Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  12/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I was perusing different genealogical websites and on one, I accepted a 7-day trial. After a couple of days, I realized I wouldn't be using it, and went back to where I thought the account was to cancel. My username and password didn't work at Genealogy Bank. com, so I figured that's not where the charge was from. I was perusing my credit card charges and found a charge of $322.92 on December 4, 2024. I contacted them the day I found that charge on Dec. 18, to ask to refund the amount. I told them I would *never* have even done a trial on a subscription for $322.92! They had to help me get online and reset my password (they could see I had not been on the site since the apparent charge and was struggling to get online with them). They wrote me instructions on how to reset my password online and to choose the choice to not renew the subscription. I did, but that keeps $322.92 charge there and will cancel the new charge in Dec. 2025! Then they offer me an offer to keep the subscription for 54% off, for a total charge of $45.95 a year. By my calculations, that means the typical subscription fee is $92.50. So even if I missed the window of 7 days, why am I charged $322.92?I can't get them to answer me by email, other than to call me. I'm very ill, and they have called twice, but I am in no shape to negotiate for an item I had already decided I didn't want and I clearly set that out in written form to them.

  

  Business response

  12/20/2024

  To Whom It May Concern: 

  We have received the BBB complaint from Ms. ******** and regret that she is experiencing this. 

  After careful research under the email Ms. ******** provided and her name, we are unable to locate the charge she described. It is our belief that she has reached us in error, and the charge is from a different company. 

  -GenealogyBank's annual fee is $99.90 and our 2-Year Subscription is $199.90. There is no subscription we have that would generate a charge of $322.

  -***** ******** ********************** is, in fact in our system. Our records indicate that she started a trial membership last August, was charged, and received a refund the same day after reaching out to customer support. 

  Additionally, to ensure that our research was thorough, we checked our ticket logs for any additional or missed correspondence, and confirmed that the correspondence from last August is the only correspondence we have received from her. All of these facts lead us to believe that the charge is from another vendor, and we suggest that Ms. ******** reach out to her bank to confirm the source of the transaction. 

  Supporting documentation is attached,

  If we may assist Ms. ******** in any other way, we are happy to speak to her.

  Best Regards, 

  ****** *****

  NewsBank, inc/**************************

   

  Customer response

  12/20/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ********

• Initial Complaint

  09/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The website does not work. They charged me ***** for c*** All I want is my money back. I don't trust this company.

  

  Business response

  09/23/2024

  To Whom It May Concern, 

  We regret that Ms. ******* is not happy with our services. Although this customer has not reached out to us directly for assistance, and we are not fully clear what they mean by the site being "crap" we have issued a full refund and closed their account. Please consider this matter as solved. If you require any additional information, please reach out to us. If the customer has additional feedback, we welcome it at ********************************** or ************. 

• Initial Complaint

  09/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Date of transaction: 08/10/24 An unauthorized amount of $79.00 was charged to my credit card.I have not purchased anything from your company.

  

  Business response

  09/10/2024

  To Whom It May Concern, 

  We have received the complaint from **************** and regret that he did not reach out to us directly for immediate assistance. Our records indicate that **************** enrolled in a 7-day trial with GenealogyBank.com on August 1, 2024. **************** was presented at that time with a payment option of either an annual subscription for $79 or a monthly subscription for $19.99. The annual option was chosen and it was stated that the customer would be billed after the 7th day. This must be agreed to and credit card information must be entered in order for a 7-day trial to commence. A sample of this screen has been attached.

  Our records indicate that **************** has never reached out to us to cancel or request a refund. We offer a 30-day money back guarantee and have issued a refund of $79.00 on 9/10/2024. **************** can expect an email receipt of this refund and the funds returned to his account within 7 business days, depending on his banking institution.

  If we may be of further assistance, please let us know.

  Customer response

  09/10/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  06/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up for a 7 day free trial June 19,2024. I tried it and found it to not be what I wanted to use after trial so I requested via their site link for password to cancel several times but never got. Then this morning , I was debited $85.42 for a one year subscription to their service. I never stated that I wanted the one year subscription, nor did I sign up for it. I tried to call my bank and stop the payment, but their customer service line says since the transaction is still pending I can not dispute it. As of now I still can not log into the account based on the email address that they claimed I used and processed to set up this trial period. I was well and unable to handle on 6/25 after seeing my doctor and knew I had to make a call before then, my attempts were 6/23 and 6/24. I had an old trial for long ago that was canceled and every time I tried to get into the recent trial it would not let me and could not access this account under the email they billed me with today @ 6am 6/26/2024. It should not be this complicated to cancel services you don't want with a trial subscription. First time I have had this issue, always cancel or keep 2 days before the trial period is over I reach out to the company as you can see in my email.

