Funerals

November 28 2020

What is a Simple Funeral?

Within the world of simple funerals there’s a wide interpretation about what ‘simple’ actually means. I spent a lot of time researching this article and it quickly became clear that what one company means by simple and what another company means can be two very different things.

In simple terms (no pun intended!) there’s a noticable divide between traditional funeral directors and the low cost providers that have come on to the scene in recent years.

It seems that traditional funeral directors and the low cost providers have a different view on what a simple funeral is. This is quite interesting – more on that in a moment!

The people we talk to also have differing opinions. Some think that a simple funeral includes a service but other elements found in traditional funerals have been left out, like limousines for example.

Others think that a simple funeral means that there is no service at all and no-one attends.

Before we look at the differences between the simple funerals offered by traditional funeral directors and those offered by low cost companies let’s get one thing out of the way… simple funerals v direct funerals.

A direct funeral can mean direct cremation or direct burial. In both cases it means that no-one attends the funeral. This is perhaps one of the main areas of confusion.

We’re not blameless in this confusion! We are Simple Cremations Ltd. and initially we intended to only perform direct cremations.

I will not go in to our story here, that’s all covered on our about Simple Cremations page – please feel free to discover how and why we started!

For us a simple funeral is a funeral with a service not a direct funeral.

From here on we will look specifically at what different companies mean by a simple funeral where a service is included. We’ll start with the traditional funeral directors.

I visited the websites and read the information packs of some of the biggest funeral providers in the UK and looked at what their simple funerals include.

To be clear I’m looking at the differences between providers. The things that all funeral directors offer, like completing the paperwork, is taken for granted.

Simple Funerals – Traditional Funeral Directors

The first company I looked at offered the following:

A chauffeur driven hearse
Pallbearers
Viewings at the chapel of rest
No limousines
No organising flowers, obituaries, donations, order of service
Return of ashes not included
Collection out of ours additional charge

As an interesting side note, they regard a chauffeur driven hearse as essential. I would have to say here that’s an opinion not shared by everyone including ourselves.

At the time of writing, this simple funeral cost almost £2,000 – that’s just the funeral director’s fees it does not include third party costs!

Third party cost are things like cremation fee or burial fee, doctors fees and so on.

The Funeral Guide carried out a survey recently that found the average cost of cremation in the UK is £823 (that’s just the cremation fee, nothing else!). They found average burial costs of £1,698. Add that to the £2,000 fee above and we can see that a simple funeral doesn’t mean a cheap funeral.

Sticking with the well know big providers we’ll look at what another provider means by a simple funeral.

A cremation vehicle
No pallbearers
Viewings at the chapel of rest
Can’t choose date & time of funeral
No organising flowers, obituaries, donations, order of service

Here we can see that there are two main differences.

The first is that a hearse is not included, they use a van which takes the deceased directly to the venue.

The second is that there are no pallbearers, instead they use a bier trolley or allow the family to bear in.

The prices were very similar to the first company we looked at. For simple cremation over £3,000 total and simple burial £4,000. Again quite costly.

If you are concerned about high prices you should read our start your search for a funeral plan post where you’ll find a really useful free to use tool that will save you hours of work.

Simple Funerals – Low Cost Providers

Let’s take a look at the low cost providers. Here there’s a clear difference in definition given to a simple funeral. We include ourselves in this group of companies. But like any other industry there are differences between low cost funeral companies too.

The first company I looked at offers an attended funeral with the following:

Funeral arranged over the phone
No hearse, no limousines
No viewing of deceased
Celebrant not included
Return of ashes included
Viewing of deceased included

At first glance this looked like good value with a starting price of £1,895. But unfortunately there are ‘added extras’ that are not included.

If your loved one dies anywhere other than a hospital you’ll have to pay £250 for them to collect.

There are other additional costs too. I’m not going to go in to all the hidden costs because the focus of this article is what companies mean by a simple funeral rather than the cost.

