To think Heir Hunters (BBC1 now) is a bit ambulance chasery?

[Sparklingbrook]

It's nothing to do wioth finding 'rightful heirs, and everything to do with commission for Fraser and Fraser.

My mum actually does this for a living, not with Fraser and Fraser btw and on a much smaller scale so not huge sums of money.

She got into through researching our family history.

Tbh, she has never interogated a neighbour and she hates the programme. She says it doesn't show the actual work that goes into tracing people, it can take her months to trace the relatives and she has to buy loads of birth and death certificates. A lot of times she ends up buying ones that are nothing to do with who she is looking for.

She doesn't take 25% either, she charges 5% of the total.

It would more than likely be used to subsidise the Commons bar rather than be ploughed back into the NHS.

Anything unclaimed would be surplus money and as nice as it would be to think the extra could go into frontline public services, it wouldn't as the budget would have already been set.

That's interesting Tantrums. F&F do make it look very easy and I don't like their manner TBH.

Does she enjoy it?

Yanbu they seem to be doing a good thing yet they would poke their competitors in the eye with a hot spoon to get their cut

I did see one where someone turned down the money because there had been a family row in the past, and they didn't want anything to do with it.

In general I don't have a problem with it tbh. If the heir hunters weren't doing what they do the government would get the money and the relatives wouldn't see a penny. Yes, they take commission, but that is their payment for doing the legwork - even with commission/charges taken off, the relative will still be better off than they were before.

your mum is a good lady tantrums

I am sure people would rather deal with someone like Tantrum's Mum than those vultures F&F.

H watches this, sometimes it's quite touching. They only start the process after the treasury publish the list and this isnt immediately after the funeral because, lets face it, even if someone dies with a will in place it takes AGES for the solicitors to work their way through the process.

There have been some where entire families have been reunited so there is a "human" bonus to it to.

I hate ambulance chasers with a vengence (I have been known to mutter darkly to gawkers) but there are no victims in this as such and I like to think that the money is a) going to family and b) supporting Fraser & Fraser's workforce, rather than going into a big government pot. They have said in the past what their cut is (10%?) they must do a lot of work sometimes and get nowhere. People have refused to sign - I guess they then have to go back through their family history to find out who died.

There have been some where entire families have been reunited so there is a "human" bonus to it to (I am aware that should have been too)

That's true Opera. perhaps it's F&F that have offended me today. That man being all concerned on the phone to the neighbour pissed me off...

Watched for a number of years been quite a few who've taken the claim on by themselves.

I find it interesting and has spurred me on to find out more about my paternal side of the family which I know little of as my dad never really spoke about them.

It's also blatant advertising for Fraser & Fraser, isn't it? They used to show a couple of smaller companies but I've not seen them recently. To be honest, I'd just assume it was some sort of scam if I got a letter through the post telling me that I was in line for an inheritance.

Worst day time programme at the moment is Undercover Boss USA. It's pure begging with the boss being put with employees with issues. I really must stop watching it...

I have seen some of those Some. Sob stories ahoy, and new cars and lots of £££££s being given out.

I don't know how I would feel if I had chance to inherit a load of cash from a relative I had never met and didn't even know they had died. Makes me feel the money should go to people who were their friends and were actually around the person during their life IYKWIM.

What I'd like to know is what they do if one of their contacts lies about other relatives.
eg a cousin says that she knew her cousins well but they are all dead and had no children. Do they just take her word for it? What if there were in fact loads of children who are all heirs?

Exactly how I feel about it sparkling. I used to watch it almost every day when on mat leave.

Some of the stories are very sad since most of the 'cases' don't seem to have any contact with family. It usually makes me even sadder when they have a brief interview with a neighbour/care home worker who says things like 'Oh, we used to talk for hours on such and such', and then the money goes to a distant relative who talks about needing a new patio or a holiday or something. If anything, it made me realise I needed a will!

And yes, extremely ambulance-chasery. OH is interested in genealogy and sais he'd like a job like that, until I pointed out that it's mostly sales-based and the staff in the offices look very stressed.

Quite often its people who've lost touch was quite a sad one last week only lost touch because his brother who he went everywhere with died he had been close to his niece as well and she had good memories of him. Was a nice outcome for her, as she filled in missing pieces.

I saw one where the chap was so handsome and had a wonderfully interesting life but then ended up all alone. His extended family remembered him fondly from when they were children but had assumed he had been dead for years.

It makes you wonder how that happens then I hear MIL say "oh ive called x and he never calls me back, im not bothering again" sometimes it probably just starts like that (scarey)

StephaniePowers they do plenty of research you see programmes where they have researched the wrong family and have to start again. They are geneologists and do family trees by getting birth and marriage certificates not word of mouth.

If there are loads of children the money is shared between them. All the paperwork has to be sent to the judge, so birth certs etc so they do not just take someones word for it.

I do agree I often think its sad that the person didnt leave a will as there is often a lovely neigbour or friend who deserves the inheritance more than the family.

Oh dear this is making me aware I still dont have a Will myself (hate solicitors with a passion)

Fraser and Fraser on 'Going it alone'.

Get real....do you think F&F are in this business solely for the joy of seeing a 'rightful heir' reunited with their inheritance. They are providing a service for which they expect payment, it's purely a business arrangement.

I'd rather people kept in gainful employment doing this work than the money going to the treasury. I thought all unclaimed estates went to the Duchy of Cornwall anyway but I may be very wrong

No baking I know that. But their pretend concern is horrible.

If F&F came to me I would want paying for any info I gave out- not that I am mean but I would rather get paid and donate the money to charity than them get free information and gain from it. Yes, I know that makes me look a bit odd but they get my goat! If they came to me claiming that I had a long-lost relative I would get quotes from other genealogical (?) companies before signing up with them on the door. The link to their website is interesting, they do their best to put you off doing it yourself but lots of people have the skill and interest to do it.