Channel 4’s Dispatches film Undercover Undertaker (Monday 25 June) has shocked viewers with its undercover revelations at Co-operative Funeralcare, the obvious and most deserving target of such treatment*.
The production line nature of the ‘hub’ depicted in the programme is the corollary of consolidation and rationalisation in the funeral industry. Its acceptability to consumers has never been tested by market research, but it is a standard feature of consolidated businesses in the industry. Many Funeralcare customers who now realise their loved one was taken to a hub will be devastated. Bereaved people can in future make sure this does not happen to them. There are plenty of boutique funeral directors who can meet their needs and wishes.
What the film failed to offer viewers was a balanced survey of the industry as a whole. As a consequence, the good name of all funeral homes stands in jeopardy. This is unfair. Standards of practice in the funeral industry generally mirror those in any other industry. Co-operative Funeralcare offers a typical example of egregious corporate cynicism where the pursuit of profit has betrayed the trust of consumers and the hard work and decency of many of its employees. The majority of funeral homes in the UK are independent businesses ranging from the indifferent to the excellent and which care for their dead on their premises. Wickedness is rare, scandals few. The very best abide by standards which are as startlingly high as Funeralcare’s are low.
In the UK it is illegal to operate an unlicensed cattery, so it is no surprise that there have been renewed calls for regulation. The codes of conduct and compliance regimes of the two industry bodies, the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) and the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF), have, justly, been called into question. Co-operative Funeralcare is a member of the NAFD, a body which supports self-regulation.
However, if the experience of children in care and the elderly in nursing homes is anything to go by, funeral consumers are mistaken if they suppose that licensing funeral directors and subjecting their funeral homes to an independent inspection regime will be a silver bullet. In the USA the professionalisation of funeral directors has driven up prices, while the inspection regime of the Federal Trade Commission has failed to root out malpractice.
The best hope for funeral shoppers remains vigorous consumer scrutiny. We only buy an average of two funerals in a lifetime, so it’s no surprise we’re not very good at it. Worse, it’s a distress purchase – one we make when our mind is overcast by grief. But even at such a time it is possible to make an informed choice, and there is every incentive to do so. First, we owe it to the person who has died. Second, the experience of a good funeral can be transformative of grief. Third, everyone in Britain can find, within ten miles of their home, a decent, dedicated caring funeral director who will look after them well.
*Co-operative Funeralcare lays claim to ethical standards that set it apart from its commercial rivals, but it conducts itself like any corporate predator. Founded by the people for the people, Funeralcare is in dispute with the GMB union, which it has de-recognised, setting it in clear breach of its founding principles. Created in order to enable working people to buy what they would not otherwise be able to afford, Co-operative Funeralcare enjoys economies of scale which enable it to sell funerals at lower cost than its independent competitors. Funeralcare does not pass these benefits on to funeral shoppers but, instead, charges, on average, several hundred pounds more than most independent businesses [source: http://bit.ly/nCZGJT], rendering it commercially incoherent.
For all those who watched Undercover Undertaker and despaired, the Good Funeral Guide offers the following simple five-point guide to finding a good funeral director.
5 Things to know before you arrange a Funeral
If you saw the recent Dispatches programme on Channel 4 and are concerned about making the right choices when organising a funeral, we hope this information will empower you.
1. Take your time
Unless you have religious reasons for doing otherwise, take your time. If someone dies at home by all means call a funeral director and ask them to collect the body but know that you can have them transferred to another funeral director for a nominal charge before any paperwork is signed and this also applies if the person has already been collected because they died in a nursing home. If the person died in a hospital there may be no rush – they can stay in the mortuary until you’ve chosen a funeral director you’re happy with. If the hospital does not have a mortuary, a nominated funeral director will look after them until you arrange for a transfer. By all means call family and friends to tell them that death has occurred, but don’t feel that you need to tell them the place and time of the funeral in the same call. Unless the coroner is involved you must register the death within 5 days.
2. Ask a friend to help
The chances are you’ve never organised a funeral before. There’s lots to learn, just at a time when you may feel least able to cope, so enlist the help of a friend. Try to choose someone who is level-headed, organised, not afraid to ask questions of you, and the funeral director, and in whom you can confide about any financial constraints.