But if you want to know what hidden funeral costs to look out for you should really give our cheap funeral directors post a read which exposes some of the added costs that catch a lot of people out.

Low cost funeral companies often have added costs. Many people who become our customers found other company’s pricing frustrating when trying to compare costs. It’s the reason that from day one we strived to make our prices as clear and transparent as we possibly could.

The second company offered a simple funeral as follows:

Funeral arranged over the phone
No hearse, no limousines
Viewing of deceased (£200 additional cost)
Celebrant not included
Return of ashes (£100 if you want them back within 28 days)
Pick up from non-hospital resting place (£250)

We can see from this that the low cost companies offering simple funerals charge for each individual aspect of the funeral service.

At Simple Cremations we offer the following:

Funeral arranged in person or over the phone – which ever you prefer
No hearse, no limousines
No viewing of deceased
Celebrant included for free
Return of ashes (free within our coverage area)
Pick up from any hospital within our coverage area included

Our prices start at £1,718 for a simple funeral with a service and includes celebrant.

In Summary

Some of the traditional funeral directors tend to define a simple funeral as one that resembles a ‘standard’ funeral.

They still include the chauffeur driven hearse, but leave out other things like limousines, arranging flowers, obituaries, donations and so on.

Their simple funeral is a standard funeral with, what I would say are modest changes. In my eyes the final cost remains high.

Low cost providers on the other hand see a simple funeral as a truly, well, low cost option.

They’ve positioned themselves as a distinct alternative to the traditional funeral director. That said, some of these companies do add on costs. Costs which can quickly add up so look out for that.

Although we are certainly in the low cost funeral provider category we do like the fact that traditional funeral directors meet the families in person.

We think this is important. It gives both parties the opportunity to get to know each other which is important especially when providing a funeral service.

The good news is that those looking for a simple funeral now have more choice than ever before. A simple funeral could mean a slightly toned down traditional funeral or a pocket friendly no frills funeral.

If you have in mind what you would like from a simple funeral then you’re more likely than ever to find it.

November 25 2020

Livestreaming Funeral Services

philm Funerals

Livestreaming a funeral service (also called virtual funeral service) involves broadcasting the ceremony online to family and friends. This service has been available for some time and usually provided at extra cost. Crematoria have started offering this for free due to the restrictions on funeral attendance.

What is livestreaming a funeral service?

For those who are not familiar with livestreaming (or webcast) in general it is a way of allowing an audience to watch an event online as it happens. So in this case a funeral service can be filmed and broadcast live on the internet enabling family and friends to watch the ceremony.

A few of the funeral services we’ve performed have been broadcast or filmed. On one occasion we filmed it ourselves, on another the family streamed it so their relatives in Australia (who couldn’t make the funeral) could watch the service. The remaining services were streamed by the crematorium themselves at the request of the families.

Recent restrictions on numbers being allowed at funeral services coupled with people choosing to err on the side of caution and taking their own decision not to attend has led to an increase in streaming of funeral services.

Are online funerals secure?

It should be said that the services that are streamed via the crematorium are secure. Family and friends who wish to view the ceremony are supplied with a password which enables them to watch – it is not broadcast to the general public. The login details can be emailed to all those wishing to view the ceremony.

Streaming a funeral on Facebook

Whilst it is possible to stream the event on Facebook it might not be the best choice. Having the crematorium handle the broadcast is one less thing to have to do on what is going to be an emotional day.

It is also a big responsibility and should anything go wrong it might be tough to deal with. You don’t want to be stressing about technical issues during a funeral service or having to answer to family who were unable to view!

The equipment available to professional livestreaming companies is going to be better than your mobile phone so there’s the issue of quality to consider.

You probably will not want to stream the service to all your friends on Facebook. A closed group can be created which allows you to only invite the appropriate people. This private group can then watch the service and the recording cannot be shared with anyone else.

The obvious drawback here is that not everyone is on Facebook which another reason to opt for the crematorium streaming service.

