I regret subscribing and spending 60 dollars. I have never found a single piece of information, useful or otherwise, regarding my forefathers. However, I can easily find quality records for the same people from Find-A-Grave.
Also, each time I search for an ancestor on Billion-Graves a message on the screen tells me, "We found records about________." Those records are always on other websites that charge more money for access.
I think the real purpose of Billion-Graves is to steer your business to those other web-sites.
My wife subscribed to their site in 2018, and found the site hard to navigate. Due to illness, she did not notice the automatic renewal last year, but, being better this year, has tracked our charges, and noticed the renewal. BG+ has responded to two of our "tickets" put in through their site, but has refused any refund, citing their no refund police. As others have said, this feels like a scam. My credit card company will not initiate a complaint, nor refund my subscription, after reading their no refund policy.
Disgusted!
Subscriptions are not necessary to use BillionGraves. You can only acquire a subscription by placing in a credit card and agreeing to automatic renewals. You are also provided a 14 day window each year to decide to continue the subscription, or to cancel. After the 14 day window expires and the subscription renews, there are no refunds, but this is what was agreed to before setting up a subscription. If you do not want the hassle of a subscription, use the site for free.
For a year I subscribed and I've never gotten one result. I thought I had canceled before my year was up but it didn't take. They took another year after i canceled yesterday when the payment was pending. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS SITE. They are a rip off and customer service is no better.
The website is still under ongoing Data collection. I'm sure if this will be managed carefully and all cemeteries around the world be Geotagged, this will surely be a very useful tool for familysearch. I'm excited for this site to be available to everyone soon. For now searching for ancestors in this site is not yet recommended.
Our data is in the process of collection. However, searching for ancestors on our site is highly recommended. Why? Because if you do not find a photograph of your family you can have the opportunity of providing one, or requesting one. I live in the state of Utah, but have traveled to California, Tennessee, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Maryland and West Virginia to gather information for the site. (I like to do this for fun!) If you have kin that are buried close by, and you would like to volunteer we would love to see how you could capture their monuments. Not only does the app capture the GPS data, but it also captures high quality photographs. If you live far away from your family cemeteries, there are many volunteers throughout the world, that would be happy to help you!
The concept of Billion Graves is a good one. The design is NOT user friendly. The website is supposed to link with My Heritage. It might, It might not. A few of my photos have appeared on My Heritage which is why I chose to join Billion Graves. However, more often than not, my clear photos transcribed by myself on Billion Graves have not shown on My Heritage and the time frame has been 10 months. Very disappointed with Billion Graves. Their promise exceeds the products ability.
We share photos and information with My Heritage and FamilySearch. However, if you have taken photos outside of the app, these are considered supporting records and are not shared with either company as these types of records can not be verified for 100% certainty, like those taken with the app. Photos taken with the app have a GPS tag on them. This shows the exact location of where a photo was taken. Photos taken outside of our app are not shared with other entities because they can't be verified.
The only website we currently link with as far as trees are concerned is FamilySearch as these are public trees that can be viewed by anyone. We do not link to private trees on My Heritage or Ancestry. We have articles written on the help desk that explain all of this in detail.
I was surprised to see so many negative comments. My experience was phenomenal. I needed a photo of my Dad's headstone who is buried almost 1,500 miles from my home. I put in a request, and within two days a volunteer had taken the picture. Wow! I don't know if that's normal or not. I found an uncle in Oregon who had a son I did not even know about. Knowing that most people are buried in family plots, I have found the GPS that identifies where the family plots are exceptionally helpful. Their data base continues to grow by thousands of records each day. I love it. With the monthly cost being less than an average cup of coffee makes it sure seem like a great value to me.
I've been transcribing tombstones for awhile now on BillionGraves and never bought a subscription. I've won monthly upgrades by transcribing over 500 each month (there's a similar one for those taking photos and uploading to their site). When I've had any questions, they've answered in a day or two and that's impressive considering the covid pandemic has made most businesses closed or slow. I've never had any issues with their replying or the issues outlined by those criticizing BillionGraves. Many of these issues appear when you don't read before signing up or reading the policies which everyone reads and agrees to.
Thank you Deborah, We appreciate users like you! If you will send in a ticket to customer service, we will be excited to reward you for a great review! Thanks again!
I have used Billion Graves in both the US and Australia. I've been able to submit over 10,000 gravestone pictures and transcribed several thousands more. I've used the app and the online version. I've had a seamless experience and have loved helping others connect with their ancestors. Thank you Billion Graves for providing this venue!
Thank you for your hard work! It will be enjoyed by many for years to come!
I had no help. They couldn't even find gravestones which I had found myself. When I tried to cancel I was told to follow a procedure that was impossible. I have now managed to close my account but I am not even sure if this means my subscription is cancelled. They have taken two lots so far. As my account is closed I can no longer log in to try to find "cancel my subscription". Sites that make it almost impossible to get out of are unethical and should be closed down.
