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Business Profile

Genealogy

Ancestry.com

Headquarters

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

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    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 Complaint

    The 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.

    Sort by

    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/29/2024

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      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.
      Last year I changed my membership to U.S. only ($229.00) but am still being billed the $338.00 for World wide IN ADDITION to the 229.00. When I called to get this straightened out their phone kept breaking up and maybe every 3rd word came through and I was unable to talk to them. It was very difficult to find how to correct this online. No phone calls back so far. I suspect they are doing this on purpose to keep money.

      Business Response

      Date: 08/30/2024

      Title: Kaity,
      Executive Office Response Team
      Contact
      Phone: 1-800-262-3787
      Contact
      Email: ******************************

      August 30, 2024

      RE: Linda Drake – 22216091

      To Whom It
      May Concern,

      Thank you
      for forwarding Ms. Drake’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 the Ancestry account linked to the email address Ms. Drake provided
      within her BBB complaint contains a semi-annual World Explorer membership and is
      set to renew on November 29, 2024, for $229. This account contains a family
      tree as well as her DNA results.

      It should be
      noted that an Ancestry account cannot have both a World Explorer and a US
      Discovery membership being billed at the same time. If Ms. Drake is receiving two
      different billings, it would indicate that the duplicate charge is stemming
      from a different account which would need to be linked to a different email
      address. Therefore, we would recommend that Ms. Drake consider whether she may
      have initiated an account with an alternate email address.

      As this may be
      the case, we would need to know whether Ms. Drake wishes to cancel the World
      Explorer membership on the account containing her DNA results, or if she wishes
      to cancel the US Discovery subscription on the duplicate account so that we may
      continue with her request. She may contact us at ****************************** for further context or with further questions.

      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
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/29/2024

      Type:Billing Issues
      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 recently interested in learning about my family tree, so I got a subscription to Ancestry.com. I fully acknowledged that it would charge my card after the 14 day free trial. I was willing to pay the first $16 charge for an additional month to do more digging, so I refrained from cancelling my subscription immediately after the free trial. I went to cancel my subscription before the end of that first month (to avoid a second month charge) and was charged a $25 cancellation fee. I was also still in the 30 day ***** period that was supposedly going to protect my bank account from this cancellation fee. I had every intention of renewing my subscription once I had more time to sit down and fully take advantage of the website and what it had to offer, but after this fee was charged I have many doubts about this site.

      Business Response

      Date: 08/30/2024

      Title: Kaity, Executive Office Response Team
      Contact Phone:**************
      Contact Email: ******************************************

      August 30, 2024

      RE: ************************* -- 22212654

      To Whom It May Concern,

      Thank you for forwarding Ms.******* ********* to us. At Ancestry, we are committed to providing excellent customer service and hold our customers satisfaction in the highest regard.

      Our records indicate that **************** initiated a free trial for a US Discovery subscription and chose the option of a semi-annual subscription billing monthly. The full six-month price for the subscription type chosen was billable monthly at $16.50 per month plus applicable tax. The subscription type also stipulates that a $25 cancellation fee will be incurred upon early cancellation, or the remainder of the full subscription price, whichever is less. The following information is provided to the member during the checkout process when ordering the free trial and entering credit card information. It is located above the button clicked on to start the subscription:

      By clicking Start membership, you agree that:

      Automatic Renewal: You will automatically be charged $16.50 plus applicable taxes every month during your 6-month subscription. Your subscription will automatically renew beginning [date of 6-month ending] until you cancel. To cancel your subscription, visit My Account or contact us at least two days before your membership renews to avoid being charged for the next billing cycle. After 14 days, if you cancel before the end of your subscription, you may be charged a cancellation fee of up to $25.

      Additionally, this information is provided in the free trial order confirmation email sent to the member after signup in the section detailing the membership they initiated.

      However, as a courtesy to ****************, we have made an exception to these refund policies and processed a refund for the cancellation fee of $25 back to the account originally charged. The confirmation number for this transaction is *********. 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 **************** becomes interested in researching or saving her family history, she may continue to use the free services found on Ancestry even now after her subscription has ended. 

      If you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at **************.