3. Know your options
The main choices are between burial and cremation – unless your religion prescribes one or the other. Cremation is almost always cheaper. You could can costs to a minimum by having no ceremony and opting for direct cremation, holding a funeral/memorial and/or ash scattering event a few days, weeks or months later at a place and time that’s right for you and the person who died.
4. Know and stick to your budget
Your budget should determine what sort of funeral you choose, not the other way around. Because we want to ‘do them proud’ it’s very easy to overspend. Remember that, ultimately, a good send-off is determined by what you say and do, not what you spend. Ask your friend to help you stick to your budget and think about how people can play their part in the preparations and ceremony. Remember that many funeral directors will ask for all of the 3rd-party fees up front (this could be up to £1000 for cremation in some parts of the country, even more for burial), with the balance to be paid soon after the funeral, so you will need to have the funds available. It’s perfectly OK to ask friends and family to help with the cost, and much more practical than buying flowers which will usually only be seen briefly. Finally, be sure to claim any benefit you might be entitled to.
5. Shop around
The cost of funerals varies hugely. Call and ask for quotes from all your local funeral directors. Evaluate how your request is dealt with and give each one stars out of five. Don’t worry about qualifications. Rather, go and interview three funeral directors and take your friend with you for support and to keep you on track. Consider asking to go behind the scenes so that you can see where the person who has died will stay. Finally, balance cost against quality of service and go with the nicest funeral director you can afford.
Note: this advice applies to those who wish to employ a funeral director. There is no law saying you have to. If you think you would like to care for your own at home, please click the link here.
100% agree with your comments above Charles.
For anyone who is about to arrange a funeral, may I suggest visiting the Natural Death Centre website and downloading the ‘Questions to ask a Funeral Director’ document as an aide memoire?
I live in a village on the outskirts of Leeds. The independent funeral director here keeps the deceased in a shed, with no refridgeration. Give me a co-op style hub any day! The TV show showed they have proper mortuary equipment. OK, there were a couple of dodgy staff comments and I’m sure they’ll be weeded out, but I was expecting something scandalous to be uncovered.
Whilst applauding the nature of your consumer advocacy Charles, I do wish you’d get your facts right, especially in a post like this. Cremation is not, not, not always cheaper. Fact.
I agree whole heartedly, most funeral directors strive to provide families with the highest standards and are totally ethical in their approach. Sadly the funeral service is let down by the big companies who charge astronomic prices for equal levels of service at best
This is from our press release, Fran, and in the bit I haven’t published here (further info, contact details, etc, I have given your e-address and phone number.
Thank you, Andrew. I’ll make the edit.
Andrew, I have changed ‘cremation is always cheaper’ to ‘almost always cheaper’. Thank you again for the prod. Appreciated.
Evening Charles. Bet you are somewhat busy tonight. Dispatches did well on opening a can of worms, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. I am rather gutted that they didn’t proceed onto challenging how changes could be made, so it’s a good thing that you are here to expand. I totally agree with your points, but can I be so bold in asking you to add an extra point? ‘point 6’, google funeral/ cremation blunders, mistakes, failures, this ultimately brings up cases (very sad ones indeed), and links to your good site in helping people read more into… Read more »
I watched the programme this evening and then found your website and blog. I have worked with many undertakers over 40 years and would comment that big is not always bad – small not always beautiful. As recently as last month I had cause to visit a family undertakers where the entire building was full of the stench of decomposing remains. The “Mortuary ” was a cluttered room at the back, no means to cool the cadaver and family were due to visit. I was told that the relatives had been offered, but refused to pay for embalming. Interesting to… Read more »
When my mother passed away just before last Xmas I used the Co-Op in Garston, Liverpool and the service was very much worse than when they dealt with my grandfather about 16 years ago. However upon seeing the Dispatches I will be revisiting the issue with their area manager as I got caught in that “no visit to the chapel of rest (room under their stairs) unless hygeine treatment is done” and other matters. I am so angry, it is lucky for them that I live over 3 hours drive away or I’d be in their office and in their… Read more »
This programme makes it even more important that the Coop branches that trade under the old family names are exposed. In Totnes there are 2 Coop businesses, Perrings and Halletts, but most people in the town have no idea they are Coops. This is a further dishonesty. The public deserves to know what it is buying. When I brought this up a few years ago with an outgoing NAFD president he sneeringly replied that if I went out and bought a Mercedes I wouldn’t know who the ultimate owner of the dealership was! I think if I am going to… Read more »
For me it wasn’t so much about how they treat the dead, but how they treat the living (ie bereaved families) the casual, sneering exploitation that is clearly the company’s policy, hammered into the staff form the moment they joined.
