Important information
- Customer Complaint:Consumers should be aware that Ancestry.com/MyFamily.com uses an auto-renewal process that automatically charges the consumer for another year membership if the member does not cancel prior to the anniversary date. BBB files also indicate this business has a pattern of complaints concerning shipping/handling override coupon codes not being accepted.
Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Ancestry.com's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 843 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 251 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.
Initial Complaint
Date:08/08/2022
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I started a FREE trial with company. Before the end of trial I went to account and ended subscription. After a couple months I notice several charges from ancestry.con totaling close to $100. So I contacted them and they stated that they would cancel subscription and give me refund. So I thought this was done issue No they only refunded me for one month not the previous two months. When I called the representative back they said since they already gave me credit they couldnt help me further. Buyer beware they will lock you in contract even if you cancel subscription. Dont start a free trial unless you are willing to pay a couple hundred dollars
Business Response
Date: 08/12/2022
Title: ******, **************** Response Team
Contact Phone: **************
Contact Email: [email protected]
August 12, 2022
RE: ********************* -- 17688583
To Whom It May ********************* you for forwarding Mr.Wilsons complaint to us. At Ancestry,we are committed to providing excellent customer service and hold our customers satisfaction in the highest regard.
On April 7, 2022, **************** signed up for a free trial of the semi-annual billed monthly World Explorer membership. On April 22, 2022,since the membership had not been not canceled, the subscription became active and charged the account $35.67. This same amount was charged again on May 22,2022 and June 22, 2022. Our records indicate that **************** contacted our support team on July 6, 2022 to cancel his subscription, as a courtesy to him the early termination fee had been waived and he had been refunded the most recent charge.
As a courtesy to ****************, we have allowed a one-time exception to our refund policy, and have issued refunds totaling $71.34 back to the account that was originally billed. The confirmation number for this transaction is *********. With this, all charges subsequent to the free trial have been refunded. Please note that it can take between **** business days for these funds to become available within their financial institution, depending on their refund policies and procedures.
We always appreciate any opportunity to assist our members in discovering, preserving and sharing your family history. If at any time in the future **************** becomes interested in researching or saving his family history, he may continue to use the free services found on Ancestry even now after his subscription has ended.
If you have any questions regarding this or any other matters pertaining to Ancestry, please do not hesitate to contact us at **************.
Sincerely,
******
Executive Response Team
AncestryCustomer Answer
Date: 08/15/2022
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
*********************Initial Complaint
Date:08/08/2022
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
My husband started a 3 month trail for a *****. I made a reminder on my calendar to cancel the membership before the renewal. Renewal was on 8/6, I canceled on 8/5. I got a charge for $85 with some change on 8/7 for the renewal fee. I contacted them via chat since it was the weekend, telling them that I had cancelled but still got charged but they kept asking me for a cancellation number which I never got. I told them I wanted a refund, because I did go in and cancel and they told me they can't without the cancellation number. This was for my husband's account under *******************Business Response
Date: 08/12/2022
Title: ******, **************** Response Team
Contact Phone: **************
Contact Email: [email protected]
August 12, 2022
RE: *************************** -- 17688339
To Whom It May ********************* you for forwarding Mrs. ******* complaint to us.At Ancestry, we are committed to providing excellent customer service and hold our customers satisfaction in the highest regard.
As a courtesy to *****************, we have made an exception to our refund policy, and have issued a refund in the amount of $85.07 back to the account that was originally billed. The confirmation number for this transaction is *********. The access to the databases associated with this membership has been terminated effective immediately, and the account in question will have no future billing from Ancestry. Please note that it can take between 3-5 business days for these funds to become available within their financial institution, depending on their refund policies and procedures.
We always appreciate any opportunity to assist our members in discovering, preserving and sharing their family history.
If you have any questions regarding this or any other matters pertaining to Ancestry, please do not hesitate to contact us at **************.
Sincerely,
******
Executive Response Team
AncestryCustomer Answer
Date: 08/15/2022
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
***************************Initial Complaint
Date:08/07/2022
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Ancestry.com had a 3 month trial offer for $1 and cancellation policy of at least 2 days prior to expiration to avoid $79.xx payment for continuing the subscription. I cancelled well ahead of that 2 days and when the trial ended I was indeed charged for continuing the subscription. There is no recourse to address this issue online in any form other than a chat session that does not accept/assist questions to resolve this situation.Business Response
Date: 08/12/2022
Title: Rachel, Executive Office Response Team
Contact Phone: ###-###-####
Contact Email: [email protected]
August 12, 2022
RE: *****
***** -- ********
To Whom It May Concern,
Thank you for forwarding Mr. *****’s complaint to us. At
Ancestry®, we are committed
to providing excellent customer service and hold our customers’ satisfaction in
the highest regard.
