Important information
- Customer Complaint:Consumers should be aware that Ancestry.com/MyFamily.com uses an auto-renewal process that automatically charges the consumer for another year membership if the member does not cancel prior to the anniversary date. BBB files also indicate this business has a pattern of complaints concerning shipping/handling override coupon codes not being accepted.
Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Ancestry.com's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 827 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 231 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.
Initial Complaint
Date:09/16/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
When registering my kit, I was offered a subscription option for $39.95/month. I was under the impression that I would get the $1 offer for 3 months. A friend of mine registered her kit the same day and received that offer. I did not realize the subscription had been processed, as I had tried to back out of it, until my friend received her notice that her 90 days was soon to be up and would be charged the full price. I have since cancelled the subscription and am requesting a refund. Thank you for you assistance.
Business Response
Date: 09/20/2024
Title: Kaity,Executive Office Response Team
Contact Phone: **************
Contact Email: ******************************************************************
September 20, 2024
RE: ***** ******** 22293318
To Whom It May Concern,
Thank you for forwarding Ms. ********* complaint to us. At Ancestry, we are committed to providing excellent customer service and hold our customers satisfaction in the highest regard.
When purchasing a DNA kit through the Ancestry website, members are provided with an option to bundle the purchase with a quarterly membership for only $1 more. However,our records show that Ms. ******** did not purchase her kit via Ancestry but purchased via ******. Therefore, she would not have been provided with that option. Additionally, she initiated a two-week free trial of our website on June 20, 2024. The information regarding the trial duration was provided online as well as within the order confirmation email she received after completion of her order, and detailed that unless cancelled, her subscription would automatically renew each month and provided the monthly charge that would be deducted
However, as a courtesy to her, we have issued 3 refunds in the amount of $39.99 each back to the account that was originally billed. The confirmation number for this transaction is *********. The access to the databases associated with this membership has been terminated effective immediately, and there will be no future billing from Ancestry. Please note that it can take between 3-5 business days for these funds to become available within their financial institution, depending on their refund policies and procedures.
We always appreciate any opportunity to assist our members in discovering, preserving, and sharing their family history. If at any time in the future they become interested in researching or saving their family history, they may continue to use the free services found on Ancestry even now after their subscription has ended.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at **************.
Sincerely,
Kaity
Executive Response Team
AncestryInitial Complaint
Date:09/16/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
On 9/14/2024, I discovered that $108.95 was withdrawn from my *********** checking account, from, D/C Settlement Ancestry.com LOC: LEHUIT. I was a member of Ancestry.com, and canceled my membership. Prior to the aforementioned date, I tried to find information on their website about my ***************** date & only saw 12/2024 as renewal date. In addition, I could not find information about the Ancestry plan I was enrolled in: ************ makes it difficult to find & understand their ******************** extremely complicated legal speak, and always with the statement, Our ****************** are always changing. Furthermore, I was not informed of my membership being up for renewal, nor was I adequately informed of withdrawal of funds prior to when they did this. Their website makes it difficult, if not impossible to contact an actual representative. I sent them messages about this transgression, requesting a refund, & informing them I will dispute this charge with my bank, and will report them to the ******************************************. Thank you. ******* M ********Business Response
Date: 09/20/2024
Title: Kaity,Executive Office Response Team
Contact Phone: **************
Contact Email: ******************************************************************
September 20, 2024
RE: ******* ******** 22292734
To Whom It May Concern,
Thank you for forwarding Mr. ********* complaint to us. At Ancestry, we are committed to providing excellent customer service and hold our customers satisfaction in the highest regard.
Our records show that Mr. ******** purchased a DNA kit on July 11, 2024, and bundled the purchase with a quarterly World Explorer membership for only $1 more. The auto-renewing nature of the membership was provided online as well as within the order confirmation email that was sent to him upon the completion of his order. Additionally, we sent him an email on August 11th to remind him of his upcoming renewal which included the charge he could expect as well as instructions to cancel the membership if he wished to do so. However, the subscription was not cancelled and automatically renewed on September 11, 2024.
However, as a courtesy to him, we have issued a refund in the amount of $108.95 back to the account that was originally billed. The confirmation number for this transaction is *********. The access to the databases associated with this membership has been terminated effective immediately, and there will be no future billing from Ancestry. Please note that it can take between 3-5 business days for these funds to become available within their financial institution, depending on their refund policies and procedures.
We always appreciate any opportunity to assist our members in discovering, preserving, and sharing their family history. If at any time in the future they become interested in researching or saving their family history, they may continue to use the free services found on Ancestry even now after their subscription has ended.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at **************.