      Sincerely,

      Kaity
      Executive Response Team
      Ancestry
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/28/2024

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      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 signed up for the service on a three month trial. Attempted to cancel prior to the end of the trial period and was unable to do so. The link in my account settings has never worked and repeated calls went unanswered. I tried to cancel again today and was finally successful, however they will attempt to charge my card again because I was unable to speak to or receive a call back from them for the prior week. They are deceptive regarding cancellation, the link in account settings does not work. There are several complaints regarding this. And once you get a hold of someone, they attempt to draw it out with upselling. The only thing I want now is assurance that my card will not be billed again. If they make it nearly impossible to actually enact a cancellation, they should not be allowed to profit.

      Business Response

      Date: 08/30/2024

      Title: Kaity,Executive Office Response Team
      Contact Phone: **************
      Contact Email: ******************************************

      August 30, 2024

      RE: ***************************** 22210376

      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. 

      Our records show that ******************** purchased a DNA kit in February 2024 and bundled the purchase with a quarterly World Explorer membership for only $1 more. Notification was provided that if not cancelled, it would be charged on a quarterly basis until cancelled. However, the membership was not cancelled and rolled into a paid membership on May 27, 2024.

      It should be noted that calls to our toll-free support line at 1-800-ANCESTRY do not go unanswered. If there is a queue, the caller is placed on hold until an agent is available. Additionally, members are able to cancel online within their account settings. However, our records show that ******************** did not call our support line until August 28th.

      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 was terminated effective upon her cancellation call on August 28th, 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
      Ancestry

      Customer Answer

      Date: 09/03/2024

       
      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

      Sincerely,

      *****************************
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/27/2024

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      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.
      LifeStory’ defaults to Chester Township, Pennsylvania for all my family members born in Chester, Pennsylvania. This has been going on or about during COVID. I have been calling since, but just started documenting my calls below. I should not have to pay for Ancestry showing incorrect information. I refuse to share my tree because of the incorrect information. All your Helpdesk has been kind and professional, but nothing seems to happen to correct this issue. The last call I made they refused to provide free monthy service telling me I already had a year of free service, but still no fix. I feel I should be refunded for all the years this problem existed. PLEASE fix this issue. Thanks.

      Call 10 February 2022 @ 5:44pm
      Called 22 July 2022
      Called 1 November 2022
      Called 27 February 2023
      Called 21 November 2023
      Called 2 January 2024 Case 17483423
      Called 23 February 2024 LifeStory still showing Township Case Number 17749138
      Called 9 March 2024 LifeStory still showing Township
      Called 23 April 2024 LifeStory Showing Township
      Called 5 July 2024 LifeStory Showing Township

      Case Number #’s
      1******** ********* ********* ********* ********

      Business Response

      Date: 08/30/2024

      Title: Kaity, Executive Office Response Team
      Contact Phone: 1-800-262-3787
      Contact Email: [email protected]

      August 30, 2024

      RE: Everett
      Coleman -- 22206295

      To Whom It May Concern,

      Thank you for forwarding Mr. Coleman’s complaint to us. At
      Ancestry, we are committed to providing excellent customer service and hold our
      customers’ satisfaction in the highest regard. 

      We sincerely regret any frustration this matter may have
      caused. We are aware of the concerns described and wish to assure Mr. Coleman
      that his feedback has been received. Please note that we receive a large volume
      of feedback for Ancestry. Due to the volume of submissions, feedback and/or
      requests for Ancestry are posted firstly in the order of those which affect the
      greatest number of users, and thereafter in the order in which they are
      reported. This also depends on employee resources. For these reasons, we are
      unable to provide a timeframe as to if or when these changes will be made.

      Our records show that Mr. Coleman does not currently have a
      paid membership. While we strive to ensure the site and products are working as
      intended, we are unable to guarantee functionality at all times. The Ancestry
      Terms and Conditions state “…we provide the Services and the Ancestry Content
      to you on an “AS-IS” basis…We do not make any promises (a) about the Ancestry
      Content, (b) about User Provided Content, (c) about the specific functionality
      of the Services, (d) about the quality, accuracy, reliability, or availability
      of the Ancestry Content or Services…”

      We generally do not state the status of website updates and
      edits we are aware of and working on or contact each member about enhancement
      requests that have been implemented. We appreciate his patience and
      understanding and regret if it has impacted his experience working on his
      genealogy.

