Find Ancestors

BE AWARE .... BE AFRAID ... see below ......

If you have subscribed and paid to use Name Indexes - currently available online, then please be VERY CAREFUL. The company offering the service (for which we are paying ) are MONITORING every single account. If they believe that your useage is HIGH, then they suspend your account and YOU have to proove that every name you have looked up is ON YOUR FAMILY TREE - otherwise YOU get FINED £5 for every name you can not proove as your own. One member on Genes is being threatened with a £6000 fine at the moment, having an unusually high useage. Problem is, that this member is TOTALLY INNOCENT and does NOT do lookups for others. The company expect you to send a gedcom file to them with your tree on it, so they can use your tree against the list of names that YOU have searched for .... any names that don't match are charged £5 each. It seems that the company don't need to have 'spies' ... they simple monitor your usage and keep your searches on there own database for reference. One way round this, would be to keep a seperate list of all names searched for, so if ever asked for names on your FT, then include all these along with a few of your own. Another thought to consider, NOT everyone keeps the FT on PC ... I don't, mines on paper, so I couldn't send a gedcom, they would have to accept a list of names that I say is on my tree....... This problem is NOT going to go away. Please be very careful. Elaine :-(

If anyone wants to know the name of the company being referred to .... then please send pm to me and I will reply as soon as I can. I don't want to put the name on the boards.. as it would be publicity and advertizing. Elaine :~)

Surly if its like the transcriptions on census's you have to look at other names for mistranscriptions. Julie

Hi Julie, I'm sure they would take this into account. It's a variety of different names ... I'm assuming. Elaine :-)

Sounds like Twaddle to me - surely it wouldn't be legal - you're signing up for a service, how you use it is entirely up to you (unless there's a specific mention of the £5 charge in their terms and conditions, in which case, I'm sure you'd tell them where to get off when joining!). They might have a case if many IP addresses have been logged, then it's a case of suspending that password - I can't see how a fine would ever stand up legally. Martin

Call it what you want Martin, but legal or not, until someone challenges it in court, then I'm afraid this is what is happening .... to more than one person at the moment that I know about. No one has handed any money over yet, as this information only came to light Friday just gone. I will keep everyone posted on progress, if I myself am kept upto date. As I've said .... as long as you only do lookups for yourself then we have nothing to worry about. I am subscribed with the company in question, but I have nothing to fear - forewarned is forearmed. Elaine :-)

Martin, i do not think anybody reads the small print when using any family history resorce cd or internet, it states clearly that you can only do personel research for youre own research and forbid look ups for other people, you can not just pay your money and do as you like with these resources, and as i have said before Fine may be the wrong word, car leasing companies offten put a limit on milage per year and if you put more miles on than allowed the extra you owe them steeply rises, so i could see this site charging additional fees for all look ups that arent in your family tree, just like the video shop will charge you extra if you dont take a film back on time, they no when people are doing look ups and not personall research, they will have logged several hundred none related names. it is so easy to dismiss these things as most did who illegaly used Ancestry Plus. like downloading music it seems ok, all people on here advertising Ancestry look ups are breaking the terms, but they have not took to logging yet, you will find this is one of the few sites you can advertise look ups on, other sites know its illegal to allow this.

Here are the 'NEW' terms and conditions, Terms & Conditions To ensure fair access to all we impose the following conditions: Use of the service is strictly limited to personal use (except Professional Premium subscriptions, see below). Access will be available for one computer and browser only. If you change your computer/browser you will be given the opportunity to register the new one. Your account will be suspended if you do this more than three times. We reserve the right to impose a usage limit and the right to suspend the service in cases of misuse. Providing a look-up service will cause immediate suspension without refund. Those proven to be using our service to provide a look-up service will be liable to a charge of £5 per distinct name for which they have searched. We will endeavour to ensure that the service is available, but we cannot guarantee access. Content list of all-inclusive subscriptions is subject to change. Professional Premium subscriptions are for professional genealogists offering a service to research a full family history not simply looking up one or more names on request. It may not be used to offer a look-up service and such use will cause immediate suspension of the subscription without refund. Cancellation of all-inclusive subscriptions must be made by in writing (by letter/email) at least two weeks before the next payment due date. Cancellations will not take effect before the end of any minimum sign-up period. To prevent abuse of this service we reserve the right to change these terms and conditions without notice. Definitions: Look-up: Looking up information in our databases on behalf of others, whether or not for payment ****Just a little bit more info .... by clearing out your cookies, you are affectively changing your computer/browser .... **** I clear my cookies at least once a month, I'm currently on my LAST warning. I will be suspended next time I clear out cookies and try to log on to the Name Index site ~ and I will have to contact them during office hours to be reinstated. Elaine :-(

I had a subscription to this site and only looked at the 1851 census images for Chorley, lancs the images where so crap and slow to load, it was real hard work to use, i decided after a couple of gos to waste the money paid and did not use it again and never would.

