Results in 5-7 weeks - Batch 561

[RobertaMarques]

My results were delayed and would be ready on May 28th, 2014. Today I went to the site and it said "5-7" weeks.

What does that mean? 5-7 weeks from when?

[Gendal]

My results were delayed and would be ready on May 28th, 2014. Today I went to the site and it said "5-7" weeks.

What does that mean? 5-7 weeks from when?

I was due my backbone results on 27th. Now it says 1 to 4 weeks. No explanation why?

[PDHOTLEN]

Yeah, my SNP test was also changed to 3 - 7 weeks, or anyway ending with 7 weeks. But I'm in no hurry.

[RobertaMarques]

Today 7-9 weeks

I got a different date now. This is just ridiculous! I mailed my things in March.

"Recent increased demand" should not affect who sent their kit first. Or who order later is put in the front of the line?

I am not happy with this delayed. Really not happy. It was supposed to be ready on May/14. Now 7-9 weeks?

I guess if I cancel this one and start another one it would be faster. Nine weeks is LOOONG time.

[RobertaMarques]

The text says

Results for your mtDNA testing have been delayed. We have updated your predicted completion date, and action by you is not usually required. Note that predicted dates are an estimate and subject to lab volume and quality control.

There are several possible reasons for the delay.

- The first is elevated lab demand for this test.
- The second is the stringent standards for mtDNA testing on our miSeq next generation machines.
- Less commonly, your sample failed. In this case, if we have an unused vial in storage, we have begun extracting DNA from it.

If we need a new sample and do not have one in storage, we will mail another DNA kit to your address on file.

1) Elevated demand should not affect me, since I am in line since March
2) Wasn't stringent before, when I got my first estimate?
3) Why not say "yes" or "no" right way? So I can go ahead and send another one? How long does it take to find out the sample is useless or missing? What costs more, send another kit or having someone spending hours trying to find?

Not happy Roberta, Not happy.

[mattm]

Results for your mtDNA testing have been delayed. We have updated your predicted completion date, and action by you is not usually required. Note that predicted dates are an estimate and subject to lab volume and quality control.

There are several possible reasons for the delay.

- The first is elevated lab demand for this test.
- The second is the stringent standards for mtDNA testing on our miSeq next generation machines.
- Less commonly, your sample failed. In this case, if we have an unused vial in storage, we have begun extracting DNA from it.

If we need a new sample and do not have one in storage, we will mail another DNA kit to your address on file.

1) Elevated demand should not affect me, since I am in line since March
2) Wasn't stringent before, when I got my first estimate?
3) Why not say "yes" or "no" right way? So I can go ahead and send another one? How long does it take to find out the sample is useless or missing? What costs more, send another kit or having someone spending hours trying to find?

Not happy Roberta, Not happy.

I received the same message. I can understand a backlog for the new arrivals but the ones already undergoing processing should not be slowed.

[RobertaMarques]

6-8 weeks now

Do they have people that you can contact? I send a contact a while back and no response. This company is a mess.

[efgen]

Hi Roberta,

Sorry about the delays that you're experiencing with your test, and the long lead times. There are two things happening here:

* Apparently your test is indeed delayed. As the message stated, this could be a result of increased volume, or it could be that your test failed and needs to be re-run.

* We just switched our system to give completion estimates as a number of weeks rather than a precise date. In the past, when a test was delayed, we pushed the date out about 4 weeks. It seems that your estimate was pushed out 7-9 weeks with the new system (and it counts down each week, so that's why you see 6-8 weeks now). I'm wondering if that's a bug and the revised estimate should have only added 4 weeks, but I'll need to check on that.

3) Why not say "yes" or "no" right way? So I can go ahead and send another one? How long does it take to find out the sample is useless or missing? What costs more, send another kit or having someone spending hours trying to find?
Not happy Roberta, Not happy.

The lab has a very specific process that it goes through when a test fails:

* After the first failure, re-run the test using DNA from the same swab again. The failure doesn't necessarily mean the DNA sample is bad -- sometimes there's just one unclear result in an entire test, and a re-run gets a clear result the second time.

* If the test fails a second time, extract DNA from the second swab and re-run the test.

* If the test fails on the second swab, request new swabs from the customer.

Each re-test can take 3-4 weeks, since the lab has to go back to your sample, draw more DNA from it and go back through all the processing and analysis steps again. Re-runs do get priority, but the processing still takes time.

The lab doesn't know that your test is going to fail before the test is complete and the results are analyzed. And they don't send new swabs after just one failure because they already have a second swab in storage from you.

At this time, the myFTDNA site cannot provide an exact status automatically for each kit.

You can contact Customer Support and a staff member can check on the status with the lab. However, please be aware that Customer Support is working through a very high volume of email, so responses are delayed. You can call Customer Support by phone instead if you need an immediate response, though I understand the hold times are a bit long right now, so just be prepared for that.

http://www.familytreedna.com/contact.aspx

Elise

[RobertaMarques]

Thank you

Thank you. Now I know how it works and the vague information on my Waiting Results became more clear.

[paulanthony1976]

5-7 weeks? Lucky you, try 20 weeks!

Think yourselves lucky!

I ordered an L484 SNP test on the 18th February 2014 (Batch 557) and I am still waiting for my results!

According to 'customer services' my sample failed three times and they are re-running it for a fourth time, which will take ANOTHER 4-6 weeks minimum!

How difficult can it be to decide whether I test positive or negative? Twenty weeks? Really?

Come on FTDNA pull your finger out!