      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
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/26/2024

      Type:Billing Issues
      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 signed up for a free trial from ancestry.com Unfortunately, I forgot to cancel and so I was charged $34.97. I immediately jumped on the phone to cancel and remove the charge, but customer service said there was nothing that could be done. In fact, because I had to cancel they required that I pay an additional $25 cancellation fee. A typical business would realize that this is against the spirit of the contract. I am not using the services for an additional month, so why charge the $34.97? And are you really going to charge a cancellation fee under these circumstances? I request a return of my $59.97.

      Business Response

      Date: 08/30/2024

      Title: Kaity, Executive Office Response Team
      Contact Phone:**************
      Contact Email: ******************************************

      August 30, 2024

      RE: ******************** -- 22198076

      To Whom It May Concern,

      Thank you for forwarding Mr.********* ********* to us. At Ancestry, we are committed to providing excellent customer service and hold our customers satisfaction in the highest regard.

      Our records indicate that ******************** initiated a free trial for a World Explorer subscription and chose the option of a semi-annual subscription billing monthly. The full six-month price for the subscription type chosen was billable monthly at $32.99 per month plus applicable tax. The subscription type also stipulates that a $25 cancellation fee will be incurred upon early cancellation, or the remainder of the full subscription price, whichever is less. The following information is provided to the member during the checkout process when ordering the free trial and entering credit card information. It is located above the button clicked on to start the subscription:

      By clicking Start membership, you agree that:

      Automatic Renewal: You will automatically be charged $32.99 plus applicable taxes every month during your 6-month subscription. Your subscription will automatically renew beginning [date of 6-month ending] until you cancel. To cancel your subscription, visit My Account or contact us at least two days before your membership renews to avoid being charged for the next billing cycle. After 14 days, if you cancel before the end of your subscription, you may be charged a cancellation fee of up to $25.

      Additionally, this information is provided in the free trial order confirmation email sent to the member after signup in the section detailing the membership they initiated.

      However, as a courtesy to ********************, we have made an exception to these refund policies and processed refunds for the monthly charge of $34.97 and the cancellation fee of $25. These refunds have been issued back to the account originally charged. The confirmation number for this transaction is *********. 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 ******************** becomes interested in researching or saving his family history, he may continue to use the free services found on Ancestry even now after his subscription has ended. 

      If you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at **************.

      Sincerely,

      Kaity
      Executive Response Team
      Ancestry

      Customer Answer

      Date: 08/31/2024

       
      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

      Sincerely,

      ********************
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/26/2024

      Type:Billing Issues
      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.
      December, 2023 joined Ancestry. Have never been able to connect to a real person. Have been charged $32.99 anyway even after asking to be cancelled. Have not been able to use at all. My DNA is in there too and I cant get to it.Please advise.*******************************

      Business Response

      Date: 08/26/2024

      Title: Kaity,Executive Office Response Team
      Contact Phone: **************
      Contact Email: ******************************************

      August 26, 2024

      RE: ******************************* 22194752

      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. 

      If ******************* has questions regarding her account, she may contact our customer support team by calling our toll-free number at 1-800-ANCESTRY. If she no longer has access to the email address linked to the Ancestry account containing her DNA results, she may wish to call the toll-free number to verify her account so that she may update the login credentials and regain access.

      Our billing system allows us to issue refunds for charges that occurred within the last 13 months. Therefore, as a courtesy to ********************,we have issued 13 refunds in the amount of $32.99 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 ****** account, 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
      Ancestry
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/22/2024

      Type:Billing Issues
      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.
      In June 2024 I signed up for a free trial membership at Ancestry.com I accidentally signed up for a 6-month subscription which I attempted to cancel. I was unable to cancel on their website and upon contacting customer service I was told that I had not actually signed up for a subscription. Now, two months later I see that my credit card has been charged for a subscription. I again attempted to cancel on the website, but the cancellation button was not active on the webpage until this morning. At that point I received a message that I would be charged an early cancellation fee. The membership fee was $21.99 and the cancellation fee is $25.00. I would not be responsible for either of these had I not been lied to on the first day.I would also point out that the cancellation process is difficult even when the button is available as there are multiple attempts to either maintain the subscription or change it to a different plan..

