RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: cockney rebel on Monday 08 December 25 19:08 GMT (UK)
-
Hi
It may be all for the best when I look at my to-do pre Christmas list that I haven't had any probate records delivered to my In Box, but how is everybody else faring?
It's been 3 and a half weeks since I ordered and I've heard nowt.
I ordered about 30 records all tolled, not in one batch but a few at a time, the system kept crashing on me!
So, how's it going for the rest of you?
Rebel
-
I ordered 6 pretty much as soon as the price increase was announced. Two were delivered within 1-2 days but I've heard nothing further about the rest. I would imagine they've been inundated!
-
I'm in a similar position to Jomot.
Jane :-)
-
I ordered 63 in several batches. ;D
Half a dozen were instant deliveries.
Since then I've received 4. (2 post 1996 and 2 older ones).
There seems to be a glitch at the moment whereby they aren't showing the date they were first downloaded. (I had this with some wills a few years ago and they have stayed permanently available ever since)
edit: just got another one which has registered the download correctly.
-
Well, at least it sounds as if things are still moving.....albeit at a snail's pace.
I just keep worrying that I have missed my notification mail!
I would certainly for not one of my orders have paid 16 pounds!
Rebel
-
Oh dear, now what are they doing? This morning I had two 'order fulfilled' emails for wills that I downloaded ages ago and have since expired! I have only had a few of my outstanding orders so far, so that was quite a disappointment. ???
-
Hi
No, I don't know what they are doing either!
Since my original posting I have had 2 wills delivered.
However, I did not receive an email notification for either.
I was losing faith in the whole system and started checking my user account at probate.gov
And there were the said two wills ready and waiting for download
A few days later I did get a notification though
They are obviously in overload modus !
Especially over this Christmas period where my mail inbox is swamped with Xmas nonsense , and I worry about simply missing a mail, I shall continue to check manually at the probate site proper.
Rebel
-
Well, here ist the first proper working week of 2026...and I am still waiting for my probate records!
I received 4 at the beginning of December and since then nothing
Anybody faring any better?
Rebel
-
Happy to report that the last few of mine arrived mid-December :)
-
This maybe a silly question and very obvious but have you all checked your spam boxes?
It’s easy to forget in the rush of orders and with the hustle and bustle of Christmas.
-
We only ordered six at the start of 11/2025, four came through early December, one came in this morning ….. and still awaiting for the last one to appear.
Al & Al
-
This maybe a silly question and very obvious but have you all checked your spam boxes?
It’s easy to forget in the rush of orders and with the hustle and bustle of Christmas.
Hi . no not at all silly! I have indeed checked, and I also check every couple of days my account at GRO, nothing to be found! I guess tho that now most people are back to work and hope to dee some movement on the records. I have no idea how many people work at the GRO....but its not enough!
I would also have expected to see a notice on the website about delays due to heavy increase in orders, but none the such.
I will continue to wait with extraordinary patience....before I explode!
Rebel
PS Just good to hear that others are still waiting
-
I'm in the same situation and still no update from the probate service.
Just wondering if anyone has a E-mail contact or is it the same one as the transaction reference.
-
Thanks for reminding me, my last one arrived a couple of days ago and I completely forgot to download it after reading the notification email! So if it's any consolation they are still trickling through.
Jane :-)
-
Likewise, our last missing one came through last week,
Al & Al
-
Lucky for some!
I am still waiting on 24 items ordered.
They weren't all ordered in one batch.
I'm being patient because I presume there were a great deal of records ordered and it having been the time of year (Christmas) where nothing gets done and now also January (flu and awful weather...) does anybody turn up for work at the GRO?
I've half forgotten what I ordered anyway!
Rebel
-
I'm in the same situation and still no update from the probate service.
Just wondering if anyone has a E-mail contact or is it the same one as the transaction reference.
I can't find any other way to contact them....otherwise I would have simply asked what the estimated waiting time is
No FAQ page or not one that I can find
Rebel
-
does anybody turn up for work at the GRO?
It has nothing to do with the GRO! The website (and document storage) I believe are still run by Iron Mountain on behalf of the Courts & Tribunals Service.
-
Hi
That's interesting information!
( I first read Iron Maiden....)
How are ordinary humans (like moi) meant to know this sort of thing?
They haven't got a FAQ page either!
