Good Value - Family Tree Maker and Ancestry Access (General)
by Jefff 
, West London, Middlesex, Monday, August 08, 2011, 01:10 (4860 days ago)
First, I hope I'm not breaking the Forum rules here, I just want to make members aware of what seems an excellent software deal.
Second, please be totally assured I am NOT associated in any way with Tesco, in fact quite the opposite, I dislike them enormously and would never promote their business.
However I've just seen what seems to be the best value way available for buying Family Tree Maker 2011 Platinum software which includes 6 months Ancestry access.
I've been following the prices of this software for some months now, both in shops and online. The best price I've seen is online at abt £29 on Amazon. On Ebay new copies sell for £35+, secondhand but unused ones for £30.
Currently on the Tesco Deals website this s/w can apparently be bought for just £19 in Clubcard Vouchers, thats their "reward" vouchers scheme. Of course you may not like the FTM software (which currently sells for £10+ alone I think), and I've read some very critical reviews of it compared to earlier versions (2009 seems most popular ?, Forum views very welcome please). Looking at all the earlier hence cheaper versions of this software still available "new" to find the cheapest Ancestry access works out at abt £3 per month, so £19 for current version including 6 months access to Ancestry can't be bad, cheaper than a magazine subscription !
I'm particularly annoyed as during a tidyup last week I found £15of vouchers that had expired 2 months ago (we stockpile them for our summer holiday use), oops.
http://www.tesco.com/clubcard/deals/product.aspx?R=1656&bci=4294962537|Software
http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B003S3RLLW/ref=cm_cr_dp_hist_1?ie=UTF8&show...
Again, as someone yet to use any of these subscription programmes (just how do we chose which company ?), but who wants access at home instead of using the mindnumbingly slow free Ancestry at my local Library, this does sound a good deal even if it involves giving "money" back to Tesco.
I hope this helps. I would also very much welcome any advice if anyone thinks there are better subscription services than Ancestry to use, such as Findmypast or Genes Reunited perhaps ?. On the face of it they all offer similar records to a newbie like me, but I always buy "British" wherever possible. Maybe it's just the apparently lo-spec Library version I've used, but after inputting English surnames and English placenames wrt British Army Regiments of the Great War, I am a patient man but waiting for it to eventual regurgitate Lee's Army of Tennessee etc etc is somewhat frustrating to put it mildly. Are all these sites US based ?.
Good Value - Family Tree Maker and Ancestry Access
by mrsbruso , Monday, August 08, 2011, 05:14 (4860 days ago) @ Jefff
Jefff,
At least on Ancestry.uk.co you can choose which collection you would like to specify -- you can tell it you want UK and Irish collections only. It does limit the number of US hits you get, but for some annoying reason it doesn't avoid them completely. It's always annoying when you list someone's birth and death information in the FOD and you keep being shown records for someone in New Jersey.
Since a lot of the early focus on the genealogy websites were based with the Mormon sites in Utah, they do seem to be rather United States centric.
Keep in mind that some sites are based on other users' contributions as opposed to public records. Even on ancestry other people's family trees may link into yours, in that you have both "claimed" a common ancestor who couldn't possibly have been in both places at once. My gg grandfather, for example, started a whole new family in the US well after his hundreth birthday. Quite a feat for someone who had been dead and buried for close to twenty years.
I have an ancient and once very expensive version of Family Tree Maker that I was very fond of, but it won't run well with the newer computers and I have never bothered to upgrade it. It was nice not having to be on line to work on my family tree, though.
Good Value - Family Tree Maker and Ancestry Access
by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Monday, August 08, 2011, 11:19 (4860 days ago) @ mrsbruso
First, thanks to Admin for allowing me to perhaps stretch the forum Rules with this post, to repeat I am not in any way tied to any of the above companies and at these current selling prices I don't think any of the various sellers are going to make much if any profit here.
Mrs Bruso, thanks very much for your kind advice. Maybe my problems with Ancestry are because the free Library Version is clearly lospec compared to the full UK one I used briefly on a free trial weekend some months ago, but it was infuriating spending probably 1.5 hours to eventually find the WW1 records of 3 ancestors despite seemingly using all the correct input data & country filterss etc, although its likely the desperate slow speed was maybe not Ancestry's fault at all but the library servers struggling at perhaps a peak time both sides of the pond.
I've been a regular computer/internet user since their inception and it was so annoying, even worse flood of irrelevant US results & slow like the Latterday Saints site can be as you suggest, but that ones free so fair enough!.
I must admit I do like the physical aesthetic appearance of Ancestry compared to some sites I've seen, however its accuracy of data etc that counts. I get the impression they're the biggest so perhaps best "endowed" site, reading a few brief magazine reviews seems inconclusive unless I have a particularly unusual research interest.
However I would still like to subscribe to a British company if such a thing exists in this modern World. My long history of bad luck suggests I search a company with a good customer service mechanism, I've read a lot of recent negative reviews re FTM & Ancestry & UK customers in this respect.
Does anyone know if there is such a thing out there, please ?.
Good Value - Family Tree Maker and Ancestry Access
by JAZZ11 , Sunday, August 14, 2011, 01:12 (4854 days ago) @ Jefff
Please be aware that with this Tesco deal it is only the Essentials Membership you are getting and I was told by Ancestry that you cant upgrade this....so I wil have to wait until this runs out to upgrade or lose it.
Good Value - Family Tree Maker and Ancestry Access
by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Sunday, August 14, 2011, 01:39 (4854 days ago) @ JAZZ11
Thanks for that info. Sadly & typical of my infamous bad timing I ordered mine just today, had to use the vouchers on somthing this weekend but hopefully still good value. I had been considering the earlier version (2009?) which I think had Premium memberhsip with it but Essentials will suffice for now.
Chrs Jeff
Good Value - Family Tree Maker and Ancestry Access
by JAZZ11 , Sunday, August 14, 2011, 12:58 (4854 days ago) @ Jefff
Dont worry Jeff...I'm sure you will get value for money on Essentials over the next six months, building or cleaning up your trees, clicking on the green leaves making notes of any leads you may want to follow up which you cant access yet. Following up all your ancestors on the 1911 census books. Dont forget to use the Card Index which has some interesting sources on it.