Average Funeral Prices in U.K.

FUNERAL COSTS IN THE UK

Following extensive research into funeral costs, we have managed to compile some actual costs of funeral in the U.K.. Much of the information on the net is out of date.  Showing costs from 2000 is irrelevant today. Just factoring inflation into these is also a little misleading. Inflation tends to reflect the price of televisions from China or bank charges from call centres in India! Funeral directors costs are related to the cost of employing local, English speaking British people. Can you imagine phoning your local family funeral director and being greeted by a recording which encourages you to press 1 for Burial, 2 for repatriation, 3 for burial at sea, 4 for embalming. Please hold, your call is important to us. . .

 

When costs have been shown up to date they are largely inaccurate because they reflect the cheapest price quoted for a Basic Funeral. This includes for very little, and nowadays most people want more from a funeral service than a quick 10 minutes at the crem with an impersonal vicar on a duty rota doing 10 funerals that day. A life has come to an end and families like to mark this with a fitting tribute. Readings, poems, eulogies or tributes and of course songs and hymns are all usual nowadays. Most families like some form of memorial and more often than not the funeral director will produce a Printed Service Card. This can include the running order for the funeral; hymns if there are some; words of poems and a picture or pictures of the person who has died.

 

So a funeral quoted at £1100 for a basic funeral, needs to have several costs added:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                               

 

                                                               

                                                               

                                                               

 

                                                               

So what started out as a quote for £1100 is much more after all the things you want are added. Many of these are unavoidable such as cremation fees and doctors fees (unless you want burial) and clergy fees. Non religious funerals can be even more expensive, with specialist ministers taking the service, or even doves being released at the end of the ceremony.

 

All funeral directors who are Members of the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) will give you a written estimate at the time of making the arrangements, so there should be no nasty surprises, but it does need to be borne in mind how expensive ‘a good send off’ can be. In London this is likely to be even more expensive.

 

We are not necessarily criticising funeral directors for increasing the costs but just want to make people aware of the pitfalls. Funeral directors rely on a good reputation, and if they are not providing a satisfactory service and good value for money, there are usually plenty of other funeral directors in the market place able to help families with the arrangements. Make sure that the Company you use is a member of the National Association of Funeral Directors. While this is essentially a trade organisation, consumers are protected by their code of practice agreed with the Office of Fair Trading and the Funeral Arbitration Scheme . Funeral directors are not licensed, so caveat emptor, look for the logo of the NAFD. The NAFD logo does not guarantee the highest quality of service, but it ensures a minimum level of service and consumer redress.

 

Some funeral directors might at first appear to be small family businesses and call themselves by traditional names are part of huge organisations– P.L.C.s or Co-ops and have shareholders to satisfy. These are not the people who will be getting out of bed at 3.15 am to come to collected someone’s mother who has passed away in the night. It is worth dealing with a family business whose name is on the sign, he or she will have a jealously guarded reputation they want to keep. If all goes wrong, they will not be able to move jobs and work for another branch. They will have a long term vested interest in doing it right for you and others recommended by you.

 

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