Find My Past Focus Group

[Beeonthebay]

Did anybody else see the notice last week on Facebook's Find My Past page asking if people wanted to join a focus group for which they would pay travel expenses to London and lunch in return for some feedback in a group setting?

Well I responded as asked and was informed yesterday that I was one of the people chosen and also we would receive a 12 month subscription to Twile (whatever that is).

I emailed back and forth and booked a few days off work and was arranging today to stay over with a friend as I live in Cumbria. 

I've just received an email, 22 HOURS after the first one, saying that due to the high volume of numbers they are now not covering travel expenses but will offer refreshments and a 12 month sub to this Twile which BTW I got a 50% off offer for this morning as I have a 12 month sub to FindMyPast.

How unbelievably unprofessional is that!!!!  I'm so angry and now I have to get onto my payroll people and cancel the leave I had taken from work!!

[3sillydogs]

I would say so.  Why didn't they just inform the others that the number that they needed for the group had been reached and thank you for applying....

I wonder how many other folk are going to feel like you do and cancel. 

[Beeonthebay]

I would say so.  Why didn't they just inform the others that the number that they needed for the group had been reached and thank you for applying....

I wonder how many other folk are going to feel like you do and cancel.

I have no idea!!  I wrote a pretty scathing letter and haven't received a reply strangely enough. 

I've also cancelled the 3 days leave I had booked.  It's not so much that the train fare is too much, which it would be just for a few hours sitting in an office, it's the principle, why offer something you can't fulfil??

I've just been back on the FB page and just as I remembered they originally asked for 10 volunteers.

p.s.  It was last month, not last week.

[3sillydogs]

Logic should tell you then that the first 10 would be taken and the rest told that it was fully subscribed, or if they were looking for certain demographics still inform the rest that it was oversubscribed and thank you but better luck next time.

It could be that only those that won't have to pay for accommodation (ie live nearby) will end up attending.

Very frustrating...especially if you took the trouble to put in for leave and now have to cancel

[Beeonthebay]

Perhaps when they looked at the cost of train fares into London I was deemed to live too far away cost wise, as it would be for people from Scotland, Northumberland, etc, so if that *is* the case why wasn't somebody checking all this out before they made their offer?  Say a £50 voucher towards train travel or something. 

Whatever the reason may be, the above or high volumes, it's not a very efficient or organised way to run things.

[Beeonthebay]

Logic should tell you then that the first 10 would be taken and the rest told that it was fully subscribed, or if they were looking for certain demographics still inform the rest that it was oversubscribed and thank you but better luck next time.

It could be that only those that won't have to pay for accommodation (ie live nearby) will end up attending.

Very frustrating...especially if you took the trouble to put in for leave and now have to cancel

I said this in my letter to them about only locals attending or those with the means to spend a lot of money!  I mean who in their right mind would pay £80 for a train fare to sit in an office to discuss and make suggestions for THEIR product!!

[larkspur]

https://twile.com/

https://www.facebook.com/TwileTimeline/

https://blog.eogn.com/2015/06/02/announcing-a-new-genealogy-website-twile/

Thought it may be British but the prices are in Dollars. Another Tribal Pages maybe ? Just discovered it was started in 2013 and is based in Sheffield and Manchester. I may be wrong here, but I think it has been mentioned on here before. Not coming up on the search for me though.

[Beeonthebay]

https://twile.com/

https://www.facebook.com/TwileTimeline/

https://blog.eogn.com/2015/06/02/announcing-a-new-genealogy-website-twile/

Thought it may be British but the prices are in Dollars. Another Tribal Pages maybe ? Just discovered it was started in 2013 and is based in Sheffield and Manchester. I may be wrong here, but I think it has been mentioned on here before. Not coming up on the search for me though.

Thanks for those links, the 2nd one says it's £19.99 a year to join, hardly an incentive to pay for myself to go to London!!   

[Ray T]

Did you confirm to them that you intended to attend? If so, I suspect that you have a contract(*) with them and if they now wish to renege on it, you should be entitled to some form of compensation. Send them a sternly worded bill for your efforts and dissapointment which includes a "pay by" date.

*(i.e. They made an offer and you accepted.)