Streaming a funeral on Youtube

Streaming a funeral on Youtube is probably the least secure option. Viewers need a link which will enable them to watch. Although you can prevent the funeral service stream popping up to the general public via Youtube search, it doesn’t stop anyone who has the link sharing it with other people.

One thing I would add about Facebook and Youtube streams is that there may be copyright issues, for example if music is played at the service. Facebook is cracking down on the broadcast of ‘music listening experiences’. Obviously a funeral doesn’t fall in to this category, but presumably this censorship is automated so who knows what could happen.

Can I watch the recording after the funeral?

These streams can also be recorded and watched at a later time. This is especially convenient for those who are perhaps located in a time zone in which it’s the middle of the night for example. Or maybe someone has other commitments.

Recording also serves as a safety net in cases where there are technical issues, maybe viewers lose their internet connection or maybe there’s a more fundamental issue with the stream itself.

Family and friends may want to re-watch the service at a later time or view parts they missed if they arrived late. Having a recording could also enable young children to view.

Deciding whether young children should attend a funeral can be a difficult decision. Some may see the opportunity for a compromise, parents who considered their child too young to attend in person may feel more comfortable with them watching a recording. Parents can ‘assess’ the video in advance.

How much does it cost to livestream a funeral?

Usually providing a livestream of a funeral is chargeable. Recently the service has been offered for free as an acknowledgement to the difficult circumstances people have encountered because of the restrictions placed on crematoriums by councils and privately owned crematoria. Losing someone is hard at the best of times but not being able to attend can make it that much harder.

For the moment it looks like this free streaming will continue as long as the restrictions remain in place and who knows it may become just a standard facility which isn’t charged for – watch this space!

If you are unable to watch the live stream or recording because you are not familiar with the necessary steps required it’s probably best just to ask another family member how you can view. Lots of people we deal with on a daily basis don’t even have a computer let alone internet access.

What is the future of live streaming funeral services?

With the increase in reliability of internet connections and the increases in speed due to the introduction of 5G networks, it is likely the popularity of streaming will only grow.

In fact with the recent advances in virtual reality it wouldn’t surprise me if in the next few years we see the option of attending virtual funeral services.

I have no doubt that it will come, but I do have reservations about it. I have seen first hand, at the hundreds of funerals we’ve performed, how important actual physical support among family members is. There’s just no substitute for that.

I remember back in April reading about a lady who couldn’t attend her grandmother’s funeral because of the lockdown. She felt a sense of anger to have to watch the funeral online, it didn’t bring her solace.

Virtual Reality Funerals

At the same time, there have been services where people have been unable to attend due to illness and ‘attending’ in VR might be a big plus for them.

I recently saw a video about a company in America that created a VR experience of a funeral service. Well kind of.

You could walk around a virtual church, at the front of which was a screen displaying images of the deceased. You could then venture outside where a memorial campfire was burning. Although it looked like a poor computer game you could see the idea they were trying to get across.

When the graphics become photo-realistic (which isn’t too far away) I can see funeral services along with a whole host of other events being ‘attended’ in virtual reality.

November 19 2020

Jehovah’s Witness Funeral

philm Funerals

We have carried out a few Jehovah’s Witness funeral services over the years. The faith’s belief that a funeral should be a humble affair rather than an opportunity to display affluence resonates very much with the simple cremation service we provide.

As mentioned on other areas of our site, we don’t have lavish hearses and extravagant coffins. Our funeral services are simple and modest yet at the same time meaningful to those attending.

That said, we cannot facilitate all Jehovah’s Witness funerals as we only provide cremation not burial. We also do not offer the option of an open casket if this was to be a requirement.

Jehova’s Witnesses and Cremation

Some people are under the impression that Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t get cremated, but that’s not the case. The relatives of the person that has died are expected to carry out the wishes of the deceased with regard to the type of funeral they have.