There is always help on the website by simply typing in https://support.billiongraves.com. This portion of our website is dedicated to questions and easy step by step procedures to help in researching headstones. Subscribers have a blue button on the left hand side of their screen that says "priority support". Any questions or problems can be answered within a 24 hour period, if not sooner, by a customer simply clicking on the button. The procedure to cancel a subscription is
Also very easy, and straightforward. The customer simply has to click on BG Plus at the top of the main screen and click on manage subscription. If a customer still can not figure things out, they simply need to click on the "priority support" button and fill out a form. Directions will then be sent on how to cancel the subscription with detailed step by step instructions. At that point, if a customer for whatever reason, can not figure out how to cancel the subscription, there are avenues we can pursue that will enable this to happen, as we also understand that there are many users who struggle with basic computer literacy. Our staff is very patient and willing to help in any way possible.
As we went through the database, it was determined that this customer was given a notice of their subscription renewal, which they opened several times before it actually renewed. The account then renewed and the customer cancelled the subscription the next day. They then waited a further three months and deleted the entire account. As we are a world wide company in compliance with privacy laws under EU standards, we do not keep data from a users account once it is deleted. This is the reason this customer could not get back into the account as it no longer exists. Deleting the account entirely is set with warnings that this will happen and the data will be lost.
First they hit me for $27.99 for a crippled site that is near worthless. Then they tell me that I will automatically be renewed every year AND I cannot stop that by mail. It has to be done through a link they provided that does not work. Calling their support *******659 I got, and you will get "We re busy and cannot take your call right now" and direct you to the site that is not reachable. They don't even suggest you can call back later, but they just wish you a great day and hang up.
We let our customers be the ones to decide if they would like a subscription or if they would like to use the site for free. It is their choice. I often tell our customers to use the site for free first. Getting used to the technology and the tools is the key to success! Also, when signing up for the account, it is very clear what their terms and policies regarding the subscription are. There are no refunds for a subscription. However, a subscription can always be cancelled and the customer will still enjoy the benefits of the account until the renewal date. This is just like many other online subscriptions out there.
As a genealogist, I used the site for many years for free. I decided later on to get a subscription, and I would never go back. Why? Because there are many tools such as nearby graves, family plots, and global family that are invaluable tools for the novice or experienced genealogist. Like many other sites out there, we provide online customer support that is also top of the line. At https://support.billiongraves.com/
Phone lines and snail mail are communication tools from the past. As a very modern, forward thinking company, our customer support staff is willing and able to answer customer questions and problems quickly and efficiently by email. Those who have subscriptions are given priority status on our website and are the first in line always. In fact, our support staff are usually live M-F 8-12 MST for our subscribers. When questions are asked outside of that time frame, our staff will usually answer within a 24 hour window.
Even one star is too much for this site. I signed up for a 30 day free trial, and soon after that I gave notice of canceling. There is no refund folks. Once they got your card number, they keep it. I still get the site for one year, but won't use it, but if they go ahead and re-apply my card at that time, I will be calling my attorney general.
I bought Billion Graves Plus Feb 2016 to document the Cemetary where my deceased grandson is buried. To my surprise it renewed, without my consent Feb 2017. I found out when the $59.99 charge appeared on my bank statement. I immediately sent an email requesting cancellation and refund. The email response I received was generic automated response that indicated no refunds. I emailed again and no response. The phone # is not working! I feel like they stole my money!
We don’t believe in surprises as a company! All of our policies are clearly spelled out before a customer agrees to the purchase of a BG+ account. Also, we always send out a reminder before a subscription renews to put the user firmly “ in the drivers seat”. This allows our customers the opportunity to either continue with the account or cancel it. At BillionGraves, we believe the choice is always with the customer!
Hopefully this site will gradually become more useful, but thus far, it is nearly impossible to find any grave because there simply are not enough there yet. There are also some stupid, annoying errors on the names that have been entered. I am a Find A Grave contributor who is very much into genealogy.
Update 5/2/16: What a dirty trick they have pulled! Some time ago it reached the point where I couldn't look at a single gravestone without creating an account, which was free. But now it's impossible to see nearby graves or family plots without creating new accounts that are NOT FREE. Oh, people supposedly have a free trial for a short time but it looks like a TRAP to me. Shame on Billion Graves.
Update 4/12/18: As far as I'm concerned, this crappy site no longer exists. Today I discovered that I have no access unless I disable AdBlock (which I refuse to do for anyone) or pay for a subscription. Disgusting.
I have never subscribed but receive frequent emails. These are impossible to unsubscribe from. You click on unsubscribe and are required to log in and then the whole process starts again.
