In addition to our £69 package we offer a tailored research service. This is particularly useful if you have already done some research yourself, perhaps using on-line resources, but require us to get back beyond the 1800s. Or, it may be that you wish us to undertake a specific search at a record office or other archive search. Sometimes buildings associated with your ancestors’ such as their home, streets or school may still be standing, and we may be able to supply pictures of these to help bring your family history to life.
Our flexible approach means we are happy to tailor our service to your needs. We recognise that everyone is different and some people may like to be kept up to date with progress, with regular email discussion so that they can partake in the thrill of the chase, and others may prefer to get updates at pre-arranged stages. We will be happy to provide the service that suits you best.
As we are Essex and Norfolk based our tailored family history research is particularly useful for those with roots in the South East of England including Essex, London, Suffolk, Norfolk, Kent, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. Our location means that if your ancestors came from these areas, and research requires visits to local record repositories, costs can be kept down. However, experience tells us that family history research is unpredictable, and sometimes our ancestors moved around. If that happens we are happy to go further afield after consultation with you. We will of course undertake assignments in any geographical area, but travel to more distant places will have associated costs – but in any case it is always worth contacting us for an indication of costs
In all circumstances we will agree a budget with you up front, prior to any costs being incurred. All visits will be charged on a time and cost of travel incurred basis – see Fees & Charges. Although we require payment in advance for work to be carried out, we will agree with you all expenses, prior to costs being incurred. Typically clients will pay an initial start-up fee of £48 for which you will get either 4 hours research, or a mixture of research time and copies of documents – see examples in the Fees & Charges table.
We would look to progress further research in stages, so that you can phase your payments and review our results before agreeing to the next stage. This way you can decide how far back to go, whether to stop for a while or whether you want to pick up the research yourself. See our Getting Started pages for information on how to get the ball rolling.
What You Will Get
As well as regular updates, at the end of the assignment the findings will be drawn together and presented in your chosen form. This will include images of documents as appropriate, a family tree*, results of all searches, and any other relevant information. You will also receive a labelled CD which will allow you to import the data into most family tree software packages (See Frequently Asked Questions for information about the CD format). Any postage/shipping will be charged at cost.
* Please note that the family tree provided is intended to aid understanding – it is not of ‘picture hanging’ quality and therefore will not be suitable for wall display purposes.
Tailored Service Terms & Conditions
- Payment is required in advance of work undertaken.
- If the ancestor you seek is not found, despite a careful search, the negative result will be reported to you, but as the work has been done the charge will still apply.
- It should be noted that sometimes historical records have been destroyed, lost or are illegible and that even with the best of endeavours it is not possible to find information that is being sought.
- In some cases e.g. where a name is common, it is not possible to identify with any certainty the correct person. As we pride ourselves that our research is sound, we would not wish to pursue a line which we are not confident is correct. If this occurs we will inform you and agree the next steps with you.
- We will not waste your money on fruitless research. If after a reasonable time period we are unable to establish the line with certainty, we will stop the search and agree the next steps with you.
- Whilst the researchers make every effort to ensure that research is carried out in the most economical manner, the expansion of web-based resources is rapid. We are committed to keeping as up-to-date as possible with these resources, but there may be (rare) occasions where we incur expenditure on your behalf, such as visiting a record office, where it is subsequently discovered that the information could have been found through a less expensive method such as via the internet. If such an occasion arises, English Roots Finder cannot be held responsible for the higher cost of the research.
Our Commitment to You:
- We will not exceed the budget set without prior approval from you.
- We will provide regular written reports, at intervals agreed with you.
- All reports will be typed containing source references.
- Results from our research, or details you have supplied will not be disclosed to any third party, unless prior written consent is given.
- Any unused credit when research is complete will be refunded.
