The media is keeping up the pressure on funeral prices as the Competition and Markets Authority investigation yields preliminary responses

1. Funeral costs – from one extreme to the other
Recent research by funeral price comparison website
Beyond shows that people are spending around £1,000
more than they need to; an average of 35%. With
average bills of over £3,750, funeral debt is rising and
the market for funeral payment plans is exploding.
Meanwhile the consultation part of the Competition
and Markets Authority investigation into the funeral
industry is drawing to a close (submissions must be
made by 30th
November) but already a substantial
range of responses is available to scrutinise on the CMA
website. The most interesting reading (so far) is
contained within the Summary of responses from
individuals to the Statement of Scope which sets out a
devastating lack of trust in the funeral industry and lack
of confidence that regulation can be left in the hands of
the industry.
The usual issues – ones which we and others rehearse
all the time – are the causes of these results. Cultural
barriers inhibiting discussion of funerals; the emotional
state of customers making expensive decisions; the
second-guessing by both the dying and the bereaved.
The result? People having to choose between expense
they can’t afford for things they don’t need or direct
cremation which, for many, is an excessively minimal
option. Another result is that the press has taken up
this campaign and the news is full of stories of people in
funeral debt or people who ‘weren’t allowed’ to attend
cremations or take home ashes.
The final results of the CMA’s investigations are certain
to cause disruption to the industry. There is scope for
severe criticism. There is also potential to transform.
Funeral professionals need to understand the concerns
of the public, find ways to address those concerns and
put forward options that don’t drive customers from
one extreme to the other.
CMA Funeral Markets Study
Beyond
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