Sincerely,
Kaity
Executive Response Team
AncestryInitial Complaint
Date:09/16/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I ordered a DNA kit as a gift for someone for Fathers Day apparently a free three month membership to at the time and I was charged 3 mths later *****. I called while my charge was still pending they said they could not help and kept repeating terms and conditions. It is shady and deceptive practices to refuse to cancel a three month membership that was never wanted and force someone to take a 100 loss.Business Response
Date: 09/20/2024
Title: Kaity,Executive Office Response Team
Contact Phone: **************
Contact Email: ******************************************
September 20, 2024
RE: ****** **** 22290935
To Whom it May Concern,
Thank you for forwarding Ms.Reeds complaint to **. At Ancestry, we are committed to providing excellent customer service and hold our customers satisfaction in the highest regard.
When an individual purchases a DNA kit on our website,they are presented with an option to add a 3-month membership for only $1 more.Details regarding the auto-renewing nature of the membership is provided both online and within the order confirmation email after the order is placed.Additionally, Ancestry emails the email address on file one month prior to the renewal to remind the customer of their upcoming renewal and includes instructions on cancelling the membership if they wish to do so.
Based on the information provided to us, we cannot locate the charges in question with Ancestry. The Ancestry account linked to the email address Ms. **** provided has not been charged since May of 2018. Because of this, we would ask that she please contact us at ****************************************** with any of the following information:
Order Number or Cancel Confirmation number
Full Name
Full Address, Including Zip Code
Any Alternate Email Addresses or Usernames Used
First Six and Last Four Digits of Card Charged
Date and Amount of Latest Charge
If the charges in question went through ******, any of the following information may be necessary:
PayPal Billing Agreement ID
****** Invoice Number
PayPal Transaction Number
Once we have received this additional information, we would be able to revisit the original request.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at **************.
Sincerely,
Kaity
Executive Response Team
AncestryInitial Complaint
Date:09/14/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I would like to file a complaint. I notice a charge on my bank statement, and I contacted support to tell them I was planning on cancelling my subscriptions before they charge me and I never gotten email they were about to charge me. I went into the live support they told me they cannot refund me at all. I would like refund Your subscription has been cancelled as of October 13 2024. The confirmation number for this transaction is *********.User Name: ***************************Business Response
Date: 09/20/2024
Title: Kaity,Executive Office Response Team
Contact Phone: **************
Contact Email: ******************************************************************
September 20, 2024
RE: ***** ******** 22287305
To Whom It May Concern,
Thank you for forwarding Mr. ********* complaint to us. At Ancestry, we are committed to providing excellent customer service and hold our customers satisfaction in the highest regard.
Our records show that Mr. ******** initiated a monthly World Explorer subscription which renewed on the 14th of each month. Per Ancestrys Renewal and Cancellation Terms to which Mr. ******** agreed when the subscription was initiated, monthly subscriptions are not eligible for refund.
However, as a courtesy to him, we have issued a refund in the amount of $43.24 back to the account that was originally billed. The confirmation number for this transaction is *********. The access to the databases associated with this membership has been terminated effective immediately, and there will be no future billing from Ancestry. Please note that it can take between 3-5 business days for these funds to become available within their financial institution, depending on their refund policies and procedures.
We always appreciate any opportunity to assist our members in discovering, preserving, and sharing their family history. If at any time in the future they become interested in researching or saving their family history, they may continue to use the free services found on Ancestry even now after their subscription has ended.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at **************.
Sincerely,
Kaity
Executive Response Team
AncestryInitial Complaint
Date:09/09/2024
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I have attempted to cancel my ancestry.com membership MANY times. I ordered the world explorer in March to get access to more documents, then canceled. I was charged May through September despite attempting to cancel this over and over. Additionally, they have about 50 screens to confirm cancellation which is a very poor practice - you shouldn't have to reconfirm this over and over and they are clearly creating friction in the process so you keep paying for something you don't want.Business Response
Date: 09/10/2024
Title: Kaity,
Executive Office Response Team
Contact
Phone: 1-800-262-3787
Contact
Email: [email protected]
September 10, 2024
RE: Rachel Bucalo – 22261153
To Whom It
May Concern,
Thank you
for forwarding Ms. Bucalo’s complaint to us. At Ancestry, we are committed to
providing excellent customer service and hold our customers’ satisfaction in
the highest regard.