Cremation is acceptable to Jehovah’s Witnesses because of the belief that Jehovah has the ability to restore anyone whether they were cremated or buried. The Bible does not state what should be done with the body after death.

What Happens at a Jehova’s Witness Funeral?

It’s very similar to most of the funerals we perform. The main difference being that the life events of the deceased and family stories play a lesser role.

At almost all of our funerals Leanne takes the role of celebrant, however this is not the case for Jehovah’s Witness funerals.

Instead, a congregation elder takes the ceremony. A congregation elder is a man who is responsible for, amongst other duties, conducting meetings and directing public preaching activities. Teachings about death and hope of resurrection are read from the Bible.

Our role is to care for the deceased and transport them to the chapel on the day of cremation. Typically we will wait outside the chapel whilst the service is in progress.

The Service

The service comprises bible teachings with particular focus on how a life should be lived, death and resurrection. It may contain a hymns related to the readings.

The service may also refer to the deceased, citing examples of actions that they performed inline with their faith. A larger proportion of the service may focus on the deceased if they were a particularly good example to others.

A prayer concludes what is often a relatively short ceremony which aims to comfort those attending. A service of up to half an hour is typical for the funerals we provide – similar to a Jehovah’s Witness funeral.

Attending as a Non-Witness

If you are not a Jehovah’s Witness but wish to attend the funeral this is fine, they are regarded as open to the public. If you’ve been to other funerals you’ll no doubt see many similarities.

What do you wear to a Jehovah’s Witness funeral?

Attendees are smartly dressed with men wearing suit and tie and women being dressed modestly. Muted colours rather than bright vivid colours are best. If you are unsure or feeling nervous you really don’t need to be. In our experience people are always friendly and accommodating.

You’ll notice that modesty is apparent during proceedings. The focus is not on the life events of the deceased and there will not be a celebration of life.

At the end of the ceremony attendees will leave and the deceased will be cremated in the same way as anyone else. If flowers were brought to the service these can either go with the deceased or remain behind. Again, flowers are acceptable, but modest arrangements free of symbolism are best.

Many funeral services take place in the Kingdom Hall which is the place of worship and meeting for religious services. Some people prefer that the coffin is not present for the ceremony, in this case we can provide a direct cremation and return the ashes or scatter as preferred.

November 1 2020

Direct Cremation – Everything You Need To Know

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What is a direct cremation?

A direct cremation is a funeral with no service, no mourners attend. The deceased is taken through the chapel and placed on the catafalque, just like an attended funeral. Direct cremation is cheaper than a regular funeral. Ashes can be returned to the family once the cremation is complete.

Why choose a direct cremation?

Cost

A direct cremation is cheaper than a funeral with a service as many of the costs are avoided. There’s no need to hire the chapel, pay for a celebrant, flowers or limousines. Bearers are not required as typically a wheeled bier is used to move the coffin. During recent social distancing restrictions, all funerals have been using wheeled bier trolleys to transport the deceased to the chapel.

Cost is an obvious factor. But it would be wrong to think that direct cremation is only chosen by people who can’t afford a traditional funeral. Many of the families we perform funerals for have simply decided against laying out thousands of pounds for a 30 minute chapel service.

The cheapest direct cremation starts at £1,195, visit our prices page to see more details for your location.

Personal meaning

Personal meaning is another reason people choose an unattended funeral. A traditional funeral with sombre undertakers in top hats and black overcoats can be hard to relate to. The thought of a hearse driving slowly to the crematorium with their loved one’s coffin on view isn’t something that appeals to them.

Separating the cremation from the memorial provides an opportunity to make a celebration of life more personal. Being able to say goodbye to the one you’ve lost in a way that feels more authentic and better reflects how your loved one lived can make the celebration of life extra special.

One of the early direct cremations we performed was for a family who held a celebration of life with live music, food and family photographs. Others opt for a more intimate family gathering, perhaps just immediate family and close friends.

