A rule of thumb I started using in the '70s. Saved me from lots of grief. "If you cannot confirm that what you are selling has X, Y, and/or Z in it, I will not be ordering." In the age of computer assisted/generated reports, this is a trivial request, with minimal work on the seller's part. An excellent screen for those who you should not be doing business with. As for false information, the best bet is to use a Genealogy Program that allows you to systematically identify, flag and ultimately weed out bad data. For example, The Master Genealogist. do NOT use "reply": spam filtering active. send e-mail only to mailto:terry@sterkel.org, or betsy@sterkel.org > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: Re: [GV] A THOUGHT > From: Terri Walker <terri4787@yahoo.com> > Date: Sun, August 05, 2007 11:17 am > To: smcginness1@cox.net, Charles Parcels <volgager4440@yahoo.com>, > ger-volga@rootsweb.com > > Just as bad, is paying money for advertised items that are misrepresented, and false information. > > smcginness1@cox.net wrote: ... I'm just a poor descendant of Volga Germans, and I'm just as proud of my heritage as the next guy, but frankly I can't afford $35 or $50 or $150 to buy a chart that may or may not have any information on it concerning my ancestors. The experiences I have had with paying for information is that I pay up front and then wait for a response, which is usually, "Sorry, no information was found regarding -----." ...