      Business Response

      Date: 08/26/2024

      Title: Kaity, Executive Office Response Team
      Contact Phone:**************
      Contact Email: ******************************************

      August 26, 2024

      RE: *********************** -- 22181553

      To Whom It May Concern,

      Thank you for forwarding Mr.Minchs complaint to us. At Ancestry, we are committed to providing excellent customer service and hold our customers satisfaction in the highest regard.

      Unfortunately, we are unable to locate any contacts from ************** prior to the contact from August 22nd, 2024. We therefore regret any incorrect information which may have been provided to him prior to that time if the agent was unable to locate his acocunt.

      Our records indicate that ************** initiated a free trial for a US Discovery subscription and chose the option of a semi-annual subscription billing monthly. The full six-month price for the subscription type chosen was billable monthly at $21.99 per month. The subscription type also stipulates that a $25 cancellation fee will be incurred upon early cancellation, or the remainder of the full subscription price,whichever is less. The following information is provided to the member during the checkout process when ordering the free trial and entering credit card information. It is located above the button clicked on to start the subscription:

      By clicking Start membership, you agree that:

      Automatic Renewal: You will automatically be charged $21.99 plus applicable taxes every month during your 6-month subscription. Your subscription will automatically renew beginning [date of 6-month ending] until you cancel. To cancel your subscription, visit My Account or contact us at least two days before your membership renews to avoid being charged for the next billing cycle. After 14 days, if you cancel before the end of your subscription, you may be charged a cancellation fee of up to $25.

      However, as a courtesy to **************, an exception to these refund policies was made and refunds were processed for the monthly charge of $21.99 and the cancellation fee of $25 during his phone call on August 22nd. These refunds have been issued back to the account originally charged. The confirmation number for this transaction is *********. 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 ************** becomes interested in researching or saving his family history, he may continue to use the free services found on Ancestry even now after his subscription has ended. 

      If you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at **************.

      Sincerely,

      Kaity
      Executive Response Team
      Ancestry
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/22/2024

      Type:Product Issues
      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 keep reading Ancestry.com's commitment to its customers, which is not the experience I had. I originally signed up for a free trial, which extended into a $***** per quarter membership, to which I did not intend to commit. I noticed the charge on my CC and disputed it, which was unsuccessful for the reason that I had signed up for some type of "recurring charge." All of which, I understand could have been credited towards my inaction to actually cancel the product on their website itself, which I never intended to or did in actuality use beyond the initial free period.Ancestry, due to the dispute was obviously aware of that, but chose to keep charging me as the next ***** per quarter appeared on my CC. Now, I went to their website to directly cancel the service I had not taken advantage of, with the intention to cancel the recurring payment directly.When trying to cancel the membership to which I presumably agreed, it stated "technical difficulties" and asked to call a number. Now, after the few steps, I had taken previously, this seemed oddly "shady," since when it comes to cancellation it somehow does not work.When I was connected to the customer **** she informed me that company policy is to charge for the 3 month term, that started 2 days prior to my call, instead of refunding the amount in its entirety or partially. Thus, the policy is to force customers to use services for an additional 3 month, less 2 days, in my case. Now I would asked any reasonable and logical person, which customer that cancels a service under the above stated circumstances, would want to continue using the "provided services?" I would presume none, which therefore must lead to the conclusion, that the company is willing to force services upon customers for reasons, that cannot be explained by good customer service, or providing a quality product. I allege predatory and deceiving tactics to keep the funds that were collected under questionable pretenses in the first place.

      Business Response

      Date: 08/23/2024

      Title: Kaity,Executive Office Response Team
      Contact Phone: **************
      Contact Email: ******************************************

      August 23, 2024

      RE: ********************************* 22180201

      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 ************************ initiated a quarterly subscription on our website on February 19th, 2024, for only $1. On April 18th, we sent him an email reminding him of the upcoming membership renewal which contained instructions on cancelling the membership if he wished to do so. However, the subscription was not cancelled and automatically renewed. We are currently unable to locate a transaction that indicates that the charge was reversed by his card-issuing bank. Because his subscription was not cancelled, we again sent him an email on July 19th regarding another upcoming renewal, but his membership was again not cancelled and automatically renewed.