Our records
show that Ms. Bucalo initiated a 2-week free trial of our website on March 7th and chose a World Explorer membership type. We can confirm that that trial was
successfully cancelled on March 7th.
However, on May
7th, she then initiated a monthly US Discovery membership and used a
different payment method than the one she chose in March. Records show that
after she initiated the membership, she conducted several genealogical searches
from her account that day. Additionally, an order confirmation email was sent
to her on that day confirming her purchase and notified her that the membership
would continue until cancelled. However, since the US Discovery membership was
not cancelled, it continued to renew on a monthly basis. Our records show that she
continued to conduct searches on the website in May and June and her family
tree was last updated in June.
Ms. Bucalo
called our toll-free support line on September 9th and a refund of
September’s subscription charge was processed during her call. As a courtesy to her, we have issued 4 additional refunds
in the amount of $26.59 each back to the account that was originally billed.
The confirmation number for this transaction is 480914865. The access to the
databases associated with this membership has been terminated effective
immediately, and there will be no future billing from Ancestry. Please note
that it can take between 3-5 business days for these funds to become available
within their financial institution, depending on their refund policies and
procedures.
We always appreciate any opportunity to assist our members
in discovering, preserving, and sharing their family history. If at any time in
the future they become interested in researching or saving their family
history, they may continue to use the free services found on Ancestry even now
after their subscription has ended.
If you have
any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at
1-800-262-3787.
Sincerely,
Kaity
Executive
Response Team
AncestryCustomer Answer
Date: 09/10/2024
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 22261153, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
Rachel BucaloInitial Complaint
Date:09/06/2024
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I bought a DNA kit and the subscription was supposed to come with it and I was not made aware then they have you sign up for free trials in order to see any results well the charged me 99.98 without my consent and I cancelled everything and they refused to give me a refundBusiness Response
Date: 09/10/2024
Title: Kaity,
Executive Office Response Team
Contact
Phone: 1-800-262-3787
Contact
Email: [email protected]
September 10, 2024
RE: Tori Bridgeford – 22251918
To Whom It
May Concern,
Thank you
for forwarding Ms. Bridgeford’s complaint to us. At Ancestry, we are committed
to providing excellent customer service and hold our customers’ satisfaction in
the highest regard.
Our records
show that Ms. Bridgeford purchased a DNA kit on May 3, 2024. It is not required
that an individual purchase a subscription in order to receive their DNA
results, and members are able to obtain their DNA regions and biological
matches without a membership. That information will also be updated on a
regular basis without a membership. Records further show that Ms. Bridgeford
initiated a quarterly World Explorer membership for an introductory rate of $1 on
May 12th, nine days after her DNA purchase. The description that the
membership would automatically renew at the regular rate if not cancelled
within the 3-month period was provided both online as well as within the order
confirmation email that was sent to Ms. Bridgeford. Additionally, we sent an
email to her on July 12, 2024, reminding her that the membership would renew
automatically on August 12th if not cancelled. The reminder included
the price she could expect as well as instructions on how to cancel if she
wished to do so. However, the membership was not cancelled, and it
automatically renewed on August 12, 2024, per our reminder. She then called our
support line to cancel her subscription almost a month later on September 5th.
As a courtesy to her, we have issued a refund in the amount
of $99.95 back to the account that was originally billed. The confirmation
number for this transaction is 492293780. The access to the databases
associated with this membership has been terminated effective immediately, and
there will be no future billing from Ancestry. Please note that it can take
between 3-5 business days for these funds to become available within their
financial institution, depending on their refund policies and procedures.
We always appreciate any opportunity to assist our members
in discovering, preserving, and sharing their family history. If at any time in
the future they become interested in researching or saving their family
history, they may continue to use the free services found on Ancestry even now
after their subscription has ended.
If you have
any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at
1-800-262-3787.
Sincerely,
Kaity
Executive
Response Team
AncestryCustomer Answer
Date: 09/10/2024
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 22251918, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
Tori BridgefordInitial Complaint
Date:09/06/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
The company stated that I will receive a email to remind me of the free trial expiration date and they did not. I cancelled the membership one day after the trial period and was charged two fees. The company falsely advertised to rob people of their hard working money. I want a full refund the information on their site is not accurate. I take care of my mother with Alzheimer’s and I was trying to locate her family. I don’t have free money to give away.Business Response
Date: 09/06/2024
Title: Kaity,
Executive Office Response Team
Contact
Phone: 1-800-262-3787
Contact
Email: ******************************
September 6, 2024
RE: Angel
Parker – 22248853
To Whom it May Concern,
Thank you for forwarding Ms.
