I wrote an e-mail to my contact at Family Tree DNA to see what is going on with their long lead times. I wrote the following note last night:
"I have been getting a lot of complaints from my readers that FTDNA is taking a rather long time providing results. The results for the test we did on the blog (and made the video for) took 91 days to get back. A lot of people are getting the "inconsistencies with the results" message in their account...without any notice from the company.
In my case, I decided to check the website on October 7, 2008 and found a note that the tests were being rerun with results to follow on October 17th. That date came and went so I checked on it again on November 5, 2008. The results were then listed as due back on November 14th. Results finally arrived on 11/18. To refresh your memory, I mailed the kit on 8/15.
Are we all getting unlucky or are there reasons why the results are taking longer than they did a few years ago? Could it be increased volume, change in your procedure, a backlog, more strenuous testing??? You are obviously not obligated to provide an answer but it would be helpful, so that I can provide an educated answer to those who ask. I get the question at least once or twice per week."
I received a response today that read as follows:
"Thank you for your email. Results are normally running within 3-5 weeks. I know that there was an issue with the first 12 markers where for some samples one marker was producing an artifact that was obscuring another and so this test was repeated for these individuals causing a delay, but this problem has been fixed.
Delays are not the norm and we do work hard to avoid them, but sometimes they occur due to the complex chemical nature of the product.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Thanks!"
So, there you have it....Family Tree DNA acknowledges a recent 12-marker test issue but the problem is reportedly fixed. I thank them for the fast and honest response.
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