Give It as a Gift
For the parent with a cupboard of tapes and no way to watch them, and the grown-up child who has run out of ideas. You do not need to know how many tapes there are or what format they are. Buy an amount, and I will sit down with them when they are ready.
The Present Nobody Knows How to Buy
Every year somebody comes to me in January saying they wish they had thought of this in December. The obstacle is always the same: you cannot wrap a service, and you have no idea what the job would cost because you have never seen inside the boxes.
So it works the other way round. You choose an amount, I give you something to hand over, and the person who receives it books a time whenever suits them. Whatever they bring gets set against it, and if the job comes to more than the amount they only pay the difference.
If it comes to less, the remainder stays on the certificate for whatever they find next. There is no expiry on my side and nothing gets quietly swallowed.
For a parent or grandparent
The most common version of this. Somebody has thirty tapes, no working VCR, and has been saying for a decade that they should do something about it. A certificate turns the intention into an appointment.
From several people at once
Digitizing a real collection costs more than one person usually wants to spend on a present and much less than a family between them. Several people can put in towards one certificate, which makes it a serious gift rather than a token.
For someone who has lost someone
This one needs judgement rather than enthusiasm. If somebody has recently died, a certificate says the offer is there for whenever they are ready, without asking them to do anything now. There is no time limit on it for exactly that reason.
How It Actually Works
Ring me or send an email and tell me roughly the amount and who it is for. I will confirm it and give you something you can actually hand over rather than a code in an email.
The person receiving it books a drop-off whenever they like. We go through what they have brought, they get a written figure the same as anyone else, and the certificate comes off the total.
Nothing about the work changes because it was a gift. Same prices, same free look, same originals-never-leave-Colwood.
Questions People Ask
How much should I put on it?
Tell me roughly what you think they have and I will tell you what that usually comes to, so you are choosing a number with some basis rather than guessing. A small collection and a full basement are very different figures and I would rather you knew before you decided.
What if the job costs more than the certificate?
They pay the difference and they see the written figure before any work starts, exactly as any other client would. Nothing runs over without them agreeing to it first.
Does it expire?
Not from my side. Some people take a year to be ready, particularly if the collection belonged to someone who has died, and being chased about a deadline is the last thing that helps.
Can I keep it a surprise?
Yes. I will not contact the recipient until they get in touch with me. If you would rather I did reach out, tell me and I will, but that is your call and not the default.
Ask me about a certificate.
Give me a call or send an email with roughly what you have in mind and who it is for. It takes a couple of minutes to sort out.