Parker’s complaint to us. At Ancestry, we are committed to providing excellent
customer service and hold our customers’ satisfaction in the highest
regard.
We apologize for any frustration this situation may have
caused. Based on the information provided to us, we cannot locate the charges
in question with Ancestry. The Ancestry account linked to the email address Ms.
Parker has provided has not been charged since 2017. Therefore, she may have
been checking the wrong email address for a reminder.
It should be noted that Ancestry does not automatically
send reminders regarding the expiration of the trial period, however members
are able to request a reminder by initiating a cancellation during the trial
period and opting not to cancel, but to obtain a reminder. Additionally, based
on the description Ms. Parker provides and the cancellation fee she received,
she must have enrolled in the semi-annual membership billing monthly which
provides details both online and within the order confirmation email stating
that an early cancellation fee will be charged if cancelled before the end of
the 6-month period.
Because we cannot locate an Ancestry account with the
contact information Ms. Parker has provided, we would ask that she please
contact us at ****************************** with any of the following
information:
Order Number or Cancel Confirmation number
Full Name
Full Address, Including Zip Code
Any Alternate Email Addresses or Usernames Used
First Six and Last Four Digits of Card Charged
Date and Amount of Latest Charge
If the charges in question went
through PayPal, any of the following information may be necessary:
PayPal Billing Agreement ID
PayPal Invoice Number
PayPal Transaction Number
Once we have received this additional information, we
would be able to revisit the original request.
If you have
any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at
1-800-262-3787.
Sincerely,
Kaity
Executive
Response Team
AncestryInitial Complaint
Date:09/05/2024
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I purchased an *** kit from Ancestry.com on June 3, 2024. The company automatically enrolled me in the World Explorer membership from $1. However, they did not explicitly alert me that the membership price of $1 would increase after three months to $99.99 per three months. Although the fine print stated on the website that the World Explorer membership was a trial, it was not explicitly stated in the initial email. Also, the World Explorer membership is tiered and start at about $22 per month while the $99.99 is the charge for three months. Why not start with the $22 per month charge?! I contacted a company's representative on September 4th, and they stated that they could not issue a refund because I was cancelling the service after it started. I informed the representative that I was unaware of the $99.99 World explorer membership when I purchased the *** kit. Nevertheless, no refund.Business Response
Date: 09/06/2024
Title: Kaity,Executive Office Response Team
Contact Phone: **************
Contact Email: ******************************************
September 6, 2024
RE: ******************************* 22244300
To Whom It May Concern,
Thank you for forwarding ****************** complaint to us. At Ancestry, we are committed to providing excellent customer service and hold our customers satisfaction in the highest regard.
Our records show that **************** purchased a DNA kit on June 3, 2024, and chose to bundle the purchase with a quarterly World Explorer membership for only $1 more.Information is provided online detailing that the subscription will automatically renew at every three months if not cancelled and the price is provided. This information was also provided in the order confirmation email sent to **************** after her purchase. Additionally, we sent an email to her on August 3rd, notifying her of her upcoming membership renewal. The notification contained the amount she could expect to be charged along with instructions on how to cancel the membership if she wished to do so. However,the membership was not cancelled and automatically renewed on September 4,2024.
The less expensive pricing **************** references in her complaint is for a different subscription type, US Discovery, which only allows access to US records, versus the World Explorer membership **************** had access to for US and International records.
As a courtesy to her, we have issued a refund in the amount of $99.95 back to the account that was originally billed. The confirmation number for this transaction is *********. The access to the databases associated with this membership has been terminated effective immediately, and there will be no future billing from Ancestry. Please note that it can take between 3-5 business days for these funds to become available within their financial institution, depending on their refund policies and procedures.
We always appreciate any opportunity to assist our members in discovering, preserving, and sharing their family history. If at any time in the future they become interested in researching or saving their family history, they may continue to use the free services found on Ancestry even now after their subscription has ended.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at **************.
Sincerely,
Kaity
Executive Response Team
AncestryInitial Complaint
Date:09/04/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I was charged $34.99 by Ancestry.com for a monthly subscription on 8/30/24 even though I canceled my free trial during the free trial period (right after signing up for it). I was improperly billed for a service and have been refused a refund.Business Response
Date: 09/06/2024
Title: Kaity,
Executive Office Response Team
Contact
Phone: 1-800-262-3787
Contact
Email: ******************************
September 6, 2024
RE: MEMBERNAME – COMPLAINTID
To Whom It
May Concern,
Thank you
for forwarding Ms. Morisano’s complaint to us. At Ancestry, we are committed to
providing excellent customer service and hold our customers’ satisfaction in
the highest regard.
