Terms & refunds
Who we are
Heritage Chapters is a trading name of M.F. TECHPRO SYSTEMS LTD, a company registered in Cyprus (company number HE 464886, VAT number CY60095067I), registered office 30 Peiraios, Floor 1, Office 1, Strovolos, 2023 Nicosia, Cyprus. Contact: [email protected].
The service
Documented family history research in online archives about a deceased ancestor, delivered as a PDF report and keepsake. No archive visits, DNA, certified copies or research on living people.
Free review and plan
The free review is without obligation. If we can help, we send a written plan stating the person, the question, the sources, what you receive, timing and a fixed price in US dollars. Your contract starts when you approve the plan and pay.
Payment
You pay only after approving the plan, by card or another method offered at checkout, processed securely by Stripe. Prices are in US dollars; your bank or the checkout may show the amount in your own currency. Delivery times count from the day research starts, once we have your materials.
When research starts
At checkout you choose whether we start straight away. If you choose to start, research begins as soon as you pay; if you choose “not yet”, we begin when you confirm by email. From that moment our genealogists spend time on your case and we pay for access to the record collections we search for you. These costs cannot be recovered.
Cancellation
Before you pay, you can withdraw at any time at no cost. After payment:
- Before research starts (for example, if we haven’t yet received the materials we need): full refund.
- After research has started: we keep a proportionate amount for the work already done and the record access already paid for, and refund the rest. Once the report is delivered, the service is complete and the fee is not refundable, except under the guarantee below.
If you are a consumer in the UK or the EU, you have a legal right to cancel within 14 days of paying. By asking us to start within those 14 days, you agree that if you cancel we may keep a proportionate amount for the work done, and that the right to cancel ends when the report is delivered.
The research guarantee
Our guarantee covers one thing, and it is objective: if our paid research finds no new historical record that we can reasonably attribute to the ancestor agreed in your plan, we refund your fee in full.
It is not a satisfaction guarantee. It does not apply when the report contains at least one new attributable record, even if the records don’t say what you hoped, the family story turns out differently, you disagree with our conclusions, or you prefer a different style.
A record you already sent us, one shown in the free review, a duplicate, a namesake or a family tree made by others does not count as new. Your plan states whether an index-only record counts.
How to make a guarantee claim
- Email [email protected] within 30 days of delivery, with your reference.
- For each record in your report, tell us why you believe it is not new or not attributable to your ancestor.
- We first review your report and, where possible, carry out additional research at no cost to find a qualifying record. We reply within 48 hours and complete the review within 14 days.
- If, after the review, the report still contains no new attributable record, we refund your fee in full within 14 days to the original payment method.
Questions are always welcome: we answer them by email after delivery, and Ancestor Story and Family Chapter also include one round of corrections. We would rather fix a problem than leave you unhappy.
Payment disputes
If something is wrong, please write to us first: we answer within 48 hours and most issues are solved quickly. If a payment is disputed with a bank, we share the order records (your plan, your approval and the delivery) with our payment provider, as is standard practice.
Your report
The report is for your personal and family use, and you may share it with relatives. Record images remain subject to the terms of the archives that hold them.
Limits
Results depend on the records that survive and are online, and original records can contain errors. Reports are historical research, not legal documentation for citizenship or inheritance. Our total liability for a project is limited to the fee you paid for it. Nothing in these terms limits rights you have under the consumer law of the country where you live, or liability that cannot legally be limited.
Complaints
Write to [email protected]. We reply within 48 hours and aim to resolve every complaint within 14 days.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the law of Cyprus. If you are a consumer, you keep the protection of the mandatory laws of the country where you live and may bring a claim in its courts.