23andMe DNA Test Reviews - What Is It?
WARNING: DO NOT BUY 23andMe DNA Test Until You Read This Review!
Is it a Scam? Does It Really Work?
23andMe DNA Test provides genealogical DNA testing that has become very popular these days. You can see it popping up everywhere. DNA testing offers a lot of benefits. 23andMe is another company that promises to provide their customers some unique options that cannot be found anywhere else. Unlike other companies offering DNA testing and genealogical research services, 23andMe was created only for DNA testing. This genetic testing company uses human saliva sample to trace the individual's lineage as far back as 10,000 years, and across 500 paternal lineages and 750 maternal lineages. With over 500,000 genotyped members, the company also claims to offer the best DNA ancestry service on earth. In general, 23andMe is based out of Mountain View, CA. It has been in business since 2007 but it is not rated with the Better Business Bureau. The company has poor customer service, a mixed customer reputation online. The most common complaints reference long processing times, the difficulty contacting the company, and vague results.
Using a small saliva sample, 23andMe claims to provide the results that are 98% accurate, thus, they can help you expand your ancestral view. Getting your genetic tests through the company can be accomplished in three steps. First, you will need to order your DNA kit. Second, register your barcode. Third, provide a saliva sample and send it back to the company using the pre-paid packaging. When the company gets your sample, the specialists will process it at the company's CLIA-certified lab. The official website of the company states that it will take 6-8 weeks for you to get your results after the sample was received by the lab. However, there are many customer testimonials reporting that it can take only 3-4 weeks to make it to the lab. The entire process may last about 3-4 months, based on customer reviews. After analysis, you can see your results through your 23andMe online account. 23andMe promises to keep all your data safe and confidential. To better understand whether real customers are satisfied with23andMe DNA Test, let us take a look at what they are writing in their reviews.
Customer Reviews - Does 23andMe DNA Test Really Work?
There are numerous customers' testimonials about the product. They carry a mixed character; however, the number of negative reviews significantly prevails. A lot of people say that this testing is just waste of money. Thus, one customer tells his story. The man got his DNA kit in the last weekend of March, and sent it back with his sample immediately. He received his results within two and a half weeks. Before the customer got more details about his results, his parents got their DNA tested from another company. That company even was credited by his mother's native tribe. His mother's DNA showed that she was 58% Native American. His father also decided to take a DNA test, even though he knows his lineage quite well. He was 31% native. This customer's mother was adopted and it wasn't done in a legitimate way. The person from whom she was adopted never signed the birth certificate, but the people who adopted her paid to the hospital. She found this out when she was about 10 years old. Her birth father put the woman on the roster for his native tribe (Lakota Indian). She had to do DNA tests to prove that he was her biological father and that her lineage was Native American blood. However, the customer's 23andMe DNA Test showed not a single percent of Native American. Maybe it's because on his father's side there were Irish roots. His great-grandfather was from Ireland and moved to America when he was in his twenties. On his mother side, they had Native American and French. The man's grandmother was born on the Indian reservation in Oklahoma. The customer thinks that 23andMe is just gathering information to analyze it for medical reasons. All they can learn about your family is where it originates from; they are not able to search your genetic code. When the man confronted them on this, he was told that their database wasn't large so they couldn't find definite traces. That's funny explanation from such a serious company!
Another customer reports that he has had endless problems with 23andMe. They gave him very confusing instructions, and when he tried to clarify with someone at 23andMe, he failed to find anyone who could explain. At present, the man has forgotten his password, since he hadn't tried it for many years. He can't find it. One more person is disappointed with because she has tested with Ancestry and Family Tree DNA before buying the 23and Me DNA Test - Health + Ancestry. She was satisfied with the results from Ancestry and Family Tree DNA, but she wished to test for the Health reports with 23andMe. So, she purchased her kit in the end of November and received the test kit in five days. The kit was at their lab on in the beginning of December. Two months had passed but the customer did not contact the Customer Service. She thought that they were overloaded before holidays. In February she received an email stating that their laboratory made an analysis of her saliva sample but the concentration of DNA was not enough to provide genotyping results. She received a replacement kit in a few days. The woman sent her saliva sample in their lab on the first of March. Once again she received an email stating that they could not analyze the second saliva sample for the same reason. This time, the woman wasn't sent any other kit, neither had she received the refund. Let us take a look at the actual customers' reviews online.
"23andMe DNA Test is a total scam. I bought it for my parents for Christmas. Dad sent it to the lab but they sent it back saying that it was a bad sample. Dad sent a second sample and got vague results but he was offered to buy additional results. He spent $100.00 on additional results. Soon we realized that it was a huge scam. I am now researching other companies available. Do not use this one and do not waste your money."
"23andMe DNATest was good until I got notifications from the company. They changed the menu screen, so I was not able to access my account. The reason was that they had some mobile device problems. They have fixing the problem for more than a month but they haven't succeeded. I have done everything needed but I still did not receive access to my account. I am sick and tired of all this! I would never recommend this testing to any of my friends."
"I knew I was Ashkenazi Jewish before I tried 23 and Me DNA Test. I thought that my ancestral results would be like "You are 100% Ashkenazi Jewish" when buying a kit. At the same time, I expected some specificity about my background from the company's technical team. Unfortunately, 23andMe does not have the capacity to do so, but in this case they should not take so much money from their customers for a single test. They should be more transparent about their sales materials."
My Final Summary
Summing up, it is necessary to say that 23andMe DNA Test has a number of drawbacks. It has a poor customer reputation online with many complaints referencing low quality of the service and mistakes in testing. There are complaints that it is difficult to get in touch with the company's customer service, long processing times, poor customer service, and vague results. Even the company claims to be able to trace to genetic lineage back as far as 10,000 years, and across 500 paternal lineages and 750 maternal lineages, it is not true. Testing costs $99, which is quite expensive for a service of this level. It is difficult to get a full refund if you are not satisfied with the service. If you need to learn your genetic information, 23andMe does not appear to be a good option. I would recommend looking for a more reputable and professional company in the field.
Where To Buy 23andMe DNA Test In Stores?
Each 23andMe testing kit costs $99, but you will be able to receive a 20% discount on each extra kit you buy in the same order. Testing kits can be ordered through Amazon.com or directly through the company's website. Shipping for a single kit will cost you $9.95 for Standard, and $26.95 for Express.