Why should funerals cost so much?
The Issue
A death of a child, a sibling, a partner or a parent, is one of the most traumatic experiences that any of us will ever have to cope with in life.
Yes it is a fact of life, that we will all die at some point.
However, funerals are not something that most families plan for, so most families are unlikely to have set money aside for it.
The cost of funerals today is now well beyond what the average family, can reasonably afford without resorting to credit, unless they have a funeral plan. Funeral plans are expensive, they cost between £3,500 and £4,500, not money that most families have readily available. They appear to be nothing more than a nest egg, retirement fund for funeral directors, money in the bank. However, the good news is that these funds are a secure investment, as they are held in a trust fund which I understand holds about 5 times more money than the funeral industry is ever likely to have to pay out, a nice way for the funeral industry to ensure that they can escalate the price of funerals for years to come in the knowledge they have money in the bank to cover themselves.
The funeral industry appears to be exploiting us all by charging us extortionate costs at a time when we are so emotionally traumatised and at our most vulnerable, so we will do almost anything to do what we believe is the best we can for our loved ones. This is leaves the bereaved in a very vulnerable situation where they are open to emotional and commercial blackmail, by those with a profit motive who can so easily take advantage of us all.
It is completely unacceptable that year on year funeral costs keep rising well beyond the rate of inflation.
The cost to the state of a paupers funeral or for people on maximum welfare benefits is said to be around £2,000, but the average cost of a funeral for most of us is double or treble that or even more. The funeral industry clearly thinks they can increase their charges year on year because those coping with a bereavement will stump up whatever they charge. The cheapest no frills funeral I found so far is £1,525 for a cremation in Wales.
The UK and Scottish Governments are looking at this but I believe that they are unlikely to do more than try to limit further increases. What is needed is a serious look at what is the real cost of a funeral, and what is a reasonable charge to give the funeral industry a profit, without exploiting bereaved families at a time of personal tragedy.
This petition aims to gauge the strength of public option on funeral costs so that our elected representatives in all our parliaments can ensure that the overcharging for these vital services comes to an end.
If you chose to sign this petition, it would be helpful if you could share your personal experiences of dealing with the funeral of friends or family.
The Issue
A death of a child, a sibling, a partner or a parent, is one of the most traumatic experiences that any of us will ever have to cope with in life.
Yes it is a fact of life, that we will all die at some point.
However, funerals are not something that most families plan for, so most families are unlikely to have set money aside for it.
The cost of funerals today is now well beyond what the average family, can reasonably afford without resorting to credit, unless they have a funeral plan. Funeral plans are expensive, they cost between £3,500 and £4,500, not money that most families have readily available. They appear to be nothing more than a nest egg, retirement fund for funeral directors, money in the bank. However, the good news is that these funds are a secure investment, as they are held in a trust fund which I understand holds about 5 times more money than the funeral industry is ever likely to have to pay out, a nice way for the funeral industry to ensure that they can escalate the price of funerals for years to come in the knowledge they have money in the bank to cover themselves.
The funeral industry appears to be exploiting us all by charging us extortionate costs at a time when we are so emotionally traumatised and at our most vulnerable, so we will do almost anything to do what we believe is the best we can for our loved ones. This is leaves the bereaved in a very vulnerable situation where they are open to emotional and commercial blackmail, by those with a profit motive who can so easily take advantage of us all.
It is completely unacceptable that year on year funeral costs keep rising well beyond the rate of inflation.
The cost to the state of a paupers funeral or for people on maximum welfare benefits is said to be around £2,000, but the average cost of a funeral for most of us is double or treble that or even more. The funeral industry clearly thinks they can increase their charges year on year because those coping with a bereavement will stump up whatever they charge. The cheapest no frills funeral I found so far is £1,525 for a cremation in Wales.
The UK and Scottish Governments are looking at this but I believe that they are unlikely to do more than try to limit further increases. What is needed is a serious look at what is the real cost of a funeral, and what is a reasonable charge to give the funeral industry a profit, without exploiting bereaved families at a time of personal tragedy.
This petition aims to gauge the strength of public option on funeral costs so that our elected representatives in all our parliaments can ensure that the overcharging for these vital services comes to an end.
If you chose to sign this petition, it would be helpful if you could share your personal experiences of dealing with the funeral of friends or family.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 31 March 2016