To think funerals are outrageously expensive?

[crunchymint]

I have been shocked when organising a funeral at how expensive they are. Even a basic cremation with no service costs a £1000. A very ordinary funeral will cost about £3,000. It is a lot of money.

Buckingfrolics
If you don't HAVE to use the services of a funeral director where is the body kept between death and disposal?

The cremation it's self is £75 (our three local boroughs waive it for childrens funerals).You're paying for the coffin, cars, pall bearers, flowers, collection and storage of the body, embalming, make up, staff costs (leave, pensions, sick pay), the celebrant/vicar/priest, collection of the ashes, the casket

Sorry, but rubbish. A direct cremation costs over a thousand pounds. No cars, no pall bearers, no flowers. No funeral. That's literally just to have all the legalities done, a cremation and have the ashes delivered back to you in a box. I've just paid for one, so yes I know

But if you want to put your dearly beloved in a cardboard box, pop it in the back of your hatchback and lug them into the crem, then no one would stop you

They would stop you. The hospital/mortuary wouldn't release the body to you and the crematorium, oddly enough, will not cremate dead bodies that people take out of the boot of their car, no questions asked.

It is a lot of money yes. I paid £3600 for my Mums last year. But when I considered all the services and people involved I didn’t feel ripped off.

But I appreciate a lot of people can’t even afford a basic funeral.

If you don't HAVE to use the services of a
funeral director where is the body kept between death and disposal?

Local morgue.

My neighbour died in his house, alone. None of his family would pay for a funeral so he stayed at the morgue for a month I think? Maybe a a bit more, then I think the council arranged a cremation.

Morgues do not keep the body unless they have to. With a paupers funeral they will.

I was a funeral director & i can see why the costs are high, if you think about the logistics.
You need a building with suitable specialist storage, maybe even 2 buildings.
You need staff 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to collect people from their homes/ nursing homes. They need a way to transport so you need a specialist car/van sensibly these people cant be awake all day and night so you need a day & night shift, then office staff, then funeral director(s) enough to conduct the funerals you have on. Then there's bearers to carry the coffin during the service you need 4 of these on every funeral.
You need a hearse & maybe a limousine they cist about £130-40K each.
Not forgetting your staff need training to give a legally correct and good service.
It takes about 20 hours (at a guess) organise everything that needs to be done around a standard funeral.

What has pushed the prices up is cremation fees so companies seem to have a local monopoly.

Sorry missed this off.

It's awful that some cant affird a loved ones funeral. The industry itself has been pushing for a rise in the funeral benefit payment available.

There is cheaper alternatives and it's great there's more choice, most of the independant funeral directors I know just enjoy helping people at a bad time and want to do their best.

Yes you are right OP. I nearly fell off my chair when the funeral director said how much my father's extremely simple cremation would cost. About £3500. It depends where you live as well as our crematoria are private so very expensive - in some areas they are council run and cost about 1/8th of the cost. I did pay it upfront so I didn't have the debt hanging over me, but most funeral directors will let you wait and pay from the estate.

It's also worth bearing in mind that the insurance policies for funerals can be a bit of a con as they are usually very specific about what they cover, and if you then eg add extra flowers, or an extra car, or whatever, the price can rise exponentially.

TFL banned a company from advertising funeral prices on its trains - on grounds of offence - but I think it might have actually been a good idea to highlight the costs of funerals.

On the subject of premises needed by funeral directors, does anyone know how usual it is for the deceased to be taken to a "central facility" for embalming, preparation and so on, then just brought to the local place for visitations and the actual funeral?

A big chain in my area does this - as well as plenty of independents - but I'm not sure if it's the done thing overall now?

Why do you need embalming? It is not the tradition in this country for the body to be displayed.

Embalming is done for open coffins and plenty of elderly people in my family have had open coffins. But never heard of it being done centrally. I know the chemicals used are potentially very hazardous, so may be to meet new health and safety standards?

Open casket and embalming is for no reason other than to make money for funeral directors. Add on make up, etc.

It has been sold to certain segments of society as an essential way of mourning, which is quite ridiculous.

It's not ridiculous if that's what your culture demands.

An open casket pre-dates modern funeral directors though, so it doesn't follow that it has been sold to people as an add on of sorts.

But what culture demands it from a historical perspective?

It is a 20th century fabrication, brought on by the funeral industry.

You can stop it at any time.

I am NC with both parents owing to a history of neglect and abuse. My father is remarried and rich. My mother is alone and in a council house. I suppose I am technically my mother's NOK, as the only child of an only child.

I would not want to spend a penny of my own hard-earned money on a "send off" for either of my so-called parents. The state cannot compel me to pay for their funerals, can it? Do I need legal advice?

Lots of cultures demand an open coffin. No way could you have that, especially when it's hot, without embalming.

If you don't live with your parents I don't believe there's any mechanism to force you. Councils do a lot of huffing and puffing sometimes but the law isn't there.

Even if you do live with them, they still can't force you. If the deceased cant pay and no-one else wants to, the state has to deal with it.

The only person you are made to bury is a child.

Thanks, Minge and Brossard.

And Deal.

My mum purchased a funeral plan and paid £5 per week for about 20 years. When she dies there will be nothing more to pay. Pretty much everyone could afford that if they had some foresight.

My dad had a very basic cremation, cardboad coffin, no service etc.. was still £1k. It was the cremation that cost a lot. It's definitely worth trying different directors though, for the same service we got we were quoted £3k.

I am 58 and have just redone my will and funeral plan.
There will be a direct cremation. And that is it. No service or wake.
Cost about £1400.