Cost for funerals
Discussion
Sadly I have just lost my mum and both my brother and I are in the process of organising her funeral. Like most people in our postion we stuck a pin in the directory to choose a funeral director and have been to see them. Not wanting to be disrespectful we did not ask for a price up front but have been given an estimate of £1900. This is for a cremation, basic coffin, no additional cars, no casket for ashes, bascially the entry level of arrangements - as this is what our mum had requested. We have both mentioned the price to our own circle of friends who have all queried we are paying far too much. Sorry to list this topic but I feel sure we are not the only people going through this process and as eventually we will all have to deal with this kind of thing one day I was hoping there was someone out there who could put our mind at rest regarding the estimated price. As my mum was a keen ebayer she would not view this post to be disrespectful but as a keen grey surfer simply harnessing technology !!!
CMJ, my condolences to you and your family.
Been through this with both my father and my father-in-law in the last three years, and the costs in each case were pretty similar to what you have been quoted. However, we are London based, so I don't know whether there is any premium to reflect geographical location.
M
Been through this with both my father and my father-in-law in the last three years, and the costs in each case were pretty similar to what you have been quoted. However, we are London based, so I don't know whether there is any premium to reflect geographical location.
M
All my condolences.
We have been in a similar position this year, my girlfriend has lost her mother and grandmother in a matter of months.
The cost of this sort of thing can spiral massively. Although it seems in bad taste it is quite acceptable to query pricing, I guess most people don't and pay what is asked. At the end of the day this is a financial transaction and you are paying for a service much like any other. For what it is worth it is possibly better value to use a independant local company rather than one of the big organisations.
All the best.
We have been in a similar position this year, my girlfriend has lost her mother and grandmother in a matter of months.
The cost of this sort of thing can spiral massively. Although it seems in bad taste it is quite acceptable to query pricing, I guess most people don't and pay what is asked. At the end of the day this is a financial transaction and you are paying for a service much like any other. For what it is worth it is possibly better value to use a independant local company rather than one of the big organisations.
All the best.
Sorry to hear you sad news - my prayers are with you.
My nan's funeral cost £1600 two years ago for two cars, basic coffin and cremation - she had actually asked to be thrown in the Mersey - and she didn't mean post-cremation either - as she had an inherent distrust of funeral directors over something that happened to her first husband many years before.
While the funeral director may seem completely empathic, remember that the larger chains are there to make a big profit over anything else, whereas a smaller company do it as a vocation and will have a small profit margin.
It's one of the few areas in business where costs are completely hidden and can therefore be inflated greatly.
Add their softly-softly approach plays on a client's grief and strain, and we all end up paying much more than we should as we are trying to make ourselves feel better for something, somewhere that we didn't do, or live up to.
At the end of the day it is a business - the independent may be cheaper initially but there may be no room to negotiate, whereas the chain will have some space to discount.
My nan's funeral cost £1600 two years ago for two cars, basic coffin and cremation - she had actually asked to be thrown in the Mersey - and she didn't mean post-cremation either - as she had an inherent distrust of funeral directors over something that happened to her first husband many years before.
While the funeral director may seem completely empathic, remember that the larger chains are there to make a big profit over anything else, whereas a smaller company do it as a vocation and will have a small profit margin.
It's one of the few areas in business where costs are completely hidden and can therefore be inflated greatly.
Add their softly-softly approach plays on a client's grief and strain, and we all end up paying much more than we should as we are trying to make ourselves feel better for something, somewhere that we didn't do, or live up to.
At the end of the day it is a business - the independent may be cheaper initially but there may be no room to negotiate, whereas the chain will have some space to discount.
Sorry to hear that, my condolences.
My mother-in-law died last year and I organised everything. I seem to recall we paid about £2k for a modest funeral / cremation. I think what they've quoted you is reasonable.
I don't know what her estate is worth, but it's worth noting that the funeral is Tax deductible when the estate is finally sorted.
My mother-in-law died last year and I organised everything. I seem to recall we paid about £2k for a modest funeral / cremation. I think what they've quoted you is reasonable.
I don't know what her estate is worth, but it's worth noting that the funeral is Tax deductible when the estate is finally sorted.
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