Don't Bother With FTDNA, Use Another Company

[Uncle Lucifer]

This is a chronic problem with FTDNA. They need to go back to a model where a supervisor stands over the drones with a bullwhip until the work output improves. If the delay is due to the instruments, buy newer, faster ones. That's one of my main gripes with them: they never tell you exactly*why*...

[Uncle Lucifer]

You may be right. It's really too bad that FTDNA doesn't have a place like a forum or something, where they could occasionally drop by and address these customer concerns....

[Uncle Lucifer]

Two donors from other kits I manage have died in the past year, neither having been upgraded to BigY.

If there are storage/viability issues, FTDNA owes it to the customers to inform them of that up front and work toward fixing them. I manage a lab and rarely there are "LAs"...

[Uncle Lucifer]

You make a couple of good points. I did ask the representative why they didn't tell me "several weeks back" when my quality control failed and that they had used a backup sample and restarted the test as I'd have been a bit...not a lot, but a bit less annoyed at the delay had they done so...

[Uncle Lucifer]

I'm probably older than you, but nonetheless, market share is no excuse for poor customer service otherwise they may as well be the DMV. They should at least be periodically reminded of their shortcomings. Might even help get more of that market share. They won't be the only game in town forever....

[Uncle Lucifer]

Ordered an upgrade to Big Y 700 on 23 Dec, it was batched same day, #1042, estimated 2/18 to 3/2/2020, which is already an egregiously long turnaround time in its own right.

In typical FTDNA fashion, they waited until two or three days into the estimated delivery range to update the sample...

[Uncle Lucifer]

I haven't quite figured out how to get them off high center. I've tried everything from nice, well thought out letters to swearing like a longshoreman at whatever hapless customer service rep answers the phone, with about equally negative results, namely a bland, tepid apology involving rigorous quality...

[Uncle Lucifer]

Well, seems that not much changes at FTDNA. It wouldn't be a typical test experience if there wasn't at least one delay.

Batch 1042, BigY-700 expected results window first date was yesterday, so of course, today, I get a note that my results are delayed two weeks (at least) with the usual...

[Uncle Lucifer]

BigY 3rd delay

I don't know why they don't allow swearing. This would be so much better if I could employ lots of vulgar invective directed toward FTDNA.

You charge people out the waz for the Big Y, then delay it a half-dozen times til everyone has forgotten why they...

[Uncle Lucifer]

my y-DNA 67 results weren't delayed. Got a 37 - 67 upgrade on another kit turned in 18 days, but batch 746 was due today and I just got the notification that it's moved 2-4 weeks down the road.

C'mon, guys, aren't we past this yet? What's it been, over five years? You think you'd have...

[Uncle Lucifer]

Identical....

[Uncle Lucifer]

Wall-to-wall....

[Uncle Lucifer]

Additional Info

Yes, I cleared cookies, closed browser, rebooted. Logged into and out of her account & mine (shared same email address).

We both show up on each other's FamilyFinder page, which, as I said above, she has never had done here.

She has...

[Uncle Lucifer]

Can anyone tell me why my partner shows up as my closest DNA match at a parent/child relationship when:

• We are in no way related
• She only appeared on my list today
• She has only done the full mito sequence (FMS) at FTDNA

Thanks.

[Uncle Lucifer]

Thanks for all the replies. Here are the values. The basic group is R1a:

STR Modal Donor 1 Donor 2

DYS449 33 33 32
Y-GATA-H4 12 11 ...