      We sincerely regret any problems ************************ may have encountered while attempting to cancel his membership online. Under normal circumstances, the errors he describes do not occur, but may be affected by high traffic.

      As a courtesy to him, we have issued 2 refunds in the amount of $99.95 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
      Ancestry

      Customer Answer

      Date: 08/23/2024

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

      Additionally, I would like to note, that as Ancestry had noted in their response, by stating the following: At Ancestry, we are committed to providing excellent customer service and hold our customerssatisfaction in the highest regard.
      It seems, as the customer *** I had spoken with originally, that company policy prescribes for the unwanted membership to have to continue until the p***aid Fee has been used up, is not in line with the above-mentioned statement of holding customers satisfaction in the highest regard. Only when customers are going to the lengths of having to reach out to BBB, for a refund of funds related to future unwanted performance of "services," noted by the vendor as a courtesy, seems a little counterintuitive at best.
      I do appreciate the refund of both, the first 3-month fee as well as the 2nd one, whereas the time on the first one had already lapsed, which I certainly agree ***resents courtesy and providing good customer service, but again only when it comes to escalatory procedures such as this.
      Therefore, I would respectfully suggest to Ancestry.com, to consider changing their company policy on partial or full refunds on membership fees that automatically renew, for unused membership time, at the time of cancellation.
      Further I would like to note, that when free services as per Ancestry.com stated last paragraph to my complained, that the freeactually means taking advantage of our customer data, by selling the underlying analysis of free data, to third party vendors, or advertising to customers by catering to them, using aforementioned data to sell and create advertisement revenue thereof. Stating to provide free services, is misleading as the customer is not paying cash, but certainly data to be used for no other purposes than creating additional revenue.  
      Sincerely,

      ******

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/22/2024

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      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 was given an ancestry DNA kit. I requires a computer and I don't own one. This is not a clearly stated prerequisite. I am d, i barely figured this out.Contacting a person is impossible a d the ai is stupid at best.This is theft!

      Business Response

      Date: 08/23/2024

      Title: Kaity,Executive Office Response Team
      Contact Phone: **************
      Contact Email: ******************************************

      August 23, 2024

      RE: ******************* 22178372

      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. 

      ************ has indicated that the *** kit he received was given to him as a gift. Therefore,we regret that the purchaser did not note that website access would be required and did not notify him of that fact.

      Typically, returns of *** purchases incur a $15 restocking fee. As a courtesy to him, we have waived the fee and issued a refund in the amount of $49.95 back to the account that was originally billed. The confirmation number for this transaction is *********. 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 you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at **************.

      Sincerely,

      Kaity
      Executive Response Team
      Ancestry

      Customer Answer

      Date: 08/23/2024

       
      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. All will be well once the stated refund appears.

      Sincerely,

      *******************
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/22/2024

      Type:Billing Issues
      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've been round and round with ancestry. I have at least 19 pay pay charges from them. I did not see these on my bank account. I'm trying to close my ******* But I came across these charges. I did use this service years ago. I closed it because I didn't use their sevice. I really am taken back by these surprise charges. Please help. I cannot log into an account that has a open account.

      Business Response

      Date: 08/26/2024

      Title: Kaity,Executive Office Response Team
      Contact Phone: **************
      Contact Email: ******************************************

      August 26, 2024

      RE: *************************** 22178136

      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 **************** contacted our customer support team via Chat in September of 2023 stating that she had emergency surgery. Our agent offered to cancel her subscription, but **************** did not respond. We have no record of any further contacts from her to our support team to indicate a "round and round."

      Our billing system allows us to issue refunds for charges that occurred within the last 13 months. Therefore, as a courtesy to ****************,we have issued 13 refunds in the amount of $24.99 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
      Ancestry

      Customer Answer

      Date: 08/27/2024

       
      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

      I thank you for your understanding and responce

      Sincerely,

      ***************************

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