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Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: Maggiemae on Wednesday 05 August 15 11:24 BST (UK)

Title: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: Maggiemae on Wednesday 05 August 15 11:24 BST (UK)
Posing the question as I ordered a marriage cert on 10 July giving names, year, district, Vol and Page no's numbers, the order was confirmed and a dispatch date of 16 July given.

I don't recall a certificate taking so long before.

Cheers
MM
(in Australia)

Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: DavidG02 on Wednesday 05 August 15 11:55 BST (UK)
Mine took 5 weeks MM

I was starting to get worried, when finally I had notification to pick up a letter from the Post Office  :)
Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: Maggiemae on Wednesday 05 August 15 12:10 BST (UK)
Five weeks, oh dear. Ok that's helpful thankyou, I'll give up dashing to the letterbox for a week or two and refrain from enquiring with the GRO.

I do wonder though if one wished to "point a finger" would one point it at the GRO, the British Postal Service or good old Aussie Post, pointless exercise anyway, it will arrive when it arrives  ::).

Cheers
MM
Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: carol8353 on Wednesday 05 August 15 12:12 BST (UK)
A new series of Who Do you think you are starts here next week,that usually makes certs take even longer  ;D

Carol
Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: DavidG02 on Wednesday 05 August 15 12:13 BST (UK)
Others have reported various times so this may be different. I have only sent off for the one so I have nothing else to compare.

I think your approach is sensible. It will arrive when you have it  ;)
Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: Maggiemae on Wednesday 05 August 15 12:24 BST (UK)
A new series of Who Do you think you are starts here next week,that usually makes certs take even longer  ;D

Carol

Oh for the days of certificate ordering pre WDYTYA.
 
Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: lemur41 on Wednesday 05 August 15 13:13 BST (UK)
Hi

This was brought to notice a couple of weeks ago by someone else living in OZ.

 One of the possible reasons found was that  Australia Post are taking some  Industrial action which is mainly affecting mail coming into OZ.

We have family living QLD, I posted b/cards early July for birthdays 1st & 18th Aug. Haven't arrived yet.

But they posted one to me last Tuesday  for my b/day next week, and it was delivered Saturday morning

I've also ordered 3 certs from our GRO in the last 2 weeks, and they have arrived after 5 days. I'm fairly sure that GRO deal with cert orders in strict order. So yours should be in OZ somewhere in a mail office awaiting last bit of sorting and delivery

Hope this helps

Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: Maggiemae on Wednesday 05 August 15 13:49 BST (UK)
I suspect your right about my certificate, and goodness knows how many others, being somewhere in the country. I'm very sorry to say I have more confidence in the GRO dispatching as per confirmation of order than I do Aussie Post delivering in a timely fashion.

Sorry your B/day cards didn't/haven't arrived, that's disappointing.

Cheers
mm
Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: lemur41 on Wednesday 05 August 15 14:20 BST (UK)
Hi Maggiemae

Husband's cousin whose birthday is 18th will understand, although hers is a milestone one, so special card and I'm hoping it will be delivered before then.

Other one is to a ( now  ) 6 year old who dashes to the mail box several times a day.

GRO normal despatch is  5 working days Mon-Fri.  Increases a bit when they are closed over Public holiday periods. None in July, our next one is end of August.

Check the date on the bottom of the cert when you receive it, that will tell you when it was posted from here

I ordered 2 more certs this last Sunday (2nd) due for despatch Fri, I'm half hoping they will arrive Saturday, but GRO use 2nd class postage for UK  orders, so it could be Monday before I receive them

 
Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: Maggiemae on Wednesday 05 August 15 14:43 BST (UK)
Hi Maggiemae

Husband's cousin whose birthday is 18th will understand, although hers is a milestone one, so special card and I'm hoping it will be delivered before then.

Other one is to a ( now  ) 6 year old who dashes to the mail box several times a day.

GRO normal despatch is  5 working days Mon-Fri.  Increases a bit when they are closed over Public holiday periods. None in July, our next one is end of August.

Check the date on the bottom of the cert when you receive it, that will tell you when it was posted from here

I ordered 2 more certs this last Sunday (2nd) due for despatch Fri, I'm half hoping they will arrive Saturday, but GRO use 2nd class postage for UK  orders, so it could be Monday before I receive them

I'm getting that you are in the UK? If so your delivery time for GRO certs is way faster than for Australia even allowing for second class postage. If that's the case I'd be better off having my certs sent to you and you scanning them and then sending the scans to me  ???.

I'm going to sit tight, despite wanting my certificate and wanting NOW, and place my confidence in our Aussie postal service. The joke will be on me if it turns up tomorrow  ;D.

MM

Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: lemur41 on Wednesday 05 August 15 15:23 BST (UK)
Hi Maggiemae
 
Like I said, take note of the date on the bottom of cert, where it's "signed off" I have absolute confidence in the GRO that it's the date it was put into Royal Mail for despatch to OZ.

Yes I am in the UK, but it's just normal inland mail for us.

