DNA Test Results - Comparisons - Italian & Scandinavian?

[hmserge]

Hello everyone. 

My AncestryDNA results were:

69% Great Britain
22% Europe West
5% Ireland/Scotland/Wales
Low Confidence:
3% Scandinavia
1% Finland/Northwest Russia

I downloaded my Raw DNA Data to Myheritage and FTDNA , the results were:

Myheritage:
47.8% Scandinavian
43.6% English
5.4% East European
3.2% Italian

FTDNA:
47% British Isles
46% Scandinavia
7% Southeast Europe

I think ancestrydna's results are completely different to  myheritage and FTDNA's results.
My question is 'would you say East European, Italian, southeast Europe are the same as Europe West? (Would Italy and East Europe come under Europe West) I'm confused.

I've not traced any Italians in my family tree, why did this not show up in ancestry's results too? 
It would be lovely to have Italian roots but could this DNA result be a mistake?

As for the high percentage of Scandinavia I suppose this could be as most of my family are from Yorkshire and east anglia, but if so wouldn't it have shown as a higher percentage with ancestry instead of 3%?

Which company would you say is the most accurate?

It would be great to hear about other people's results from different companies too, have yours been different?

Sorry for all the questions.

Thank you for reading
 

[rlw254]

Funny, I have sort of the opposite. I am 25% Italian by paper trail yet DNA results gave me low Italian numbers and a bit of Scandanavian which I have no hints of in my tree currently.

You should really take the regions given by DNA analysis with a grain of salt. It's better to trust your paper trail and see what comes up that way then to assume the generalized regions assigned to you are representative of your actual heritage.

[KGarrad]

As I said in another thread (and IMHO) it's a triumph of Marketing over Accuracy?

[rlw254]

It's smart marketing. People take the numbers for face value if they want to learn nothing more, but this isn't the reason to get your DNA analyzed IMO. The value comes in comparison with databases for reaching out to matches. Not everyone wants to invest the time to do the research.

[hmserge]

Thank you for both your replies.
It is exciting getting your results but like you say it's best to take the results with a grain of salt. 
I think the Scandinavian result from FTDNA and myheritage is far far too high, no idea how they'd even come up with this result. 
Shame I didn't have loads of 'dead ends' in my tree as maybe these would give me answers, hmm more research over Christmas and the new year I think 

[Maiden Stone]

I'm confused. Why distinction between " Great Britain" and "Scotland and Wales"?

[hurworth]

I'm confused. Why distinction between " Great Britain" and "Scotland and Wales"?

I think a permit was required if you wished to take your DNA across Hadrian's Wall , unless you were Roman.

[Maiden Stone]

I'm confused. Why distinction between " Great Britain" and "Scotland and Wales"?

I think a permit was required if you wished to take your DNA across Hadrian's Wall , unless you were Roman.

I am of Rheged. I need no permit. My DNA crossed freely north & south and east & west across the Irish sea and across the Pennines.