Terms & Conditions
- Following a free consultation (1 hour) and as soon as your permission has been given to us to start our initial research into a particular surname, we will start at an agreed time which will normally be within two weeks of the consultation.
- If within a couple of hours of starting our research it becomes obvious that the line cannot be traced back for whatever reason, we will stop with NO fee.
- If our initial research suggests that we can continue with the family line, then we will make contact with you to officially request in writing that we continue to undertake the work stated in the agreed scope of works. A document containing the work required along with the associated terms and conditions will then be sent to you to date, sign and return so that the work can proceed.
- At this time a deposit for £100.00 will be required. As soon as we have received this deposit, a confirmation receipt will be issued to you and research work will re-commence.
- Once our research work has concluded, we will contact you to confirm this, and then the final payment will be required before the research documentation (the Package) is sent to you.
- All of the information that is gathered and illustrated in the 'Package' will remain the property of Ancestral Discovery until we have received full payment.
- All personal information that you provide us with is treated with the utmost confidentiality. None of the information obtained or detailed about you or your ancestry will be passed on to any third party, neither will it be used for marketing or promotional purposes without your prior written consent.
- Payments / deposits shall be made by cash, cheque or Paypal.
- Should you request us to carry out research into Irish or Scottish ancestry, an additional £50.00 fee may be required.
- Research undertaken is only as accurate as the starting information that you provide us with. Providing this information is valid and accurate Ancestral Discovery will make every effort to trace the line from that starting point using the available transcribed census records. Please Note: Due to the age and condition of the original document, these transcribed records are often open to interpretation.
- IGI records (normally pre-1837), which are provided by www.familysearch.org, are transcribed records, which again are subject to interpretation. It is only by checking the original local parish records, that the IGI records can be verified for accuracy.
It is sometimes necessary, particularly at the initial research stage, to order copies of birth, death and marriage certificates in order to confirm an ancestral line. The current cost for each certificate obtained from the General Register Office (GRO) can be found here (page opens in new window). We will pass these costs on to you without any add-ons and as a separate charge to our research rate. We would only proceed with ordering these once we have written consent from you to do so (paper and/or electronic copies of these would then accompany your report).
- Copying, scanning, photocopying or reproducing any part of the family history books is strictly prohibited and all work is subject to copyright which remains with Ancestral Discovery. Copyright statements are printed in the family history books.
- A small 'Ancestral Discovery' logo is printed on the inside page of the family history book and the bottom of all family tree plans and reports.
Should you require / request any additional information to the outlined 'Packages', i.e. A Military Service Record, Medal Index Card (detailing the medals they received / were entitled to), or gazetted Medal of Valour / Medal Won or newspaper article then we will discuss the additional cost of this with you prior to our acquisition of the aforementioned items. The same would apply to a War Death Service, should a photo of a personal grave or memorial exist in any of the 'Theatres of War'.