Our records
show that Ms. Morisano initiated a free trial of our website on August 15,
2024. When a membership is successfully cancelled, the member will receive a
cancellation confirmation email. In this case, our records show that the trial
was not cancelled and rolled into a paid membership on August 29th.
Ms. Morisano then cancelled the membership on September 4th. We do
not have record of any calls to our support line to request a refund.
As a courtesy to Ms. Morisano, we have issued a refund in
the amount of $34.99 back to the account that was originally billed. The
confirmation number for this transaction is 492029726. The access to the
databases associated with this membership has been terminated effective
immediately, and there will be no future billing from Ancestry. Please note
that it can take between 3-5 business days for these funds to become available
within their financial institution, depending on their refund policies and
procedures.
We always appreciate any opportunity to assist our members
in discovering, preserving, and sharing their family history. If at any time in
the future they become interested in researching or saving their family
history, they may continue to use the free services found on Ancestry even now
after their subscription has ended.
If you have
any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at
1-800-262-3787.
Sincerely,
Kaity
Executive
Response Team
AncestryInitial Complaint
Date:09/02/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I am requesting a refund for a DNA testing kit. I sent in a DNA kit, however, the USPS tracking number never showed delivery of the DNA kit to ancestry.com. The customer service representative could not verify the USPS tracking number of the return kit. The website indicated that two different kits were received. Then I received that notice that results were due around September 19, 2024. However, on the holiday of September 4, 2024. The Anecestry.com website appeared to have a cyber attack. The website after the cyberattack changed my contact information and telephone number. Within 30 minutes two emails were received stating the results were analyzed on holiday, when the office likely closed and the 30-minute results were in. The results were false, the name did not match my genealogy. I have another DNA test from a different company. These results after the cyberattack were listed as the results of Lee Ann G****** of Akron, OH, and her father from Ohio. We do not have the same parents or skin color. None of the individuals were linked by name to my father or mother. I am not Scottish or Irish at all. The results are fraudulent and the company nor the U.S. Post Office can provide a record of receipt of my actual tests that were mailed. I request a full refund and the closure of the account. The photo on file listed as my deceased father is not my father's picture at all in college. The names of the students and the pictures are mismatched. In order words, all the female images are matched up with male names or male names with clearly female college students' names. The company needs to have the IT department secure their website better. Also, during the cyberattack, I had a bank account and life insurance policy cashed out or stolenBusiness Response
Date: 09/06/2024
Title: Kaity, Executive Office Response Team
Contact Phone: 1-800-262-3787
Contact Email: [email protected]
September 6, 2024
RE: Charity Chatman
-- 22230378
To Whom It May Concern,
Thank you for forwarding Ms. Chatman complaint to us. At
Ancestry, we are committed to providing excellent customer service and hold our
customers’ satisfaction in the highest regard.
Ancestry has not had a “cyberattack” as Ms. Chatman claims.
Our database has not been breeched and Ms. Chatman’s DNA results have not been “changed.”
Based on the information provided within her complaint, it appears that any
breech of information was on the part of her financial institution or her life
insurance company.
Our records show that our lab received her DNA kit on
August 21, 2024. Only one kit was received from her on that date based on the
registration code she provided when registering her kit. When a DNA kit is
received, lab processing is estimated to be 6 to 8 weeks. However, that time frame
is simply an estimate, and in this case, Ms. Chatman’s results were completed
on September 2, 2024, and posted to her account.
Ancestry does update DNA results on a regular basis and
adds other matches to her match list as they come in, and ethnicity estimates
(or origins) are updated on a regular basis as well. Therefore, she may see
updates to this information from time to time.
Ms. Chatman also mentions photos of individuals that she
has seen. We are unfamiliar with the information to which she is referring, but
it does not seem to be information included within DNA results. She may be
receiving “hints” for people within the family tree she initiated on her
account. If the hints do not pertain to the people within her tree, she may
ignore the hints. In those cases, we would recommend she check to see that the
information including names and dates within her tree are formatted properly.
For more information about tree hints, she may wish to review the following
help article:
*****************************************************
As Ms. Chatman’s DNA results have already been processed
and posted to her account, her purchase is ineligible for a refund. We
recommend that she check her DNA match list to see if she recognizes the close
matches she has been provided.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please do
not hesitate to contact us at 1-800-262-3787.
Sincerely,
Kaity
Executive Response Team
Ancestry
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