Terms & Conditions

American Ancestors is dedicated to creating, preserving and marketing high quality, detailed and scholarly family history research and tools, while maintaining a constant commitment to client care and service. To that end, we have established the below terms and conditions so that our clients and prospective clients are fully informed of the scope of our service. Before enlisting the services of American Ancestors, or using material from our web site or publications, please review the following terms and conditions, which define your rights and benefits as a client of American Ancestors.

American Ancestors License and Terms and Conditions of Use

American Ancestors (hereinafter “we”, “our” or “us”) conducts professional family history research services (“our Services”). “You” or “your” means an adult client of our Services.

The American Ancestors website contains information, photos, graphics, data, editorials, textual, educational and other material that is accessible by any Internet user (Content). All Content produced by our Services is copyrighted by American Ancestors and may be used only in accordance with this limited use license.

Limited Use License

You are licensed to use the Content we produce only for personal or professional family history research. You may use, cite, or download Content only if it is relevant to that type of research and only if American Ancestors is listed as the source of that Content. The republishing of whole or significant portions of any work produced by American Ancestors is prohibited without the express written consent of American Ancestors.

American Ancestors holds no claim to copyrights for the copies of original records and other photocopied documents taken from books, abstracts and typescripts. Therefore, you can copy these materials in accordance with the current copyright laws, if applicable. However, any genealogist’s report that is sent to you is copyrighted material. A American Ancestors report cannot be reproduced in its entirety on web pages, electronic media, or in family newsletters without permission from our firm. Small portions of the genealogist’s report may be quoted, if properly cited and credited to American Ancestors in any text document that a client might create.

1. TERMS

1.1 You must be 18 years or older to order our Services.

1.2 The fee that you pay is for our expert time and attention.

1.3 You are requested to provide a complete research request to American Ancestors. A complete research request includes the family or individual to be studied and all records and results from previous research. The goal of your research must be clear. We must receive all these things, plus the appropriate retainer, before we will begin.

2. FEES AND PAYMENTS

2.1 Payment by Credit Card, Check, or Debit Card Constitutes full acceptance of these Terms & Conditions as a binding Contract between American Ancestors and the Client.

2.2 Client agrees to waive the right to any dispute resolution by any Credit Card or Debit Card Company, Bank, Credit Union, or Fattmerchant.

2.3 The client agrees that no Chargebacks for Credit Card, or Debit Card Transactions against American Ancestors or Fattmerchant shall apply.

2.4 Prepayment in full – a retainer – is required. Please pay by check, credit card or money order in U.S. funds. Hourly labor costs will include the time it takes us to review of previous research, correspondence (e-mail, phone, and postal mail), research, analysis and report writing time.

2.5 Research Projects are handled in the order that the retainer was received. Projects are often completed in 4-6 weeks from receipt of deposit. However, there are times that research projects may extend past this time frame pending receipt of outside correspondence or availability of resources. In case of a delay we will notify you.

2.6 If and when accounts become over 30 days past due, the account balance will be billed interest and finance charges in the amount of 1 and ½ percent per month until the balance is paid in full.

2.7 Our Service fees and terms may be changed by American Ancestors at any time and each renewal of our Services will be at the then-standard service fees.

3. MODIFICATIONS TO THIS AGREEMENT AND THE SERVICE

American Ancestors has the right, at its sole discretion and at any time, to modify the terms of this Agreement or our Services. Changes in our Services that will affect you will be sent via email, or postal mail to you. If any portion of this Agreement or any change of this Agreement of our Service is unacceptable to you or will cause you to no longer be in compliance with the Agreement, you may opt not to accept or cease using our Services. Continued use of our Services following email notices of changes in this Agreement means that you have accepted and are bound by the changes.

4. MISCELLANEOUS

4.1 This Agreement is governed by the laws of the Navajo Nation and to the extent applicable, the Federal law of the United States of America. Any action to enforce this Agreement shall be brought in the District Court of the Navajo Nation in Window Rock, AZ. And the client agrees to pay all legal fees.

4.2 Official correspondence must be sent via postal mail to: American Ancestors. Attn: Customer Service, PO Box 50561, Provo, UT 84605.

4.3 This Agreement is the entire agreement between you and American Ancestors and it cannot be amended except in writing.

5. GUARANTEES

You are engaging our professional genealogists who have many years of training. They offer their expert time and attention to your research needs. Therefore, a charge is made for their time.

Professional genealogists are entitled to be paid for all time rendered to you at their professional rates. No ethical genealogist can predict or guarantee a specific document or result. Specific results won’t be known until research is conducted and completed. In fact, there is no guarantee that our professionals, or any other professional, will be able to locate new information about your ancestors.

American Ancestors guarantees thorough and detailed work. Our research is conducted in accordance with the highest professional standards and in full compliance with the Code of

Ethics published by the Association of Professional Genealogists. Because of variables that can limit success (time allotted, common surnames, time period and place, records availability) during research, there is NO guarantee that any specific or positive results will be obtained. Our skilled researchers promise to do their best work, and that is all that we can offer.

6. POLICY REGARDING YOUR RETAINER

If you cancel your research request, the cancellation will take effect immediately, and our researchers will then write a summary of the research to that cancellation date. All their time and expenses will then be deducted from your prepaid retainer. Any unused retainer, after all time and expenses have been deducted, can be credited to another research case, or sent back to you.

7. LIABILITY DISCLAIMER

American Ancestors strive for excellence and accuracy. Because every individual is unique, it is truly impossible for a professional genealogist to guarantee that a certain sum of money will provide their client with a certain number of new ancestors or relatives. However, professional genealogists simply cannot guarantee specific research results or turn around time because of all the variables historical records will hold regarding a client’s family, until the records are examined. There will be no refunds related to lack of results or dissatisfaction with any aspect of American Ancestors’ services.

April 5, 2018