Find a Will Gov UK website problem

[Carolynxyz]

Hello,
Sorry if this is the wrong forum for this question.  Over the last three years I have tried to order five wills from the UK Government website.  Only once have I been successful.  On the other four occasions, when I have been told to download the document, I get a form statement saying that the document could not be found and to check the details I provided for accuracy.  The details I gave came from the Probate Calendar and I know the information is accurate.  Has anyone else had this problem?  When I click on the Contact Us link for help with the order, no link can be made.  Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you, Carolyn

[Andy J2022]

Hi Carolyn,

You are not alone. I ordered an Admon (not a will) in early July but got no response so after 4 weeks had elapsed I emailed to find out when I might expect an answer. I received a very speedy reply  (possibly automated) which said I had entered 22 for one of the dates which should have been 21. I was very surprised by this as I thought I had checked everything. Anyway assuming that I had made a mistake I submitted a new order carefully checking that all the details were correct and I immediately got back their standard 'no find.pdf' response (below). I guessed that this was the system just resending the response to my original submission and so I emailed the helpdesk again only to be told that there was no fault and I had resubmitted the wrong information a second time and that I needed to resubmit. What's more they deleted all trace of my earlier submissions.  I knew this was untrue and so I responded that since they already had all the correct details they should fulfill my order without me spending another £1.50 just to get a copy of the Grant (there was no will). They said they couldn't/wouldn't and that I needed to complain to HM Courts and Tribunals Service if I wasn't happy. I got fed up with wasting time and I haven't raised the issue with HMCTS as it was only an admon which I wanted to establish the name and address of the person I suspect had applied for the Letters of Administration.
I suspect that their system is highly automated and that the humans have very little ability to manually sort things out once the system says there is an 'error' with an order. This explains the very affordable £1.50 fee, but is not an acceptable service.

[Aguella]

Hi Carolyn

I've ordered 51 wills and only once have I had a problem (the message that no documents could be found). It was my error - I had omitted the decedent's middle name when I placed the order.

If you're entering all the information exactly as it appears in the probate calendar you shouldn't be having this problem, and certainly an 20% success rate is outrageous.

If I were you I'd be tempted to make that complaint anyway - it's not necessarily just about this one admin file, but the totality of the service you've received. Explain to them this has happened to you 4 out of 5 times. Surely that'd get them to realise something is seriously wrong here!

As you say, yes it's nice and affordable, but regardless you deserve a much better level of service. Sorry I can't be more helpful other than to say best of luck and please keep us informed.

[Carolynxyz]

Thank you both for replying to my question.
Do either of you know about folio numbers?  The standard (rejection) form I received states "Folio numbers are only required where the date range is 1858-1930 and the registry is London or Principal Registry.  This implies that I should have provided a folio number, but the Probate Calendar entry for my Richard Franklin of Balsall Heath, died 14th Jan 1884, probate granted February 7th 1884 at the Principal Registry", does not have one.  Could this be the problem, do you think?  I accessed the Probate Calendar at Ancestry.  I am still unable to make the link at the end of the download notification to ask for help.
Thanks, Carolyn

[Carolynxyz]

I have just sent an email to HMCTSWills@ironmountain.co.uk (hopefully this is the Help Desk) to see if they can shed light on the matter.  Fingers crossed I get a response and a way to get my will, though I'm not holding my breath!

[garden genie]

Carolyn, because the the probate calendar that you are copying often has the details in the opposite order to the order form, it is incredibly easy to put the date of death and date of probate the wrong way round. I have done that more than once and caught it just in time. Although the only time I got one rejected I had used a date from the entry above!

However - note that your Richard DOES have a folio number. It is 114. (Folio numbers are usually hand written additions to the page.)

[Carolynxyz]

Thanks, Garden Genie.  I am intrigued!  I just checked the Probate Calendar at Ancestry, and there is definitely no folio number.  Are you looking at a different Probate Calendar elsewhere?  Is there also a place for a folio number on the Find a Will application form that I am missing?  I am feeling a little more encouraged now.
Carolyn

[Jebber]

I would search the Probate Calendar on the Government  website when I want to order a will. I only use the one on Ancestry if I just want   to see if there was a Will  and to whom probate was granted. Sometimes Ancestry differs from the Government site.

[KGarrad]

The ONLY place to search is https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/