FMP renewal query

[Kit]

I just checked my FMP sub and it is due to expire in less that 2 weeks. My account is set to auto renew.

My question is will they send me an email before they do it or should I change it to not auto renew?

I have the pioneer worldwide sub thing that was just under $60 a year. Does anyone else have that and have they had to renew yet?

[kiterunner]

If you change it to not auto-renew, I don't think you will get the chance to renew at the original price, because that's what happened to me after the first year.

[Kit]

I'm fairly sure I make a payment each year rather than they take the money but I want to know the price before anything happens, not after.

I'm also not sure what credit card I used so any payment may not work anyway.

[Oakum Picker]

I doubt they'll make the offer for a 4th year. My sub. expires in 9 days & I also untick auto-renewal. For the past 2 years FMP have contacted me offering the same price ($59.99) & last year I renewed 11 days before expiry. This year I've heard nothing. I'd happily renew at the same price but if no offer is forthcoming then I shall probably let it lapse for a while.

[Kit]

I've just had an email from them saying that there will not be a Pioneer renewal offer like there have been in previous years. A bit disappointing really.

Someone has a thread somewhere else on here saying there is a 50% discount code if you are interested.

[Oakum Picker]

Thanks: I've just renewed. Having paid £35 for the past 3 years & knowing I can't get the same deal, £64 seems reasonable.

[JBee]

Believe there's an offer for new subscribers to FMP for £1 (for a month?) but ends on 31st July

[Jenoco]

I emailed FMP as my renewal is coming up at the end of this month. The response was that with my 10% discount, it would be £89 this year. Not good for me as the Canadian dollar is really low at the moment! I've previously had a six monthly subscription and changed to annual last year.

I've unticked the auto renewal box...

[Sue from Southend]

I got free FMP membership through OH's account for The Times on-line. Not for everyone I know but I do wonder if other newspapers have a similar offer?

[Kit]

I don't know what the Times offer is but I get the times and gale newspapers for nothing through the state library membership.

[Sue from Southend]

OH subscribes to The Times (UK) newspaper online version and by doing that becomes a "Times+ member":rolleyes: Times+ has all sorts of offers, some short term and some year round. The FMP one is the latter. Not sure if I'll be able to renew this year using the same offer but I'll certainly try!

The Times archive that you access thru' the library Kit, is something different unfortunately.

[Kit]

I understand Sue.

You can always use a different email if the offer still exists.

[Janet]

Time flies. I am now up against my subscription renewal deadline.

I received an email today from FMP with subject line "Don't miss out, renew your Pioneer subscription today!"

The email quotes me a price of $59.99 for a 12-month Pioneer subscription.

When I go to their website to renew (using the link provided), it tells me that the discount code has been applied but it says it will charge me $72.

Does anyone know if the Pioneer sub is different from the World sub, and does the World sub cost more, or have I not correctly applied the discount code?

I've sent the same query to FMP. I'll bet I can get an answer faster off here. :rolleyes:

[kiterunner]

I thought that the "Pioneer" subscription was the original world sub, but when I took one out, I didn't realise that it would renew at the same low price so I turned off auto-renew and missed out. So I don't know the answer to your question, sorry.

[Janet]

Thanks, Kite. We'll see what they turn up with. They did respond to my email, but only to ask for their original message to be forwarded to them.

You won the horse race, though. Your response was at 3:22 a.m. by our time, and theirs came at 4:45. I just knew it. ;)

[Kit]

Janet just pay it. The Pioneer sub has ceased to exist. 12 months ago I had to pay a lot higher as they no longer had the discounted $60 price.

[Janet]

Yeah, I almost did that, Toni. Then I thought I ought to at least ask about it. I haven't heard back from them yet after my second email where I forwarded them the original message. Wonder what happens if I go ahead and pay the $72 and then they OK the $60 renewal.

[Merry]

Wonder what happens if I go ahead and pay the $72 and then they OK the $60 renewal.

If they accept you have ended up overpaying they would probably agree to extend the length of your sub to reflect the overpayment - I have seen this happen with other people.

