RootsTracker.com - Terms and Conditions

How We Work With Our Clients

RootsTracker Research Services performs genealogy research services as an independent contractor in accordance with the highest professional standards and in full compliance with the Code of Ethics of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG).

Our goal is to provide accurate quality research services. We guarantee that we will use our best efforts on your behalf to research your family history. Rest assured that our clients are usually delighted with the work we do. If the subject to be searched is out of our skill area, we will advise you and suggest possible alternatives. We work earnestly to provide quality family history research service and accurate reports for our clients. With that in mind, we have established Terms and Conditions so our clients and prospective clients are informed and understand the scope of our services. We’ve published the following to avoid any possible misunderstanding with potential clients. Before you hire us for research, please review the following Terms and Conditions.

What You Provide to Us

You are requested to provide a completed Client Research Request form to RootsTracker Research Services. A completed Client Research Request form will include the goal of your research, the name of the family or individual to be researched, a statement regarding any previous research conducted and copies of any previous research. This is required so we do not duplicate any previous efforts. We also must have received the appropriate research fee before we begin.

What We Provide to You

Our Research Services are basically three levels as defined as follows: 1) simple searches or copy requests, 2) mini-projects, or 3) in-depth projects. What you receive from us depends on the nature of the request or level of service you have requested. All copies of documents will be complete with citations.

Simple search, or copy requests - You will receive a listing of the records examined and a copy of the document(s), if found.

Mini-projects - You will receive a listing of the records examined, a copy of the document(s), if found, and a cover letter with a brief one page summary.

Larger In-Depth Research Projects - When you request our Research Services for an in-depth project, you will receive more extensive reporting in one or more Client Research Reports. The report will include: a list of records examined, records found, analysis of each record, a summary, and suggestions for future research. In addition to copies of the records found, report attachments may also include pedigree charts, family group sheets, photographs and maps, as they pertain to the project subject, people, or places involved.

Time and Schedules

Research projects are handled on a first-come, first-served basis, and prioritized in the order that the deposit is received. Projects are usually completed in 6-12 weeks from receipt of deposit. They may be completed sooner. However, there may be times that research projects extend past this time frame. We will notify you if there is a delay extending past the 12-week period because of pending receipt of research correspondence, documents or availability of resources.

Fees and Payments

We charge $30 an hour for all time spent on your research, or any other tasks, such as writing reports, creating charts, etc. Because family history is detective work, we can never be certain how long it might take to find someone. So we can't quote you a firm price to research your family. Our fees are based on the time we spend on the task, not the results we get. Most times we find what we are looking for, and our clients are delighted. But sometimes our clients' ancestors are very elusive and many frustrating hours can be spent searching through records for an elusive ancestor. That time costs money...your money.

The cost of a research project is based on: 1) Time and 2) reimbursable Expenses. Our policy is to "pay as you go."

Time -- Here are examples of what takes time (and therefore we charge for):

Reviewing previous research so we don't duplicate efforts
Reviewing known information to create a research plan
Strategizing a research plan
Searching various Indexes for records of your ancestor
Ordering and receiving certificates
Visiting repositories and looking through microfilms and microfiches
Searching for wills and probate records
Searching census records and other records on Internet sites (often paid sites)
Analyzing and interpreting data and planning next steps
Designing, preparing and producing family charts
Writing client reports
Meeting and discussing progress with clients
Creating and maintaining client database (so that we can print out charts and reports and keep track of your research)
Getting up to speed after a lengthy respite

Expenses -- Expenses are incurred in any research project. Examples of such expenses are listed below. They are billed at our cost in addition to the time we work on your research and report:

Vital records certificates (costs vary greatly, depending on state and county)
Wills, probate, pension files and other documents obtained on your behalf
Internet paid-site fees (we subscribe to many paid database sites and charge clients a proportion based on usage for each client's project)
Photocopying (costs vary greatly, depending on repository; we charge at our cost)
Print-outs from our system: copies of records for report attachments (e.g. census downloads) $0.50 each for our printing costs
Microfilm rental: FHC Centers charge us $5.50 a film
Long distance phone calls
Parking fees at repositories (when required)
Mileage to/from repositories (proportionate when for more than one client)
May include on-site third party research services as such may be required.

