How satisfied are you with your DNA test experience?

[sugarfizzle]

The level of satisfaction probably depends on your original expectations.  I'm not interested in the ethnicity side - it's the genealogy that interests me.

I'm very satisfied, even though the original query/puzzle hasn't been solved yet.  But in time I'm sure it will.  Sure, there's people that don't reply, but every now and then I receive a reply to a message I sent months earlier. 

I sent a message to my then 4th closest match in October last year, no reply​.  Having now dropped down to 6th, all 5 previous ones confirmed matches, I had given up hope. This week she replied, apologizing for delay. Said she would ask her Dad.
So after 6 months I still know nothing other than her father's surname!  I live in hope.

Regards Margaret

[sugarfizzle]

I have read here a lot of comments from people saying that they try to contact DNA matches and get no response. One suggestion for this would be the fashion for giving a DNA test as a present to somebody. Quite often that person might not have any interest in their family history. If somebody gave me money as a present I would be very grateful and exploited fully but at least one of my siblings would have no interest whatsoever.

Martin

All of which is true. However, it might save us and any possible contactees time and effort if Ancestry gave a tick box beside each DNA match with an option to indicate whether someone wanted to be contacted - or not. They could change their preferences at any point in the future if they developed an interest in their own genealogy.

In two minds about this. It is possible now in DNA settings to opt out of matching and seeing your own matches. I am grateful that not many people appear to do so, though there could be hundreds of matches that we don't know about.

A lot of my confirmed matches at ancestry have no interest in genealogy, including a 2nd and 3rd cousin who I knew nothing about. If they had checked a box, or altered their DNA settings, I would still know nothing about them. They may have interesting stories to tell about mutual great and 2G grandparents, photos to share etc.

Yes we need TICK boxes
or something to say 'viewed'  sorted or not useless or not.. riduculous or not.

I use the note section to indicate that the match is confirmed, then add a yellow favourite star, or note that the match has no tree, small tree, private tree, whatever. Message sent and date, whether replied or not, shared matches with others, possibilities for surname or place match, etc, etc.

Blue dot is supposed to indicate matches you haven't looked at before, but this doesn't always work properly, adding a note is the best way to tell if you have seen the match before or not.

Regards Margaret

[LizzyFaire]

I've read this entire thread, and I've learned a lot and am grateful for people who have shared their experiences. I went through ancestry.com, have contacted a few people, been contacted by a few more, but the most interesting exchanges have been adoptees. One fellow I was not able to give any help to, but another woman contacted me and eventually I was help because both my cousin and brother showed up in her DNA. She is an illegitimate child given up for adoption, and we've narrowed her mother down to one or another of my first cousins, once removed. At this point, her most viable option is to contact one of her "cousins" out of the blue, and hope they don't get freaked out.

Sadly, one of the second cousins I was in contact with seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth.

Through the info on this thread, I've learned to upload my DNA onto other sites and I am excited to see how that goes. Thanks all!

[brigidmac]

I.m very satisfied at the moment
am trying out a different technique searching for matches by surnames of my 5x grand parents.

just to see when people match as 5th or 6th cousin its actually true definition 

grandma's side first ..

so far so good the McKAYs had common 3rd cousins who I'd already contacted ...we were able o sort out tree details and DNA confirmed we had the right family ..as on trees many of  Donald mckay s have similar birth date place +marry women called Margaret or Mary


ours married a Mary HART b1819 ..and that surname  continues  as a middle name only
 til births in the 1950's  on my tree .

THis only works if people have big trees and are willing to open them .

Now doing the LOVE family which is even harder because margaret Love b 1834  had 3 children with 3 different men and didnt marry any of them ..so only people with william MUIR's DNA will be true 5th cousins with me descendants of her siblings should come up as 1 steps removed ....thats my theory anyway

so far this theory worked out and helped me identify my maternal grandmas birth grandfather
some  1st  2nd + 3rd cousins on trees are confirmed in DNA
and where there were half siblings it was 1 step less

[brigidmac]

some people dont check their messages when their subs run out or dont know that they can still reply

 my aunts  DNA  is on a site without   a  current subscription
I  manage the site
so can add to her trees and see details of her matches + look at their trees which she can not do herself without paying 

MESSAGE RESPONSE SUMMARY...IS it typical

 first message  Received  Nov 2013
(from ancestry welcome to site )

next message feb 2014
 from an english relative with same surname  remained inanswered til i took over in 2017
 (she responded  in   Dec 2017   we corresponded   in  feb 2018 ..)

next message RECEIVED nov 2017 ......(from myself to check how messaging works )


since April 20th and DNA results
 messages received from 1 scots relative who is also on Roots

messages sent 
to 7  other  people remain unanswered
 

but 2 are communicating directly with me and they  know i manage her tree

 
so i calculate that as an average of 3 out of 10

[Finley 1]

I do see the good points.

Not sure that Ancestry suits me nowadays.. too many alterations to format..

but that is me and I hate change.

However this is one of the matches I have and it seems a typical match..

HOW do they match...


they just have the same SURNAME

and then I was wandering through some of my records today and found a complete family match... on my side and a.n.other Ancestry member. 

They had done their DNA   but Ancestry says we do NOT match..

they are definite absolutely definitely a match..  for goodness sake.

Will recover the record and see what I can show on here later. 

But attaching the above so called match..


xin

[brigidmac]

How do you know they definitely match .one could be adopted or different birth father even if a couple are married ?

If you mean site doesn't show up a shared match between 2 people

 4 example one that shows for my mum but doesn't for me could just be cos it's a generation too far
But does match with mums cousins
.
Btw
I've not received invitations sent in message form to be a contributor and senders box showshow me up as 'not replied "   

I cant reply to so.ethical g i havnt seen

so maybe some other messages do t go thru

[Finley 1]

Yes regarding my 'definite' match.. I spoke to my cousin (who I have known all my life   ancestry didnt need to tell me about her  )
and she revealed a family secret... oooooo so maybe we are not such a definite match..

its all very surprising ..

this road of discovery is full of pebbles...and bends.

xin

[Finley 1]

Just had an email from a cousin

who has an Ancestry tree and has (so he tells me) done his DNA etc...

Now our relationship is that his Great grandmother is My Great grandmother 's  sister.

AND yet Ancestry says we are NOT a match.....


what a waste of money ...

So now -- do I have to investigate what my Great Gran got up to!  or what his Gt. Gran got up to.. does this mean that my Gran was not the daughter of my .................and on and on and on... for ever.  Not playing this game anymore..

Going back to the old fashioned way pre DNA

end of (that's a term my grandchildren use.. and it fits... )))

xin