 I must say that I've done ordering  bmd's  from Sydney & Melbourne offices, and been impressed with their service
I've received the certs within about a week. My x 2  Gt. Uncle's Will copy which came from Sydney was about 2 weeks, not actually in the mail that long, just took a total of 2 weeks to process and deliver

Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: Warin on Saturday 08 August 15 00:17 BST (UK)
Some of 'my' UK suppliers have gone to a different (probably 'cheaper') 'free' delivery system .. looks to be by Singapore ... adds about a week to the delivery.  :-\

The joke will be on me if it turns up tomorrow  ;D.

That is what happens to me.. I complain about the lack of delivery and the next day there it is.
Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: trish58 on Saturday 08 August 15 03:38 BST (UK)
Received one of mine yesterday, taken 5 weeks, one still to arrive......I don't believe for one moment this is a GRO problem but Australia mail (Yes I am in Oz) and it has been going on for quite a while now.
My Sister in the UK is a stickler for making sure family always have their birthday/celebration cards on time and sends them 2-3 weeks ahead of time, she was really upset when she spoke to my Brother in Qld for his 75th birthday to discover he hadn't received his card.

Australia Post are supposedly laying "Posties" off due to falling profits on mail delivery because folks are using the internet instead of mail. They fail to mention the huge increases in profit on their parcel post due to online shopping. My answer to that is bring back Parcel post delivered by Australia post instead of using private contractors.
Problem solved and we may get our mail delivered on a daily basis again.

Trish
Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: lemur41 on Saturday 08 August 15 06:34 BST (UK)
Trish

So does the date on the bottom of the cert match around the date the GRO estimated for despatch  to you,when your ordered please.
I have read somewhere that the problem with Australia Post is as you say, and I'm also a stickler for posting cards early, whatever the destination. Maybe should post the Christmas cards to OZ  next week

Maggiemae has said she will tell us when her cert  arrives. I have 2 due myself, today hopefully, they were ordered last weekend, will be niggling if I have to wait  until Monday!!! but just to myself, won't bore, they will arrive when they arrive






.

 
Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: trish58 on Saturday 08 August 15 07:07 BST (UK)
Lemur
If I remember correctly, if you order a cert and it has Despatch Date 2nd Aug, then the date on the certificate will possibly be dated 1st Aug.

Mine mostly appear to be this way, they are sent the day after they are signed, this could be just coincidence, one of the experts would be able to tell you more.

Hope it arrives, I just wait these days, at one time not to long ago they were always spot on.

Trish
Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: lemur41 on Saturday 08 August 15 07:39 BST (UK)
Hi Trish

Yes you are correct, they attempt to process within 5 working days, and the cert possibly dated on the 4th day. Doesn't always work that way, depends how busy they are.

 I (just on one occasion) had one delivered within 3 days of ordering. That was 21st Dec ordered  and I received it Christmas Eve  they obviously had fewer orders, that was about 5 years ago.

lemur
Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: dawnsh on Saturday 08 August 15 09:03 BST (UK)
When you get your acknowledgement from the GRO, the due date for despatch should be around 5 'working' days which excludes bank holidays and weekends.

I order a batched of 19 certs a few weeks back with a range of event dates.

The births and deaths were historic, and because the GRO has digitised part of the process for these, they were dated the day before the due date.

All of the marriages were dated on the due date.

One certificate had had a problem as it was dated 3 days later and was typed.

If the GRO cannot issue a cert you will receive a refund just after the due date but as you haven't had a refund then you should consider that it is in transit and making it's way slowly through the system.

You can also request a replacement if you feel it may be lost and they will produce another one for you but it will most probably take the same amount of time to come through.

I replied on a similar topic the other day and the poster asked for a replacement, with the original duly turning up very shortly after.

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=725685.0

Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: trish58 on Saturday 08 August 15 09:51 BST (UK)
Thank you Dawnsh for clarifying a couple of things there.

What I didn't know was the refund after 3 days. I did know about the replacement, as they have replace a couple for me over the past 15 years. Their services in my opinion is just great, as I said I don't think for a moment it is their fault we Aussie folks are having all these delays, and far to many Aussies are having the same problem.

Trish
Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: DavidG02 on Saturday 08 August 15 10:00 BST (UK)
The sooner we are able to view a facsimile online the better
Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: lemur41 on Saturday 08 August 15 10:06 BST (UK)
Hi

In full agreement with that, I've used that service for a couple from Sydney myself.

Oh  and the postman has just delivered my goodies, both dated 6th August

regards

lemur
Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: buckleys chance on Tuesday 28 January 25 01:11 GMT (UK)
Hello.  I'm just wondering, does it still take 5 weeks for certificates to arrive from the UK to Australia.  Im also wondering if the post is by ship and not air mail.  In that case it would make sense.              Is the hold up from the UK or Australia?  I know you can receive them quicker digitally but I'd rather the paper version.  Very frustrating  >:(  Elaine Australia
Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: mckha489 on Tuesday 28 January 25 08:31 GMT (UK)
The digital image is exactly the same as the image they put on the certificates.
You could make your own fancy surrounding for them if you just want a more substantial document for physical filing

We had Christmas cards that took over 5 weeks to get here, (NZ)  so I am going to say the delay is probably still similar.
Title: Re: How long are GRO Certificates taking?
Post by: Bookbox on Tuesday 28 January 25 12:50 GMT (UK)
The digital image is exactly the same as the image they put on the certificates.

Except for the printed headings and any marginal notes.