Wednesday, April 18, 2018

DNA Re-test

CRIgenetics agreed to send me a new test kit for re-testing.  I had annoyed them with several emails suggesting that their results were possibly contaminated because their report of recent ancestry was inconsistent with known family genealogy.

Here is a question.  Since I suspect this company of errors and just MIGHT possibly just send me the identical previous report to avoid admitting an error, I have a thought.  Should I just honestly send them my own cheek swab again OR get tricky and try to get a friend to do a cheek swab to see if they send an identical report?   In that case, I would know they were falsifying the results just making the report up.

My dilemma is that, if I send them my own cheek swab again and get identical results as the last time, I will never know if they just simply sent me the original report again or if there is some accuracy to it I don't understand.   But if I get some friend or neighbor to agree to this little trick, and CRI tests accurately,  and if the results are different, I won't actually know whether the new test results are his or mine.

And quite frankly, if someone came to ME and suggested this "swap of swab",  I would be immediately suspicious of some intended legal or family deception, and would decline to participate.

I'm not in any way suspecting parental infidelity, adoption, or family uncertainties in any way.  I and my siblings certainly look enough like our parents.  

I just want to have some reason to think the original report was inaccurate because it calls the genealogy into question AND disagrees substantially with a previous DNA test.  So I want this 2nd company to "generally" agree with the other company.

I might have to get a 3rd company as a tie-breaker.  The cost is trivial. 

So, hit me with logical questions, suggestions, advice, experience, or anything else...


4 comments:

Megan said...

I do think it would be weird to be asked to donate a DNA sample to someone - as you say, no matter how reasonable your explanation sounds, it's such an unusual request that one might harbour some doubts.

Is another way around this to submit your DNA but put someone else's name on it - or is that not possible because of the tracking of the kit you've been sent (ie. they'll be able to tell that it was a kit sent to you)?

If the cost is trivial, then I think I would probably go ahead with a straightforward second test and, if the report comes back exactly the same, then perhaps buy a test kit for your sister and ask her whether she'd participate - since the two of you should have the same results, but she will have a different name (I presume) and a different address, so their computer systems won't link the two tests.

Megan
Sydney, Australia

Just Ducky said...

I like Megan's idea of getting a sample from your sister, for all the same reasons.

Katie Isabella said...

I used Ancestry.com...and the results were consistent with the family tree we have so far back to the year 980 on Dad's side. If it were I in this dilemma, I would choose another company and see what it said.

The Whiskeratti said...

I agree with Megan's suggestion.

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