Just before I signed into Ancestry.com tonight, I thought to check on the reduced price webpage for an AncestryDNA test. It appears the reduced pricing of $49 is now over and the cost of an Ancestry DNA test is now back to $99.
If you missed it, I advise to checking the website often to keep an eye out for any future sales.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Update on: Thank You Ancestry.com for a Simple and Uncomplicated Refund
This is an update to my post on July 4th, "Thank You Ancestry.com for a Simple and Uncomplicated Refund for my Non-Processed Y-DNA and mtDNA Tests."
It's July 14th. The refund from Ancestry.com for my unused Y-DNA and mtDNA tests did not make my latest credit card statement so I was contemplating calling the card company to see if the refund had arrived after the statement was sent out.
But no need to do so.
Today's postal mail contained a check from Ancestry.com (written on July 10th) for the complete price I paid for both tests and the sales tax I paid. So the only thing I lost was $6.19 -- the cost of postage. I can deal with that.
Thank you, Ancestry.com.
We may not like that you exited the Y-DNA and mtDNA marketplace, but in our case your decision got our butts in gear. Our other tests are performed, mailed and being processed as I write. We have autosomal tests at both Ancestry.com and FamilyTree DNA. It will be interesting to see how the ethnicity reports of the two companies compare. I'm not expecting anything surprising or exotic though I do have a couple unknowns in Dad's side of the tree in the only non-German branch.
Hey, FamilyTree DNA how about a sale on the entry Y-DNA tests sometime this year? I may have the money now but I really like a deal.
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| Ancestry.com's retired test kits for Y-DNA and mtDNA. |
It's July 14th. The refund from Ancestry.com for my unused Y-DNA and mtDNA tests did not make my latest credit card statement so I was contemplating calling the card company to see if the refund had arrived after the statement was sent out.
But no need to do so.
Today's postal mail contained a check from Ancestry.com (written on July 10th) for the complete price I paid for both tests and the sales tax I paid. So the only thing I lost was $6.19 -- the cost of postage. I can deal with that.
Thank you, Ancestry.com.
We may not like that you exited the Y-DNA and mtDNA marketplace, but in our case your decision got our butts in gear. Our other tests are performed, mailed and being processed as I write. We have autosomal tests at both Ancestry.com and FamilyTree DNA. It will be interesting to see how the ethnicity reports of the two companies compare. I'm not expecting anything surprising or exotic though I do have a couple unknowns in Dad's side of the tree in the only non-German branch.
Hey, FamilyTree DNA how about a sale on the entry Y-DNA tests sometime this year? I may have the money now but I really like a deal.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Save Money on an AncestryDNA Test -- If You Access the Correct Page it Only Costs $49
I discovered this deal tonight July 11, 2014, while checking on the status of an AncestryDNA test that did not arrive at the same time as the other I mailed on the same day. Now, I don't know how long it has been this way or how long it will last.
If you've been thinking about taking an autosomal DNA test it seems Ancestry.com has lowered the price -- if you find the right page on its website.
If you are signed into Ancestry.com and click on the order button for an AncestryDNA test on either the DNA page or the Store page, you will see that the price of the AncestryDNA test is $99, the regular price.
BUT I discovered a different page when I signed out of my account while on my DNA page. After signing out, a page with lots of information on the AncestryDNA test came up but this page says the AncestryDNA test is now ... $49. That is a $50 savings from the regular price. I tried again to bring this page up without signing into Ancestry.com and I was able to get to it again.
At the Ancestry.com splash page do not sign in, click the Search at the top to bring up the traditional home page then click on the DNA tab and surprise the AncestryDNA information page with the $49 appears again!
Now if you click the order button from the informational page (where it says $49), it brings up a Create a Free Account page. BUT if you already have an Ancestry.com membership or user id, just click on the "Sign in here" which is in small type just under the Create A Free Account headline. Once you are signed in, you are taken to an order page and the price is .... $49.
I don't know if this is a marketing test or a foreshadowing of a change in the regular price.
You can save even more by using the free DNA shipping code -- FREESHIPDNA -- from RetailMeNot which is good until February 1, 2015. (This is the expiration date of the free shipping for DNA offer. I do not know how long this lower price on AncestryDNA will last.)
OF COURSE, you have to decide for yourself how you feel about Ancestry.com's commitment to DNA testing in light of its recent exit from Y-DNA and mtDNA testing.
I had two previously purchased AncestryDNA tests from before the June announcement which I finally preformed and mailed in for processing. I also have two equivalent tests (FamilyFinder) from FamilyTree DNA also purchased prior to the June announcement.