Also, just how devilishly handsome is CC?
Simon Smith – totally agree, I know of four funeral directors here in W Mids within a 20 mile radius who are trading as ‘old family names’ but are infact Co-Op’s – misleading.
This was a very interesting programme, indeed it reminded me of many of the ‘tactics’ used by my former boss when I was arranging – not at a Co-Op.
I had no problem with the hub. However, I bet most families think that their loved one is ‘lying in state’ in the chapel of rest the entire time. Or at worst stored in a small refrigerated room on the fd’s premises. That’s why people will be shocked by the hub – that and the chaos. I felt really sorry for the man trying to cope with it all. And for all those arrangers who are dealing with the fallout today. And I agree with Claire – I know not all arrangers are ‘casual and sneering’ but even if there… Read more »
I think, not because this is his blog, we could have done with more footage of Charles, to help people with making better funerals, and less of the dramatics (striding around, shots of graveyards etc.) The devastating points they exposed were simple enough to make, the key footage would have taken about half the time, maybe! Still, Channel 4 did a good job. Apart from the cynic in me saying that Hayes would be a good place to start an independent at present, and awaiting the resignations of the branch and area managers, closely followed by Mr Tinning, it is… Read more »
Well done Charles. I’d like to POINT to your blog from Our Blog.
The exposé was unbalanced and not good for the smaller more personal undertakers.
Well Done Charles
You took the words right out of mouth, It has always been a pet hate of mine, Hygienic treatment, we do 35 -40 funerals a month and the last person we embalmed was 6 yrs ago and that was for legal reasons
All the best
Carl
Charles
just an addition to your excellent words of advice – PAYMENT – if a Client needs to access funds held solely by their deceased, they shouldn’t panic regarding the balance due (after the funeral), simply pass the invoice to the Bank or Building Society where that person held his/her account and they will immediately settle. In other words, one does not need to wait until Probate has been granted before funds can be released
regards
andrew
This program made me sick to my stomach. It was both horribly shocking and depressingly predictable. May a mighty wrath strike malpractice from the Co-op. Sadly I do not have much hope. One thing to mention is that we, as consumers, have the power to change this in an instant if we chose to. Sadly that means we are also complicit in the status quo. Agree completely that vigorous consumer scrutiny is the best way forward. In a bid to support this I have been working on a website with the Natural Death Centre where the general public can write… Read more »
Andrew Hickson said:
“Whilst applauding the nature of your consumer advocacy Charles, I do wish you’d get your facts right, especially in a post like this. Cremation is not, not, not always cheaper. Fact”
Andrew, I assume that you’re perhaps referring to a case where, say a spouse is interred in the same burial plot of her husband and that it’s simply a question of reopening and adding to a plot that was purchased many years before?
andrew
Some have really whipped themselves into a frenzy haven’t they? Almost to the point where I’m not even sure we were watching the same programme last night! What we saw was the actions of a few so let’s not get hysterical and assume funeralcare conduct business this way….let’s keep some perspective here shall we. Fortunately the white knights of the funeral business are collective here to indulge themselves in a bit of self promotion so we can all rest easy! One of the worst enemies in such situations is overreaction and even panic. Nixon once advised that when circumstances are… Read more »
I watched but wasn’t as horrified as I was led to expect. No problem with the hub. I guess most people are too squeamish to think about storage arrangements. Hard selling isn’t confined to the Co-op and isn’t true of all Co-op branches. As in all businesses, it depends on the local managers and their ethos. The example of a funeral where the wrong body was delivered was reported with no evidence that such mistakes were common. That’s just sensationalist lazy journalism. I’ve come across bad practice in small independent family funeral firms, though the families concerned weren’t always aware… Read more »
@ A.N.Employee
Lol you’re right about the self promotion (in my case anyway)!