I dont use the site concerned but would have a problem if I did. I sometimes use the family PC and sometimes use my laptop for my research. Why only using one IP address? A lot of people have more than one computer in the house. I am prepared to wait for Ancestry to get all of the census. In my opinion it is the best site on the Internet. I know there are some wild transcription errors, but it doesnt cost anymore to keep looking. Margaret

I agree Margaret, Gary, I only subscribed for Lanc's 41, as it says it's COMPLETE. Me being so impatient, couldn't wait for Ancestry '41 .... but I'll be patient enough for 51 to come on Ancestry....hopefully some time VERY soon !!!! Ancestry is the best site I have ever subscribed to, well worth the money paid, and well worth waiting for the updates ! I'll never look back now ~ couldn't live without Ancestry ! Elaine :-)

I subscribed to their London 1841 index for 3 months. The problem is the reference you get is not the census reference but the reference for their own CDrom set, so you need to shell out £50 to get the census set for the reference to work. Wait for Ancestry, mistranscriptions and all.

Yes Dave, That IS a big problem, and it came to light some weeks ago, and when no-one could find the people being searched for - even WITH the reference .... I had exactly the same problem myself the other day. I wrote them an e.mail and today, they credited my account with 20 credits ... because they admit the reference number IS wrong.... but they will rectify it immediately. ! Elaine :-)

Seems ironic the number of people still wanting lookups from the name indexes,do they not bother to read the threads .Or do they just not care as long as they get their free lookup.I for one wont be risking my subscription again.

I agree Isy, maybe more people should buy there own subscription and pay for there own reserach ..... HOWEVER, there is one site that I need to go and check the Terms and Conditions for again ......... because as far as I understand, they do NOT restict your use of the name indexes .... and if this is the case, then that site can be used (although its not 100% yet with all counties). I have just heard that someone else has had their account suspended (partially). Elaine :-)

Hi Elaine If you pay to say Ancestry or Durham Records Online surely it should be up to the person who has paid ... ... your money and all that.... .... and it should be up to the individual to use up the credits as they see fit... just like 1837 online government site.. if you have credits left over, offer them over to others to use up in that timeline.. you as an individual has paid for them.... Hrmmm.. Best thing is I dont just use my comp at the moment either... Maureen

Maureen, wrong just because you have paid your money you can not do as you like, you can pay your money for a music cd, but you cant do copies of it for your freinds, and you can't set speakers up in the street and broadcast it to the public. people find it hard to understand the restrictions on these things, Ancestry would havs a dickey fit if they saw what goes on, on here, other sites will deleate your postings if it has been copyed and pasted from a website. its like the other day i paid £2 to park my car in a car park, but changed my mind, i offered the ticked i had paid for to somebody who had Pulled Up, he said no thanks, if they spot you on the camera giving me the ticket, they will come and put a £60 fine on my car, you cant transfer the ticket to sombody else, so just because you have paid for something dose not always allow you to do as you like with it

Blinkin 'eck Gary, Which car park do you use ? ....I always hand my tickets on, and accept those handed to me !!!!! What is this world coming to. Have just been told that it is now printed on certain census disc's that it is ILLEGAL to RESELL Census Disc's ........ funny, cos the same company selling these disc's are the same company being referred to regarding this thread ........ Come on Ancestry .. lets have both 1851 and 1841 at our disposal .... maybe everyone will buy their own subscriptions to Ancestry and all this silly business will be over and done with.... Elaine :-)

Big Brother watching over us Elaine. i know they have to protect themselves,(they must be losing a lot on sales of census CD's with more and more sites offering 1851 and 1841 online) but surely they must realise they are likely to lose more customers by applying these conditions than they would by allowing people to use there searches as they like. I've got a couple of people I'd like to look up on Lancs but I wont bother buying a subsription now knowing I'm just going to have to let credits go to waste when I've found what I'm looking for. Jacqui