Arranging for departed needn’t cost you dearly

THE BIG ISSUE

EVEN though funeral costs have risen by 130 per cent over the past 16 years and now stand at £4417 on average, most people still don’t shop around for services, according to research from financial services company SunLife.

The research also suggests that just one in five people get more than one funeral director quote.

This means that lots of us could be spending more than we need to on a funeral, or not getting the service we want, because we are not making comparisons with other funeral service providers.

An average burial funeral costs just under £5000 and an average cremation costs just under £4000.

But a direct cremation – where the body is taken away and cremated and the family is free to hold a service separately if they wish – costs much less at about £1500.

Most people are not aware this is an option and just three per cent of funerals are direct cremations.

Ian Atkinson, marketing director at SunLife, said: “Organising a funeral is a stressful and emotional time and it is clear from our own research and the Competition and Market Authority’s investigation that the last thing on most people’s minds is to start comparing funeral director’s prices.

“So, unless the person has organised a funeral before, they are more than likely going to end up either just going for one they’ve heard of or doing a quick search online and picking the first on the list.

“And once they have called a funeral director to collect the body, they are unlikely to switch funeral directors, even if they later realise they would have preferred someone else.”

Atkinson also reckons that the way we choose funeral directors is completely different from the way we choose and pay for other regular items of expenditure.

He said: “As consumers, most of us get two or three car or home insurance quotes before committing to a policy, but when it comes to funerals – which often cost thousands more – most of us are just going with the first quote we get without having any idea if what we are paying is competitive.”