[Oakum Picker]

I also received the $59.99 renewal offer which turned out to be $72 on application. I also wrote to them & received this reply:

Thank you for getting in touch. I am sorry to hear you have experienced an issues with your Pioneer renewal. We will of course honour the price of $59.99 for your 12 month US Subscription for you. However, we do not have an option for you to purchase your 12 month US subscription at cost of $59.99.
Please can I ask you to make manual payment at the price advised on site to start your 12 month US subscription and email us to let us know your payment has been successful.
Please use the link below to select your subscription and make your payment:-
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/pay?isfreetrialrequest=false
Once I have receive your email I will arrange to manually refund the difference back to your payment account.

The link however asks for a payment of £11.70 a month/annual equivalent so I went back & paid $72 & wrote & asked for a $12 refund. Even if I don't get that, it's still good value compared to full price.

As I only paid yesterday nothing has appeared as yet on my bank statement.

[Oakum Picker]

I have just received this:

Thank you for your reply.

As promised the $12.01 will be returned by your card issuer within 5 business days.

Best of luck with your research.

If that comes through, I shall be very happy.

[Janet]

Thanks, Merry and Glen!

[Kit]

Does your Pioneer sub only cover US records, or all records?

[Janet]

No, not only U.S. records, Toni. It gives me a 12 month World subscription, including the 1939 Register and all.

[Kit]

So why was I told the subscription rate had finished?

I remember there were a lot of people upset it had ended.

[Oakum Picker]

I always cancel my subscriptions before the renewal date & wait for offers. If you look up thread you will see the Pioneer Renewal didn't materialise for me last year but I still managed a 'deal'.

This year the email came & the company has been true to it's word. £56+ was taken from my a/c on Monday & just over £10 paid in on Tuesday.

[Janet]

Findmypast are stonewalling me now. I went ahead and renewed at the $72 rate, then inquired about a refund of the $12.01 difference because they did in fact send me an offer of $59.99 on the 21st of July.

They asked me to forward them the email in question, but when I attached it to my reply they claimed to be "unable to locate" the attachment.

I don't care terribly much about the $12.01 although we are pinching pennies this year, but I have to say this is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. The error is theirs and they have to know it but they're pretending I picked up an old email from January and that they have since sent me a $72 renewal email. Not true. Not happy.

[Oakum Picker]

What a pity Janet, they have dealt very fairly & promptly with me. I'll PM you with the names of the 2 people I dealt with.

[Janet]

Thanks, Glen! Got it. I'll keep those in my back pocket until I see their response to my further squawk this morning.

[Oakum Picker]

It does seem strange that they have made 2 different responses to the same problem.

As I said as soon as I questioned the price difference, they said they'd honour the original offer & refund the difference which they have.

[Janet]

Yes! :D

Dear Janet,

Thank you for your email.

I have passed this on to be investigated further as to why you were sent an incorrect email and I am sorry for any confusion this has caused.

I have refunded $12.01 back onto your payment card to ensure you pay the discounted rate of $59.99 as advised in the email you received.

This will be back in your account within 3-5 working days.

I do hope this meets with your satisfaction and please do not hesitate in contacting me back if I can be of any further assistance.


With kind regards,
It's not the $12.01, it's shaking off that creepy feeling that some of Findmypast's subscribers are more equal than others.

It's really too bad that others like Kite and Toni missed out, though.

Thank you Glen, and thanks to everyone who helped to shine more light on the subject. Have FMP's marketing practices always been this opaque?

[Kit]

They are awful Janet. I once received an email to join with a (very good) discount. There was no use by date on the email. I went to use it before Christmas but finances were tight so stopped before completing the transaction. In the New Year I decided to use it. It came up as an invalid code. I emailed but was told it was an old code, even though I had the email and told them it would have worked if I'd renewed a few weeks earlier. They refused to honour it.

[JBee]

My fmp runs out on the 7th - I've changed it so it doesn't automatically renew as I had a good offer last time for world sub (think it was half price).

If I put it back to automatically renew would I still get the same price as last year?

[Durham Lady]

If I put it back to automatically renew would I still get the same price as last year?
__________________

No Julie, you'll get the full price. 2 years ago I had the half price offer and had an e-mail telling me I was due to renew and the full price was quoted. I waited and then picked up another offer and got a world sub for just over £33. I think several members on this site got that too.

[JBee]

Thank you I thought that would probably be the case.

I haven't received anything from them about renewing but I did get a free 3 month Britain sub from the WDYTYA mag sub that I took at the WDYTYA show in Birmingham.