Our records show that Mr. ***** purchased the DNA kit +
World Explorer membership bundle on May, 5, 2022. This offer discounted the
World Explorer membership to $1.00 and was set to automatically renew at the
regular price after three months. Our last correspondence with Mr. *****
occurred on July 2, 2022 in regard to accessing his family tree. Since the
membership was not canceled, the subscription renewed at the regular price of
$79.95 on August 6, 2022.
As a courtesy to Mr. *****, we have made an exception to
our refund policy, and have issued a refund in the amount of $79.95 back to the
account that was originally billed. The confirmation number for this
transaction is***-***-**** The access to the databases associated with
this membership has been terminated effective immediately, and Mr. ***** will
have no future billing from Ancestry. Please note that it can take between 3-5
business days for these funds to become available within their financial
institution, depending on their refund policies and procedures.
We always appreciate any opportunity to assist our
members in discovering, preserving and sharing your family history. If at any
time in the future Mr. ***** becomes interested in researching or saving his
family history, he may continue to use the free services found on Ancestry even
now after his subscription has ended.
If you have any questions regarding this or any other
matters pertaining to Ancestry, please do not hesitate to contact us at
###-###-####.
Sincerely,
Rachel
Executive Response Team
AncestryCustomer Answer
Date: 08/15/2022
Better Business Bureau:I did cancel and due to there being no recourse and/or ability to correspond with ancestry in any manner I was forced to go this route. In the future I would hope they improve their customers opportunity to contact them in a more business like fashion. Thank you so much BBB!
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
***** *****Initial Complaint
Date:08/05/2022
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
My father, ***********************, was listed on Ancestry.com without my knowledge and consent. I am his heir and I requested the removal of my father's record from the Ancestry website. The company refused to remove the record. Here is the URL:https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/***********************-24-gnp6ky I should not have to tolerate this gross invasion of privacy. Please get Ancestry.com to remove *************************** record from its site. Thank you.Business Response
Date: 08/12/2022
Title: ******, **************** Response Team
Contact Phone: **************
Contact Email: [email protected]
August 12, 2022
RE: *********************** -- 17675778
To Whom It May ********************* you for forwarding Ms.Ardens complaint to us. At Ancestry, we are committed to providing excellent customer service and hold our customerssatisfaction in the highest regard.
As a courtesy to **************, we have made an exception and removed the record in question from our databases.These changes will be reflected in the next site update, which will occur, at the latest, within the next 30 days.
Deletion of an individuals personal data in accordance with their request is not an acknowledgement of any particular legal basis on which Ancestry is processing a members personal data.
Ancestry does not control the original record, which may be publicly available through other sources after it is removed from Ancestry. Living individuals need to contact the group or person with authority over the original record and the other sources to have the record removed from those systems.
We always appreciate any opportunity to assist our members in discovering, preserving and sharing your family history.
If you have any questions regarding this or any other matters pertaining to Ancestry, please do not hesitate to contact us at **************.
Sincerely,
******
Executive Response Team
AncestryInitial Complaint
Date:07/29/2022
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I contacted them via chat to cancel July 20th and was told I would get refunded ***** that they charged on that day. Today I was charged an additional ***** again called them. And no resolution they want me to send in my conversation with their representatives. I never used the service and canceled it numerous times. I want my refund. It was unauthorized charges.Business Response
Date: 08/05/2022
Title: ********************** Response Team
Contact Phone: **************
Contact Email: [email protected]
August 5, 2022
RE: Ms. ******* **** 17644336
To Whom It May ********************* you for forwarding Ms. ***** complaint to us. At Ancestry, we are committed to providing excellent customer service and hold our customers satisfaction in the highest regard.
We are unable to locate a cancellation via chat connected to the account in question from July 20, 2022. However, as a courtesy to Ms. ***** we have issued two refunds in the amount of $63.83 back to the account that was originally billed.The confirmation number for this transaction is *********. The access to the databases associated with this membership has been terminated effective immediately, and there will be no future billing from Ancestry. Please note that it can take between 3-5 business days for these funds to become available within their financial institution, depending on their refund policies and procedures.