There are so many ways to hold a fitting memorial, our post on ways to scatter ashes has a lot of really interesting ideas, many of which were even new to us.

Recent lockdown restrictions

Recently we performed a direct cremation during the lockdown restrictions and the family members (who were located around the country) played some personally meaningful music or sat in quiet reflection in the privacy of their own homes at the same time the cremation took place.

Recent social distancing rules have significantly reduced the number of mourners that can attend funeral services. It is thought that this will increase the number of people choosing direct cremation or low cost funeral services.

Dying abroad

When someone dies abroad it can be far cheaper to have a direct cremation performed abroad and the ashes returned rather than pay for the deceased to be transported home.

Direct cremation isn’t right for everyone

In the vast majority of cases families choosing direct cremation have decided on a no-fuss option and are confident that it’s the right choice for them. But over the years we’ve had a couple of instances where it didn’t feel appropriate for our customers.

In both the cases it was the deceased who had decided upon a no-fuss funeral. But it’s not always something that sits well with all family members and respecting a loved one’s wishes can sometimes conflict with what feels right for those left behind.

After much discussion between family members they decided to have a small intimate family service at the crematorium.

We offer cremations with a service from just £1,718.

Attended direct cremation

An attended direct cremation enables a small number of mourners to spend around 10 minutes with their loved one in the chapel. It is different from a direct cremation which permits no mourners to attend. It is a relatively new option and is not offered by all crematoria.

Before attended direct cremations were being offered we sometimes were asked by family members if it would be okay to be present and watch from a distance as we took their loved one into the chapel for what was booked as a direct cremation.

It looks as though some crematoria (not all offer attended direct cremations as an option) have recognised that some families are caught between not wanting a full service, but at the same time don’t feel a direct cremation is right for them either.

How much does an attended direct cremation cost?

An attended direct cremation does cost more than a direct cremation. If we look at Dignity owned crematoria their prices for a direct cremation is £499 and for an attended direct it’s £675. This research was based on Crematoria in Leeds, Rotherham and Willerby. Prices correct for 2020/21 and may vary at different locations.

How many people can attend an attended direct cremation?

Typically very few people attend, usually immediate family and maybe very close friends. Actual numbers permitted will be dictated by the crematorium.

Can we have more time?

In our experience time is strictly limited to the agreed period. This is because direct cremation slots assigned to funeral directors are around 15 minutes. Attended direct cremations really are designed as a way to say your last goodbyes, if more time is required then booking a full service may be more appropriate.

Is a direct cremation the same as a simple cremation?

Some companies use the terms synonymously others do not, so that’s something to watch for. For us a simple cremation is an affordable funeral with a service. There is no hearse or expensive limousines, no pallbearers and no extravagant coffin. We even provide our own celebrant service free of charge.

What does a direct cremation include?

In terms of paperwork arranging a direct cremation is very similar to a traditional funeral. All the required documentation remains the same. The death has to be registered and the various cremation forms must be completed.

We can meet with you to discuss your requirements or alternatively we can arrange things over the telephone. We will collect your loved one from their current resting place and bring them into our care. The cremation will be scheduled and the date will be confirmed with you. Crematorium and doctor’s fees will be paid on your behalf. Ashes can be scattered or returned to you.

Is a coffin used for direct cremation?

A coffin is used for all our funerals – attended or not. The coffin we use is the same type that is used for our simple cremations (basic funeral with a service). Types of coffin available include wood, wicker and cardboard. This enables safe, hygienic and dignified handling of the deceased.

Choosing a direct cremation company

There are companies that offer direct cremation nationally and even specialize in unattended funerals. Please make sure that you are clear about what is included in the prices you are quoted and try to compare at least three companies. We have a post that highlights some of the unexpected costs people encounter when choosing a low cost funeral company.

Direct cremation funeral plans

With the increase in popularity of direct cremation, funeral plans catering specifically to them have also come on to the market. At Simple Cremations we do not sell funeral plans, you can read more about this in our Simple Cremations Funeral Plans post.

