MyHeritage.com Reviews

MyHeritage.com
( 33 reviews )

MyHeritage.com is the online home of MyHeritage, a genealogy website which promises to help users find information on their ancestry and heritage, as well as the ability to build a complete family tree. 

How Does It Work?

According to their website, MyHeritage.com is dedicated to helping people discover, preserve, and share their family history. To do this, they have structured their website around the concept of building an online family tree. 

To begin with, customers will add the names, dates, photos, and stories of family members they know and are familiar with.

Once you’ve begun building your family tree, their website will automatically begin searching for additional information for you. They say that “with exclusive content and accurate results we'll help you uncover more than you ever imagined.”

As more information is discovered or becomes available, MyHeritage.com will send you email alerts for Smart Matches and Record Matches that reveal new family tree connections, records, and newspaper articles about your ancestors. 

Their website says that their users will have access to more than 7 billion historical records, including birth, marriage, and death records; census, military, immigration, and legal records; newspapers, yearbooks, and directories; family trees, photos, documents, and maps; and much more. 

Mobile Options

Currently this website is offering their customers use of their services through a mobile application which can be downloaded for free to either Android or iOS smart phones and tablets. 

Cost/Price Plans

This company does provide people with a way to use their website and information for free, though the information that is available through their free service is very limited.

In order to get access to their full offerings of information and services, customers will need to upgrade to their Premium Subscription, which they say is priced at $9.95 per month.

However, they only allow customers to sign up for this subscription on an annual basis, so in reality it is a $119.40 fee. 

Refund Policy

This website does say that they value the satisfaction of their customers, which is why they provide their members with a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee.

In order to request your refund, all you have to do is contact their Customer Service team within the first 30 days of purchase.

It is important to note, however, that this Refund Policy only applies to their Data subscriptions and not to any physical products that you would order from their website, like Family Tree Posters.

Customers who have an issue with a physical product they have ordered will want to contact their Customer Service team right away for more information.  

Customer Service Contact Info

Customers who would like to contact their Customer Service team with any questions, concerns, or complaints can do so by phone at 877-432-3135 for US based customers.

Customers calling from other countries will want to find their country specific phone number on their website.  

Reputation

This company seems to have two different reputations. The first is the impression that you get from blogs and websites that regularly review or work with genealogy websites, all of which seem to have a very favorable review of this website and often rank this website very high in comparison to the field of genealogy websites.

The second impression comes from customer reviews, which appear to be dramatically mixed in tone and opinion, with some people having great experiences and others complaining about how severely inaccurate the information they found on this website was. 

Another concern from reviewers of this website is that MyHeritage.com only offers their customers Annual Subscriptions, which isn’t always best suited to customer needs, and while they do offer some of their information for free, in general this information is very limited.           

Competitors and Alternatives?

Certainly there are many, many other genealogy websites available if this website does not meet your needs for any reason. They include FindMyPast.com, Archives.com, and many others.  

If you have any experience with MyHeritage.com or their services, please leave your reviews below.

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MyHeritage.com Customer Reviews

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Totally uneasy about this outfit!
June 25, 2024
Signed up for free trial. Was unable to access any information about myself. Meanwhile, they charged my credit card $129 without my authorization. Attempted to call them without success. I don't feel good about this outfit. I am going to cancel any further contact with them through the fraud department of my credit card.

It's all about the money
January 10, 2024
I built a family tree with 317 people but when I couldn't afford to pay for membership I no longer have access to even look at my family tree. Ancestry allows access even after your membership has expired. I would never use Heritage again.

No refund possible - avoid this scam
October 7, 2023

Giving 1 star only because zero is not among options. Avoid, if you can. Their support is non existent, they tend to ignore you when you ask for a refund. Refund for a subscription, that they charge you out of the blue - without any email notification.

In my case it was 240 EUR for a service I don't use. Immediately requested a refund, but they don't care to even respond. Typical behavior of scam company.

That is not right
September 14, 2023

I was surprised that they charged me $435.68 even I do not know for what. Last time I paid a lot less and I made sure that I am not in the auto subscription.

This is a scam.

Scam!
August 24, 2023

Whenever I use this thing, I'm asked to join so that I can get an answer and I just paid for your most expensive thing, why doesn't it work? I guess this is just another scam that I wasted money on, so thanks a lot.

