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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: BigSlick on Sunday 14 November 10 23:14 GMT (UK)

Title: Cost of certs
Post by: BigSlick on Sunday 14 November 10 23:14 GMT (UK)
How come ancestry can charge so much for certificates?
Title: Re: Cost of certs
Post by: Jebber on Sunday 14 November 10 23:23 GMT (UK)
Anyone can charge what they like for providing a service, that is why it pays to deal direct with the GRO or local Register Office.

I don't know why anyone would use a third party for a transaction it is so easy to do for oneself.

Jebber
Title: Re: Cost of certs
Post by: dawnsh on Sunday 14 November 10 23:24 GMT (UK)
Because they are providing a certificate ordering service by acting as a middle man, and the unsuspecting, who don't know they can order certificates directly from the General Register Office, pay for that service.

Dawn
Title: Re: Cost of certs
Post by: BigSlick on Sunday 14 November 10 23:33 GMT (UK)
I like ancestry but I don't like the way they exploit peeps like that.  FindMyPast are kind enough to post a link to gov site on there registry pages, pity the rest of their site is so clunky
Title: Re: Cost of certs
Post by: bowiewhist on Sunday 14 November 10 23:45 GMT (UK)
Those who are cash rich and time poor will simply click the link and pay the going rate. Price is driven by market forces and of course many of Ancestry's customers will be from overseas using - as they see it - the route to get what they require.

I run a business (not related to geneology) and we charge to provide a service that others could do themselves but we take all the hassle out of it. Thank goodness for my livelyhood there are people who need that!
Title: Re: Cost of certs
Post by: Berlin-Bob on Monday 15 November 10 08:06 GMT (UK)
Quote
Those who are cash rich and time poor will simply click the link and pay the going rate.

and

Quote
... we charge to provide a service that others could do themselves but we take all the hassle out of it.

I think this sums up the reasons why people pay for these services very nicely.

Why one company is charging more than another depends on the individual companies.
And why one company points to a cheaper service and another one doesn't also depends on the individual companies.

 

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