Pointless messages from Genes Reunited

[Nick Carver]

Every now and again GR sends me a message saying "Is so and so your ancestor?" Check on 1901 census. Well, as far as I know this is all to encourage people to buy credits for 1901 lookups so I wonder if there is any way I can stop these pointless messages coming out? They know I have an ancestor of this name because I have identified him as such on their website, so the likelihood of me needing a lookup is rather remote. I can see why they want to do it, but I hope they can also see why I want them to stop doing it. Any tips?

[jillruss]

At least yours was the name of one of your ancestors!!

I received a similar message the other day for someone with a surname that doesn't even figure in my tree!!

I just regard these emails as collateral damage - and delete them. Genes provides the odd contact and I have received a lot of help, so - all in all - it's worth the hassle!

Jill

[kerryb]

I would be most interested to see if you get a answer to this one Nick because it annoys me too.

Jill  I regularly get "hot matches" for names not remotely like anything in my tree! 

Kerry

[nanny jan]

I had one of those "is this your ancestor" messages recently;  a female born about 50 years before 1901 census.   She would not have been found under that name as she had been married several years by 1901.

I emailed GR and asked if I could be removed from this "service"; no reply so far.

Nanny Jan

[Paul E]

GR seems to have turned itself into an income generation machine.  It's a shame  and, if the owners of the site aren't turning in their plush, velvet-lined graves (only because they're not dead yet!) I bet they're feeling a little bit queasy at what ITV have done to GR since they took it over.

Paul

[Gadget]

I solved the problem of e-mails from GR by not notifying them of a change of e-mail address. I still have the old one but only go in when I use dial-up. I do a lot of deleting when I do 

I gave them up after the first few months because they were sending me cold matches. I've had two worthwhile contacts in 4 years.

Gadget

[Paul E]

Then you and I are in a minority of 500,000. by the looks of things, Gadget! 

I think I'll take my tree off GR now that I've finally worked out their tactics. 

cheers

Paul

[Mair]

I never did fully register as such ....

the only contacts were on my then married name  and the parting of the marriage waves was finally over years ago which was amended on the log in!

.... and I still get the reminders! 

Give them 10/10 for tenacity to keep the marriage together!

Not

J

[millymcb]

Hi All....

I must have been REALLY lucky with GR.  I found my first relative (actually a 3rd cousin who had also found 2 other cousins) within 48 hours of signing up and then 4 more 3rd cousins from another line - and then quite a few more distant connections since then who I have been able to share bits of information with.   (Don't mean to sound like one of their adverts here!)

I am also on Ancestry and have not been in touch with anyone through that. I find GR to be a little more useful as it is still very much British based so the name matches are more likely to be for the same family rather than a name match somewhere in USA. As the site grows I imagine this will become less true.

So ...as far as contacts goes I think it has been very useful. 


As for my views on it's merits for searching, storing your tree or value for money..... well as my grandmother used to say "If you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all"