Terms & Conditions.

All research work carried out on your behalf will be to a professional standard. This means that the research is confidential and tailored to your requirements. I will clearly list any potential costing and keep you informed, so that you are in full control of any expenditure and progress.

It is important to me that you know that I comply with data protection, and also that the initial evaluation is completely free in order to assess and clarify your needs.

I charge £25 per hour for research, analysis and preparing a written client report, the report will include all the findings (including those that are negative), recommendations for future research and inclusion of transcriptions, copies, photographs, and abstracts of documentation etc. along with evaluation. However, there will be no charge for the initial hour assessment (including telephone conversation if appropriate) to clarify your needs. In addition, I will need to charge for any ordered documentation e.g. wills and certificates, photocopying, stationary, postage and travelling costs etc. in order to cover my expenditure.

Stage 1.

Please provide whatever information that you have already compiled on the person or family to be researched. This should include full names, dates, places of residence, births/baptisms, marriages and deaths/ burials, plus any other significant life events, sibling information, family rumours etc. This should include the copied documentation if you have it.

Stage 2.

After evaluating the information that you have provided, I will give a written quote based on the task(s) you have set me. You will see that there is a range quoted for the time and expenses that will potentially incur. Research is rarely straightforward and sometimes obscure; however, I am very experienced, and so use my time as effectively and efficiently as I can. Each family is unique and the research and analysis time varies significantly.

I will keep in touch with you so that you are aware of progress. Please understand that I cannot guarantee the quantity of information found. There may not be any, or if available, no conclusive.  Any conclusions made are based on the weight of evidence available and at the time of the report. A negative result will still be charged.

I will send you an initial invoice which will require before the research commences, which will be approximately 50% of the perceived costs.

Stage 3.

Once the report is complete and ready to send, I will inform you and send a final invoice. Once payment is received it will be sent to you. The total cost will not exceed my given quote, unless there has been AGREED extra research done on your behalf. If a refund is due to you, it will be arranged.

Please understand that whilst one historical document may provide all the information you require, in other cases, several documents may need to be cross-referenced to understand a particular situation. There are occasions when documents have suffered damage, been destroyed or are missing/unavailable. This situation is unfortunate and I will charge for the research time.

Interval Payments.

If you wish to pay at set intervals, that isn’t a problem, although an initial payment would still need to be received. It would be assessed according to your needs, and invoices would be sent at the appropriate intervals according to costs.

Accuracy.

I pride myself on my accuracy, but if you feel that there are any issues please do not hesitate to contact me and I will try my best to resolve the issue. Please also remember that our ancestors were not always entirely honest. I have seen many marriage certificates where the bride or groom has “upgraded” his/her father’s occupation, or where he/she invented a fictitious father to pretend that they not illegitimate.

Need a Different Specialist.

There will be the very rare occasions whereby a particular specialist is required and the research may be beyond my expertise. It may be that you need a specialist in another country, or perhaps understanding a different culture or language, or someone specialising in certain photography, military issue etc. In these cases, I will let you know that I am unable to help you. I may be able to pass you the name of a professional organisation who can provide you with names of relevant researchers.

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