I Was Wondering If There Is A Undertaker On This Site.?

[lilacben]

Would be interested to know and ask a couple of questions please.? Many thanks

[Ann]

No but we have a friend who is ....... what do you want to know lilacben, we can ask him.

[EDDIE51]

My brother works for an undertaker I can ask him.

[janbee]

My cousin is an undertaker in Yorkshire. Plenty undertakers about Ben, couldn't you just call in or phone one of them or look online at local ones and contact them? Hope you get your questions answered ok. xx

[lilacben]

Hi all many thanks for your replies. It was just a question about the costs of a funeral I was wondering about...my friend of 45 years has died and we went to her funeral the other day,, It seems it costs thousands and I was wondering why?
Is there anyway you can have a funeral and it not cost the earth? Funeral Directors know you are upset and greiving ...can you choose your own undertaker and change them if they are too expensive.?

[dunnitall]

Lilac Ben, if you are up to it you get quotes. Might seem mercenary but necessary IMO. You then choose who you think will do the job you require even if not the cheapest. It all counts nowadays with prices of things, even down to this service which none of us can avoid. There are also humanitarian funerals...not sure of cost but everything is worth looking in to IMO.

[jennyjoan]

My deceased brother's girlfriend - she is about 65 - has organised the lot. I think she got it for about £3,500. Mind you she is going on top of my brother - well in the grave.

[jennyjoan]

I am a rich woman deid so whoever it is will get plenty to buy me with

[jennyjoan]

ooops buy should be bury

[EDDIE51]

All undertakers MUST BY LAW offer a basic funeral for the cost of a government funeral grant. Which I think is around £1200. But they will do almost anything to get out of doing it and try to make more money.
They are the biggest bunch of rip off merchants on the planet.
For example they buy in coffins for £25 to £50 and then sell it on for £700 to £3000 ! Never let an undertaker sell you the flowers for the funeral they add 100% mark up to the price they pay the florist.

As said, it pays to shop around and ask for quotes, then show them the cheapest quote and ask them to beat it. Then you do the same again and go back to the first quote and ask them to beat it. There are 3 funeral directors in my small town. A close friend had to organise her fathers funeral recently. She got the quote down from £3800 to £1500 just by going back and forward between them and asking for lower quotes. For that we had just one hearse with a driver and one other man. The father's sons and myself carried the coffin as the funeral director wanted another £600 for 4 bearers and another car to carry them. Funeral directors take advantage of the fact that people are distressed and grieving and charge the highest price they think they can get away with. My brother says that at least 95% of people just accept whatever price they are quoted as they are too upset to argue.

[woofgang]

i dont think they all do. i went to a local firm and they very firmly steered me away from extras and were particularly (gently) clear about coffins for cremations.

[ummmm]

Luckily a family friend is an undertaker so we didn't get ripped off.

[lilacben]

All of your answers are very informative...thankyou, So this is something everyone should think of doing. They wouldnt go bankrupt would they,! I know a lot of people do not like talking of death but think it is worth looking into. As you say they know you are grieving and just give you a figure,,,which they hope you will not ask about...Well I would just like a wicker coffin or cardboard...the cheaper the better...No frills for me....Also the cost of funeral flowers are so expensive...such a waste of money...collection for charity is a lot better idea.

[woofgang]

you can order and prepay your funeral, there are many plans that fix the cost when you pay for it. You do need to make sure its either covered if the funeral home go out of business or its a national chain.

[starone]

Cost about £6000 when my husband died in 2009. Including the wake.

[EDDIE51]

Wicker or cardboard coffins can be more expensive than the traditional ones.
woofgang you have seen how they work. They try anything to avoid someone ordering the cheapest possible funeral. You have to be very firm with them and insist that you can pay no more than the basic funeral grant cost. If they refuse walk out and go somewhere else.

[EDDIE51]

Good advice on keeping funeral cost down here
https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/how-much-does-a-funeral-cost
As the link says, you can do all the 'paperwork' your self and woofgang you DO NOT have to have a coffin, a shroud is perfectly acceptable. Apart from to the undertakers profit of course.

[EDDIE51]

This company and others offer a basic simple funeral for £965 .
http://www.funeralsmadesimple.co.uk/services.html?gclid=CNqQipTn28ECFcfMtAodo30Aog

[lilacben]

Those two sites where very informative many thanks.. I do hope we will not need one for a long while but it helps to know what is what for future reference..Thankyou everyone .