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Why devote 45 mins to such an awful nasty seedy programme. Been watching it in sub-horror this week (no idea how long it's been on for). Picking over the bones of sad and lonely people. It really panders to the culture of getting something for nothing. And in at least a couple i've seen the 'neighbour' was so clearly pissed of with not being left anything "I took her to the shops every Friday blah blah"

Sorry - that was a bit of a rant wasn't it? But what a bloody awful programme.

It's nasty, isn't it? I particularly dislike the repeated line about 'if a person dies intestate, all their money goes to the government', as if it's clearly so much more deserving if it goes to some complete stranger who happens to be a distant relative, but never even met them, let alone picked up the occasional pint of milk from the shop for them.

I also dislike 'the team have put many hours of work in on this case...' Well, they must be making money out of it or they wouldn't do it, would they? It's the way the whole thing is presented as some charitable enterprise to help the little people make good, when in fact it feeds into people's worst fantasies of entitlement and getting back at the evil government who want to stop people getting what's rightfully theirs. I love the ones where there turns out to be no money in it in the end. But then I enjoy Deal or No Deal when someone who has banged on about destiny and it being their time all the way through ends up with 1p, so maybe I'm just not very nice...

i think it's quite interesting (the few i've seen anyway) one was about a poor woman and her sister being sent to england from nazi germany. made me cry

I have seen it a few times.. there was one where they tracked down a pensioner and told him he had to sign there and then or he wouldnt get a penny

The old man was obv wrong footed, confused and was wary of signing anything without time to think about it

wtf???? if it was legally his then why not give the man time and info he needed instead of bullying him and making him lose out

Oh it's just the dullest thing ever.

Does anybody know what percentage these companies get of the estate? I am presuming that is how they get paid? Agree that while these companies provide a service (not sure it is a strictly necessary one), the idea of making a TV programme about it and packaging it as entertainment is distasteful.

Some 1.5 Million people are watch the program every day cant be that bad may be you are all fans of Jeremy Kyle.
I am not sure if I follow this thread properly some of you are complaining about the family being given the money instead of the government, you must be joking right. I thought that every one would want there money to go to the family rather than that bunch of crooks, even if they had chosen to cut them self off.

Most of the heirs found seem to be very grateful to receive the news, even if they are shocked that a family member that they never knew has passed away.

As for money for nothing I bet if the government was to give out money to new mothers you would all take some, O' they already do.

I find it quite interesting - researching family trees and finding hidden secrets and relatives

Did anyone see the Holocaust one?
Where the bloke made out he was doing it in some kind of publicspirtied way = presumably for a fee

Oh, I love this programme. Can't see the objection to the companies getting a cut, after all the heirs would never know otherwise. Also, they don't have to sign up. On quite a few programmes it ends with teh heirs not signing up and, presumably, sorting out the inheritance themselves. Quite fancy being an heir hunter myself.

its a great programme-yes the company are a bunch of vultures but is SO interesting!

the one this week about people from germany being reunited with family money was SO good-how can that ot have been fascinating?

I've watched it loads and love it... there is one where they're trying to trace living relatives of an artist who died before making a will.

His paintings and a very tidy sum are just a couple of years short of defaulting to the government and his friends are fighting it to get the money left to his estate so they can open a museum gallery in his memory.

I enjoy it and find it very interesting.

I don't see the heir hunters as vultures at all. They are doing a job, just like most the rest of us.

I'm amazed/shocked at how many people do not make a Will, especially when they are older.
In Germany I and DH made a joint Will - the solicitor kept a copy and it was law that the local courts also held a copy. So no possibility of it getting lost or deliberately being destroyed.

The courts can also find the wherabouts of any blood -line relatives

I've heard the companies take 40%.

Just watched this and missed how much Brett left and where it came from. Anyone?

Brett left £5K and they don't know for sure where it came from but guessed that it was something like an insurance policy that had recently matured.

They are basically sharks like the PPI companies. The genaeology angle makes it telly-friendly, but they are vultures really.

I'm continually surprised how often the heirs give loads of detailed personal info out over the phone when cold called.

I have seen it a few times adn wondered how much the heirhunters stood to make of their cases. Always wondered what if the heir just refuses to sign and goes at it themselves... Like a bit of family research myself so....

Wanted Down Under is so much better. Heir Hunters is dull in comparison.

This thread is from 2009, But HH is still on.

Thanks devil. It did leave me feeling a bit uncomfortable, an alcoholic who committed suicide? A program out of matured insurance policy?

Like HH but not that one. [hypocrite]