National Archives estimates

[furball]

Hi

Just a quick question. Someone kindly responded with two document references for the 2nd Battalion Cameronians regiment diaries for 39 and 40. First time I've ordered from National Archives: I paid online the £10 that came up at the end as estimate, thinking it now must be the final quote. Just having a mini panic, as the email I received afterwards said this amount would be taken from any further costs. I have no idea how many pages a regiment diary document has. Would I be able to change order to just one document instead of two, or cancel the order if it's going to be too much?

Thanks, Cat

[Geoffers]

Someone kindly responded with two document references for the 2nd Battalion Cameronians regiment diaries for 39 and 40. First time I've ordered from National Archives: I paid online the £10 that came up at the end as estimate, thinking it now must be the final quote. Just having a mini panic, as the email I received afterwards said this amount would be taken from any further costs. I have no idea how many pages a regiment diary document has. Would I be able to change order to just one document instead of two, or cancel the order if it's going to be too much?
It's been a while since I last ordered documents via the then PRO. At that time I put in a request for documents and paid a small amount up front. The PRO then sent me a detailed costing for copying the documents, the costing being valid for (three?) months. If I were you, I'd e-mail/phone TNA and ask them and check the current system.

Geoffers
Charlbury, Oxfordshire

[furball]

Hi Geoffers

Thank you for your message. That's reassuring. I've just emailed them, so I'll see what they say. The first document will particularly be good to purchase, so that £10 will be well worth it, but if further documents are pages and pages, then it'll be a choice of quality over quantity!

Thanks, Cat

[Geoffers]

No problem, but do be warned that some documents can be costly from TNA. The last subsidy I ordered from them a few years ago cost over £200.

Geoffers

[furball]

Hi Geoffers

I've picked myself up off the floor, so can write message now! £200 - glad I'm prepared! Noticed Ian Hay's book 'The Battle of Flanders 1940' and am thinking that if documents are going to be very costly, this book sounds like it will cover a lot. Can I ask if they refund the £10 if can't afford to purchase any documents?

Thanks, Cat

[Geoffers]

Can I ask if they refund the £10 if can't afford to purchase any documents?
Thanks, Cat
I've never cancelled an order so I can't say for sure, but I think the tenner is non-refunable. Someone else may know better.

Geoffers

[furball]

Hi Geoffers

Thanks for your message. Had a feeling that would be the case! I've just bitten the bullet and phoned them, and the lady I spoke with said that the two documents may turn out to be just a few A3 pages, at 40p a page, and that the £10 pays for 20 minutes research time too, and then whatever else is required for the copies. Good that was able to refine the search by giving her grandad's name and service number and asking only for copies with reference to him. She said that if the 20 minutes isn't long enough to search the two documents, they would email me to that effect, and it would then be necessary to either employ a researcher, ask somebody local to visit TMA for me, or myself to visit, which unfortunately defeats the object of ordering online and phoning with concerns about potential price! Once I receive the final estimate, I could always adapt it to just searching through one document, which may well be more manageable within the 20 minutes, so there's probably a positive solution, as well as getting on with ordering Ian Hay's book!

Thanks, Cat

[furball]

Just a quick follow-up post, as just spoken with the TNA and am really impressed! They'd left a message and emailed me to ask if I'd received an estimate email yet, which is impressive in itself, and when I phoned, they explained that the search was listed as 'abandoned' which qualifies for a refund of the £10 - phew (can spend it on a B M or D cert now!). The search was abandoned as it was to do with locating an individual in ww2 regiment diaries, and it became clear to them straightaway that the diaries don't refer to individuals, so the 20 minutes that the £10 pays for wasn't used up at all. (Can't access grandad's service records, as not possible to obtain next-of-kin permission, but that's okay really, as I've ordered a book that tells all about the BEF 1939-40, which will help answer questions about what grandad's experiences were.)

Just thought it might be useful to post about circumstances in which a refund can be given. I absolutely hadn't expected it, and fully understood previous postings re subject. Good learning curve though, as next time will definitely telephone TNA before ordering! They couldn't have been more helpful, about sorting out technical problems with browsing also.

Cat