Comments on: BETA: Beta period extended over Christmas

By: Diana

Diana — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:34:01 +0000

I’m really disappointed. :>(

Out of the 15 basic ( free) searches I have made so far I have found 10 sloppy spelling errors ( mainly from names which are far from complex or unusual !) i.e. Percy mispelt as Percey. Also F for female when the person is clearly a male and should have logged as M for male.

It is also relevant to note that the ‘district’ which shows up in a search is actually the ‘registration district’ NOT necessarily the area in which the person was living in 1911. e.g. someone could be living in Dulwich but the search shows ‘Camberwell’ which is the registration district!

By: heather noel-smith

heather noel-smith — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:09:47 +0000

Was disappointed that subscription could not be used though pleased to get a reply to my email fairly swiftly. As my card had been stolen and I was waiting a new one couldn’t take part in much more than an initial search - the site seemed well designed to the limited extent I used it.
And disappointed still more that have have to buy units for the census proper- when I get to March and renew my findmypast explorer subscription my so-called loyalty discount will nowhere near amount to the package of units I have bought - and the reason I have bought the larger pack is to search on behalf of friends who are already priced out of the market by cost of research now.
I know we are lucky to have so much digitised information - I have been reseraching since long before there was any and I appreciate the sea change but please consider the wise comments above for so many who have limited resources to spend.
Do you perhaps have or could you actively encourage more institution and group subscription to help with this issue?
Heather

By: Sue

Sue — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:41:37 +0000

Very very good to be able to search for ancestors ahead of launch date - I am lucky to have family coming from many of the counties provided, and have made lots of useful discoveries. I heartily agree with above comments re birth location to limit fruitless and expensive non-results - please have a thought about including this feature. And a subscription system would be a positive way of reducing the cost to users.
Overall I think you’ve done a really good job with this - well done, and HNY.

By: Gerry

Gerry — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:47:09 +0000

Works well but horrendloulsy expensive, particularly with limited search facitilities.

By: Oscar

Oscar — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:02:48 +0000

I share the general enthusiasm (and also agree that transcriptions should be fuller). Importantly, when the full site arrives can there be wild card searching? I had to guess around three or four versions of my own surname, which in this and other censuses has given rise to wild misreadings.

By: Elaine

Elaine — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:37:49 +0000

I also have enjoyed using the site and have found a lot of information as the majority of my relatives come from London and Cambridgeshire, so lucky there! But it is expensive compared to other pay for view sites and it is amazing how quickly you use the credits up!!
I also agree that the search results do not give you enough information to choose the right relative - my relatives ARE Smiths!! I wasted several credits only to find I made the wrong choice.
Saying that, I hope we will soon see the full site online and I can get to grips with the rest of my family

By: Karen

Karen — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:47:26 +0000

The website is great and all appears to work while i used it.
I am over the moon with some of the people i have found.

BUT - i have spent about £65.00 pounds in my eagerness to find my lost grandparents who i have been trying to find for years.

The place of birth should be put in the search results,
“Have you tried looking for a name like Smith”.

At one point i clicked on View original and ended up with the transcription as well and got charged for both even though i did not click on both.

The age range could do with being extended to -5+ years.

On the transcriptions it is not fair that how many children they had living and died does not appear. Surely a transcription is a transcription of what is on the page!!! and should include this.

It is to expensive compared to when the 1901 came out, Surely
the cost can come down a bit, there are going to be enough people accessing the site to cover costs and make a healthy profit.

By: Mark Field

Mark Field — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 07:23:58 +0000

I agree with the replies with regard to the cost. As a subscriber to FindMyPast I would have thought we would have got it as part of our subscription. I have purchased units but within half an hour they were all gone. Although I have enjoyed finding ancestors in 1911 and thank you for putting the site on line, I shall have to wait until you make the site part of a subscription package (I think you do mention somewhere that it will happen but when) before I can do anymore searches.

By: John Avery

John Avery — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:30:46 +0000

I must have been lucky to find all but one of my ancesters without much trouble. It was a real Christmas present to discover my still lively 101year old mother as a three year old living in St Pancras, London (despite an ‘L’ being transcribed as a ‘T’ in her maiden name).

By: David Blake

David Blake — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:26:35 +0000

The search interface is not very good, but many of the comments here show that people haven’t explored the possibilities.