Once you sign up, it is impossible to stop them from coming back again and again and again and again. They say you have to end your subscription on-line but even if you do, your credit card is still charged the next year. Oh... and they say if you are charged even for ONE DAY... and cancel... they keep the full year payment - no refunds. You cannot cancel in advance by email (they have no phone number) and tell them you want to cancel say on 4 November or just cancel now and still use the 6 months you paid for. Billion Graves is as bad as Frontier cable or worse. RUN from this company. RUN FAR AWAY
This is simply not true. Customers always have the ability to cancel. Customers are also given a 14-day window to decide whether or not they would like to cancel the subscription in their account. Once you cancel, it will no longer renew. Once it renews you have a year's worth of a subscription in the account. Our subscription program is no different than many online companies. If you do not want a subscription, simply use the free site. If you want to cancel, cancel right away, and you still have what you paid for in the account.
I subscribed to Billion Graves last year at this time. A week later, I cancelled because I wasn't impressed. They told me at the time they would not refund my money - which was fine. I just wanted out of it.
They recently renewed my membership without my permission and after I had cancelled last year.
I cannot find any contact information for them anywhere. They have my credit card number and using it without permission.
You can contact customer service on BillionGraves here: https://support.billiongraves.com to find out what the circumstances might be. Most likely the subscription wasn't cancelled as this customer claims. We do not charge customers nor keep credit card information on site. Once an account is cancelled it is cancelled.
Not user friendly! Can't even look at anything you have looked up. You get a pop up wanting your email address and when you give it, no email arrives to proceed further. No way to contact someone about the issue. Frustrating, not user friendly at all.
Billion Graves is an amazing database of user-input grave information. Sometimes, grave information is not available but it is because no user has photographed that grave. Since images record GPS locations, it is easy to see surrounding Graves, which is helpful. Also, with the app, contributing images is super easy! Good job, Billion Graves!
I have been a member of Billion Graves Plus three years and find it useful but then I noticed they charged a credit card when the subscription wasn't due for 5 mos. Trying to get issue resolved impossible. Everytime you try to tey to their nonsense response they send an auto reply saying they closed the ticket and if you want to reopen it to ret to message. When you reply they just send you another form message stating the same thing. First of all, their response said it must have been because I used a different email. What does that have to do with anything, I only gave them one credit card to charge and all of their notices came to the correct email. Second, the renewal was supposed to be $17 when due not the $24 they charged. They hide behind their "no refund" policy to cover their mistakes. I have now canceled my subscription so they can't charge me again and they sent a notice admitting it wasn't due for renewal yet and I could still use it yet they won't refund the extra renewal they charged in error. Terrible company to deal with. Beware.
Do not like it, when an historical record comes up for Billion Graves.com, and I again see that the wrong address is attached to a particular cemetery. Please look at the address on Assumption Cemetery in O'Fallon, Missouri. The cemetery has always been in O'Fallon, but you have the address as Wentzville, Mo. No-No-No!
That's an easy fix! The gps location was correct, just the address label was wrong. https://billiongraves.com/cemetery/Assumption-Cemetery/65717
Overview
BillionGraves has a rating of 1.6 stars from 61 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers dissatisfied with BillionGraves most frequently mention credit card, auto renewal and last year. BillionGraves ranks 54th among Genealogy sites.
- Visit Website
- Lehi, Utah, United States
- Edit business info
Company Representative
- Sitejabber’s sole mission is to increase online transparency for buyers and businesses
- Sitejabber has helped over 200M buyers make better purchasing decisions online
- Suspicious reviews are flagged by our algorithms, moderators, and community members
- Sitejabber’s sole mission is to increase online transparency for buyers and businesses
- Sitejabber has helped over 200M buyers make better purchasing decisions online
- Suspicious reviews are flagged by our algorithms, moderators, and community members
Just like Find A Grave we have a free side of our website. No one is forced to use BG+ for research purposes. BG+ allows users the opportunity to see who is buried around a loved one, priority support, more maps and global family research.
As a genealogist, I have used both sites for many years. Find-A-Grave has been around for much longer, but is not always as accurate as people would like to think. With BillionGraves, because of their use of GPS technology there is no second guessing as to whether or not the headstone is really in a cemetery. I have found quite a few family records on Find A Grave and traveled to the cemetery only to find that a particular record is not in the cemetery to begin with. There really is not any question when you can see the GPS pin in a particular location.
Unlike our competitor, who is run by a large corporation, we are an independent company, who relies on advertisements to keep the "lights on" and keep innovation going on our website. We do have advertisements on our free side, which is an industry standard with many independent websites. On BG+ we only allow one advertiser, My Heritage, to post advertisements for further research. However, our users are always welcome to use FamilySearch, another partner of ours, to do free research.