Scammers
August 2, 2023

They have scammed my mother for over 700 dollars, it's a total scam.

Unauthorized credit card charges
June 21, 2023

I have bought a DNA kit and a health report pack. On the same time, I have taken the one-month free trial subscription. Just before the end of the one-month trial period I canceled it, but I received a new offer with another two-month free trial. I accepted since my DNA analysis wasn’t ready and I wanted to see what the benefits of this subscription are.

Before the end of the second trial period, I concluded that personally I don’t have any benefits from this subscription, and I tried to delete my card from there system. I could not locate my card and I supposed that was not stored into their system.

I also forgot to cancel my subscription, but I was not very worried since I thought I will not be automatically charged. And then surprise! On June 16, 2023, I was charged 117.81 EUR for a period of 14 month (the 2-month trial plus a whole new year) – Invoice Number: #25501303. I was not notified that my trial will expire, neither I thought I will be charged automatically since I couldn’t locate my credit card. In consequence, I unsubscribed (late indeed) and I asked for a refund on their site. I was called by a lady that just quoted me a text and didn’t solve my refund complain. She just offered me instead a free 6-month extension period after the end of the paid one.

After the call, I verified on their site and surprise again: I had indeed a subscription of 18 month, like they promised me (12-month + 6 free month), but I was subscribed again. So, after these 18-month period they were able to charge me again. I obviously unsubscribed again and again I tried to locate my credit card on their site, but I had no success locating it. So, they have my personal data, and they can charge me anytime. Plus, I don’t know if my data are secure in their system.

It is a pity that a company that appears oriented to science and family, ends up charging a lot of money from decent people that didn’t really want to buy more from them.

I feel I've been scammed by this company...
June 5, 2023

They pushed me to use their free trial, and I found their paid functions useless. Then, without any advanced notification, they took US$189 (a crazily high sum!!!) from my account. I’m so angry: It's a huge sum of money for a website that I don't even use and I did not authorize this payment.

Trying to get a refund is truly a joke, as other people wrote here. They send automated replies and don’t contact you. There is no email to contact them directly, no chat with a living person, nothing. I am worried that if I call them (and it's an international call), I will lose even more money. What a dishonest business...

Unauthorised payments
March 15, 2023

Logged in for free trial, it was very limited as to what you can do ,I have been in hospital so my trial went over 2 days, they subsequently took £79.00 out of my account, I’m absolutely fuming as I did not authorize this payment.

Trying to get a refund is a joke, they don’t contact you and there is no email address for you to contact them direct, be very careful of this website.

Findings Are Not Authentic!
January 31, 2023
My DNA analysis was not correct. I know that I have at least 1/8 Native American heritage and that was not at all indicated on the findings I received. So, I am greatly disappointed in the authenticity of MyHeritage!

Beware of MyHeritage!
January 28, 2023

I believe MyHeritage is a scam. I have enjoyed visiting Ancestry.com for almost 10 years. In December, I noticed a new feature and thought it was part of ancestry. I was horrified when I received an email telling me that Heritage was charging a separate fee, which together with Ancestry would have cost me at least $395. That alone seems like a scam to me. I decided to remove both services.

Ancestry helped me, I think due mainly that I had stressed the amount of money I was being extorted from Heritage and secondly she saw how many years I had been using Ancestry and just felt sorry for me.

I then looked at Heritage to see how I could get my money back. The only thing I found was how to remove all evidence of Heritage for all times which I did sadly because I now have lost both Ancestry and Heritage.

Finally, having tried several times to get a refund of the minimum cost of $145.00 I paid to Heritage at the beginning of this mess, I found online a way to remove all evidence of Heritage for all times which I did sadly because I now have lost both Ancestry and Heritage.

I will not use them
January 24, 2023

Being a foreigner settled in UK I was curious to find out if it would find out my father's background. He died about 90 years go. Before I got any info I had to give my credit card details. after getting the security code I was expecting to confirm subscription but I was never given the chance either to confirm or any satisfactory conclusion of any arrangement. I abruptly closed the site.

