Terms and Conditions
General
In commissioning me to undertake research on your behalf, you agree to the following terms and conditions.
Terms of Engagement
Before commencing any research I will confirm in writing my understanding of the brief and ensure your agreement with this understanding.
You are responsible for ensuring that full details of any previous research or known facts have been conveyed to me to avoid any research being inadvertently repeated at additional cost.
I will not exceed the number of hours research initially agreed without prior agreement from you.
If during the research it becomes clear that the project will not take as long as anticipated or the research cannot proceed as expected, a refund of any whole unused pre-paid research hours will be made.
I will report the findings of the research with detailed sources of the information obtained. Where research is unsuccessful I will provide full details of the records, repositories etc that have been examined.
Payment
A deposit of 50% is required in order to secure a research slot. For any commissions £100 or under, full payment is required in advance. Research will begin once the deposit payment has been received and funds cleared.
The completed research will be sent to the client once the balance of payment has been received and cleared. Payment is due within 30 days of request.
If you wish to extend the scope of research or budget, then payment for the work conducted so far and a further deposit will be required.
Fees
Fixed price packages for producing family trees are based on an agreed amount of research time as well as the cost of obtaining certain documents (generally birth, death and marriage certificates or images from censuses or parish records) and producing reports and charts.
Fixed price packages producing a family tree obtain an overview of your ancestors. It is therefore unlikely that every detail of a particular ancestor’s life, or every document in which they appear will be used.
For bespoke packages, research will be undertaken at an agreed hourly rate. Costs considered within this hourly rate include:
Research time
Analysing information
Communicating with the client by phone and email
Time spent obtaining certificates/documents
Time spent compiling the research report and family chart
Travel time and costs.
There will be additional charges for copies of certificates/documents required to undertake the necessary research, and these are supplied at cost price. These will be discussed in advance and if necessary the research hours reduced pro-rata.
Before starting research for a bespoke package, a budget will be agreed. This budget will not be exceeded without the permission of the client.
The research information supplied is what is possible within the budget given. However, results will vary depending on various factors including how common the ancestors’ names were and survival of relevant records.
Fees are payable as agreed with you for the research undertaken regardless of whether the desired information is found or not. It is important to bear in mind that the necessary documents that would contain required information may not have survived or may never have existed. In the event of such negative searches, my research report will contain full details of all sources consulted.
Likelihood of Success
It may not always be possible to complete research goals and if this becomes apparent in the first hour of research, and before any costs have been accrued in obtaining documents, I will generally offer a full refund. If this occurs after significant research has taken place I will contact you and we can agree whether to offer a partial refund or to concentrate research on another area of the family. Research time includes time spent searching which results in a negative outcome.
Genealogical research involves examining original, transcripts or images of historic documents; these sources may at times be unclear, misleading, or even incorrect. No liability is accepted for any loss, damage or inconvenience that may arise from any information extracted from sources, any errors in transcripts from these sources or conclusions derived from them.
Cancellation
In the event you decide to cancel once research has commenced, there will be no refund of the deposit paid. I will calculate the cost of research undertaken up to the point of cancellation and any documents obtained in the course of that research, and the fees resulting from that calculation will be payable by the client. No research report will be completed.
I reserve the right to cancel research for a client at any time, and refund any monies paid less fees and expenses accrued.
Errors or Omissions
My research is undertaken with great attention to detail and with immense pride, however, if, for whatever reason, there is an error or omission that is my fault, I will endeavour to rectify it free of charge.
Accreditation and Reassurance
As an AGRA Associate, I have agreed by abide by the Codes of Practice/Ethics.
In the unlikely event you are not 100% happy with the research received, I will endeavour to address any concerns as quickly as possible. If we cannot at that point reach a mutually agreeable solution, AGRA has a complaints procedure which may be used.
AGRA = Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives.
Consent
By contacting me and supplying your contact details you give permission for me to contact you.
By supplying information on living relatives, such as date and place of birth, you give consent to the use of that information for your research.
You have the right at any time to request a copy of the information I hold in relation to you and your research commission.