON FACEBOOK .

d) Way too large in one go.



I have stuck by GR through the last year and all the problems. I have stuck up FOR GR during the last year by trying to appease other angry members, and by helping others to try to find ways and means of using the site when ERROR messages were rampant.




What I get from GR is not worth an increase of almost 100%

What I have given GR during the last several years is worth infinitely more ............... and I will be offering that to other forums in the future.


I have a small tree so around 130 names on here. I have not added to it in years.

I had 30 credits given to me last year ............... I have used them to check newspaper articles after first finding the information on another site.

I do not otherwise use ANY of the records on here ................. why should I when I have a sub to ancestry, and have had since 2004?

I do not check other trees for potential contacts, and have not received any contacts from others for a good 2 years.


All I do do is try to help others, using subs that I have to other sites, and participate on some of the chatty threads.


I can do both of those more easily on other sites, some of them free.



I will NOT be re-joining when my sub becomes due later this year.

I have been a member since Aug 2004...just four months less than Sylvia. Yet I have been paying double her subs since I started. Now at 2 x £7.96 I am paying £15.92 so 4p extra per year....it's not the increase it's the underhand way they treat and compare members of similar standing

My renewal is due on Feb 22nd. I have unticked the auto renew & will not be renewing.
I agree with everything Sylvia in Canada has said. My understanding was that my membership would remain at the same rate it was when I joined.
I also have membership of Ancestry & will probably use the money I save from here to upgrade to Worldwide, while using other (free) forums which give me everything I have on here with the exception of my tree, which is on Ancestry.

Nice to see you back Sylvia and Happy New Year to you.

Jax - not everyone got those credits. There are few days when I do not look at GR & my no of credits = 0.

I joined the same month as Sylvia but can't prove what I paid but I am fairly certain my subs history is similar

Happy New Year to all

Link on my Facebook page "Join Genesreunited" Full access from £5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

£15.96 is not so bad if the site works:
But since the new tree was introduced the site has failed to work correctly:
They keep adding new bits here and there, but the basic site is a mess:
Tried to add a photo today and it wont open up to accept it: Tried to edit a person on my tree, when I went back the next day it had reverted to the old details:

Before you charge more Get The Site Working Correctly:!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Does anyone else get the feeling that Brightsolid can´t afford to run both FMP & Genes?
Genes hasn´t functioned properly since they took over & the two sites do seem to duplicate information..

Perhaps if anyone decides to leave they should remove their tree...can't do it after leaving. You have to go to Frequently Asked Questions and find Remove Tree from there. It then goes into a queue to be removed.

I agree wisechild, it does look more and more like they need to run the one site. I am not sure that they would be allowed to though.

I've suspected since BS took over the site that it would one day disappear ................ either rolled into FMP or just removed.

I've also said that on the Boards, and to certain GR staff.


I think we do have to face the fact that an increase was not unexpected ................. after all it was not BS who gave early members the "grandfather" clause in 2007.

So BS probably has no legal requirement to abide by it.


I object to the way it has been done ........................ and the site has gone downhill so far that I do not consider it worth paying almost 100% more for the privilege of helping 1 or 2 people a session.

Can we all remember the time when there "hordes" of people asking for help?


Just think of all the excellent helpers who left over the years .............. those who formed FTF, and those who have removed themselves over the last 12-18 months.


If we could have the site as it was in even 2010, then it might be worth considering staying and paying a somewhat increased rate.


A 100% increase could be called USURY .................. but unlike those who have to borrow money at huge cost, we can walk.

........ and probably provide BS with another reason to "shut 'er down".


This, of course, was probably what the UK Competitions Board was concerned about when they took almost 18 months to rule on whether BS could even acquire GR. The acquisition did give them control over 75% of the UK-based genealogical sites.




sylvia

Thanks Gai!


Happy New Year to you and yours xxx

I have been a member since 2005 and have always paid NZ$19.95 per year, last June when I renewed I got a surprise when I was given a special of NZ $15.95.
I will not be grudge paying more to being a member of this site if my membership is increased this year. This is the most affordable Family Tree site on the Web.

Membership to My Heritage is currently about NZ$140.00 a year and that is simply to maintain a tree and of course Ancestry is out of my League the latest offer I was sent for the 'Worldwide' Package was NZ $499.00.

Genes has it's annoyances and glitches, but I have made some great friends and found some distant cousins as well as maintain my Main tree on this site.
if you are still researching and adding to your tree like I am then the cost to belong to this site is a bargain.

I joined as a gold member in 2010 and shortly afterwards decided I could not get on with the records or the tree, so joined another well known site and have since built my tree on there.

As I had this sub for six months I decided I may aswell use it to try to help out on the boards...which I found I enjoyed, and to me felt like I was back in full time employment it was so busy.

The increase does not affect me unless they insist I pay £15.95 for 6 months (less 20%)
I have ummed ahhed for the last year whether to carry on or not as there is so little to do...I cant see it getting better, good thing is I can come back anytime at no extra cost should I not renew.

Kiwibird

NZ $499 ??? that would be £250

I have worldwide and it is £155 unless your worldwide is different?

Jax,

worldwide membership here in Australia for the .com.au site is about $A450 a year hence why I use the .co.uk site and pay $A210 for worldwide membership.

So I wouldn't be surprised if worldwide in New Zealand is $499.