How do I know you’ll look after my envelopes?
Our responsibility as custodians of your envelopes is the very foundation our company is built upon. We guarantee we will never open your envelopes, and all your information is safe. Our air gapped computers mean data is never stored or transmitted over the internet. Our bespoke archive is designed to maintain the condition and integrity of your envelopes for decades to come and we have procedures in place to ensure the continued delivery of customer envelopes for at least the next hundred years.
Can I send a video or audio file?
Yes, if you’re technically minded, we encourage you to include a DVD or Audio CD, or a memory card with audio or video files within your envelope. Imagine talking face to face with your Great-Grandchildren at the turn of the next century.
What else can I include in the envelope?
Our large envelopes are secure, and will never be opened by us. Small personal items can be included within them; however, we don’t advise putting valuable items inside. During our product development phase, many test subjects wanted to send clues or coordinates to items they’d hidden. Keys could also be easily included. The possibilities are fascinating; you could use your legacy pack to conceive a mysterious treasure hunt across the decades.
Can I send my Legacy Pack to someone as a gift?
Yes, the Swansongs legacy pack makes a perfect gift for someone close to you. Simply select the gift option at check-out and we can send with a gift card directly to the intended recipient. During our product testing, some test candidates initially considered sending something like this to somebody old, or suffering from illness, as distasteful. However, in contrast, those same potential recipients viewed it as a wonderful present, thrilled with the chance to send a gift of their own into the future. It’s also worth bearing in mind, that if you give the Legacy Pack as a gift to someone, it’s quite likely they’ll surprise you with a Swansongs Envelope through your door one day.
What if I need more than five Swansongs envelopes?
Swansongs legacy packs are currently only available with five envelopes inside, but multiple packs can be added to existing account numbers.
Is there a storage fee for holding my letters?
No, there are no hidden costs at all. The price of the legacy pack includes the cost of storing your letters for up to one hundred years.
What if the recipient of my letter dies before you send it?
We have already implemented a ‘next best relative’ policy. If sending your letter to the correct person is tragically impossible, we will research the recipient’s family and send to their eldest descendant or closest relative. Rest assured that even in these unfortunate circumstances, your legacy letter will be dispatched and cherished by their close family.
The price of the legacy pack works out at nearly £20 per letter, why?
On the face of it, that might seem a lot of money to send a letter, but what we do isn’t quite that simple. The legacy pack is not cheap to produce and includes postage costs. Then there are our office, archive and staff costs. Good address research requires the latest technology and subscriptions too. And all that is before we pay the cost of posting your envelopes. Sticking on a stamp and hoping for the best is simply not good enough for such precious cargo. We use a guaranteed service to send your envelopes anywhere in the world through regional post hubs. In addition, we have to consider that the price of postage will rise significantly over the decades to come. The world is also constantly changing, so profits are carefully invested into our war chest, insuring we are financially equipped to send your letters in a hundred years’ time, and eventually, beyond.
Can I use my own envelope?
Not at this time. To preserve conformity and maintain standardised costs, our archive will only accept official Swansongs envelopes.
What if the item I want to include doesn't fit in the envelope, is there a way to send a box instead?
While you are welcome to include small personal items in your Swansongs envelopes, they must fit within its dimensions so the seal closes firmly. Our archive will only accept official Swansongs envelopes at this time. If you wish to send something bigger, we would suggest leaving the item with a friend or relative, or hiding it somewhere it won’t be discovered, then direct your recipient to retrieve it within your letter.
Do I have to pay more if my Swansongs Envelope is being sent overseas?
No, not at this time. The full cost of posting your envelopes to any location in the world is included in the cost of the Swansongs legacy pack.
What if my memory card or media storage is obsolete by the time it is delivered?
We firmly believe current storage mediums will be easily accessible, even in a hundred years’ time. They may be rarely used today, but you can still buy new VHS Video Recorders and Audio cassette players over forty years since they were invented. DVD and CD formats are even better established, usable on most computers today. The standard format of the world’s memory cards makes it doubtful they’ll ever become completely obsolete. And even if the world unexpectedly becomes entirely media free, there will always be companies converting old formats into new, in the same way you can get your 8-Track reel to reel tapes, 35mm slides and 8m Cine Film converted today.
Is there a way to store my audio/data files on your system so they can be accessed easily in the future?
Similar services to this have existed, and failed in the past. We do not intend to offer an upload service at this time. We believe the Swansongs service is about the profound joy of receiving a handwritten message delivered from a lost loved one, not an emailed link to a downloadable video. While we see letters as timeless, we accept that to some they may seem a little outdated. However, we are adamant that an online legacy is far more vulnerable to attack, loss, or ransom.
What happens if Swansongs is no longer operational when my delivery date rolls around?
Because we needed to make sure Swansongs could continue to operate in the distant future, it is structured quite differently to regular companies. Swansongs is managed as a trust by appointed trustees, each purchaser of the Swansongs pack then becomes a beneficiary of the trust. This way the considerable assets held within the trust are not owned or controlled by any individual. The trustees must work together to manage the company, and honour each beneficiary, appointing new trustees to the board as older ones retire. We believe that Swansongs has a future far greater than the next hundred years, however, if for some inexplicable reason Swansongs has to stop offering its service, the finances and hierarchy are already in place to deliver all the envelopes held in our archive as planned. As custodians of your legacy, we cannot over stress how importantly we hold the responsibility of delivering your letters.
Is it possible to cancel a particular envelope if I fall out with the intended recipient?
Yes, just write to us quoting your account and password and we will return it to you.
What if my recipient moves house several times during the waiting period?
If you know your recipient has moved and want to make changes to an address you have supplied, just write to us quoting your account and password, and we’ll update the entry. Remember though, that before each envelope is dispatched, our researchers will confirm the address it is going to. If the intended recipient has moved, we will find their new location and make the changes ourselves.
Can I pay more for insurance to include my wedding ring?
We do not advise putting valuable items inside our Swansongs envelopes. We suggest giving the ring to a friend or relative and either asking them to pass it on, or to tell your recipient who’s holding it for them within your Swansongs message.
Can you guarantee that my envelope won't end up mouldy or damaged over time?
Yes, we understand each letter entrusted to us is very precious, and will be treated with the respect it deserves. Our secure archive is both temperature and humidity controlled, which along with the integrity of our envelopes, guarantees your letter will remain in the condition it arrived with us in.