Deposit -- The cost of your project (or the first phase of your project) will be estimated at the outset. Initial estimates are approximate. Prepayment for hourly research by check or money order is required. Therefore, (approximately) half payment of the estimated total is due before research is begun; the other half is due upon completion of that phase of the research.

Final Payment -- When your research project (or a given phase of the research project) is complete, you will be notified of the remainder that is due and which will include both the remaining Time expended and Expenses incurred on your project. Client Research Reports are not delivered until full payment is received.

Your ownership of the Research Report is the same as your ownership of a book you have purchased. The intellectual property of the research report belongs to the creator RootsTracker Research Services who is sole owner of the copyright. Your use of the facts within the report is entirely at your discretion. However, the narrative analysis and opinions expressed in the report remain the intellectual property of RootsTracker Research Services and when narrative statements, analysis and opinions are cited or quoted, they must be quoted precisely and must cite RootsTracker Research Services as the author.

Limited Use License

Any Client Research Report that is sent to you is copyrighted material with RootsTracker Research Services being the sole copyright holder. You are licensed to use the Content we produce in our Client Research Reports only for personal or professional family history research. You are permitted to make a specified limited number of copies of that report, for family members, as specified in your individual contract or in the report itself, provided the source of that Content, including our copyright, remains intact. Further reprinting or further recopying of the report by a recipient is prohibited. Republishing of the Report in its entirety or in significant portions of any work produced by RootsTracker Research Services is prohibited without the express written consent of RootsTracker Research Services.

RootsTracker Research Services holds no claim to copyrights for the copies of original records and other photocopied documents taken from books, abstracts, typescripts and microfilm. Therefore, you can copy these materials in accordance with the current copyright laws, as they apply to the specific and individual report Attachments. Also, individual facts within the report are not copyrightable; you may use them at your discretion. However, the complete report itself, or significant portions of it, cannot be reproduced or republished on internet web pages, electronic media, in family newsletters, or in any form whatsoever without permission from RootsTracker Research Services. You are permitted to quote small portions of the report in any text document you subsequently creates, provided the material is quoted precisely, and that it is properly cited with RootsTracker Research Services as the author.

Modification to Service, Fees and Terms

Our Service, fees and terms may be changed by RootsTracker Research Services at any time and each renewal of our Services will be at the then standard service fees. Changes in our Services will be posted online at RootsTracker Research Services or may be sent via email, or postal mail to you. Continued use of our Services following posted notices of changes in this Agreement means that you have accepted and are bound by the changes. If any portion of this Agreement or any change of this Agreement for our Services is unacceptable to you, you may cease using our Services.

Disclaimer

Each individual research request is unique. It is impossible for a professional genealogist to guarantee that a certain sum of money or specific amount of time will result in providing the answer to a specific question. Nor will it guarantee the number of generations of ancestors that can be discovered. Professional genealogists cannot guarantee research results because it is never known exactly what historical records will or won't reveal regarding a client's family until a search is conducted and the records are examined.

Miscellaneous

We strive to provide our clients with quality services within the agreed-to objectives and time constraints. Our clients are our most valued asset, and we work diligently to discover whatever records exist so we can provide you with the information to meet your objectives. Depending on your ancestors, where, when and and how they lived, records in that locality may or may not exist. Or the records may exist, but hold no information regarding your ancestor. For this reason, it is impossible to guarantee specific results in a specific period of time. However, we guarantee thorough and detailed work. We will always search diligently and you will be provided with a list of all resources that were searched and the results of each record searched.

We want satisfied customers. If you are dissatisfied with any portion of our services, or with any of these terms of service, we ask you to write us regarding the service in question in an effort to resolve your dissatisfaction.

You must be at least 18 years old to use our services.

Official correspondence must be sent via postal mail to: RootsTracker Research Services, PO Box 46128, Westwood Station, Seattle, WA 98146 .

July 22, 2009