Company bought out - lifetime membership reduced to 5 years!

samehat

Hello,

My mother has just told me that since Geni (a family tree website) has been taken over by My Heritage (another family tree website) she has been informed that her lifetime 'pro' membership has been reduced to a 5-year one.

I am away from home and will not have the full details until I visit next week but I am outraged that she can be treated like this. She thinks that she can do nothing about it but I hope she can.

Has anybody come across this being discussed? If so please point me in that direction (nothing came up in a search of the site).

If not can anybody offer some advice as to what to do next? I'm sure I'll need more details but it seems pretty straightforward - a lifetime membership reduced to a 5-year one surely can't be allowed.

sharpy2010

If the company has changed hands, its perfectly legal. Not ethical mind you, but its legal.

Sorry about that.

antrobus

sharpy2010 wrote: »

If the company has changed hands, its perfectly legal. Not ethical mind you, but its legal.

Sorry about that.

No it isn't. If you enter into a contract with ABC Ltd, then ABC Ltd remains bound by the terms of that contract, irrespective of the ownership of ABC Ltd.

katherina wrote: »

...Has anybody come across this being discussed? If so please point me in that direction (nothing came up in a search of the site)....

See this blog - http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/12/geni-limits-lifetime-memberships.html - which leads to a this thread http://www.geni.com/discussions/115406?page=9

sharpy2010

antrobus wrote: »

No it isn't. If you enter into a contract with ABC Ltd, then ABC Ltd remains bound by the terms of that contract, irrespective of the ownership of ABC Ltd.

All depends on the type of transfer of ownership.

For example a company Pre-Pack, that would allow change of terms of membership...

samehat

Thank you for your replies. From the links that antrobus has given me, it appears that after they sent the original email offering either the 5 year pro membership or a refund, they decided to give the 5 year pro membership to those that asked for a refund anyway (along with the refund).

So this leaves my mother with the 5 year membership but without the refund.

Since this all happened back in December I still need to find out whether she is still entitled to that refund.

antrobus

sharpy2010 wrote: »

All depends on the type of transfer of ownership.

So now it all depends on the "type of transfer of ownership"? There was no such qualification in your original response.

sharpy2010 wrote: »

...For example a company Pre-Pack, that would allow change of terms of membership...

A pre-pack is just a prearranged sale of a company entering administration. Doesn't apply in this case. Geni didn't go 'bust', it was simply sold.