Competition Watchdog Helps Keep Funeral Costs Down

The CMA has also published further guidance for funeral directors and crematorium operators on requirements to make bereaved families better aware of the total cost of the services they may need and allow them to compare different providers.

The guidance includes information on how funeral directors must set out their prices on a standardised price list and how funeral directors are banned from entering into deals with hospitals, hospices and care homes.

They are also banned from using their contacts with coroner offices and police forces to tout for business or gain an unfair advantage.

The CMA’s Adam Land said: “Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult experiences anyone can go through – so it is particularly important that funeral providers give their customers all the information they need.

“A small number of providers are not doing this. The CMA put these rules in place to ensure bereaved families can trust the funeral service they buy is the one that best meets their needs. Our new guidance will support providers in delivering for bereaved people.

“We are now ramping up enforcement action to ensure that the minority of funeral providers who are breaking the rules by not being open with bereaved families will face the consequences.”

New transparency rules are helping keep down the spiralling cost of funerals, according to a review by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

The review found that funeral directors operating more than four branches charged their customers on average just over £2,600 for funeral services in the year to August 31 last year.
This level is broadly unchanged since the previous year, representing a reduction in real terms, at a time when the cost-of-living crisis is sending many other prices through the roof.

The report comes as all funeral directors across the UK have been ordered to comply with rules to ensure bereaved families have the information they need to plan and buy a suitable funeral.

The CMA is starting enforcement to tackle non-compliance by some funeral directors – and is writing to trade associations seeking their cooperation.
The first batch of enforcement letters have been sent to funeral directors found to have breached the Funerals Market Investigation Order 2021, with further action to follow.

An assessment by the CMA indicated that around one in 20 funeral directors – more than 100 in all – appear not to be complying with the transparency rules.

I took out my first policy years ago because my partner’s family were with Tees Mutual. My partner pays £24 a month for a policy that also covers my son and I pay £20 a month. It means you’re not leaving all your funeral debts to your family when you’re not here. My agent, Andrea, is fantastic.

Wendy Kirk

43, shop assistant, Thornaby

I’ve had a Whole of Life for years and I and took out a Savings Policy so my son will have something when I pass on and I also get some money back when I’m 60. I wouldn’t want to think of anyone leaving debts to me when they died, so I wouldn’t want to do it to my own family. I wish I’d started a policy years ago, but you don’t think about it when you’re younger.

Lorraine Goldup

52, Hemlington

My partner’s mam and dad were members and we heard about Tees Mutual through them. I’m getting older now and if anything happened to me, I wouldn’t want my family to have to pay for it. We’ve had no problems whatsoever and my agent, Perry, is sound. The main thing is that everything's taken care of if something happens to me.

Paul Grant

50, house-husband, Middlesbrough

If anything happens to me, my family wouldn’t be able to afford to pay to bury me. Years ago there were lots of insurance calling to the door, but Tees Mutual is the only firm still doing it now. Allison, my agent, is just like one of us and it’s handy having somebody coming to the house every week.

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69, Brambles Farm, Middlesbrough

My wife’s mother started a policy years ago and I decided I’d rather not leave big debts to my children and so I’d take one out myself. It’s not a very nice thing to leave for them to deal with, is it? I pay a fiver a week to make sure there’s enough to bury me when the time comes. They’ve been smashing and my caller is absolutely brilliant.

David Reed

63, Middlesbrough

We’d only had our policies for about 18 months when my wife Marion died suddenly, just a fortnight after we came back from holiday. She was only 53. Our collector, Alison, made everything as easy as possible. She brought the paperwork to the house and we got the cheque for £5,300 the next day. That made a huge difference because we knew we had the money to pay for Marion’s funeral service and burial. Our family were very pleased with how they looked after us.

Paul Bird

59, South Bank

Tees Mutual does not provide financial advice. If you are in any doubt as to whether a policy is suitable for you, you should contact an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) for advice. An IFA may charge for providing such advice and you should confirm any cost beforehand. We are covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service, whose website address is www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk.

Tees Mutual is a trading name of The Kensington Friendly Collecting Society Limited, which is an incorporated Friendly Society under the 1992 Friendly Societies Act No. 79COL. KFCSL is Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. KFCSL’s Financial Services Register number is 110058.

The registered address of Tees Mutual and its subsidiary, Tees Mutual Services Limited, is 1-3 Kensington Road, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, TS5 6AL.

Tees Mutual, 1-3 Kensington Road, Middlesbrough SE16 3QT +441642850022 enquiries@teesmutual.co.uk