Why my results are not back yet?

[M.O'Connor]

darroll nobody needs defending.

Yes..everybody is nice folks... All I want is what I paid for.


I have a few days left of this latest... 3 week wait time.

[lgmayka]

So has there been any progress in the last few days on the reported recalibration of panels? My project has seen no new results, except for a few mtDNA tests, in the last 5 days. Here is a list of our tests now overdue:

DeepSNP-R1a, 3/13
HVR1+HVR2, 8/23
yDNA 38-67, 8/28
DeepSNP-I, 9/4
yDNA 13-25, 11/1
yDNA 48-60, 11/1
yDNA 26-37, 11/8
yDNA 26-37, 11/8
yDNA 26-37, 11/8
yDNA 38-67, 11/13
yDNA 38-67, 11/13
FGS (mtDNA full sequence), 11/13
FGS, 11/13
yDNA 26-37, 11/15
yDNA 26-37, 11/15

And of course, more are coming due on 11/20, 11/22, 11/24, etc.

Again, this list does not include DeepSNP tests for which (only) partial results have arrived.

[Paul_Sheats]

One of my project members got the first 12 of his 37 markers back today. A very small indication that things are moving... perhaps?

[Booj]

1%...?

Wow, after reading some of the posts and seeing so many lates (some back to 3/3 due date), it's hard to believe that all of these make up only 1%. I, unfortunately, am in the "1%" with a 9/11 due date permanently posted on my personal page. For the argument that FTDNA sends out emails, let me say that for my pending MTDNA REFINED test, I have never received an email. In fact, any info that I have gotten regarding why my results are late have been from calling, which probably adds up to the amount that I paid for the test. And each time that I called, I got the same answer of "one or two more weeks". I understand that if it has to be reran, it will be late. So, my thinking is this: There would not be so many of those purple, upside down smile faces in these posts if a message under the due date on the personal page said "unknown date" or "reran", etc.
L3e1*
MTDNA Complete
REFINED MTDNA Pending

[darroll]

For the argument that FTDNA sends out emails, let me say that for my pending MTDNA REFINED test, I have never received an email. In fact, any info that I have gotten regarding why my results are late have been from calling, which probably adds up to the amount that I paid for the test. And each time that I called, I got the same answer of "one or two more weeks". I understand that if it has to be reran, it will be late. So, my thinking is this: There would not be so many of those purple, upside down smile faces in these posts if a message under the due date on the personal page said "unknown date" or "reran", etc.
L3e1*
MTDNA Complete
REFINED MTDNA Pending

Does FTDNA have your E-Mail address?

[Wallander]

My SNP's and those of three friends of mine must be extraterrestrial or something worse, given the fact that in November 19th our "Pending results" tab still show the same good old message:

DeepSNP-R1b(DSNP-R1b) 06/09/2006 batch 147
Your test is now in process at the lab and results are expected to arrive by June 9th.

Then, Max Blankfeld has written in this forum: "Our rates of undelivered results after 2 months fall to less than 1%". It's beyond any statistical probability that four people who know themselves do fall within this 1%, after 5 months.

We understand your reasons and difficulties. Yes, yours is not an easy task. But please, could you update our "Pending results" schedule? Something like "Relax and do not wait for your results till 2010". It would be a great improvement...

Wallander (and his friends) Batch 147

[darroll]

My SNP's and those of three friends of mine must be extraterrestrial or something worse, given the fact that in November 19th our "Pending results" tab still show the same good old message:

DeepSNP-R1b(DSNP-R1b) 06/09/2006 batch 147
Your test is now in process at the lab and results are expected to arrive by June 9th.

Then, Max Blankfeld has written in this forum: "Our rates of undelivered results after 2 months fall to less than 1%". It's beyond any statistical probability that four people who know themselves do fall within this 1%, after 5 months.

We understand your reasons and difficulties. Yes, yours is not an easy task. But please, could you update our "Pending results" schedule? Something like "Relax and do not wait for your results till 2010". It would be a great improvement...

