From: Beverley Webb
Sent: 15 August 2012 23:03
To: Weymouth Abbotsbury Rd (TCF)
Subject: Gloria Roper
Importance: High
Dear Ms Allen
We are writing to request you send us a copy of the estimate of costs of our late mother’s funeral and copies of the agreement we signed in your office in Weymouth on December 8th 2011, you can email these to the address’s provided below
Sincerely
Michelle Blakesley
Beverley Webb
From: funeral.clientrelations@
To: michellelesleyblakesley@
CC: info@nafd.org.uk
Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2012 16:56:38 +0100
Subject: FW: Gloria Roper
Dear Mrs Blakesley
Thank you for your enquiry.
I have received a copy of your completed Conciliation Service Application Form from the Funeral Arbitration Scheme and have therefore re-opened your complaint. I will be reviewing our records and the previously agreed resolution to your concerns and have therefore requested all copies of documentation from our Weymouth Funeral Home. Once I am in receipt of the relevant documentation I will of course submit two copies together with the Funeral Directors Dispute Detail form that was attached to your application form, the Funeral Arbitration Scheme will provide you with a copy in due course.
May I respectfully request that any further correspondence in relation to your complaint is directed to the Funeral Arbitration Scheme at info@nafd.org.uk in the first instance or alternatively to funeral.clientrelations@
Kind regards
Jon Potts
Client Relations Manager
Co-operative Funeralcare
From: Beverley Webb [mailto:weebie71@...]
Sent: 22 August 2012 10:04
To: Funeral Client Relations; info@nafd.org.uk; michellelesleyblakesley@
Subject: RE: Gloria Roper – Att Jon Potts
Dear Mr Potts
Please can you explain why you have chosen not to disclosure paperwork we have requested directly from you and that we did not receive at the time of signing on December 8th 2011 at your Weymouth Co-operative Branch in Dorset with the manager Hellen Allen present following the sudden death of our mother.
Please can you further explain was it is necessary for the Funeral Arbitration Scheme to provide us with this in due course, We will look forward to a prompt reply
Sincerely
Michelle Blakesley & Beverley Webb
From: funeral.clientrelations@
To: weebie71@...
CC: info@nafd.org.uk; David.Collingwood@co-
Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2012 15:18:08 +0100
Subject: RE: Gloria Roper – Att Jon Potts
Dear Mrs Webb
Thank you for your email.
As I explained in my previous email, now that the matter has been passed to the Funeral Arbitration Scheme (FAS), I have requested all documentation from the funeral home. Once I have received this I will be in a position to complete the Funeral Directors Dispute Detail form that was attached to your application form and submit it together with duplicate copies of all our correspondence and documentation. This is usual practice.
I will ask FAS to forward a duplicate copy of the correspondence. This ensures that you have an exact duplicate of all documentation submitted to FAS by Funeralcare and that there are no discrepancies in the copy that you receive.
Kind regards
Jon Potts
Client Relations Manager
Co-operative Funeralcare
Editor’s note: personal email addresses have been obscured so that Beverley and Michelle do not receive ‘unsolicited’ correspondence. We will bring you updates as and when.
One wonders why there would be discrepancies between documentation between the Weymouth branch and it’s head office?
Great post, thank you Beverley and Michelle for sharing this, and Charles too for the headline which really gets to the root. Even reading this one feels drained, tired and irritated. I have lots of respect for anyone who actually manages to see this process through.
Hopefully http://funeraladvisor.org.uk/ will offer a more quick, direct and empowering option for those who have something to say about funeral directors.
We did not chose this path, While we have breath – we have strength and when the Co-op are finally found guilty of soliciting which was what they did, then maybe our grieving will start, it was a shocking sequences of events, demands, sell sell sell, we understand that this is not representative of all co-op employees, as many are in the job because they care – however this has not been our experience and trying to get some redress from managers higher up, has left a foul taste in our mouths!, One really wonders why the Head Office is… Read more »
Jon we will definately be posting our review on your website
Having seen Mr Potts handy work in some detail previously, when advising a dear couple of honest stand up citizens from the Dewsbury area who had been on the receiving end of the FC`s complaints procedures, my heart sinks for this particular client. That said, credit where credit is due, there is no better man for the job than Mr Potts, when it comes to the `call my bluff diplomacy` approach to handling client complaints. My head bows in deep respect to his thick skinned determination to seek the submission of anyone brave enough to lock horns with him over… Read more »
Mr Potts does not frighten me or Michelle, sadly we are taking on an organisation that has lawyers on hand and posts million pound profits – however truth is only what we know and we are NOT going anywhere soon
Is this the same man who handled that case we both attended, Liam? The one where the injured parties were sent empty away?
Dear Beverley and Michelle you are both clearly still unhappy with the service(s) offered by Funeralcare Weymouth (and which have, of course, featured in this blog before) Charles has also published details/the letter from the relevant department at Dorset CC re funeralcare’s work as the Agent for the Coroner The issue of funeralcare ‘soliciting work’ has been mentioned, which is a separate issue than their work for the Coroner. This seems to me to be very clear cut. If you contacted them with the intention of them handling all of the arrangements, then the ‘soliciting issue’ does not arise, however… Read more »
It was most definitely the latter Andrew
thanks Beverley
well, if you have not, then clearly you should write again to Mr Cheesman (or the Chief Executive) at Dorset CC stressing that in your opinion Cooperative funeralcare have seriously breached the terms of their retainer and that you expect to receive confirmation that they are no longer instructed as Coroner’s Agents for the Weymouth area. Your decision of course
regards
andrew
Hi Andrew
On recieving the letter from Dorset DCC, I spoke to Steve Cheesman for some considerable time, and he simply stated they denied it (Co-op) and that they really could not (DCC) simply remove a contract from one complaint.
So I asked how many do I have to gather?, he said if he recieved just one more he would re-investiagte.
He suggested I contact the NAFD, we will continue and the truth will out, am just holding off on what we can publicly say at this time – but thanks for your advice
Regards
Bev & Michelle
thanks for your response of course Co-op F’care denied it, there is or appears to be a policy of doing so, particularly since they constantly believe that they are immune to all and everything allied to this sort of thing and also to their business per se I follow ‘death trends’ in certain areas and which firms are instruced to carry out the subsequent arrangements. My recollection in the Weymouth area was that Funeralcare were not a very large player and that traditionally, independent firms such as Cotton, Stockting and Rose were usually instructed. Leading up to your involvement in… Read more »
we experienced dreadful service from southern co-operative care.. the funeral would be described as a scene from a carry on film…disgusting funeral care……..