I am surprised that Ancestry has not been warned about the exorbitant prices they charge for certificates. Jeanne Bunting nee Attersley Sent from my iPhone4 On 11 Feb 2012, at 14:48, "Else Churchill" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > News just in from the Identity and Passport Service, the Government Agency > which is responsible for the General Register Office, reports that the > Advertising Standards Authority has taken action against third party > certificate websites > > Identity and Passport Service has warned people ordering birth, death and > marriage certificates not to be fooled into paying more through unofficial > websites. > > The Advertising Standards Authority has now upheld three separate complaints > from the Registrar General about third party websites misleading customers > into believing that they were ordering from the government’s own website. > > The authority warned ‘UK Official Services’, ‘UK GRO Certificates’ and > ‘Vital Certificates’ that they were in breach of the Committee of > Advertising Practice code and that they must stop appearing or implying that > they are the General Register Office. > > Customers applying for replacement birth certificates can be charged up to > £74.99 for an unofficial ‘express’ online service. > > The same express service is £23.40 via the official IPS certificate ordering > website through Directgov > > www.direct.gov.uk/gro. The standard certificate service is available for > even less - £9.25. > > Welcoming the news, IPS Chief Executive and Registrar General Sarah Rapson, > said: > > ‘The Advertising Standards Authority has sent a very clear message to > customers and those companies that mislead them: there is just one official > online certificate ordering service for England and Wales. > > ‘It is always quicker, cheaper and safer to deal directly with the General > Register Office for certificate orders. > > ‘While other outlets can be found online, there is no reason to pay over the > odds and I would urge customers to look at the official site first before > ordering anywhere else.’ > > New number for certificate ordering > > IPS has adopted a 0300 prefix for its GRO certificates enquiry number. The > prefix 0300 replaces the 0845 prefix used in the previous number. > >> From 5 January 2012 IPS stopped publishing the 0845 603 7788 number for > members of the public who wish to make an enquiry about, or place an order > for, certificates. Customers who previously contacted IPS via the 0845 > number are now being asked to use 0300 123 1837. This is a particularly > memorable number as civil registration was introduced in England and Wales > in the year 1837. > > 0300 numbers are exclusively reserved for charities and the public sector > and for the majority of customers the cost of calling us will be reduced. > Calls made to 0300 numbers from landlines and mobile phones are charged to > customers at their network provider's national rate and also form part of > the inclusive minutes within the customer's call package in the same way as > calls to geographical numbers. > > > > > > Else Churchill > > Genealogist > > Society of Genealogists > > 14 Charterhouse Buildings > > Goswell Road > > London EC1M 7BA > > direct phone 020 7702 5488 > > visit the Society of Genealogists' Website www.sog.org.uk > <http://www.sog.org.uk/> > > > > www.Findmypast.co.uk proud to sponsor the Society's centenary year > > > > WOULD YOU LIKE ADVICE ON YOUR FAMILY HISTORY? > >> From beginners onwards: all queries and problems welcomed. Phone our > dedicated family history advice line on 020 7490 8911 > > Thursdays 6pm - 7.45 pm; Saturdays 11 am - 1pm and 2pm - 4 pm > > The Society also runs regular one-to-one advice half hour advice sessions > with experts at the Society’s library on alternate Saturdays from 2pm. > Telephone the library direct on 020 7702 5485 to book an advice session or > library tour. > > > > This email and any attachments are confidential and intended for the > addressee only. You must not use, disclose, reproduce, copy or distribute > the contents of this communication unless explicitly permitted to do so. > > If you have received this in error, please contact the sender and then > delete this email from your system without further distribution or use. > Opinions, conclusions and other information in this message and attachments > that do not relate to the official business of The Society of Genealogists > are neither given nor endorsed by it. > > > > Registered Charity No. 233701. Company limited by guarantee. Registered > No. 115703. Registered office as above > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message