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July 8, 2013

Special! DNA-me 15% Off Coupon Code for Olive Tree Genealogy Readers

Special! DNA-me 15% Off Coupon Code for Olive Tree Genealogy readers
Recently a new DNA company called DNA-me wrote to OliveTreeGenealogy offering a free DNA kit so that I could try their service. I was delighted to accept!

Readers of my blog know that I have had my DNA tested through Family Tree DNA and 23andMe.com but it's always a good idea to test through different companies.

Each has their own algorithm they run for the results and each tests to different degrees. So while your overall results such as your Haplogroup should be identical, your detailed results will vary slightly and you will gain a better understanding of your ancestral origins. 

DNA-me also asked very nicely if I might consider writing a review after I tried their service and I happily agreed. Perhaps best of all they have offered a 15% discount to my blog readers! See below for the coupon code for this great discount. 

UPDATE: As of Sept. 29th the company has not changed the status on my kit from "Pending". No tests have been done after more than 2 months and now their Facebook and Twitter pages have apparently been taken down. I do not want my readers to use the coupon code until we have it straight as to what is happening. See comment section for another user's complaints.

Here is a bit of information from DNA-me about their services.
I'm writing to you today on behalf of DNA-me, a newly formed DNA testing service that allows keen genealogists to discover more than just their immediate family tree, and go back to the roots of their very existence for just $85. The newly-launched DNA-me service tells those people looking to know more about their background beyond their recent history, where in the world their ancestor originated, the journeys they made across the globe, the clan they were a member of and how they contributed to the global evolution of man thousands of years ago

DNA-me not only provide a DNA testing service, but want to be viewed as a hub of information. We regularly add new articles to our website (www.dna-me.co), with these articles covering a wide range of subjects from the complex science behind the genetic genealogy test, to the story of how humans came to migrate various continents around the world. As a result, we are continually building our knowledge of genealogy and DNA.

Friday my kit arrived from Virginia! I was too busy with my annual Family Fun Day on Saturday to scrape the inside of my cheeks but I plan to do that today and mail the kit back tomorrow. The return address is in Massachusetts so it shouldn't take long to get there.

I'm quite excited about seeing my results and will be posting here on my blog as soon as they are in.

Here is the coupon code you need so you can start your DNA journey:
We'd love to offer your followers a special discount of 15%. Provide them with the voucher code (CODE DELETED) and they'll be able to take advantage of that offer and begin the journey of their ancestors with DNA-me.
So stay tuned and as soon as I have results I'll post them here and you can follow me on my own DNA journey

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Any results yet?

I used the code and ordered 6+ weeks ago. Last update was kit received. They have a spot for testing in progress, but no indication it has started. Said it shouldn't take more than 8 weeks.

Olive Tree Genealogy said...

Anonymous - no results for me yet. I'll be posting here on my blog when I get anything.

Lorine

Anonymous said...

Received my kit in mid-July, sent back the next day. Received by them a couple of days after that. The 2 month/8 week time frame is only about 2 weeks away and my account only shows kit ordered and received. It doesn't even show the kit they have mailed me the kit.

Has anyone received results? I have test results from FTDNA, 23andme, AncestryDNA, and Geno 2.0, but was curious to see how DNA-me stacks up. I was wanting to see if this was a viable cheaper alternative than the other companies. If it is, and its raw data can be transferred to FTDNA, it could be a great deal.

Olive Tree Genealogy said...

No word on mine yet either.

Anonymous said...

Update. Finally received an e-mail response from DNA-me. Vague promise of "results should be ready soon." They mentioned the backlog issue.

This does not inspire me with much confidence. Will update if they ever complete my results or if I file a BBB report in a few weeks. Unless something major happens, I will not be recommending people go with this company. It's a shame as this is one of the best prices around and they do offer the 15% discount code if you ask.

Anonymous said...

I received this e-mail today. Checked results, still only showing step 1 and step 3 completed. Willing to give them the benefit of the doubt until Friday.

Hi, Apologies for the delay in receiving your results, you should receive them by the end of this week. We apologise once again for the time it has taken to deliver your results, we've experienced unforeseen delays in the testing process, but I can assure you that you will receive your results very soon, and we are certainly not a scam.
Kind Regards

The DNAme team

Anonymous said...

Promised results were due Friday. No change.

Did check their website. They are no longer accepting orders. Go this pop-up.

The DNA scanning service is not currently being offered.

They have also removed both their Facebook and Twitter pages. Google Plus page is still up as of a few minutes ago.

Olive Tree Genealogy said...

I am not getting any popups but my test kit still says "Pending" :-(

I'll try writing to my initial contact and see what he has to say

Anonymous said...

