Apologies for Cross-posting: Cathy has asked me if I would forward this communication re Otherdays.com. She has sent this to the Galway, Kilkenny and Mayo lists. I will be sending this to the following lists Clare, Limerick, Leix, Monaghan, Antrim, Belfast City, Armagh, Kerry If any of you has seen a query re Otherdays on any other list, perhaps you could forward Cathy's message to those lists. Please and thanks, Jane ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 9:59 AM Subject: [GALWAY] Otherdays.com ...... UPDATE > Dear Listers > > Some of you have been able to access Otherdays without any problems, but > many of us have been having difficulties since the site shut down briefly > at the > end of January. > > In spite of numerous e-mails and phone calls, I have not been able to > log-on > to the site since that date. > > I continued this one-sided correspondence with Otherdays for several > months, and then contacted ODCA, which is the Irish consumer affairs > department. > > Let me just say that I think Otherdays is the best Irish website, and I > desperately want it to stay in business. > However, to do so, it must respond to it's customers. > > I won't bore you with all the details, but Alan Ryan, one of the directors > of Otherdays, told ODCA, that although the site had experienced serious > computer problems, it was up and running normally, though not accepting > payment from > new subscribers. > > This was clearly not the case. > > He promised to check into my membership and re-instate me. > Nothing happened. > > After further complaint, I received the following e-mail from Alan Ryan: > > "Otherdays currently has no employees and is really only ticking over, I > do > not work for them and as such can not really help you, I will however see > if I > can contact someone who can." > > A truly remarkable statement, I'm sure you'll agree ! > > And he obviously couldn't contact anyone because my situation didn't > change. > Still unable to log-on. > > Back to ODCA once again. > > I received this e-mail from them yesterday: > > ...... Following several failed attempts to contact Mr Alan Ryan of > Otherdays I passed the case over to a field Inspector to visit their > office. There is now a restaurant in the building and the entire > premises > is on the market "FOR SALE". The Inspector has found another address and > will call there to try to establish contact with the Directors. We will > inform you when we have any further details.............. > > So I regret to say, it looks like our worst fears are being realised. > > Let's hope one of the other genealogy websites makes them an offer. > Otherdays has so many useful databases, it would be such a waste if they > simply disappeared. > > I don't know how many other dissatisfied subscribers complained to ODCA. > If anyone would like to add their voice, please contact me and I will give > you the relevant details.Maybe more complaints will give it a higher > priority, > as this has been moving very slowly indeed. > > I will report again when I get any new information. > > This e-mail is being sent to several Irish lists, so apologies if you > receive it more than once. > > Regards > Cathy