Unfortunately the programme shows evidence of systematic failure on the part of the co-op rather than the actions of a few. This has corroborated many times, on this blog and elsewhere.
Please read around and then see if you still believe that its still the actions of a few. Here are a couple to start you off:
– http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/Funeral-boss-forged-parent-s-signature-baby-s-cremation/story-11697096-detail/story.html
– http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2455421
But Charles has a whole dedicated category: https://www.goodfuneralguide.co.uk/category/co-operative-funeralcare/
A very fair and well written piece Margaret.
I agree with your comments on the programme Margaret. As for a rubbish officiant messing the whole thing up – this also can be true. But sometimes not only do we not mess up, we gently lead our families into planning a send-off far better than they could have imagined. At less than the cost of one floral tribute.
A Celeb, I’ve retired as a celebrant after 20+ years with an unblemished record – haven’t messed up once. No “sometimes” about it. As for the cost – I didn’t always charge.
Jon Underwood… I completely agree with what you say. People are in part responsible for not being responsible about knowing what to do following a death, and I was once one of these people. No matter what religion, race or creed we are if we are educated about what the laws of England & Wales is, then people can make informed decisions about any aspect of funeral arranging if they decide to have one of course. I hold ministers and civil servants responsible. They jointly have failed to educate people about what to do following a death, and in fairness… Read more »
Just a comment from the money saving expert site you provided Jon. “So sorry to hear about your loss and the terrible way you have been treated. I would definitely complain. Just to balance things though cooperative funeralcare handled my dad’s funeral last year and I have nothing but praise for them, they were wonderful.” There’s always a flip side to every story and a key word never used around here is balance.But not many contributors on this blog would praise the Co-operative for anything they ever do. As a huge company they don’t have to do all the charity… Read more »
@ A.N.Employee:
I don’t think anyone’s saying the co-op is all bad. No doubt there are many great people who get into the business with the best intentions and deliver a fantastic service to families (in a difficult context).
But…
People power is the answer! But no-one’s going to fund Charles and/or the NDC making a programme about good funerals. Are they? And despite our best efforts very few members of the public do any research either online or over the phone. Although they do seem to spend a lot of the time searching the internet for poems and music…
Charity work? You mean self promotion surely? Real charity work tends not to be branded and the subject of copious press releases. Or am I too cynical?
I believe your right it is up to the public to make the right choice and try not to rush into a decision. I also think the independents have a role to play, of course they have just been given a leg up by dispatches so hopefully they’ll see an increase in numbers through their doors. I think the industry needs to move forward people should be aware of what goes on behind the scenes. The public must have a choice and they must be give genuine information of course it is also up to them to do their research.… Read more »
Thanks A N Employee, when faced with an ethical dilemma, it’s always good to ask ” What would Richard Nixon do? “
Yes David, you are way too suspicious and cynical and it’s made you bitter.
That’s as maybe RU but still a very appropriate quote!
A.N.Employee are you really George Tinning undercover?
Belinda…If ministers and civil servants were doing the task needed, there wouldnt be a need to fund Charles, the NDC or even me, though like Charles I work not for profit and free of donations.
cWhy should any charity or individual need to be educating the public about their legal rights? Information about what to do following a death needs to be incorporated into edcation programmes about Citizenship.
Last nights program was quite unfair to the Co-op. I believe they should have also interviewed Dignity and a Large Independent Firm.What people forget is that Funeral Directors are there to relieve the stress of arranging a Funeral. There are certain things that the public don’t need and don’t want to know. Funeral Directors should be and generally are experts in telling the bereaved what they want to hear. If the Co-op explained to families that their loved one would be kept in a cold store with other deceased people, they may find it distressing. All the bereaved need to… Read more »
Hoots mon,whatever do you mean laddie?
I have to disagree with you GTS. Both parties to any contract should have a mutual understanding of what the contract includes. If it is not known that a loved ones body is in cold storage and is expected to be on the premises, then the person paying the bill should be informed.
Too many undertakers and bereavement managers make assumptions that people newly bereaved do not want to know about something. No one should make claim to know more about the individuals needs than they do themselves.
Are we the only people to shun the phrase “loved one”? That kind of euphemistic double speak is where the rot begins. They didn’t “pass away”, they died.
