Someone has PMed me asking about using the pilot site information on the online ordering service at GRONI's website as the forms contained no field for this information.
I checked with GRONI directly and they advised that the online service has been subcontracted and that, as "the subcontractors have no facility to confirm these details", they could NOT accept them for online orders. [I don't understand this, but it's the explanation I was given
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They did confirm that the index details could be used to order a cert by telephone or by post as these orders are still dealt with by GRONI staff themselves.
They also said that official policy was NOT to allow the 50% discount on certificates ordered using the pre 1922 index information (i.e. that provided by the pilot site)
. If you go to GRONI in person to do an index search, the post 1922 index references provide additional information which precisely identifies an individual certificate (incl. Enrty No. & subdistrict), whereas the old Volume/page reference is much less specific and involves further searches by GRONI staff (for example, one registration district (as identified on the pilot site) will contain a number of subdistricts, each with their own books).
While I have always found the staff there very helpful and accommodating, I suspect the huge increase in genealogical enquiries following the launch of the pilot site has resulted in a higher authority enforcing the letter of the law on discounts (still worth asking though if you phone in an order
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