09 July 2015

Leaving the New Ancestry

New and returning Ancestry.com subscribers are being thrown directly into the "New" Ancestry. New subscribers have nothing to compare it to but returning subscribers will notice some basic functions missing.
Some people have the option to switch back to "Classic" Ancestry, others do not. If you have the option it will be ​in the drop down under your Ancestry user name.

Image taken from Ancestry's Help page for "The New Ancestry."

If you don't have that option you just need this link: http://home.ancestry.com/newancestry/leave. It looks as if Ancestry's crack social media team is under orders to keep this link a secret. Anyone asking for help with this problem on Facebook is asked to contact them privately with their account info. Wouldn't just posting the link be easier?
If you happen to call Ancestry for the answer you might get the same answer a friend of mine did. She was told "they can't do it and the developers have removed the link that will give you the option." The customer service rep also told her "the new site is fully functional." HA!
I called as well. My phone call started with, "I just subscribed again and was thrown into the new site. I don't have the option to go back to the old site. I either need that option or I need you to refund the money I just paid your company 10 minutes ago." The rep sent me the link to the New Ancestry help page and told me to keep scrolling. Keep scrolling. Eventually she just read me the "leave" link which she could have done in the first place to save us both some time. It's buried on that help page and in a teeny tiny font.
Whether you switch back to "Classic" using the link or the drop down you should have the option to give feedback. If you have writer's block feel free to use the following in whole or in part to get you started:
I am paying, giving you my money, to use a fully functioning, established website, not to be a guinea pig. Most of the ongoing issues were reported at the end of January, during the first week of BETA testing. I am willing to use and give feedback on the site you released to the public too soon in exchange for a 6-month subscription. If that's acceptable feel free to contact me.
If you have spent time using the new site be as specific as possible with your feedback. "I hate it!" and "Don't change it!" responses will just be tossed aside. Leave feedback when you switch back to Classic. Leave feedback on their message boards and on their community boards. Leave feedback on Ancestry's Facebook page and their other social media pages.
The changes being made may actually be improvements, once they're functioning, but we are not paying to use a site that is under construction. From the customer viewpoint I have to say that releasing the new site to the public months, maybe even years at the rate they're going, before it's ready is one of the worst business decisions Ancestry has ever made.

Here are some of Ancestry's posts about the new site. The comments make for entertaining reading. ;-)
Announcing the New Ancestry Website
New Ancestry: Feature Update 
The New Facts View: Make Sure You Are Climbing YOUR Family Tree and Not Someone Else's


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9 comments:

  1. Sorry, but "I hate it" is the most relevant thing I can think of to say. It's clunky and ugly, and hard to read, just for starters. It's much less functional. The sources (the REAL sources) no longer are on the same page as the timeline (which is cluttered with pseudo-facts and frills to an unbelievable degree). I am told you can eventually click through to the actual sources but - who would guess this - you have to hit "edit" to get there. And it goes on. I spent about 15 minutes on the "new" site and will not go back until/unless forced.

    Of course, they have also made some really maddening changes to the "classic" site as well. They have essentially hidden the comments area - and, far worse, it's no longer possible to remove comments left by someone on YOUR tree, no matter how stupid, irrelevant or wrong they are.

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    Replies
    1. Of course after you said "I hate it" you went into more detail ;-)
      The font in the banner on profile pages is especially bad. A beta-testing friend said that was something she mentioned on day one. They didn't care.
      Last night I spent an inordinate amount of time (on Classic) attaching records, removing records, creating marriage events, and reattaching records. All because every marriage collection behaves differently when attaching. I'll have to write about that. Of course they'll never go through all the marriage collections to make sure they all attach as sources in a similar way. Instead they spend their time making the site "beautiful" (to them) and "delightful" (WTH does that even mean?).
      UGH!!!!
      Not being able to remove comments has GOT to go back to the way it was. At least on media you can hide stupid/irrelevant comments so you don't have to see them again.

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    2. I honestly tried (for month) "New" Ancestry, but it's far too chaotic, number of times new version requires "click" to find something readily avail on current format, number clicks req'd to post a Ancestry hint (I'm college educated, don't need to be prompted & answer Yes, No or Maybe before posting hint) the layout is cumbersome, the color is uninviting and extra History tidbits / timelines Ancestry took it upon themselves to shove on paying consumers, without permission, is total BS. So many hints on Ancestry are totally incorrect (ie English baby born 1599 at Plymouth, well Duh, Pilgrims arrived 1620), & Historically a joke, this issue has been present & uncorrected by Ancestry for 5yr I've been member, so why, now, would I trust Historic credibility on anything they add to any profile as factual? Now add'l work to remove all their unwanted efforts.
      I've also read Ancestry (per Reuters in June 2015) is exploring sale that could value it 2.5-3mil incl debt & has engaged investment bankers to run an auction for company.
      Is this part of the hidden reason they're pushing "New" format? I've changed my Ancestry premium from yearly to monthly pmt, I'll not continue to pay for something I didn't sign on for, a format I dislike & don't enjoy using. I've also had locations changed from what they were to what they're currently known as, sorry but family is from Prussia, not Germany. So will it now require my add'l work to correct what Ancestry decided to change?
      I worked for JC Penney 25+yr & quit in disgust when a wise "King" came in & changed stores to "new" format, well he's now unemployed, but that company, try as it might will never regain 100% of it's longtime loyal customers, during "new" phase they found other establishments to shop at & won't be back. If it's not broke & well received why fix it? Not against change, I helped install & train others for inventory computer system when electric typewriter was a goner. But too many users aren't happy with New Ancestry & what's troubling is Ancestry doesn't give a flying fig about it.,

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  2. go here mhttp://home.ancestry.com/newancestry/leave

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    Replies
    1. The link is in my blog post so I'm not sure why you're posting it.

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. PLEASE sign "DUMP New Ancestry Format - Keep CLASSIC Format petition

    (Copy and past below link into search engine)

    https://www.change.org/p/timothy-sullivan-ceo-ancetry-com-dump-new-ancestry-com-format-go-back-to-classic-format

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  5. Why change something that people liked for a brash looking cheap site that is difficult to navigate

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  6. I have a Master's degree and I have a career in Education and Teaching. This layout is not conducive to reading, researching, learning, or anything. I got a headache just looking at the crap. Huge title for profile name, horrible dark color background and black for the tool bar color? My pics are now changed and faded out looking, my comments, my research, has now been taken out and replaced with incorrect history, and timelines. The go to tools are missing. There are columns of text are over the page in a disjointed way, and not readable. Someone that designed this must have had ADD and been very immature to put together something that looks ridiculous. Whoever got paid for this should be ashamed of not consulting with genealogists and researchers who use this site for work and serious study. Ancestry has used all of my pictures and research to bring in multitudes. Now, who will spend their leisure time with this junk? Not me. I've wasted thousands of dollars already, buying 10 family dna kits and memberships. No more. Not interested in genealogy anymore due to Ancestry.com's strange, and unbusiness like action.

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