I have to disagree with GTS as well I afraid. Saying “There are certain things that the public don’t need to know” and “Funeral Directors should be and generally are experts in telling the bereaved what they want to hear” is very wrong in my opinion. The lack of transparency is part of the reason why these dirt bags are in this horrible mess. The reason the general public is so horrified is that they had no idea what actually happens behind the scenes and if they did certainly wouldn’t have entrusted their loved ones to funeral care.
Absolute rubbish afforddignity. I know of a branch of funeralcare (privately named that display the co-operative logo everywhere) that are 90 funerals ahead of this time last year.
And that’s due to a team of concientious and dedicated employees with excellent customer relations thriving on repeat funerals and word of mouth.
This just wouldn’t be possible if they were “dirt bags” as you so disgustingly labeled them.
Think twice before you throw around outrageous accusations that you don’t have a hope in hell of proving.
Yet another unfounded and uneducated post from yourself.
A.N. Employee…I imagine that there will not be any free advertising and profits generated by word and mouth for the company that you are talking about for a while…if only a short while!
You mention here that the same company does a lot of charity work, it might use any spare time it finds it might have as a result of the programme aired last night to providing free services and goods to people that cant afford to pay for a funeral?
Dear Teresa, the company I mention already has the contract for welfare funerals also the contract for infants which they do free of charge providing a limousine,casket and two members of staff for as long as the family needs them. They also take Easter eggs to the local hospital every year and the staff use their own money to buy presents for under privileged children at Christmas so they have something to open as well as organised fun runs in memory of deceased. They provide cars to ferry pensioners to and from remembrance day celebrations free of charge every year.… Read more »
Dear A.N. Employee…what you say is somewhat contradictory. On one hand you are saying that the company carries out free funerals for infants, and then claim that free funerals do not make for good business.
Many people in business offer hospitality gifts to hospitals and charities at Christmas and Easter. Some do so to generate more business and others simply do so out the goodness of their hearts. In my experience the people that give generously from the heart, do not feel the need to tell everyone about it.
Easter eggs collected from schools and donated from small local businesses and public donations went mainly to nursing homes! The large co op shops would never make a contribution. Staff members had to be bullied into giving up their free time on a saturday or sunday to do community work to get a free editorial picture in the paper etc. I was once involved in a charity car wash for the co op one saturday morning whereby we only washed a maximum of six cars!! The following week in the local paper we had raised many hundreds of pounds for… Read more »
Ex Coop Employee: he’s a lovely, hard-working man and he didn’t lose his job. And the lid would have fitted on if the undercover reporter hadn’t stopped the lifting mechanism from working properly. Allegedly.
Teresa and ‘afforddignity’, I wonder how much you know about the Co-op? It started as a co-operative in Rochdale in 1844, set up to share the benefits of retailing on a democratic basis. I’m a member and have been for years, so I get a share of the profits. I imagine that members everywhere will feel, like me, that the movement has been unfairly tarnished with a very broad brush. Its ethical approach to banking and retailing was unique for a long time before other major retailers started to jump on the fair trade bandwagon, among other things. One of… Read more »
Ha ha I guess I’m never going to win with you am I? I knew as soon as I posted it would get thrown back in my face and labelled as “boasting” more or less. I do not feel the need to “tell everyone about it” just your self and whoever may stumble on it when reading this blog I guess. There’s no banner waving and no wish of recognition and it’s most definitely not the actions of “dirtbags” according to afforddignity. And no, free funerals do not make for good business so I’d guess you’d call it a service… Read more »
Teresa – you wrote ‘Why should any charity or individual need to be educating the public about their legal rights?’
But I wasn’t talking about someone doing a TV programme to educate people about their legal rights. Surely the whole point about everyone who contributes to this blog is that we’re passionate about good funerals.
Several things come to mind reading through these comments. Firstly everyone commenting has their own angle so there are NO unbiased views here. The link to the Funeral Advisor search for an FD is approximately 15 years out of date looking at the companies that come up. No I am not joking! And that is supposed to help you make an informed decision. Yes you can arrange your own funeral or you can pay for a companies experience/knowledge/facilities. There are many very good companies in all size catergories and unfortunately there are some not so good. Go on local reputation.… Read more »