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Trying to merge family tree as non-paid member

Matthew Ragen

September 25, 2011 15:49

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Our family is trying this service to prepare for a family reunion. As a result of too many 'levins in the kitchen', my immediate family (myself, wife, children) have been entered twice. These are identified as possible candidates for a merge and I have been notified as such when they come up. When I click on the conflicts, it shows me both records and asks me if I want to merge. When I say yes, I am sent to a page that wants me to give Geni my credit card.

If I click on "no, please continue", it doesn't merge the records but it sends me back to the page that shows both profiles that I want to merge. And, so, goes an endless loop.

I get that Geni needs to make money but this is really an awkward, under-explained way to do this. I don't want to give Geni my credit card even if I have a 14-day trial to cancel. There are too many instances where CC numbers get into the 'wild'. I simply want to clean up a mess that is causing conflicts in the data tree.

MY SUGGESTION:  Geni should offer a 1-time merge for each record so as to eliminate conflicts in the database.

7 comments

• 0
  
  Sara Lynne Leslie October 12, 2011 03:33

  I'm having the exact same problem.  It is so annoying as I have received many requests to merge records.  It makes me look like I am ignoring them when it's not my fault.

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  Sara Lynne Leslie October 12, 2011 03:35

  So after I posted the above comment, I tried selecting the button to submit a ticket and it took me to a page to upgrade my membership.   Never got to a screen to ask for help.  How cheesy.

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  Joachim Fredrik Wickman October 15, 2011 18:56

  Yepp, same here.. Have 12 requests that I cant answer.

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  laura tindall October 25, 2011 07:10

  this site won't let me contact my cousin who also gave up trying to find anything--all I get is the insisting on me giving more info than my relatives want out there because too many of our family has had people trying to steal Id--that and the site seems to want money up front  and I cannot get a ticket to complain so this is my complaint and I do not want to waste anymore of my time on this site.

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  Pamela Désirée Lloyd July 14, 2012 03:35

  I am trying to work with a second cousin to merge our duplicate data, but we are unable to do so. We have identified each other as family and as collaborators, but are still unable to merge duplicate profiles, since neither of us has a current "Pro" membership. This service used to be my absolute favorite genealogy service, but the restrictions instituted last year, restricting merges to Pro members only, have made it nearly useless. Please, please, find a compromise.

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  Nancy Freedland December 19, 2012 10:06

  Since when is Geni no longer free or able to access anything??  The last email I got said they were merging with another company and that there would still be access and free accounts.  What's going on?  Thank goodness I've also kept a hand-written copy of our family tree.  This is ridiculous.  Either notify people and give them time to decide what to do, or allow us access through the other company that you said would also allow free access.

• -1
  
  Geni Support Team December 31, 2012 20:57

  Hello Nancy:

  The original post in this thread was from September 25, 2011. All users can now merge duplicate profiles in their tree (privacy and permission rules still apply) for free. For information on how to merge, please see the following link from our F.A.Q.:

  http://help.geni.com/entries/469660-how-can-i-merge-my-tree-with-a-relative-s-tree

  For more information about Geni joining the MyHeritage family please see the following:

  http://help.geni.com/forums/21545466-things-to-know

  Thank you.