Free Consultation:

Penguin Genealogy makes no charge for the initial client enquiry.  On receipt of an enquiry, the client will be asked to provide as much information as possible to allow Penguin Genealogy to carry out an initial search to identify whether sufficient documents are available to allow the research to be undertaken successfully.

If Penguin Genealogy is unable to help, the client will be informed at the earliest opportunity and no charge will be made.

If the initial search proves successful and the commission can be accepted Penguin Genealogy will contact the client to agree the timescale and request a 50% deposit for commissions in excess of £100.00 and full payment for commissions of £100.00 and below to continue the research.  Please note that no further research will be carried out until the deposit or full payment has been received.

 

Undertaking the Research:

Once payment of the deposit, or full payment for commissions of £100.00 or below, has been received, Penguin Genealogy will undertake the research according to the client's chosen package or research requirements.  Regular progress updates (usually weekly) will be provided during the course of the project.

Upon completion of the research Penguin Genealogy will inform the client that the documentation is ready and issue an invoice for the final balance of the fees due.  Within 5 days of final payment being received by Penguin Genealogy the documentation will be dispatched to the client.  Please note that all documentation remains the property of Penguin Genealogy until final payment is received.

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Payments:

Payment in £ Sterling can be made either by cheque drawn on a UK bank (made payable to Penguin Genealogy), via bank transfer or via a PayPal invoice which will be sent to the client by email.

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Liability:

​Historical family records found both in private collections and official archives are rich source of information, however, they can be misleading and often contain illegible or difficult to read handwriting and a variety of spellings.  It can also be the case that some historical documents, such as census returns, contain inaccuracies because our ancestors were misunderstood by the transcribers or were perhaps not quite telling the whole truth.  For this reason, every genealogical research project is vulnerable to the occasional inaccuracy.

Penguin Genealogy makes every effort to verify the research findings from the original documents; however, whilst the quality of our research is of a high standard the accuracy of the findings cannot be guaranteed where evidence is unreliable or contradictory.

If any inaccuracies are found to be due to errors on the part of Penguin Genealogy, and are identified in good time, we are happy to correct the error and revise the documentation at no extra cost.  If any errors or omissions are found to be the result of inaccuracies in the initial information provided by the client the research report will be corrected and reprinted for an additional fee.

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Terminating the Contract:

​If any client wishes to terminate the research contact, they must inform Penguin Genealogy by either telephone or email.  Penguin Genealogy will calculate the amount of work undertaken prior to cancellation and will invoice the client at a rate of £25 per hour plus costs (up to the total price of the package ordered).  On receipt of this payment any research documentation will be forwarded to the client.  Please note that all documentation remains the property of Penguin Genealogy until payment is received.

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Your details

Your details will be held securely, only used to contact you regarding your research and will not be shared with any third party.