Wallander (and his friends) Batch 147

Our latest testing is in batch 177.

The results are expected in early December. You should contact FTDNA and yes they can be E-Mailed. They do most of their business on the NET.
Do you check your E-Mail?, because the results are E-Mailed.
I do realize that some should trade in their computer for a play station.
And I can understand their problems as being self inflicted.

Come on........... Batch 147... Are you on the right web page?

Give us some proof so we can be of some help.

[Rick]

Our latest testing is in batch 177.

The results are expected in early December. You should contact FTDNA and yes they can be E-Mailed. They do most of their business on the NET.
Do you check your E-Mail?, because the results are E-Mailed.
I do realize that some should trade in their computer for a play station.
And I can understand their problems as being self inflicted.

Come on........... Batch 147... Are you on the right web page?

Give us some proof so we can be of some help.

Don't see how you can be of any help, but here's your requested "proof", straignt from my "pending results" page. By the way I've been in frequent email contact with ftdna. They are nice folks, but that hasn't gotten the tests done.

DeepSNP-R1b(DSNP-R1b)
04/24/2006
143
The following SNP’s have not yet produced a clear result and are in the process of retesting: M37, P66



Y-Refine37to67(Y-DNA48-60 Markers)
10/16/2006
168
The following SNP’s have not yet produced a clear result and are in the process of retesting: M37, P66

[darroll]

Quote from FTDNA's web site.
A very small percentage of the tests do not return conclusive results during the first run. In other words, those samples did not produce a reading that would allow for our lab to determine with 100% certainty the values for one or more markers. When this happens we re-test the sample. This procedure is repeated up to 3 times after the initial test fails (one more time with Vial A, and if ( the result is still inconclusive, 2 additional times with vial B). if ( at the end of the process we cannot determine reliable results (extremely small percentage of cases), this is generally attributed to a poor scraping, in which case we send you vials C and D for a new scraping. End Quote.

This whole conversation is silly. What part of this procedure do you not
understand. Maybe some just want to holler fowl. I’m getting tired of
reading complaints day in and day out from people that just love to complain and not give us any further information.

[Jim Barrett]

You Got It Right!

Darroll,

You got it right. The results are late because FTDNA is trying to be sure that the results are correct.

For those who want quick results please go to a company that doesn't care any more about the accuracy of your results than your complaining indicates you do!

I know there are some people out there who won't like my message, but the truth hurts. I'll agree that FTDNA could do a better job of keeping us posted about late results, but that really isn't much to complain about. If you are only 10 years old, that means you have already gone 10 years without knowing your results, even another year isn't going to make any difference.

[lgmayka]

What part of this procedure do you not understand.

Your quote was entirely irrelevant to the issue at hand. You quoted the procedure for the initial testing of a sample. Once a sample has successfully produced results, FTDNA has given no good explanation of how it can "go bad" for the next test.

The true answer seems to revolve around two issues:

1) Some of FTDNA's tests, particularly for SNPs, are marginal, and often fail to produce results. This has nothing to do with the quality of the scrape, but rather with the fact that human cells show some variability and a test that works correctly on most will fail on some. In research, it is easy to simply discard such samples and assume/hope that one's statistical conclusions are not affected thereby. In a commercial enterprise, one cannot 'discard' customers so easily. Thus the dilemma.

2) FTDNA seems to have some difficulty maintaining the quality of extracted DNA over time. This is a common problem in research labs. But again, a research project can simply dump a sample that has gone bad and collect a new one, or even change its focus to accommodate the samples that are still good. In contrast, a commercial lab cannot 'discard' customers without risking its reputation, and even asking the customer for a new sample carries some risk. What if the customer angrily asks what happened to the earlier sample? What if the customer was elderly and has died, and his family is now more eager than ever for results?

I don't know the 'right' answer to these questions, but I know that customers are unhappy with the lack of information as to what the real problem is.

[Johnserrat]

Our latest testing is in batch 177.