Would a price drop like this sway me? Maybe. In essence I could test two people for what would be the regular price of one test. Normally a good sale on this test is about $79. Testing with Ancestry.com may be beneficial if you have a tree (public or private) on its website.
Am I considering purchasing an AncestryDNA test at this $49 price? Yes, but I have not decided to do so yet partly because I have to consider who to test and the potential benefit to my research. And I have to consider that with FamilyTree DNA if I order a FamilyFinder (autosomal) test I can order an upgrade test (a YDNA or mtDNA) in the future usually without having to perform another test on the person I had tested.
Many DNA/genealogy experts suggest testing with each company because not everyone tests with each company and you may find a match on one site but not the other. Of course, not everyone can afford to do so. This lower price might make it easier.
DNA testing -- each of the three types Y-DNA, mtDNA, and autosomal DNA -- has proven to be a beneficial tool for genealogists. You just have to learn and know how to apply it.
NOTE: Just to be clear, no person or company asked me to write this or payed me to do so. It is something I discovered and thought others may be interested in knowing too. The opinions/purchase rationals I presented here are my own.
If you've been thinking about taking an autosomal DNA test it seems Ancestry.com has lowered the price -- if you find the right page on its website.
If you are signed into Ancestry.com and click on the order button for an AncestryDNA test on either the DNA page or the Store page, you will see that the price of the AncestryDNA test is $99, the regular price.
BUT I discovered a different page when I signed out of my account while on my DNA page. After signing out, a page with lots of information on the AncestryDNA test came up but this page says the AncestryDNA test is now ... $49. That is a $50 savings from the regular price. I tried again to bring this page up without signing into Ancestry.com and I was able to get to it again.
At the Ancestry.com splash page do not sign in, click the Search at the top to bring up the traditional home page then click on the DNA tab and surprise the AncestryDNA information page with the $49 appears again!
Now if you click the order button from the informational page (where it says $49), it brings up a Create a Free Account page. BUT if you already have an Ancestry.com membership or user id, just click on the "Sign in here" which is in small type just under the Create A Free Account headline. Once you are signed in, you are taken to an order page and the price is .... $49.
I don't know if this is a marketing test or a foreshadowing of a change in the regular price.
You can save even more by using the free DNA shipping code -- FREESHIPDNA -- from RetailMeNot which is good until February 1, 2015. (This is the expiration date of the free shipping for DNA offer. I do not know how long this lower price on AncestryDNA will last.)
OF COURSE, you have to decide for yourself how you feel about Ancestry.com's commitment to DNA testing in light of its recent exit from Y-DNA and mtDNA testing.
I had two previously purchased AncestryDNA tests from before the June announcement which I finally preformed and mailed in for processing. I also have two equivalent tests (FamilyFinder) from FamilyTree DNA also purchased prior to the June announcement.
Would a price drop like this sway me? Maybe. In essence I could test two people for what would be the regular price of one test. Normally a good sale on this test is about $79. Testing with Ancestry.com may be beneficial if you have a tree (public or private) on its website.
Am I considering purchasing an AncestryDNA test at this $49 price? Yes, but I have not decided to do so yet partly because I have to consider who to test and the potential benefit to my research. And I have to consider that with FamilyTree DNA if I order a FamilyFinder (autosomal) test I can order an upgrade test (a YDNA or mtDNA) in the future usually without having to perform another test on the person I had tested.
Many DNA/genealogy experts suggest testing with each company because not everyone tests with each company and you may find a match on one site but not the other. Of course, not everyone can afford to do so. This lower price might make it easier.
DNA testing -- each of the three types Y-DNA, mtDNA, and autosomal DNA -- has proven to be a beneficial tool for genealogists. You just have to learn and know how to apply it.
NOTE: Just to be clear, no person or company asked me to write this or payed me to do so. It is something I discovered and thought others may be interested in knowing too. The opinions/purchase rationals I presented here are my own.
Friday, July 4, 2014
Thank you Ancestry.com for a Simple and Uncomplicated Refund for my Non-Processed Y-DNA and mtDNA Tests
At the beginning of this June, Ancestry.com announced that it was retiring several of the websites it had purchased over the years AND its Y-DNA and mtDNA testing (referred to as LegacyDNA). I do not know how many people were affected by this elimination of Y-DNA and mtDNA testing, but I was one of them. The way I was affected though was probably different than most.
