Terms

1. GENERAL TERMS

1.1 By using my services you agree to be bound by these terms.

1.2 Research will begin once payment has been received in full or the applicable deposit paid.

1.3 In cases where a deposit is paid, the completed research will be sent to the client once the balance of professional fees and expenses has been paid. In the case of Bespoke Research it may be necessary to pay by instalments depending upon the overall budget and duration of research. Specific payment arrangements for Bespoke Research will be agreed beforehand. All invoices must be paid within 30 days of invoice date.

1.4 Bespoke Research will be undertaken at the agreed hourly rate and will include: i) research conducted at libraries, archives or my premises; ii) time spent writing the family history or research report and preparing family tree charts; iii) processing and interpreting information provided to me by the client; iv) planning the research; iv) corresponding with the client; v) time spent obtaining certificates/copies of documents. Fees for obtaining copies of documents are charged at cost. Travel is charged at standard class rail fare.

1.5 Should it be necessary to exceed the original budget during Bespoke Research, this will be discussed with the client and, if applicable, a new budget agreed before further research or expenses are incurred.

1.6 I will retain any electronic files generated in the course of my research indefinitely, enabling further research to be conducted at a later date if required, and/or extra copies of books/reports to be printed.

2. GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH

2.1 Genealogy involves examining either transcriptions or images of historical documents or the original. These documents were written or compiled by people and may be damaged, unclear, erroneous or contradictory of other sources. I cannot accept liability for any errors in transcripts of these sources or their interpretation. Where there is some doubt concerning the veracity of a document or source, I will highlight it in my report.

2.2 Likewise, the documents that would be relied upon in researching your family history may not have survived or even existed. Consequently, there can be no guarantee that any genealogical research will be successful or that any family tree generated will be complete or accurate. Again, I will highlight any areas of uncertainty in my report to you.

2.3 All fees are payable regardless of whether the desired information is found or not. In the event of a negative search, my report will detail sources that have been consulted.

2.4 Thorough genealogical research can take considerable time, especially when waiting for copies of documents. I will provide a Final Report (the content of which will have been agreed with the client), within an agreed timescale (so far as is reasonably practicable), and with due skill and care.

3. FIXED PRICE PACKAGES

3.1 The cost of each Fixed Price Package includes a specified amount of research time, the cost of obtaining official birth, marriage and death certificates, and the cost of producing and dispatching the associated charts and books.

3.2 The outline information for each Fixed Price Package gives an idea of what can generally be achieved. Results will depend on factors mentioned in 2. GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH as well as where your ancestors lived and how common their names were.

3.3 Each Fixed Priced Package aims to discover the specific number of generations/ancestors applicable to the package. The balance of research time versus documents obtained will vary at my discretion in order to achieve this aim.

3.4 On some occasions it may not be possible to discover every ancestor as part of a Fixed Price Package. This may be the case if they moved to or from a country outside of the United Kingdom, or the required documents are unobtainable. As soon as this becomes evident I will consult with yourself to decide how you wish to proceed. Depending upon the amount of research conducted up to that point, and the costs incurred, a part refund may be offered at my discretion.

3.5 Fixed Price Packages do not include extras such as (but not limited to): i) extra copies of hard-back book and/or charts, ii) cost of a Deluxe Book, or iii) international postage (£15.00) of your book and documents…

4. GIFT CERTIFICATES

4.1 All gift certificates are transferable.

4.2 All gift certificates, including those that have been transferred, must be redeemed within one year of date of original purchase.

5. DOCUMENTS OR PHOTOGRAPHS IN MY CARE

5.1 If you submit photographs and other documents to me for use in my research and/or inclusion in your book or report, you declare that you have the right to do so, and that you have obtained any third party consents as necessary and in accordance with the applicable data protection or intellectual property laws.

5.2 It is preferable if digital copies of photographs/documents are sent to me rather than the originals. However, I am able to scan photographs or documents but cannot accept any liability for their damage or loss whilst in transit to me, during their storage and scanning by me, or when returning them to you. If you do send me photographs or documents, it is your responsibility to ensure that they are adequately and securely packaged. It is advisable that you insure them if they are of particular value to you. Where possible, I will return them in their original packaging and via the same service.

6. DATA PROTECTION AND PRIVACY

6.1 I hold personal information provided by you for the following purposes:- i) to process your payment; ii) to communicate with you; iii) to send you your final report/book and any associated documents and/or documents/photographs provided by you; ii) and for the purposes of conducting your family history research.

6.2 This information will be held on a computer secured with a password as well as in paper form and will be held for as long as necessary to complete your research. You can request that it be deleted at any time.

6.3 Data provided by you or generated during my research will not be passed on to any third party with the sole exception of the printers who will be passed the prepared electronic book/chart files (i.e. the content of your book and family tree).

6.4 Further information can be found on the webpage PRIVACY.

7. CANCELLATION AT REQUEST OF CLIENT

7.1 The client has the right to cancel the commission at any time.

7.2 Any deposit paid is non-refundable. If the client chooses to cancel and the costs incurred, whether expenses or time spent in research, exceed the deposit and any other sums paid, then the balance will be payable by the client. No research report will be completed unless agreed and paid for.

8. CANCELLATION BY ME

8.1 I reserve the right to cancel research for a client at any time and refund any monies paid, less fees accrued to date whether expenses or time spent in research.

9. ERRORS AND OMISSIONS

9.1 To avoid misunderstandings and potential disappointment, all information that forms the basis of my research must be supplied by the client in writing. Please ensure that it is correct as I am not liable for any errors resulting from the supply of incorrect information.

9.2 If the client identifies any errors or omissions in the report, book or charts after research has been completed, they must be notified to me in writing within 30 days of receipt of the report, book or charts. If the error is my fault, it will be corrected at my own expense and as quickly as reasonably possible. In this instance, only items from the original order will be replaced. Therefore, please check your first book, chart or report carefully before ordering any extra copies.

9.3 Projected costs and expenses are subject to change if it becomes evident that incorrect information was provided by the client.

10. METHOD OF PAYMENT

Payments can be made by:

secure debit/credit card payment via merchant facility available on this website; or
direct bank transfer via BACS. Bank account details will be on the invoice; or
cheque in GB Pounds Sterling drawn on a bank in the United Kingdom made payable to H BROWN T/A YOURANCESTREE.