We would advise that you do your research and explore fully what any funeral plan covers. Check out our Start Your Search For A Funeral Plan post which provides information on a really useful tool that could save you time and money.

In summary

Direct cremation in the UK is increasingly popular and it’s chosen for a variety of reasons. Costs are kept low and it can be a way to avoid unnecessary financial burdens. Having a more personal and relevant celebration of life separate from the cremation is preferable and convenient for many.

With recent lockdown restrictions, strict limits on numbers attending funerals, and uncertainty regarding health are raising questions as to whether a traditional funeral service is the right choice at the present time.

But this choice is not right for everyone and many still prefer to have an attended service to pay their last respects. There are low cost funeral companies offering low cost funerals with a service too. Some crematoria have also started offering attended direct cremations offering close family the opportunity to say their last goodbyes.

After reading this post many people visit Start Your Search For A Funeral Plan

October 30 2020

Cheap Funeral Directors

philm Funerals

Some funeral directors or funeral companies may appear cheap but be watchful for hidden costs and extras. Commonly added extras include picking up the deceased from a non-hospital location, the return of ashes and removal of implantable devices – pacemakers for example.

There are many low-cost funeral companies with very low, attention-grabbing prices. However, it is the case that many of these companies will charge extra for various services and pretty soon that initial price may not look so good. Let’s take a closer look at the some of these common extras.

Collection of the deceased from a non-hospital location

A funeral director may charge extra for collecting a deceased patient if they are not resting in the hospital. Many people die at home, in a nursing home or in a hospice.

Doing a quick search I found a couple of companies that will charge around £250 to pick a patient up from a hospice or nursing home.

In addition to paying more for collection from a non-hospital location, a charge of £195 may be added for picking the patient up out of working hours!

So here you can clearly see we’ve potentially already added £455 and that’s just to take your loved one into their care, something that has to be done in every case.

Many of the companies I found offer an enticing price of less than £1,000, but just taking the extra costs in the scenario above and we’ve almost increased the amount by 50%.

Having said all that it is understandable as they have to pay staff to perform these services, often during unsociable hours and at short notice.

Low-cost funeral companies often cover a large area, perhaps even the whole country, so sending someone to collect a patient could take a good few hours and this is going to have its costs.

Collection of a patient from the hospital is far more flexible, the hospital will have storage facilities which means the funeral company is able to schedule collection at a time that is convenient for them. There is also the possibility of collecting more than one patient at a time.

But to us, these charges do still seem a little steep and certainly highlight the need to be confident that you’ve fully understood the additional fees.

How Much Does It Cost To Return Ashes In The UK?

Many funeral companies will charge extra for this service too, you could be looking at a charge of around £50 to £75. In some cases this charge may be time-dependent, for example, if you want your loved one’s ashes back within a certain number of weeks then the charge applies. This is likely due to funeral companies returning batches of ashes, you get them returned when they’re in the area making deliveries.

We are happy to return ashes for no charge throughout Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire and will bring them to you as soon as possible. We work differently, the returning of your loved one’s ashes when you want them back is what matters most to us. If you would like them back as soon as possible then that’s what we’ll do.

We are also willing to look after the ashes for you until you are ready to have them back – many people are not ready emotionally to have the ashes back and we understand this.

Removal Of Implantable Devices

Implantable devices such as pacemakers and even artificial limbs must be removed before cremation can take place – not something everyone thinks of! Many funeral directors will charge for this service, again we do not.

Funeral Service Celebrant

This is a cost that I think most people are aware of being an extra expense, but we do still get questions asked about it so it’s worth covering here.

Some low-cost funeral companies offer the option of having a funeral with a service rather than a direct cremation (no service). If you require a celebrant, humanist or vicar this will incur an additional cost. At the time of writing, you should expect to pay around £215 for a celebrant to conduct the ceremony.