We always appreciate any opportunity to assist our members in discovering, preserving,and sharing their family history. If at any time in the future Ms. **** becomes interested in researching or saving their family history, they may continue to use the free services found on Ancestry even now after their subscription has ended.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at **************.
Sincerely,
Kaity
Executive Response Team
AncestryInitial Complaint
Date:07/27/2022
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Ancestry kept charging my credit card even after I canceled my membership and told them not to. I tried to remove my card information. There is no way to do it. This is completely slimy and goes the corporate core of this company. In addition, their call center is in ***** and they do not have the ability to reverse charges. Again a very slimy operation. As such, I want to file a complaint. I have also filed a complaint with my credit card company and canceled my credit card that they have on file so this can't happen again. They need to credit me back my hard earned money and make changes in the way they do business. Again, not allowing people to delete their own credit card information is ridiculous and slimy and should be illegal.Business Response
Date: 08/01/2022
Title: ********************** Response Team
Contact Phone: **************
Contact Email: [email protected]
August 1, 2022
RE: Mr. ************************* 17633473
To Whom It May ********************* you for forwarding Mr. ******** complaint to us. At Ancestry, we are committed to providing excellent customer service and hold our customers satisfaction in the highest regard.
Our records indicate that ****************** had enrolled in 6-month World Explorer membership on August 26, 2021. A notification email was sent to him on March 26, 2022,regarding the upcoming renewal of his subscription which was scheduled for April 26th. Ancestry has no record of phone calls from ****************** during this time and no cancellation was completed online previous to his subscription renewal on April 26th. ****************** subsequently did not contact us until July 27th regarding his subscription.
Although Ancestry does not have call centers in *****, we do employ American agents as well as other agents who speak English and also assist with foreign-speaking support queues. We have forwarded Mr. ******** feedback regarding his experience. Phone agents are able to cancel and refund subscriptions within our cancellation and refund policy. However, in this case, Mr. ******** cancellation fell outside this policy.
As a courtesy to ******************, we have issued a refund in the amount of $149 back to the account that was originally billed. The confirmation number for this transaction is *********. The access to the databases associated with this membership has been terminated effective immediately, and there will be no future billing from Ancestry. Please note that it can take between 3-5 business days for these funds to become available within their financial institution,depending on their refund policies and procedures. Additionally, all information related to his payment details has been queued for deletion and will be completely removed from our systems within 30 days.
We always appreciate any opportunity to assist our members in discovering, preserving,and sharing their family history. If at any time in the future ****************** becomes interested in researching or saving their family history, they may continue to use the free services found on Ancestry even now after their subscription has ended.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at **************.
Sincerely,
Kaity
Executive Response Team
AncestryCustomer Answer
Date: 08/02/2022
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
*************************Initial Complaint
Date:07/27/2022
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I was not given any type of notice of renewal for this charge. I do not want nor need this service and they were very unhelpful to come to a resolution.Business Response
Date: 08/01/2022
Title: ********************** Response Team
Contact Phone: **************
Contact Email: [email protected]
August 1, 2022
RE: **************** *********************** 17624254
To Whom it May ********************* you for forwarding Ms. ****** complaint to us. At Ancestry, we are committed to providing excellent customer service and hold our customers satisfaction in the highest regard.
Our records indicate that ************** purchased a 3-month World Explorer subscription along with a DNA test on April 26, 2022. A reminder regarding the upcoming renewal of the subscription was sent to ************** on June 25, 2022. Shortly after the reminder was sent, it appears that ************** also chose to download her raw DNA data on the same day, June 25th.However, the membership was not cancelled before it automatically renewed on July 26th.
However, as a courtesy to **************, we have issued made an exception to our cancellation and refund policy and issued a refund in the amount of $79.95 back to the PayPal account that was originally billed. The confirmation number for this transaction is *********. The access to the databases associated with this membership has been terminated effective immediately, and there will be no future billing from Ancestry. Please note that it can take between 5-7 business days for these funds to become available within their financial institution,depending on their refund policies and procedures.
Please note that notwithstanding the refund and cancellation of the membership, ************** will continue to have access to her DNA results posted to her Ancestry account.
We always appreciate any opportunity to assist our members in discovering, preserving,and sharing their family history. If at any time in the future ************** becomes interested in researching or saving her family history, she may continue to use the free services found on Ancestry even now after her subscription has ended.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at **************.
Sincerely,
Kaity
Executive Response Team
Ancestry
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