The benefits of trusting an Independent Funeral Director are clear
AS A TRUE INDEPENDENT FUNERAL DIRECTOR WE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH COMPLETE FINANCIAL HONESTY, FLEXIBILITY AND PEACE OF MIND COUPLED WITH THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF CARE AND VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY. AN INTERESTING SUMMARY OF INFORMATION GATHERED FROM THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER AND ONLINE.
SEE MORE BELOW
Guardian Money research has found that councils have been discreetly raising the cost of burial by far more than the rate of inflation or wage increases. What’s more, price checking of large funeral directors such as Co-operative Funeralcare has found they charge as much as £1,500 more than independent local firms.
In the past year, the price of cremation has increased on average by 4.8%, while burial costs are up by 4.9%. More than 50 crematoriums across the UK raised their prices by more than 5%, and a handful by more than 20%. These figures have to be laboriously gathered from local councils and private companies as they are under no obligation to report price rises.
The major cost for most people is hiring a funeral director. These are the firms that arrange the funeral, store the body of the deceased, deal with paperwork and arrange the coffin and hearse. One of the simplest things you can do to save money is to consider a genuine independent funeral firm. The two biggest chains are Co-operative Funeralcare and Dignity, which together make up 30% of all Funeral Directors in Britain, but evidence shows that these firms might not pay for you financially.
In terms of price, the differences are marked. Prices from 30 funeral directors in Glasgow and South London in July 2016, made up of five independent funeral homes, five Co-operative Funeralcare outlets and five Dignity branches in each city. Dignity was easily the most expensive (see table below), costing around £1,000-£1,500 more than independent firms. Prices in the table are for a standard funeral, including the cost of a coffin, hearse and professional service fees, but do not include disbursements such as the cemetery or crematorium costs, which will vary according to individual councils.
Sometimes hospitals will enlist the services of a funeral director to pick up the body, but you do not have to use that company, you are free to choose another provider.
In the past, funeral businesses were family-owned operations that would serve whole communities, and in some small towns this setup still exists. However, larger chains have been gradually buying out family businesses, often when members of the family retire.
These large chains tend to keep the name of the family that originally ran the funeral home. Every branch of Dignity is run under a family name and 30% of Co-operative funeral homes trade under a family’s name. When these businesses buy up independent funeral homes, they purchase the use of the family name and, consequently, their reputation. Many customers visit funeral homes with family names in the belief they are supporting a local independent business or because they would rather place their trust in a family-owned organisation.
Figures correct of 2016.
CREDIT, THE GUARDIAN