The results are expected in early December. You should contact FTDNA and yes they can be E-Mailed. They do most of their business on the NET.
Do you check your E-Mail?, because the results are E-Mailed.
I do realize that some should trade in their computer for a play station.
And I can understand their problems as being self inflicted.

Come on........... Batch 147... Are you on the right web page?

Give us some proof so we can be of some help.

The above comment is useless and rude. FTDNA is a commercial operation, not a non-profit organization. Their failure to adequately communicate with their clients is probably costing them business and justifiably so. I have ordered many tests and very few have ever arrived on time. This has not been my experience with other organizations, who delivered the same results as FTDNA but on time. This is a chronic problem with FTDNA.

If FTDNA cannot reliably deliver its results on time, put back the dates. Instead of telling me to expect my results on Nov. 24/06 tell me that my results will arrive on Dec. 24/06. That way if I receive them early I will be happy, instead of being aggravated every day that they are late without explanation.

Waiting for deep SNP results since APRIL? I hope Rick is getting this test for free.

John

[MMaddi]

This whole conversation is silly. What part of this procedure do you not understand. Maybe some just want to holler fowl. I’m getting tired of
reading complaints day in and day out from people that just love to complain and not give us any further information.

Darroll,

Let me tell you a little story, which is true.

Since I live in Houston, I was at part of FTDNA's conference here a few weeks ago. One session I sat in on was the question and answer session. Someone asked a question about the late SNP results for P66 and M37, to which Rick referred to above from personal experience. Bennett Greenspan answered the question with a reply that gave some hope that those results would start rolling in. From the audience I spoke up to say that just that day two members of the Sicily Project, of which I'm a co-administrator, had received their full SNP results, including P66 and M37. The man sitting next to me asked me if I was being paid by FTDNA. Of course, I wasn't. I was just stating a fact.

The point of my story is that I'm not one to bash FTDNA as so many are ready to do. You can't put me in that category. So when I say that FTDNA can do a better job in communicating with its customers about problems with tests and samples and late results, you can trust that I'm not trying to bash FTDNA or complain just for the sake of it.

I do happen to agree with Jim Barrett's post above that people should be patient, but also note that he said the same thing that I did - FTDNA should do a better job of communicating with its customers about delays.

So why don't you lighten up and stop being rude to people who complain about the delays and virtually accuse them of being in a conspiracy to bring down FTDNA with their complaints?

Mike Maddi

[darroll]

Darroll,

So why don't you lighten up and stop being rude to people who complain about the delays and virtually accuse them of being in a conspiracy to bring down FTDNA with their complaints?

Mike Maddi

I know of an organization that wants to control ALL of genealogy (they now do) and now this group wants (all) DNA testing and record keeping.
If this happens we are in trouble.
The word conspiracy keeps popping up, is this what THEY call it?
Ask me in mid Dec. if our family’s latest tests are on time. FTDNA has never been late before with any of our many test results. If any of the above is true, Shame On Them. Play the game, but play it fair.

[Jim Barrett]

I was at the same Houston conference that Mike mentioned above. And I was in the same session that he mentioned. We paid to attend the conference and we paid for our own accommodations. We were there because we are interested in what FTDNA is doing.

Unfortunately a few of their customers don't understand the business they are in. A few customers thing ordering a leading edge product from FTDNA is the same as ordering a TV from Sears. I order it today and I pick it up tomorrow. The fact it the business that FTDNA is in is more like the business NASA is in. They plan a space shoot one day, but often it gets delayed over and over again. NASA tries to deliver their product on time and safely. It doesn't always happen.

Fortunately, when FTDNA fails to deliver their test results on time it doesn't cost us our lives. They are offering us leading edge products. Products that are just being developed and things don't always go the way they want them to. If you want your results on time order the original 12 marker kit and be happy with the results. If you want to order leading edge products then expect delays. As their customer become more knowledgeable they will complain less. For those few who decide to go elsewhere it will be their loss not FTDNA's.