Lorine, the pop-up was when I clicked on order now and in another place it had the same notice. Clicked on it by accident.

Looks like they took down their Google Plus page in the last 24 hours since it was there yesterday, but gone now.

About ready to notify the Virginia Attorney General, the U.S. Attorney General's office, and whatever the U.K. version is.

Per the site's terms, I would need to sue them in Wales or the U.K., but it was a PayPal transaction which gives me a possible option to challenge it there since they haven't timely delivered results.

It may not be a scam, but it would be interesting to know why they have removed Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus pages.

Anonymous said...

Reported them to PayPal today so hopefully I can at least recover my money without having to sue them. If I could find the VA address, I would turn them over to the VA legal authorities. Response from PayPal is this transaction isn't covered by their protections so I am out over $70.

Did find their direct U.K. site is still accepting orders.

http://kis.simkin.co.uk

Anonymous said...

I hadn't noticed it initially, but the last e-mail was sent masked. Earlier e-mails weren't masked.

I have e-mailed the VA. Attorney General. Not sure they can help since I didn't have the address in VA.

Here's the online complaint form for VA's Attorney General if anyone has issues with DNA-me

http://www.ag.virginia.gov/consumercomplaintform/consumerComplaintForm.aspx

Olive Tree Genealogy said...

I wrote to my contact at DNA-me and he responded very quickly. He said they removed their social media pages because of public backlash.

He also said that they have finally found a lab in Quebec that will run the tests so all have been sent there.

According to him, all of us will get our results but then the company will close.

I hope he's right

Robert said...

How about your source give people the choice of a refund or getting results?

I have the address somewhere and as soon as I find it, I will be checking with local law enforcement to see what they know about who owns or rents the place.

Maybe if they had openly communicated on their website and social media pages, this wouldn't have happened. Their actions aren't the actions of a reputable company.

I contacted Interpol and turned them in for investigation to determine if it's a legitimate company. As soon as I find the U.S. address, I will be filing similar reports with the FBI, local PD, and Virginia State Police, and the state version of the FBI. I am contacting the British Embassy in D.C.

If we wait long enough, they can go out of business and we get the shaft. Maybe this isn't a lot of money for some people, but I am on a tight budget.

Anonymous said...

Hi Lorraine, I'm from the uk and used your coupon to send to the Basingstoke uk address on 1st august. They tell me today that my results should be available on Thurs morning and apologised for delay. Today is Tuesday, I'll let you know happens.... I know this doesn't really help you in the us but might be of interest. Lally

Olive Tree Genealogy said...

Lally

Thanks for letting us know. I'm in Canada not the US but doubt that will help

btw thank you for adding your name at the end of your comment! I detest anonymous comments on posts so was happy you signed yours.

Lorine (not Lorraine)

Robert said...

We did some research. This is the company that holds the domain registration for DNA-me. People may want to keep it handy in case DNA-me was less than honest about what is going on.

http://www.photo-me.com

I pray we get our results, but the timeline a few have reported does not fit with the normal timeline for running DNA results.

I need to find someone familiar with British law and see what their law says about companies going out of business. If they delay the results past a certain point, we may be out in the cold. I used to be more trusting of companies, but after being jerked around a few times by this kind of behavior, I stopped being so trusting.

Lally said...

Lorine, just had my results through and I'm very pleased with the information. I believe this is a new company and still perhaps having some teething troubles, the uk lab has certainly met their target dates for me, hopefully you will all be getting your results soon ....

Regards Lally

James Stewart said...

Received my results after numerous delays. Timely - no.

The results are at the bottom. My page only shows two steps completed. I scrolled down a bit and saw it had completed.

Results - minimal. I didn't expect the full results of Nat Geo or deep clade from Family Tree. Did want to see X1 and V3 level and not a basic X and V. Autosomal is interesting. Was not sure if raw data came with it. Wish it had.

Would I spend this kind of money for what I received? It was a semi-decent value, but yes I would.

I do encourage those who have not tested with other companies to continue the journey. The minimal results are a tease. Wish they would take a page from other companies and offer deeper tests at higher prices. I would pay more if they offered more complete Y and mt results.

Olive Tree Genealogy said...

My mtDNA is in - minimal info that wasn't as refined as the other 2 companies I tested with.

I can't see where it tells the user how many markers were teeted and so with no comparison to a large database it's extremely basic

No autosomal yet and no raw data that I can spot. So I have to say it was disappointing.

Robert said...

Lorine, my autosomal results were a simple pie chart breakdown. If I had to guess, I would go with around Y-12 markers since the haplogroup matched what FTDNA showed me at Y-12. FTDNA's Y-25 results moved me from the basic one letter haplogroup to the one letter one number haplogroup.