Funeral leaflets through the door in the middle of a Pandemic

[buggeroffvirus]

I am prepared to be told that I am over reacting but here it is. Yesterday we had a leaflet put through the door advertising a local Funeral Director. At first i just put it in the bin because the two smiling faces of a couple wearing black garb seemed a little bit odd.
I have since become more annoyed and have rang the service and voiced my concerns to a very pleasant man who was in charfge of out of hours business.
I pointed out that I thought it was in very bed taste during a Pandemic when people like my husband have been shielding and at great risk since March.
In my opinion there is no need to advertise as people generally use firm that have been used my friends and family and reputations go by word of mouth. I probably should not have said that it seemed like Ambulance chasing but there you have it.
There will be no shortage of business for Undertakers so there is no need to advertise. The people that I have used in the past for my parents were always caring and polite.
The gentleman on the phone said that he could see my point but other firms were doing it !!!.
I would never use a funeral director who did this sort of marketing if I could avoid it. My God they will be offering a three for two next.
So my question is having I got this out of proportion or not.

YABU. What about an Estate Agent that distributed leaflets seeing if people were interested in selling their houses during a recession? Would you think that’s distasteful as they are targeting people who might have financial concerns and need to downsize?

The gentleman on the phone said that he could see my point but other firms were doing it

You seriously rang them up to complain? Rather than just bunging it in the recycling?
The isolation may be affecting you more than you realise.

I used to call Brighthouse helpline.
I wasn't a customer I just knew the freephone number to accounts was directed to their American call centre and cost them money.

@SoupDragon

I think you are over reacting.

I agree. People die and it's a competitive business. A lot of people at this time, I suspect , have thought about putting their affairs in order. That's reality.

You seriously rang them up to complain? Rather than just bunging it in the recycling?

That reminds me of the Mitchell & Webb sketch where they had a milk helpline number, advertised on the side of every pint, and a man phoned to ask what possible reason people could ever have to call it. The weary-sounding man who answered told him that every single call he'd ever had was from somebody asking that exact same question - except for once, where a girl wanted to know if it was true what her brother had told her, that you get banana milkshake by milking monkeys

People die. I get constant leaflets for stairlifts, care homes and funerals. I’m in my early 30s. I just presume Simone old lives in my house once and their details are on a database somewhere.

YA massively BU

You called them up to complain about advertising their services and compared it to ambulance chasing?
That will be a story to keep them laughing for a while. If you're lucky it will become the stuff of workplace legends: remember during covid when that random woman called us up to tell us off for putting some fliers out.

Someone. Not Simone. Though she could have been called Simone I suppose...

Every business needs to advertise!

@buggeroffvirus

Thank you for replying, having read your posts I agree that I have over reacted. I am stressed like everyone else but that is no excuse. On reflection it does seem a little out of character, normally I wouldn't complain about anything. I feel a bit daft now.

hats off to you OP for asking a question and actually taking on board the replies!

Your over-reaction is not such a massive deal either, don't sweat it.

My GP advertises a funeral director on the back of appt cards which I always find weird

The funeral Directors advertise their business on the back of the order of service when you attend a funeral.

Our local paper had a whole funeral director advertising feature in lockdown 1.0. A few pages of local firms. I'm sure it was handy for some people.

Actually I agree with you, OP. It’s distasteful and also pointless. If you get a leaflet for a car you might decide to buy it, or not. But I never knew of anyone who bought an extra funeral on the basis of a leaflet, and I can think of quite a few situations where getting one would be upsetting.

Anyone who needs to arrange a funeral can look on the internet or ask around.

In don't think you have it out of proportion. There are various forms of marketing and this does seem in poor taste.

I never knew of anyone who bought an extra funeral on the basis of a leaflet

An "extra funeral"??

It's usually Pre-Paid Funeral Plans that are advertised on any leaflets I've received.

@makingmammaries

But I never knew of anyone who bought an extra funeral on the basis of a leaflet

Erm? An extra funeral? WTF

The point of the advertising is not so we can kill our relatives to have extra funerals, it's so we choose that funeral director over any other

Actually I agree OP it is a crass way to market a funeral business. I would have a better opinion of one who advertised in the local parish magazine, so you could look at it if/when you needed a local company, than one who put individual leaflets through doors.

@MoiraNotRuby

Actually I agree OP it is a crass way to market a funeral business. I would have a better opinion of one who advertised in the local parish magazine, so you could look at it if/when you needed a local company, than one who put individual leaflets through doors.

I agree

They should walk the streets dressed in black with a top hat.
Add a horse with feathers and shout bring out you dead.

The local parish magazine goes to this who subscribe- usually Christians (as it its Parish not village) - so a tiny minority of the uk population.

I bought my funeral because of an advertisement.

Not an extra one though. Just the one.

I don’t intend to die more than once if I can help it.

I don’t intend to die more than once if I can help it.
🤣🤣
I've paid for 2 funerals in the last 5years, I couldn't afford another one anytime soon.

My GP advertises a funeral director on the back of appt cards which I always find weird

It could be worse - the dentist could advertise taster trips around the Haribo factory on theirs

On the contrary a pandemic is exactly when they should be advertising. Business is booming. (Too much?)

@stillsomewhatsheldonesque

I bought my funeral because of an advertisement.

Not an extra one though. Just the one.

I don’t intend to die more than once if I can help it.

When the dig you up t check your DNA to see I you were a mass murderer on an unsolved crime programme you will need a second one.