Genealogy Chat

I know from experience that if you try and send a message to someone who's emal address doesnt exist you will get a failure reply - I know this because I spelt hotmail wrong when I first setup my profile, the person who mailed me spotted teh error and resent to my correct address. So I don't buy GC's response - although I guess it's possible that people have changed to a new email address butthe old one's still valid and therefore the mail gets devlivered, they just don't read it ? I'm rambling pointlessly aren't I ?

Since joining G.C. , I have sent several e-mails including one that took an afternoon of my time in the Mitchell Library, going through all the data on behalf of another member. I have still to receive any replies!!!!!! Either the e-mails are getting lost or I'm just unlucky with my choice of contacts. Cheers.............Marion.

Reply from Genes as promised - they still maintin that the problem is all to do with people changing email address, or not entering it correctly - from my own experience I know that the address I registered worked fine so obviously correct, but still mail from a fellow genes member and genesconnected themselves, that they maintain was sent, did not reach me so there must be some other explanation.......!! "Thanks for your email. Please be assured that any email that you write will be sent to the email address that your friend has registered with GenesConnected. It is possible that they have changed their email address and forgotten to update their details on the site, or entered the incorrect details when initially registering This is our only way of contacting our members but it is always worth trying again from time to time incase they decide to update their email address within their GenesConnected registration details."

Tony, That happened to me too just now for the first time. I contacted someone for the first time and I got a message saying I had contacted them before - also got the mail that said the message had been sent!! Here's hoping!!

I always leave a message on the board and send an email direct when someone has helped me and there have been many! I in my turn have only been able to help one or two members and am pleased to return the favour. I did have one message returned to me saying unable to deliver as I was not a full member on the dating site....don't know what went wrong there, the mind boggles!!!!!!!! As I have been married 40 years suppose I should be flattered! Linda

in the last week I've supplied info to four people and received acknowledgement from GC but had no replys at all! Also when sending the message comes up,you have contacted this member before when in 3 cases out of 4 this is not true.this has only happened in the last 10 days as most people always have the courtesy to reply! Regards Tony

Hi ann, I agree with Maggie, I have only been on this site for a few weeks, and though i dont always receive replies to my e-mails, you only have to look how many replies are on this thread to see that a lot of people will genuienly try to help each other in whatever, way they can so dont give up because a few have been a little bit thoughtless.

Thanks Maurice - was just about to tell you I'd sent it!!!! Ann - Don't give up - through Genes I have met some lovely people, some of whom aren't even related but we still chat regularly and have discovered that we have so many things in common it's like we've known each other for ages!! Don't let the few who don't reply - for whatever reason - spoil your chance of meeting new friends and relations - just tell yourself it's their loss for not finding out what a wonderful person you are!!!!! Maggie

Hi Maggie Some people remove themselves form your contact list without even replying---most rude!! I am not even going to bother looking for connections any more even thought I have found Three people who are distant cousins,why bother!! Ann,Darlington

I guess the moral of the story is to check both your e-mail address and your contacts board every day, however, that does not cover the issue of outgoing mails as there seems to be know definate wasy of knowing if they have been received and if the person concerned does not bother to reply to you or if the e-mail has never been received in the first place, or as i the case above the reply keeps bouncing back, and the origianal contact is left wondering why the havent had a reply,i guess the best thing is to always reply regardless of if the information requires an answer or not even if its only to say thank you.

HI Maggie, I've also contacted GC this week about not getting confirmation emails in your inbox when someone has contacted me. I got the standard reply, that everyone gets a confirmation email when they have been contacted. I never get confirmation but GC seem to think that everyone does. I sent a contact to someone on 19 January and they have not replied, so i sent another one at the beginning of the week, still no reply. If this person is not getting a confirmation email to his inbox and hes not checking his contacts on the left of the screen, then he will never know that i have contacted him. The only other possibilities are that he is extremely ignorant and cant be bothered to reply which i dont want to believe, or that he is not a full member so he cant contact me through GC, but i have included my email address in my second email to him. Incidentally i always get a confirmation email from GC when i have contacted someone, which i find rather strange as i already know that i have contacted someone. Now with the kind help of Malcom in Scotland, i think the problem may have been solved. I've lowered my junk mail settings, and Malcom successfully emailed me through the site. I still think that GC need to address this problem though because there are more people than they think who are being caught out by it.And i think that it should be stressed to new members how important it is to check in "your contacts" every day. Jane.

Today was the first time that I received an e.mail from someone who contacted me through this site and did not receive 'the you have been contacted' e.mail from GC. I posted a thread yesterday re: making sure that the e.mail addy you gave on registration is correct and up to date. I've had several mails bounced but they don't always say why! Sue.

Thanks for that info Maggie, so its looks likes there is no sure way of being certain that the message gets through except if the persons e-mails you back, it does make you wonder though about the thread regarding bad manners on the board if there are some cases where the message has not gone through to the person concerned, hence the fact knowone gets back in touch to thank you.Could you post a message on this board if gc lets you know of any problems. many thank once again. sheila

Shelia, Experience seems to suggest that just because someone has appeared on your contact list, it doesn't mean the mail has got through - likewise, if you don't receive a confirmation mail, it doesn't necessarily mean that the mail hasn't gone!! Think it is normal for only the contents of the original mail to be available through the contacts list - tho it might be helpful to be able to see subsequent contacts - especially if you do not know if the original one was ever received!! Raised the problem with GenesConnected a couple of months ago and they didn't seem to think their software was at fault, but given that I now know that my attempt to contact the person who contacted me also failed have raised it with them again and await their reply!!

Just a query but sometimes, when i have sent a message to someone, they come up on my contacts list, but i have no message from gc to say the mail has gone, nor have i had a message to say there was a problem sending it. How can you be sure they have received it? As quite often it is not necessary for them to reply. Also when you contact somebody on your contacts list as a continuation and send them a new e-mail, if you then go into the contacts board and click on view contents you only have the origainal e-mail sent not the new one is this normal Thanks for any info as im quite new to all this.

Just to add to the debate, I've tried repeatedly to reply to one email that I received, but each time it bounces... perhaps the lady in question is sitting there wondering why I haven't replied ??

I have had the opposite problem, where I can receive messages from someone on GC, yet my replies to her direct disappear into the ether. No bounces, nothing. I can't contact through GC as I haven't joined. (I find better value in buying resources). Pauline

Maybe the fault lies with the system rather than the person you are trying to contact?? I found a name on my contact list in November 2003, but I had not received the email it referred to. Around the same time I also tried to send contacts, but received no confirmation from Genes Connected that they had been sent. I tried to mail the person who had tried to contact me but got no reply. Had one last shot today - and Hey Presto - the person in question replied within hours. Just as I had not received the mail she sent to me, she had not received the mail I tried to send to her!! Obviously a hiccup in the Genes Connected system somewhere!!