General Chat

Their T&C state --28 day notice of any increase to fees...........they are breaking their own T&C.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, get a c&p of it........

I've just renewed mine..£7-96.Been a member since 2002 and it is continuous membership.

How do Genes justify charging existing members different rates for their renewals?
I´m pleased for you Ann, but very confused.
Do Genes actually have a pricing policy or does it depend on who deals with the renewal?
Why are some people being given 7 days notice & others 14, when the T&Cs state 28days, Why are all the rates different & why could Genes not have put out an announcement of the price rise & the date from which it would be effective instead of treating everyone differently.
Do they think we don´t communicate with each other?

Could not agree more Ann - I would be cutting off nose to spite face and as you so rightly say - an announcement of increase and the date when this would begin would have sufficed.

Hope everyone else I know does renew and i am not left on my own!!

had my renewal notification a week or so back and it stays the same - £7 odd

Chris it might be a case of accepting it for your own benefit. Galling I know as nobody likes to give in to beaurocracy but you do have friends on here to talk to. Disgusting though that a company can ride rough shod over its customers. A simple announcement of an increase is subs would have solved all this hassle.

I´m just waiting to get my 28 days notice. My membership runs out about 21st February & I shall not be renewing.
As you say Ann, it´s not so much the money although as a pensioner, every penny counts....it´s the inconsistency with some members renewing at the old price in December & some at the new & a complete disregard for the terms & conditions.
I would also like to point out that Genes don´t have a problem with basic members answering queries using their subs to other sites to find information. They will be a bit lost when so many people fail to renew.

My apologies for the long delay. About 2 weeks ago I received (I think it was the 6th exchanged between us) an email from Katie Spinks, Product Manager who informed me that and I quote ' all members will be moved onto the same price point as and when their renewal is due. It is not an alphabetical process but based on when the member is due to renew. This process was started in December and will continue until all members are renewing at the current price point.

Thank you for letting us know that you have contacted Trading Standards, we will await to hear from them before we take any further action. I hope that you will reconsider renewing your membership etc. etc.'

It was not the money which enraged me but the manner in which it was dealt with - (changing goalposts) plus the fact that continually over past 3-4 years members have been complaining about one issue or another and to all intents and purposes appear to be brushed off.

There is no organisation in their uping fees - some in December have renewed at old rate, others at new rate - where is the sense in that? Had they said from 1 December 2012 fees will be increased then sobeit.

I was so disgusted I never even opened GR for a few days and then I had another hiccup - health wise. I have 3 days to make up my mind whether to renew or not, trouble is I am housebound, nearly all my lady friends have been 'popping their clogs' over past 17 years and I do have friends to chat to on here.

my friend in Gloucester says he's not renewing - he's sticking with Ancestry

Please read thread on Increase on Renewel Charges - info which may be of use.

I think that happened with somebody else Chris, the extension of renewal date.

I have just received my third reply from GR since 24 Dec. I pointed out that they cannot change the goalposts and alter T & C to suit themselves. That In order to charge me the higher rate they should have given me 28 days notice.

Their amswer to that is the latest - they have extended my renewal date to 21 Jan 2013!!!!

I am writing to tell them I am going to check with Trading Standards asap. It is the principle now.

As Merlin says, there will be a lot of people leaving quite soon! I doubt I'll be renewing, I don't think much of these so called 'improvements' that GR have made.
and my oh has a subs to FmyP which I find very good, I'm saving up for worldwide on A

I have full FMP which is subject to 10% discount bringing it down to £98 a year

I do not need the world Sub as I also have FMP US which was on a special which was a waste of money I have found since at approx £38 for the year

I also have worldwide Ancestry which was £155.40 but I got 13 months

I only have standard on here just to help on the boards, but that has got boring over the last year or so... I can chat on Facebook for free...I have tried the records 3 years ago when I first became a paying member.....but could'nt get on with them at the time, I believe they have got better since

I think they may be losing a lot of members quite soon.
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Just in case my earlier post re: £14.95 was confusing:-

All prices refer to a new subscriber - no discounts for renewals.

I presently have annual Platinum membership plus access to newspaper records. For new subscriber that would cost £80.04 + £ 14.95 = £94.99. There are three more record sets that I have to pay for if I want to view them. That’s another £44.85 (3 x £14.95) Thus a years access to all site records would cost a new subscriber £139.84.

No two sites offer exactly the same records, but as Genes is a sister site to Findmypast (ie both under Brightsolid) it is not surprising that they have mostly the same stuff. But Findmypast does not have these chat boards, etc. And if you do not want access to records, then this site would be £20.04. On a visit to the London offices earlier this year a comment was made that the two sites “cater for different groups”. I chose not to ask about that.

These are the current annual subscriptions available on three sites for various levels of record access. (Open each site and look to the subscription pages)

Genesreunited. £80.04 £139.84

Findmypast £79.95 £109.95 £159.95

Ancestry. £83.40 £107.40 £155.40

If I was offered a year sub it would work out less than what I have been paying for the last three years.

Not seen anyone yet with a six monthly sub say they have had a renewal notice....I am sure we will find out soon enough

There has been an annual/six monthly sub for new members for the last couple of years at the same rates as they are charging now

Members from 2007 only had memebrship for 6 months there was no option...........it may flash up in subcription charges at some point,,,,,,either take 6 months or a year,,,,,,all sites who offer 6 months and year ,,,,,,,the yearly one works out cheaper,

So it would be correct that anyone joining 2007-2010 who are on the six monthly subscription will now have to pay £14.95 (less 20%) which works out to £23.92 for the year....or do you think we will be offered the £19.95 (less 20%) annual sub?

If I was planning on renewing I would not take kindly to being charged more than a new member

Members who joined the site in 2007 then there was an overall did so on half yearly subcription.......all members who joined before 2007 did so on a yearly membership as that is what the site was-----yearly subcription.

So as a loyalty pre 2007 are being kept at yearly subcription.....

When I first joined it was £5 for the year.

The changes---keepsake,photos and records,,,,,are there ,,,,,,if you dont use them it makes no difference to the subs Gr are charging.....