Three days later I found my credit card was debited with £79. I looked at my inbox and found an email saying "we hope you are enjoying the...". I replied asking them to refund my money. My email bounced back "having difficulties delivering".

I do not know what these people provide but they use psychologically sophisticated subterfuge. I will never use them

Scam!
January 16, 2023

My daughter bought one of these kits and then I got a phone call from her and she said I lied to her, saying I must have adopted her or her father wasn't her real father. And all the blood lines were from other countries. None of the ones that should be there.

Scam! Theft by Deception
December 24, 2022

Scam! Yes, they offer ancestry documents, but no different than any other site. They will definitely hold on to your information and steal your money. I canceled and deleted my account, couple days later I noticed when I got charged, instantly called and emailed them while the charge was still pending, ignored my emails, and when I did get in contact with them, they kept saying billing will handle it. They didn't $160 was taken out of my bank account. When I called them after they said we have no record of your account! Well, they obviously did, or I wouldn't be missing $160 the weekend before Christmas. No response since then !

Horrible Customer Service
November 5, 2022

Avoid this site. I get many responses from them on data found but many are repetitive. It is almost entirely American data and a little from Britain. I have many ancestors in central Europe and I get no data on those.

Their customer service is horrible. They say they have 24 hour customer service They automatically enroll you in auto subscription renewal and then don't tell you when a renewal is upcoming. I called about canceling and a refund and argued for a half hour until they said OK and I would get a refund in 7-10 days.

Two weeks later nothing. I called again and was put in a queue, then told they would contact me. 6+ hours later no call. I called again and was cut off. I wrote to their customer service and got a reply "case number" Two days later still no response.

Do Not Use - Scam!
July 6, 2022

I used the free trial in 2020 and canceled it. I was charged $349!!! USD for a yearly subscription. I called to get a refund. They took a week to get back to me using a virtual phone number (RED FLAG).

I had to ask 3 times for a refund, and each time, they offered me "free DNA" testing and a partial refund.

Ask to speak with the manager. They issued a refund. We'll see. I am contacting my bank to let them know as well.

Use Ancestry, Family Tree DNA, or 23 and Me instead of this company.

Scam
May 20, 2022

Be very careful if this site , when you cancel a subscription , they keep your bank details and money from your account. I cancelled over 2 years ago and they tried to charge me again for £226 !!!

JanBaker-freeman May 28, 2022

This just happened to me, I am stunned and devastated. a $216 charge to my bank account will get me evicted from my apartment. I would NEVER sign up for this type of revolving CHARGE on my account. How dare they. They do not care.and it is in Utah I think banking is different in that state. The CS is in Guatamala!!!!!!

scam, do not bother with the DNA tests
April 26, 2022

I created my own family tree after taking the DNA test on Ancestry.

now my daughter took the DNA test on My Heritage and after my heritage connected her name to my family tree (and my own info I found in family records) MY Heritage tells me my daughter is related to me and after entering the names of my great grand father guess what! My Heritage tells me I am related to him.

I submit they don't connect people via DNA but instead us the very information WE supply when creating a family tree.

I demand a refund of the $65 I paid for my daughter to take your fake DNA test, you did not even tell my daughter part of her family entered the USA via NY , you only connected her to her dad's side of the family(in the South) which was the only side of her family tree she created to test you people.

Your DNA tests are cow manure, you get your info from Ancestry.

CherylD. April 26, 2022

follow up;

I was so upset I called the phone number and got a person after I hit 1

she was sweet and gave me a refund to my credit card for the cost of the DNA test for my daughter. Hopefully is shows up soon, she said to give it 7 business days.

We shall see, keep posted.

Probably never use their service again
April 23, 2022

If you forget to cancel free trial your bank acct gets charged for year subscription not monthly.

I started with free trial. Didn't realize if forgot to cancel I would be charged almost 165$ for a subscription. They don't charge monthly subscription like my ancestry. Nope 165$ a year only. And will probably never use their service again.

I was able to get a refund
September 23, 2021

Don't understand how they were able to charge me $299. I was able to change my password and get back into the site. It only had 12 blocks entered. It has not been touched in the last year. It said I started it in 2018. My CC number had been changed and they were able to get an updated number.

I called the number 1-844-994-1888 and was able to get my last charge refunded.