Typically this will include meeting with the celebrant to tell them exactly what you want the service to include. Of course, if you want to perform your own service this will save on celebrant fees. But do keep in mind that on day of the funeral people often find the event emotionally overwhelming and can’t face the prospect of delivering a service themselves.

Leanne offers her services as funeral celebrant for free, providing a personal service based on the memories of family and friends.

Choosing a low-cost funeral director in advance

If you have taken the decision to choose a low-cost funeral director but don’t expect to need their services for a significant amount of time – perhaps you just want to get the decision made so that it’s one less thing to think about down the line. It can be a good idea to just check in every now and then and read a few of the latest reviews and make sure that they’re still providing the quality service that they were when you picked them in the first place.

Cheap Funeral Companies – Summary

On the whole cheap funeral companies do offer funerals at a lower cost when compared to traditional funeral directors. However just because you’ve decided on a low-cost option doesn’t mean that it’s a case of choosing the first one you find.

Because these companies often cover the full country it means that you may face charges based on the amount of distance they have to travel and extra waiting times for the return of ashes. This is perhaps the trade-off when deciding between low cost and local firms.

At Simple Cremations we are in a unique position of being a low-cost funeral company that can offer many of the ‘extra services’ for no charge.

That said however, we don’t cover the whole country. We currently limit our coverage to Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, this enables us to provide a low-cost option without compromising on the personal service that we are known for.

I hope this has helped make you aware of some of the additional costs you may encounter and it’s the reason that we always recommend that you get at least three quotes and confirm exactly what the total amount will be with all the added charges.

After reading this post many people visit Start Your Search For A Funeral Plan

October 30 2020

Start Your Search For A Funeral Plan

philm Funerals

At Simple Cremations we don’t sell funeral plans but are asked about them all the time. So we decided to take a look at what resources we ourselves would find useful.

If you have decided that a funeral plan is the right choice for you or are just considering buying one and want to know what options are available then finding independent advice is probably the best start you can make.

Are you completely new to funeral plans and don’t know where to start? Or perhaps you’ve already started your search but are baffled by the huge array of options (you’re not alone!).

Even if you have decided on a plan but want to make sure there’s no better option before you commit we’ve found a tool that may prove very useful.

With so many reports and stories about high pressure sales tactics and unregulated providers of funeral plans it can be a daunting prospect trying to find a plan and provider that is a good fit for you.

There are lots of independent advice sites out there and we would certainly recommend putting some time aside to read them. But we really like the Funeral Plan Market comparison site and have listed a few of the reasons below.

Which? Has over 1.3 million members and is the largest independent consumer enterprise in the UK. They have been fighting for consumers and questioning all types of businesses for over 60 years.

Which? itself said that Funeral Plan Market comparison site is a good place to start a search.

At the time of writing this post Funeral Plan Market compare more than 90 funeral plans. This can save a lot of time and effort and the companies included in their comparison include the big names you may be familiar with.

Things we like…

They only include providers that are registered with the Funeral Planning Authority. Companies must provide national coverage and clear pricing / plan details.

There is no charge for comparing plans and even if you find something you like and arrange a funeral plan through them there is no charge to you for using their services. In this case they do get a commission from the plan provider but not at a cost to you – the price in the search is the price advertised by the provider elsewhere.

If you arrange your funeral plan through them and then find a like-for-like plan cheaper they promise to match the price up to 7 days after taking out the plan.

What we like most though is that it’s free and can help narrow down a bewildering number of options to a manageable shortlist.

So even if you decide not to use them to actually take out your funeral plan you can take advantage of their comparison tool. You can visit their site at Funeral Plan Market

October 29 2020

Simple Cremations Funeral Plans

philm Funerals

This post was inspired by an e-mail we received recently, part of it read: “My husband and I would like a simple cremation but can’t find any information about your funeral plans.”

At Simple Cremations we are asked about funeral plans more than any other subject – probably more than all other subjects combined!

