Expected dates and lab delays

[LynCra]

Well that was a novel way at looking at how a company should handle its paying customers. I doubt if you will find many people agreeing with you. I certainly do not.

[grahcom]

Have been testing with FTDNA since 2009 with over 50 tests, only had 2 so far take much longer than they predicted. Of the over 30 tests ordered in the past 4 months so far all bar 1 have come in on/under time predicted, (with 9 still undergoing testing) the 1 outstanding is markers 1-12 of Y111 batch 592. So overall while I think FTDNA could improve (and I think it's now doing better) they haven't done too bad by me. Anyone needs to ring they should expect they may have a long wait, so use Skype or similar, cost me less than 3c per min to ring FTDNA from Australia. Another tip is if you send email expect to wait 10days or so in busy time for a reply, don't email every day as thaat just creates more work and longer backlog.

[win123]

disappointed

Some people give FTDNA's delays a pass. I used to believe their reasons, but now I am starting to lose confidence.

Does anyone know for sure if the lab is working weekends and evenings to catch up with backlog? Has anyone received their results over the weekend or in evening hours?

Waiting 3 months for a test is not acceptable nor efficient. If I knew that up front I would have looked for another company. While I can sympathize with FTDNA's supplier issues, as a customer it is not my problem. Why should I have to endure the burden? Would you give the same leeway to your internet provider if they kept you waiting for months to fix your internet access?

[ekc123]

Some people give FTDNA's delays a pass. I used to believe their reasons, but now I am starting to lose confidence.

Does anyone know for sure if the lab is working weekends and evenings to catch up with backlog? Has anyone received their results over the weekend or in evening hours?

Waiting 3 months for a test is not acceptable nor efficient. If I knew that up front I would have looked for another company. While I can sympathize with FTDNA's supplier issues, as a customer it is not my problem. Why should I have to endure the burden? Would you give the same leeway to your internet provider if they kept you waiting for months to fix your internet access?

I agree. The wait time is not the issue. I have had some good experiences with FTDNA in the past and have been a customer since around 2005. I've had some tests arrive before the projected completion date and I've had to wait for over five months for at least one test.

Nevertheless, misrepresenting the availability of a product (i.e., continuing to market and sell the product as usual when the company had, in reality, temporarily ceased production due to a permanent supply issue in order to upgrade and test a new workaround procedure) is not okay in my book, and I must not be alone in thinking this since there are state laws in the unfair trade practice statutes which prohibit this very sort of thing - misrepresenting the quantity, quality, or availability of a product or service. Not only did the company not give current and potential customers notice of the supply issues, it continued selling the yDNA tests as if they were being processed in the normal manner. It had to have expected delays and a huge backlog since it was running a sale at the end of last year. Rather than being upfront and risk losing sales, the company chose to continue to promote the yDNA test and transfer its risk of running into supply problems to the customer. That is unacceptable and needs to be both remedied and addressed by the company, especially with regard to those directly affected by the delays.

As I said, some seem to think the company deserves a free pass to do whatever it wants since it offers products and services in a technical field, but I see no reason to view the issue any differently than any other retail business selling its products over the Internet.

[MikeP]

I think the biggest deficiency is not telling people when processing has actually begun for their sample. I would be more patient if I knew that, for example, processing for y-dna for batch 604 had begun the week of March 8th. Then I would have an estimated delivery date with some credibility. They could even, upfront say that the expected date to begin processing is, for example, March 1st and update when processing actually starts ...

[ekc123]

My results are in today

I received my final panel today for my yDNA 111 upgrade. Thank you to Darren for checking on the status of my order. I was in batch 601.

I would strongly suggest to the company that it devise a means for notifying customers of potential delays in order to avoid many problems and headaches in the future. In my own case, it wasn't the waiting that frustrated me but rather the lack of notice about what was going on with the supply issues and with regard to my sample.

Hopefully the others who are waiting will receive their results soon. I like many things about the company, but it would really benefit from designating someone to communicate directly with customers via its website in a notice section or something along those lines.

[Tenn4ever]

I received my final panel today for my yDNA 111 upgrade. Thank you to Darren for checking on the status of my order. I was in batch 601.

What was the panel you were waiting on?

[ekc123]

What was the panel you were waiting on?

I was waiting on the last 8 markers for my yDNA 111 upgrade. I believe it was panel 86-93. With the arrival of the results for that panel, I now have all my results. The final results showed up sometime on 3/1. Are you still waiting on y results?

[E19463]

... Are you still waiting on y results?

Different from yours my batch is not 601, it is an even older one, it is 598 and different from your yDNA-111 I am only testing yDNA-37 but despite all that I am still waiting... and waiting... and waiting...

[Daemon2017]

381905, Batch 605 - FF.

I understand the company: They are leaders in their field and during the discounts they received a lot of orders. I'm ready to wait.

But I can't understand 2 things:
1) Is it hard to update the approximate date of receipt of the results? I still see "02/04/2015 - 02/18/2015". It's depressing.
2) Why they sending the results of 606, 607 and 608 batches, when not yet ready 604 and 605?

[Tenn4ever]

I was waiting on the last 8 markers for my yDNA 111 upgrade. I believe it was panel 86-93. With the arrival of the results for that panel, I now have all my results. The final results showed up sometime on 3/1. Are you still waiting on y results?

The Y111 upgrade I am waiting on is batch 603 but I don't really expect it for at least another couple weeks. I'm not really complaining about that. I just wondered what panel it was that you were waiting on. 86-93 is still out on my kit too, plus 38-67.

[win123]

waiting and waiting ......no communication

I am happy for those that are getting their results. My kit is in batch 603 (Y-37). I have received nothing. Should I have received the Y-12 and Y-25 panels? This is depressing. I feel that FTDNA has failed me with their lack of response and openness. I used to promote this company to others before but now feel very unhappy with this experience. I am wondering if they have even started processing my kit. For all I know it could be waiting to be processed. There is no way of knowing anything.

[E19463]

I am wondering if they have even started processing my kit. For all I know it could be waiting to be processed. There is no way of knowing anything.

It is like "Warten auf Godot" as we use to say in German.

[Tenn4ever]

I am happy for those that are getting their results. My kit is in batch 603 (Y-37). I have received nothing. Should I have received the Y-12 and Y-25 panels? This is depressing. I feel that FTDNA has failed me with their lack of response and openness. I used to promote this company to others before but now feel very unhappy with this experience. I am wondering if they have even started processing my kit. For all I know it could be waiting to be processed. There is no way of knowing anything.

I've had 5 Y37 kits. Four of those kits had all the panels come in the same day...not separately. With the fifth kit I received results one day for the first 12 markers and then the next day the next set and then the third day the last set. I don't know why that particular kit was different than the others.

[dna]

It is like "Warten auf Godot" as we use to say in German.

Some schools in North America have Waiting for Godot in their curriculum, however everybody here gets what they are waiting for

W. (Mr.)