  

  Business response

  06/26/2024

  To Whom It May *********************** ******************** stated, she enrolled in a 7-day trial period with GenealogyBank.com on 6/19/2024. When customers sign up for a trial, they are asked up front to choose either a monthly subscription for $19.95/month or a yearly subscription for $79.00. They are then asked to enter billing information for the end of the trial's automated billing. The trial cannot be entered without going through this stage. I have attached a screenshot of this enrollment screen. We apologize for any misunderstanding with this process. We have a 24-business hour turn around on email replies, and regret that we did not respond to ******************** soon enough to avoid this complaint. 

  We have issued a refund of $85.42 on June 26, 2024, and have sent an confirmation email directly to ********************. 

  With regards to the password reset issue, we believe that her email host has quarantined these automated email messages. She may wish to reach out to her IT team or view her quarantine inbox. 

  ******************** called after receiving her cancellation email and we also verbally confirmed the cancellation and refund. We trust that this will resolve the complaint against us. Please do not hesitate to reach out with further questions. 

• Initial Complaint

  02/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I didn't authorize u to take money out of my account I signed up for ur free trial and canceled it after 2 days cause I did not like the setup and u guys charged me $79.00 please refund my money thanku

  

  Business response

  02/05/2024

  To Whom It May ******************************************** reached out to our support team via chat on 02/02/2024 when she was billed after her 7-day free trial, as per our terms and conditions that she agreed to. We immediately cancelled her account and processed a refund for her. She was notified by email of the refund and cancellation. Please let us know if there is any further information that we may provide. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I received an unauthorized charge from genealogy bank for $106.89 on 12/31/23. A few days before I received a notice from my bank informing that they were attempting to charge me. At that time I let my bank know to block the charge as I do not have any membership with them or any history using their paid services. I was also charged in 2022, for $52.38. I'm not sure how they managed to STEAL a total of $159.27 from me but I'm requesting that the total of $159.27 be returned to my account and any of my personal billing information to be removed from their system to avoid being billed again for fraud charges in the future.

  

  Business response

  01/03/2024

  To Whom It May *********************** have received the complaint from *********************** and regret the misunderstanding. Our records indicate that on December 27, 2022, ************** took advantage of a holiday sales promotion for GenealogyBank.com and paid $52.38 for a one-year subscription to GenealogyBank.com. We show that the site was used (See attached screenshots) and that documents/articles were viewed. All customers agree to our terms and conditions at the time of sign up. These terms and conditions advise them that all accounts are automatically renewed, unless the customer either cancels or changes this setting on their account. We also have a 30-day satisfaction window, where we will gladly issue a full refund without question. ************** made her first contact with support on 1/1/**** after seeing a renewal charge for $106.89 on 12/27/2023. Although we were closed on January 1st, we still checked our email inbox and saw **************** concerned email. We immediately issued a refund for $106.89 as it is within our 30-day refund period. We immediately advised ************** of the refund by email.. 

  While we are happy to assist with the current charge, we do not agree that ************** is eligible for a refund from more than one year ago, especially since she did use the site. We are very easy to contact via chat, email and phone. Had ************** reached out to us, we would have immediately refunded her membership fee and cancelled her account. We maintain that all subscriptions are entered willingly by customer input on our site. We in no way "stole" from this customer. 

  We hope that by the time this message is received, the refund issued on January 1, **** will be back in her account and the matter will be resolved. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was offered a 7 day free trial. I tried it and found it to not be what I wanted. I never used it again. Then today, Sunday morning, I was debited $84.21 for a one year subscription to their service. I never stated that I wanted the one year subscription, nor did I sign up for it. I tried to call my bank and stop the payment, but their customer service line only works during normal working hours. So I tried stopping payment online and was told that they were unable at this time. I tried again and was told again unable at this time. So now I have 2 charges for $30.00 stop payment fees that were never processed. Now I will have to miss work tomorrow morning to first take care of the stop payment fees then try to get them to actually stop the payment.

  

  Business response

  07/31/2023

  To Whom It May ******************************************** enrolled in our 7-day free trial on 7/23/2023.  At the time of sign up, he was provided with payment information at the end of the 7-day trial.  In agreement with these terms, he provided his payment information. According to these terms, ****************** was billed for a subscription on 7/30/2023.  We regret that we were out of the office when his request for refund was received on Sunday, 7/30/2023.  I have issued a full refund to ******************, as we offer a full 30-day refund period to all customers. I expect that this will satisfy ********************** complaint.  

  I have attached our enrollment screen and proof of refund.  I have also replied to the email we received from this customer directly, so he is already aware of the refund transaction.

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Please let me know if you have further questions. 