Back in 2008 we had bought the tests (on sale) to test a sister and brother. For various reasons we had not been able to perform and mail in the tests. Last year, sometime in the Spring-time, I had called Ancestry.com's customer service to make sure the tests were still valid. Since we had not performed the tests and the DNA would be fresh, the representative said yes the tests were still okay to use. I had hoped to perform the test shortly after that but it was not to be.
Fast forward to this June's announcement. At first I was devastated. Now what do I do? But then I started thinking of it as: well, if we had actually done the tests we would now be scrambling to download the data and screen capture the matches/potential matches and trying to figure out how to best handle the situation.
Ancestry.com had a phone number on the FAQ page for the LegacyDNA to call if your LegacyDNA test had not been processed. I could not call immediately because we were headed out on vacation. Once we returned the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack occurred that Monday and I thought I would give Ancestry.com some time to deal with the situation. I ended up not calling the phone number until June 27.
Though I had a wait over five minutes for a representative, I was really surprised by the experience. I honestly thought I would have to argue to get any money back. But that was not the case.
What happened was me saying that I called regarding the retirement of the Y-DNA and mtDNA testing and that I had one test of each that had not been processed. The representative responded with something like, "and you would like a refund." She took some information, verified that I was me and what I paid for the tests and put me on hold to fill in the refund form. (Yes, I had a copy of my purchase confirmation sitting in front of me so I could verify when and how much I paid for each test.) When she came back on the line she explained the refund process and what she could tell me of the timing of how long it would take for a refund. It was that simple. No arguing and no attempt to keep the money by offering me something else instead of a refund.
So hopefully, sometime this week or so my credit card will receive the refund and I will not have to change/update this post into a bad experience. The representative did caution if they had a problem crediting the credit card that they would then issue a check which would lengthen the time to receive the refund.
I hope others in similar situations as me have a good experience also.
With this event happening, it prompted us to actually perform the various autosomal tests (from Ancestry and FamilyTree DNA) that we have purchased and mail them in. Earlier this year I got a great price on a full-sequence mt-DNA test from another company so we made sure to perform that one too. It will be interesting to see what differences in ethnic heritage there may be between the two companies and their autosomal tests.
Now if FamilyTree DNA would offer a sale on its entry or mid-point Y-DNA tests as a "Come Join Us" offer, things will continue to be looking up.
Back in 2008 we had bought the tests (on sale) to test a sister and brother. For various reasons we had not been able to perform and mail in the tests. Last year, sometime in the Spring-time, I had called Ancestry.com's customer service to make sure the tests were still valid. Since we had not performed the tests and the DNA would be fresh, the representative said yes the tests were still okay to use. I had hoped to perform the test shortly after that but it was not to be.
Fast forward to this June's announcement. At first I was devastated. Now what do I do? But then I started thinking of it as: well, if we had actually done the tests we would now be scrambling to download the data and screen capture the matches/potential matches and trying to figure out how to best handle the situation.
Ancestry.com had a phone number on the FAQ page for the LegacyDNA to call if your LegacyDNA test had not been processed. I could not call immediately because we were headed out on vacation. Once we returned the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack occurred that Monday and I thought I would give Ancestry.com some time to deal with the situation. I ended up not calling the phone number until June 27.
Though I had a wait over five minutes for a representative, I was really surprised by the experience. I honestly thought I would have to argue to get any money back. But that was not the case.
What happened was me saying that I called regarding the retirement of the Y-DNA and mtDNA testing and that I had one test of each that had not been processed. The representative responded with something like, "and you would like a refund." She took some information, verified that I was me and what I paid for the tests and put me on hold to fill in the refund form. (Yes, I had a copy of my purchase confirmation sitting in front of me so I could verify when and how much I paid for each test.) When she came back on the line she explained the refund process and what she could tell me of the timing of how long it would take for a refund. It was that simple. No arguing and no attempt to keep the money by offering me something else instead of a refund.
So hopefully, sometime this week or so my credit card will receive the refund and I will not have to change/update this post into a bad experience. The representative did caution if they had a problem crediting the credit card that they would then issue a check which would lengthen the time to receive the refund.
I hope others in similar situations as me have a good experience also.
With this event happening, it prompted us to actually perform the various autosomal tests (from Ancestry and FamilyTree DNA) that we have purchased and mail them in. Earlier this year I got a great price on a full-sequence mt-DNA test from another company so we made sure to perform that one too. It will be interesting to see what differences in ethnic heritage there may be between the two companies and their autosomal tests.
Now if FamilyTree DNA would offer a sale on its entry or mid-point Y-DNA tests as a "Come Join Us" offer, things will continue to be looking up.
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