Rebel
-
https://resources.ironmountain.com/en-gb/case-studies/h/hm-courts-and-tribunals-service
https://resources.ironmountain.com/en-gb/case-studies/h/hmcts-delivers-easy-to-use-will-and-probate-search-service-with-iron-mountain-insight-on-aws
I love the bit about the 3 day turn around in the second link ;D
-
I ordered about 70. 10 or so were available immediately (previously scanned) and since then I've had a further five, the last one in the middle of December.
I guess they are still quite busy. ;)
-
Ah, exactly the kind of reassurance I was hoping for.......that I am not alone!
Hope we don't have to wait too much longer!
Rebel
-
Rebel,
You asked about their email address. It's HMCTSWills@ironmountain.co.uk and you need to quote a reference number for the order you are enquiring about. I have found them moderately helpful in the past, but I suspect that some of their responses may be AI generated as they fail to fully answer the query. Or possibly that's proof that it is a human replying!
-
@Andy J2022
Many thanks for that, very helpful.
I shall give them to the end of the week, and then I think my patience will have come to an end!
Rebel
-
I just got another one - over two months since ordering, and over a month since the last one was delivered.
So glad to know they haven't forgotten about me. :)
As time is marching on I've taken fresh screenshots of the pending order pages - just in case there is a system glitch which 'forgets' uncompleted orders after they've been pending too long. At the current rate I think my last order might be delivered some time in 2028. ;)
-
Thanks for your update Nick-Ips, lucky guy..
A very good idea with the screenshots!
I followed your advice and did just that first thing this morning..
am still awaiting 20 odd deliveries.
Rebel
-
I had 5 this morning :D to add to 2 last week. They are trickling out, it seems.
-
Progress!
I found one this morning when I logged in and checked my account....but I have had no email notification, so just as well I had a look!
Rebel
-
The trickle has become a flood! Six of my last minute wills delivered in the last 3 days.
-
Oh good news ! I have had one AND they remembered to notify me as well!
The notification mail always arrives in the middle of the night, 4-ish, is it cheaper then ?!
Carry on waiting...
Rebel
-
I'm still waiting, I E-mailed then but all i got was the generic response.
-
I ordered 10 probate records before the price increase on 15/11/2025 today I have just received notification to say my last one ordered is now available for download 04/02/2026 :)
-
There's a banner on the Find a will website giving notice of maintenance this evening -
Due to essential maintenance works,this site will be unavailable on Tuesday 10th February 2026, between the hours of 18:00 & 20:00 GMT. We apologise for any inconvenience this upgrade may cause
I'm going to make sure I've downloaded all completed orders and taken up to date screenshots of the still pending order list... just in case the upgrade doesn't go as well as it should.
-
That is a good plan Nick, there have certainly been times when they were down longer than predicted!
-
Hi
A copy of probate just popped into my inbox (on a Sunday??!!)
I am still waiting on 4 copies altogether
BUT the real drama is that I can`t log into either of my accounts. I get a 500 error and "Please contact your administrator"
Took me ages to find somewhere/one where I could send a message to and so, I expect, another long wait begins.
Has any body else had this problem ?
Rebel
PS I am very glad that I, as Nick-Ips suggested, took screenshots of my outstanding orders!
-
My notifications seem to turn up early morning - around 5 or 6am, and I got five of them this (Sunday) morning too.
Presumably it is their system picking a quiet time of day to automatically send out notifications rather than staff working hard that early on a Sunday morning.
I logged in this morning to download the latest offerings, no problem with either logging in or downloading. Perhaps they were doing some maintenance when you tried cockney rebel?
I still have a dozen or so wills I'm patiently waiting for. So long as they turn up eventually I'll be happy.
-
My last two arrived last week.
The first of the three I'd ordered before the price increase in November arrived over Christmas.
All were announced by an email notification.
Is anyone still waiting?
Tony.
-
Hi
I am waiting (I think) on one final order. from the 15th NOv last year!
Unfortunately , I can't access the probate website directly, my email address comes up as invalid.
Although I receive the "notification of order item fulfilled" via that same email!
I have to contact their help service and then they forward the document direct by email.
They've been quite good.
Nevertheless, when I receive my final copy, I hope never to use the service again....especially at the new price!
Rebel
-
I have a couple still outstanding, and like cockney rebel it isn't a service I expect to use again in the future, given the new price.