First responses

Charles 13 Comments
Charles

 

And so it goes on. A thermo-nuclear half hour?

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A Celeb
A Celeb
11 years ago

Cringe. It did look really bad.

Jed
Jed
11 years ago

Whatever Mr Tinnings says, the pressure to save/make money must come from above – sad to see the instruction to employees for further advice – ‘contact your line manager’…. That’ll be the one with the budget/profit targets to meet then? I can just about see the sense of the ‘hub’ but surely they could be more dignified/less chaotic/less secret?

Mr XX
Mr XX
11 years ago

I suspect many fingers are crossed in Deansgate and around the network, willing a decent wind to blow this all way as quickly as possible.

The Board at D*gn*ty will of course be offering prayers that it wasn’t them the producers decided to feature.

Stephen Nimmo
11 years ago

As the Managing Director of a Bereavement Service, I think it only right to respond to tonight’s Dispatches programme on Channel Four. In doing so, it would be easy to gloat about Funeralcare, and revel in their misery of having been found so badly wanting in a number of departments. However, to do so would be unhelpful, and to forget that amongst this, are a great number of families who will tonight be reliving their grief once again. There will also be families who are currently in the care of this organisation whose trust has been completely undermined, and will… Read more »

A Celeb
A Celeb
11 years ago

I agree Stephen. Most definitely not a time for gloating or crowing.

FD Puzzled
FD Puzzled
11 years ago

What exactly does Funeralcare do with the £52 milion it makes each year? Other than pay bosses huge banker style bonuses.

What will the NAFD do about the shortcomings uncovered by Dispatches?

Jon Underwood
11 years ago

Thanks Stephen that was a really excellent and helpful comment.

I agree completely that “it is now for Funeralcare to strip themselves bare, and be completely honest about their shortcomings.”

But what if they don’t do that?

I was concerned to hear the CEO deny all knowledge. I thought “there’s a man which is not going to take any responsibility”. I can see lots of poor suckers lower down the food chain taking the fall for this.

Fortunately we, the consumers, have the power to change this. Whether we will is another question.

Simon Irons
Simon Irons
11 years ago

Follow the link on their website I think some details are there in terms of investment ……… One thing for sure is that as a mutual there are no shareholders or owners lining their pockets with share dividend or tax efficient profit dividends. I remember this blog covering last years profits and many commenting that it did not seem much give the number of funerals they conduct.

Charles, everyone I know who tweeted got a personalised response and Funeralcare now have a fair few followers ……… Well try to copy and past some of the Pro Funeralcare Comments

Charles Cowling
11 years ago

Simon, I tweeted @coopfuneralcare and got no response whatever from them. In any case, Funeralcare reads this blog and has been doing so for some time. They can see for themselves. As they peruse these comments and take heart where they can, I hope they will reflect on the nature of this blog which, though it has always been critical of Funeralcare for reasons we state, we allow unfettered to access to anyone to say anything. Sometimes we offer an opinion or a judgement which receives responses which rock us back and make us reconsider. We are well up for… Read more »

Jeanne Rathbone
11 years ago

Bravo Charles your are now the unofficial Ombudsman. We need to have an official one as the funeral industry is one when people are at their most vulnerable to a quick sell.

gloria mundi
11 years ago

Good on yer, Jeanne – if there’s one thing that all this to-do clearly shows, it’s the invaluable nature of this blog, full of information, well-informed opinion, and only occasionally less well-informed or hotly partisan comment!

Let me be mischievous – Charles, given your resolute opposition to government regulation of Funerworld, what would you say now if one of that nice Mr Cameron’s minions came along and offered you a post as Ombudsman? And if not you, who??

Simon Irons
Simon Irons
11 years ago

Searching YouTube to watch the programme again, I came across this video of independent funeral director recommended by this blog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HLYu6K99aA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Now that is shocking !

Ru Callender
11 years ago

I’m almost starting to enjoy going back through these posts to find Simon’s additions. Anyone just finding one wouldn’t necessarily know you had put the same comment on every post. Now that is boring.