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Terms and Charges for 2012 |
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INITIAL CONSULTATION is free - as is advice and discussion along the way. RESEARCH CHARGES for work in the Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire and Lancashire area is GBP15 per hour (no increase from 2011 rates) . This usually includes travelling costs, parking etc and there are no hidden extras unless discussed beforehand.
REPORTING CHARGES
for presenting results and analysis of findings, also GBP15 an hour.
Usually one hour’s research generates about half an hour of
reporting time, but it does depend on the type of research. DOCUMENTS such as birth certificates will currently cost you GBP9.25 if ordered online. I will make no charge for organising the ordering. If photocopies of Record Office documents are needed they usually cost around GBP0.50 per sheet. Some Record offices allow a photograph to be taken of an entry in a register but it does vary from office to office. ESTIMATES are generally impossible to give except for very specific searches of known documents. I usually do a couple of hours work, report back and then we decide the way forward. For about 6 hours work, I can usually gather vital statistics for 2 or 3 generations of a typical family, though a lot depends on the mobility of the families, the rarity of the surnames and the proportion of records which are indexed. By the time I have spent about 4 hours I can usually tell you whether the project is unlikely to get anywhere.
BUDGET:
Often I work within a budget – i.e. a
maximum amount
of money you are willing to risk as a starter, say
GBP30-100. I prefer to work in short amounts of time and report back.
This way you keep control of the direction and the budget of the
research. If I
meet a problem, I’ll get back to you before I go further.
I won’t spend your money going up blind alleys without
your permission. If I come across research you can do yourself, I’ll mention it and you can decide if you want to pay me to do it or save money. Where I can use internet resources, I can work at home and will be generous in my calculation of time in view of the convenience it is to me. PAYMENT: I don't expect payment in advance - you pay either when the job is finished, or when I have used up the agreed budget, in which case we arrange another block of work if you wish. If the outstanding amount reaches GBP100, I will usually ask you settle at that stage before we go any further. The vast majority of payments to me are by cheque or online through Paypal. PRESENTATION: If you have access to a family history computer program, I can send a copy of a gedcom file which will allow you to print family trees. If you want a more professional tree printing, I can arrange that online through a very good printer I have used in the past. For example, you may want to present a tree to someone as birthday present. See: www.Genealogyprinters.com for more information. FINALLY: my aim is to work as much as possible in tandem with you; everything I find out or think about will be discussed with you. Any certificates we send for become your property and will be posted to you.
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