Longest delay in getting Genographic haplogroup?

[lgmayka]

Ordinarily, when family and friends have taken the Genographic test, and have been told that they need an additional (SNP) test in order to determine the haplogroup, that result has arrived within an additional 2 weeks. The Genographic web site itself estimates 2-3 weeks.

A friend of mine has now been waiting 4 weeks for his SNP test from Genographic. As you know, the most annoying part is that he can't even see his numerical results (12 markers), nor can he transfer his results to FTDNA and place additional orders.

What is the longest anyone has waited for Genographic to return an SNP result (after the initial notification that the regular 12-marker results are complete)?

[Jim Honeychuck]

Almost five months. They didn't actually notify me that the initial results were complete. They just couldn't determine the haplogroup, and did an SNP test.

I thought the order was lost and asked for a refund, but then the results came through.

Jim
J1

[lgmayka]

Almost five months. They didn't actually notify me that the initial results were complete. They just couldn't determine the haplogroup, and did an SNP test.

Wow! Five months is a long time. Even subtracting 2 months for the initial determination of 12 markers, that implies 3 months just to run an SNP test. Yikes!

My suspicion, based on several cases and other evidence, is that FTDNA guesses a haplogroup, then runs a 1-shot SNP test for that haplogroup, usually within 2 weeks. If that initial guess is incorrect, I was hoping that FTDNA would then run a full-blown haplogroup test like the Marligen, described here:

http://ethnoancestry.com/haploview.htm

But I think you're telling me that FTDNA does not do that, presumably due to cost, and instead just keeps guessing over and over, running 1-shot tests until it gets a hit. What's worse is that FTDNA may not be willing to run 1-shot SNP tests for a single individual, but may wait until it has a batch of them. Thus, a very unusual haplogroup test might very well be waiting for months until a batch is in queue.

Heaven help my friend if he turns out to be in one of the really rare haplogroups like F* or K* or P*. Of course, if that turns out to be true, the results will certainly be fun when they do finally arrive.

[Jim Honeychuck]

This was part of one of the replies:

[email protected] wrote:
Thank you for sharing your GPID with us. I have contacted the lab about kit ... Your kit was received at the lab on 5/13/2005. Most samples will yield results within six weeks after testing begins. However, some samples -- like your own -- do not respond to the standard testing procedures and require further testing to determine the correct Haplogroup -- a group of genetic lineages with shared migratory and cultural ancestry.

Your initial DNA analysis was completed on 6/1/2005. This first test produced data from 12 marker values on your Y chromosome. Researchers then run predictor algorithms on your 12-marker sequence to determine your Haplogroup. The Haplogroup-predictor algorithms find a successful match for over 80% of the samples we test. Your sequence did not match any others in the database. When this happens we run another test called a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) test to confirm your Haplogroup.

We expect the results of your SNP test soon. However, please be aware that in extreme cases this test may also be inconclusive.

I do thank you for your patience and understanding, and apologize for the wait you are experiencing. Although you have had to wait longer, your sample is receiving extra analysis at no extra cost to you.

------------

The results were posted on 9/29/2005.

Jim
J1

[cacio]

One and a half year ago it took them 6 months (may to late november) to get my Y result. I think the reason was that I belong to rare haplogroup L, so they must have started doing various SNPs leaving these rarest ones last. They also didn't have any relevant STR sample of L people, so they couldn't have guessed. While waiting, they did send me a refund though- and they still kept testing. (Meanwhile, I did an Ethnoancestry SNP multiplex test, which came back in 3 weeks).

cacio

[R1a_M17_India]

Talking about delays....

FTDNA's Deep SNP test took 9 months more than the projected date for me. The projected date itself was with a 3 months lag, so effectively it took me 12 months to get my Deep SNP results from the day I placed the order.

They had to run the test multiple times and recently put me in R1a1* (to be precise - "Previously this was reported as R1a1* but it is now left as R1a1")

Perhaps data from the eastern haplogroups is limited is the best reason for the delay....but I would have hoped that atleast R1a was clearly mapped out (after R1b, that is).