Our aim at Simple Cremations is to keep our prices as low as possible and at the same time offer an excellent personal service.

Although we appreciate that funeral plans can offer peace of mind we do not sell them.

Almost all of the people we perform funerals for don’t have a funeral plan. Indeed according to YouGov in 2017 only 6% of people in England have a pre-paid funeral plan, 5% in Scotland and only 3% in Wales.

I won’t go in to great detail about all the ways they broke the data down because I don’t think it’s relevant to this article but another interesting thing that was revealed was related to age. Only 2% of adults below the age of 55 have a pre-paid plan compared to 13% over 55.

Searching For A Funeral Plan Online

If you search for funeral plan advice on the internet you’ll be presented with an overwhelming amount of information coupled with warnings about unscrupulous companies offering dubious deals.

If you spend just a short amount of time reading advice pages (not the sites selling plans!) you’ll come across the words ‘unregulated’, ‘pressure sales’ and ‘victims’ more times than you can count.

Indeed there have been concerns that some funeral plan providers are running something comparable to a Ponzi scheme where money taken from new clients is being used to fund the funerals of older clients – this is concerning.

Stories of companies selling plans and taking their large sales fees at the expense of the policy holder are plentiful.

Many of these same sites offer proactive common sense advice too. Be absolutely clear about the plan you’re buying, is it guaranteed to cover all costs, is it regulated and so on. Obviously we would echo this advice whether it’s related to a funeral plan, funeral insurance or life insurance to maximise the possibility of finding something you’re happy with.

Ask where your money is going to be invested. It’s fine for a company to say that your money will be put in to an independent trust or into a life assurance company but what does that actually mean in terms of covering your funeral costs? We would also add – read reviews and learn from the experience of others – it’s a strength of the internet so take advantage of it!

A Helpful Tool We Found

Which? The largest independent consumer body in the UK indicates that FuneralPlanMarket compares many of the big providers and is a good place to start your search. Our Start Your Search For A Funeral Plan post highlights how it can be used to help you.

Our experience of funeral plans…

Our own experience in dealing with people with funeral plans is very limited, but interesting…

We had a funeral plan company contact us and we performed a direct cremation for them. A little while later they contacted us again regarding the death of an individual whose funeral plan didn’t cover the cost of a traditional funeral. The family weren’t able or willing (they didn’t say) to supplement the cost and used our services.

We carried out a funeral service for family and friends. Upon returning the ashes to the family they told us that they were cancelling their funeral plans with the company and instead would be using our services. Perhaps unsurprisingly we didn’t hear from that particular funeral plan company again but it gives an indication that things are changing with respect to the type of funeral people want.

This is not an isolated case. Many of the people who have attended one of our services tell us that a simple funeral is exactly how they want to do things when the time comes. Frequently the next question is ‘Tell us about your funeral plans.’

From our point of view…

We continually hear about rising costs in the funeral industry but at the same time when it comes to low cost funeral options there is more choice than ever before. It’s no longer the case that a funeral must involve a hearse, limousines, bearers and so on. Not that it was ever mandatory, just perhaps expected in the past. Of course, each company, low cost or not should be judged on its own merits.

Our customers choose a simple cremation for various reasons, perhaps they don’t want to spend thousands of pounds on a funeral or simply don’t have the means to make such an outlay. Perhaps their loved one wanted a simple no fuss ceremony even though they could easily afford a lavish funeral.

What many of our customers do…

Tell their loved ones that they wish to use our services. Our customers often request information from us so they have something to show their family. You can download a copy of our brochure and send it to them. Alternatively if you would like us to post you a copy of our brochure then just get in touch and we’ll be happy to send one out.

Try and put a little aside each week or month to cover the costs. Some people open a separate bank account dedicated to their funeral fund and let their family know that it’s there for when the time comes.

If you don’t think you’ll have enough to cover our costs then call us for a chat, we have helped many families pay for a funeral.

After reading this post many people visit Start Your Search For A Funeral Plan