Genealogy Chat

Hi I ordered 2 certificates on 22 April, the good news is one arrived today, 6 days early! The bad news is they enclosed a note to say a refund and explanation were to follow, so i am guessing there is a problem with the other certificate. As i got the reference details for both from the 1837 site i am wondering what the problem could be. Has anyone else had a refund from them when they have the correct details, and why? Yvette

Hi Yvette, I had a similar problem. I ordered a certificate and like yourself received a note to say a refund as the middle name I gave didn't match. I checked 1837 online again (i had saved the pages) and everything seemed ok. It was only when they sent me a letter that I realised I had actually copied down the wrong reference (the one beneath the one I actually wanted). I can be quite dim at times. Had to send for it again, arrived yesterday, unfortunately I am not sure it is the right chap anyway. such is life!!

It's better to put as little information on as possible (within reason!) in case somneone has made an error somewhere down the line.

Ive had a re-fund from them before. It was my mistake i had put the wrong quarter.(daft i know) I got £4 back they do still charge £3 for the look-up. Jill

Hi Yvette A few weeks ago I sent off for my Grandads birth cert. I put the birthdate that we always thought was his 29/10/1890 - they refunded. Then someone on here said omit the date, I did and sent again. I received the cert this time - the birthdate was different - it was 5/11/1890. x x x

Really maddening isn't it especially when there's no-one to blame but yourself. It's happened to me twice -sitting here till the wee hours, ordering online, very tired and making stupid erros like the quarter or page number. Even more exasperating when you've waited weeks and then you get that email saying they can't find it when you know you did!!! Yes ,much faster to send for certificates directly from the register office but not all send a copy of the original -just a typed up copy which isn't quite the same thing. Oh well -if it all ran smoothly and quickly, what would be left for me to research in my old age! Jackie

Thanks everyone for your advice. I guess i will have to wait on the postman now to see what the problem is, then i can try and re-order it! Its really frustrating as i am waiting on this one to find out which set of three possibles is my next generation up! Regards Yvette

i think it must depend on who does your certificate, i got one last week gave the parents names as i went to london for lookups and wasn't sure as maiden wasn't next to it in 1885 and they send me the wrong one even with all the info i gave never mind sandra

Hi all I am also waiting to see what the problem is, I ordered Marriage Cert and Birth Cert and recieved the Marriage Cert Yesterday after it had been to the Inland Revenue ofiices but enclosed was To follow Refund, watch this space!! June

There are many errors in the indexing, mainly due to the reason many people could not write or spell properly (no different today really myself included). And when you think these may have been copied twice, it could have the wrong persons details on. But for all that it is a good source of information. A few errors I have found Simpkins entered under Timpkins in 1878 Page no's wrong, on a marraige husband and wife had the same details but for the page number in 1866 (2nd time lucky the wife details were corrrect. Marriage with the wrong surname, everything fits, i.e. first names, father, occupations, but he could have changed his name so have got to check the Army details to find out, in 1874. Ages may differ from the marriage details in the Church copy and the certificate ordered, had a few of those. A death in 1839 church burials he is 48 and the certificate is 58. As the Church is the first source of information I would go with the the Church records. Most likely there are many others that I am looking for entered wrong, but time will sort these out. But as has been said only put the minimum amount of information, I don't put second names or parents down unless its a common name and then just the father. Birth dates do appear to be different, granddad 5th Nov but on his certificate its 15th May, same as his son can only think he changed it when his son was born. Grandmother was one day out. Irene