ITV’s Tonight has recently released a documentary ‘Funerals: a costly undertaking’, which addressed an important part of the relationship between a funeral director and the public.

The increase in popularity for sites like comparethecoffin and funeralbooker over recent years has stemmed from the rise in the cost of funerals, which has grown to an average of £3600 in the UK in 2016. Sites like these help the public find a good deal, and a real price on the page, as ITV uncovered that issues with transparency have grown in the funeral industry.

Tonight suggested that there should be more flexibility and transparency between funeral directors and the public. While 62% of adults they asked didn’t know how much the average funeral cost, not enough funeral directors are using their sites as an opportunity to share with the public the costs. This would raise awareness of what they need to prepare for and possibly even encourage more people to opt for a pre-paid funeral, which will save their family money in the long-term.

Larger firms can charge more expense for their services, in comparison to smaller, local, independently run funeral directors. Although it is a difficult time to take into consideration the importance of shopping around to find the price that is most suitable for you, it is encouraged. This is also another good reason to consider a pre-paid plan, as you can take the opportunity to shop around in advance and discuss the additional options you’d like.

It is important for local funeral directors that clients feel that delivering a personal, respectful and dignified funeral is at the forefront of their service. A & J Morriss & Sons support this request for more transparency. We ensure that all our prices are displayed on our site, and are available on funeralbooker for anyone to access.

A & J Morriss display all additional extra prices separately to our package cost to ensure there is complete transparency for our customers and allow them to choose their service based on what they can afford, instead of removing what they can’t afford.

Funerals are not something that can be avoided and so some of the statistics that came out of the documentary were a wake-up call for Britain. We need to be aware of the importance of pre-planning a funeral, and making sure loved ones are aware of our wishes. 78% of UK adults asked, had not done any research into funeral options, a staggering amount that need to know more about the options they have to help themselves and their families prevent the burden later on.

For further information on an affordable funeral package starting from £1300, or a pre-paid funeral plan, contact us.