new price for GRO certs

[teaurn]

I agree Les_looking I will still order certs from the GRO.  It is very convenient, the only thing that concerns me though is that  there is mention on this thread about them not offering the checking service anymore. I have Clark in my tree and the only way I can semi guarantee the correct cert is by using the checking reference.

[les_looking]

I agree Les_looking I will still order certs from the GRO.  It is very convenient, the only thing that concerns me though is that  there is mention on this thread about them not offering the checking service anymore. I have Clark in my tree and the only way I can semi guarantee the correct cert is by using the checking reference.

yep i would say that to me is a backward step, although with what they are saying it seems to be that the part payment they charge if a certificate is wrong may not have been officially imposed,
maybe someone challenged the charge forcing them to look at prices.

[poolqwizrd]

I would disagree with you les about it being the minority, in my opinion this is happening because it is far more popular than just the odd person now, i know at least 5 people who are starting theirs within the next few weeks, its not just an OAP past time any more and the GRO have finally cottoned on which i knew they would, it wont be long before everything goes up because they now realise ancestry is big business and there is a lot of money to be made.

[richarde1979]

Thing is they would sell so many more at 5 pounds each, than they ever will at 10 pounds, I'm sure this will backfire on them ultimately if the aim is to increase their profits, or judging by their losses, just to break even. OK in Australia they cost more, (always some poor souls worse off), but I do not think we should use that as a yard stick in judging our own system. The real questions we should ask are is nine pounds good value for the product and service given? and could it be done any cheaper?

Judging by the experience of myself and others expressed on this board for an unnaceptable amount of their customers the answer to the first is most definently not.

The answer to the second, given the systems in place elsewhere, (bar Australasia), and the advanced  technology that exists these days, is yes absolutely it could.

So are we getting ripped off? I think so, though of course each to his own on that.

It would be nice to think the petitions going will help, but I doubt it.  With great sadness, I have put my last lot of orders in for the certs I really need whilst it is still seven pounds, then I'm reluctantly finished with my English side of the tree, at least buying any certs for it, until the system changes.

[les_looking]

I would disagree with you les about it being the minority, in my opinion this is happening because it is far more popular than just the odd person now, i know at least 5 people who are starting theirs within the next few weeks, its not just an OAP past time any more and the GRO have finally cottoned on which i knew they would, it wont be long before everything goes up because they now realise ancestry is big business and there is a lot of money to be made.

a lot of people maybe interested in family history, but a SMALL minority actually spend money on it, or get fed up after a week or so,
you only have to listen to people on this forum that amongst their family they say they are on their own,
certificates last year 2 million, that includes those applying for them for passports or replacements etc,
ask people on this forum how many they have bought in the last year and then break that down for total bought and it doesn't add up to a huge amount of different people buying.

[Jean McGurn]

There is another way at looking at the price increase.

More and more people are now buy certificates, overheads will have gone up over the last 7 years - stationery (paper, inks envelopes etc.,) postage, time taken for getting the getting the books holding the certificates out, photo-copying them and returning them to their original place, and so on.

Also have the number of staff increased? Maybe they intend to employ more people.  If so perhaps this will shorten the time of receipt from when we place out orders.

I personally think that we have all been very lucky the price has been held at GBP7 for so long.

Jean 

[poolqwizrd]

We can all sit here all day pointing this out pointing that out, the fact is vote with your money and find better cheaper ways to get the certs ieLocal Reg office, the problem with that being that next year due to "high demand" their prices will go up!

[Nick29]

We can all sit here all day pointing this out pointing that out, the fact is vote with your money and find better cheaper ways to get the certs ieLocal Reg office, the problem with that being that next year due to "high demand" their prices will go up!

That's great if your research is local to where you live, but given the costs of travel these days, going more than 20 miles to get a certificate from a "Local Reg Office" is not going to be cost-effective.

I agree Les_looking I will still order certs from the GRO. It is very convenient, the only thing that concerns me though is that there is mention on this thread about them not offering the checking service anymore. I have Clark in my tree and the only way I can semi guarantee the correct cert is by using the checking reference.

They are not doing away with anything.  They are now charging a flat fee, which actually means that for some services the price will go down.  For example, an online application with no GRO reference supplied currently costs £10 - in April this will drop to £9.25.

[kerryb]

Sadly for me, my local office has always been and will remain higher in cost than GRO so I will be continuing to use GRO.  I have no choice.

Kerry