• Initial Complaint

  09/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The morning of September 3, 2022 I purchased a subscription to GenealogyBank.com. I initially has a 7-day free trial that I cancelled because I was not able to find good information. They sent me an offer to subscribe for a year for $48.95. I selected this hoping to try again to find the information I was looking for. I placed the order at 10:43 AM on September 3 and spent about an hour doing research -- each time coming up with no information. At 11:29 AM, I cancelled my subscription only to find out that ONLY THE RENEWAL for 09/03/22 - 09/03/23 could be cancelled. I sent an email to their support department and to ************************************* to cancel my current subscription for 09/03/22 - 09/03/23 and all future renewals. I requested a refund for my current year subscription for $48.95. i also tried calling them at ************; however there was no one to speak to since they were closed for the weekend. I have an email from them for the subscription order I placed and NO WHERE in the body of that document does it say that I was not able to cancel my current subscription. This is very deceptive and confusing. Their website is a disappointment -- all of my searches came up with NO INFORMATION FOUND. If I was able to get the information I was looking for I would not have cancelled my subscription. I cannot recommend this site to anyone. I've attached the original invoice which shows paid, my email cancelling my subscription and the renewal cancellation from them.

  

  Business response

  09/06/2022

  To Whom It May **************** am sorry to hear that **************** did not feel she was able to cancel her membership. We offer cancellations at any time, and full refunds within the first 30-days of annual subscriptions. It is true that we received her request to cancel over the holiday weekend, but I personally checked emails and responded to her at 8:34 am MST on 9/5/22 acknowledging her request to cancel and notifying her that I issued a full refund.  The refund may take an extra day to show in her account due to the bank holiday, and may be seen as a voided transaction instead of a refund.

  We have several offers available for first-time subscribers. With the higher savings, some of the plans forego the free trial period. I am sorry this wasn't clear to her at the time of registration.  I am also sorry she wasn't able to find information she was looking for. We would be happy to provide search tips and help as well as personal assistance from a site specialist.  Our working hours are 7 am to 6 pm MST, Monday - Friday excluding holidays if she wishes to contact us again. 

• Initial Complaint

  08/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Signed up for Genealogy Bank's 7 day free trial on 08/02/2022 which included giving them my credit card info. THE PROBLEM, YOU CAN'T LOG IN AND EVERYTIME YOU RESET THE PASSWORD IT DOES NOT WORK. I just sent them an email to cancel this 08/04/2022 at 10pm but they are closed and from reading the complaints on BBB it looks like trouble. The 7 day free trial ends on Sunday or Monday 08/07/2022 or 08/08/2022. I have received no service and not being able to log in means I can't cancel. THE RESOLUTION IS TO CANCEL THE SUBSCRIPTION BEFORE IT CHARGES ME. I am a journalist thought to try the service but this looks and acts like bad news.

  

  Business response

  08/08/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/05) */ To Whom It May Concern: We are sorry to hear that Mr. ****** had trouble logging into the site during his trial. We would have loved the opportunity to help him troubleshoot this issue, as it is not the experience we want our customers to have. I have reviewed his account and I see that on 8/5/22 he called in and spoke to Tashua who successfully cancelled his trial and prevented any charges from occurring. If Mr. ****** would like, we would be happy to work on resolving the login issue and would be willing to allow him another free trial period. As many subscription services do, we collect payment and subscription information at the time we set the free trial up in anticipation of the customers continued interest in our site. If the site is not a fit, we offer easy cancellations and timely service. Additionally, we offer a 30-day refund policy if the customer is not happy with their membership. Once again, we regret that Mr. ****** had difficulty with the site. If we may help with anything further, we may be reached by phone, chat, or email from 7 am to 6 pm MST, Monday - Friday. Kind Regards, Melony Y. Director of Consumer Support GenealogyBank.com

• Initial Complaint

  07/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have been a member for the last year. I wished to cancel my subscription. I read and followed their instructions (on their website and also after a Google search) " go to 'My Account' under your login name. Under 'Update my Membership' click the link 'View or update my account information. Click 'Cancel automatic Renewals'. Your membership will be canceled and will not renew. You will receive an email confirming your cancellation." There is no such tab as "Update my Membership". Eventually, I clicked on every link in case they had moved it to a submenu. I tried different browsers and multiple searches on how to cancel. It seems to me that if it is impossible to cancel on their website there might be an issue with the transparency of the company. Forcing a customer to renew a membership is not the right corporate policy to win new customers. I wish to have a refund for the upcoming forced renewal. My account is listed under *************************** ** ******

  

  Business response

  07/26/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/07/25) */ To Whom It May Concern: We are sorry to hear that Ms. ****** had trouble cancelling her account. We have discovered that our FAQ section is out of date and will correct that along with other site changes we are making this year. Upon review, I see that we received Ms. ******'s email on 7/23/2022. We have limited staffing on weekends, but the account was cancelled and will not renew. It appears that the customer was successful in setting her account to not renew. We also confirmed that the customer was not charged for a renewal. It is not the practice of GenealogyBank.com to force a customer to renew their membership and we truly regret that Ms. ****** had a difficult time navigating our site. This matter appears to be resolved, but if there is anything else we can do for this customer, she is welcome to call or email us again. Our office hours are 7 am to 6 pm, Mountain Time, Monday - Friday. Consumer Response /* (2000, 8, 2022/07/25) */ The business has responded and resolved the complaint. Thank you

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