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Bristolians paying over the odds for funerals

Grieving families in Bristol are paying more than £2,500 over the odds for their funeral packages in some cases, new figures reveal.

In the midst of a Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation into pricing in the industry nationally, Bristolians have been urged to shop around.

Funeral price comparison website Beyond released figures for the city to highlight what it calls the ‘chain premium’ being levied by major chains in the industry for the same level of service.

In Bristol, using a chain-backed funeral director can result in paying more than 50 per cent more for the same service, Beyond’s figures show. And customers may not even be aware they are shopping with a chain.

James Dunn, co-founder of the firm, said: “The most disappointing thing about the ‘chain premium’ is how unsurprising it is.

“Chains have a stranglehold in many areas across the country and it is not always apparent which funeral directors are independents. “This reduces transparency and makes it even harder for consumers to compare costs. “It’s well worth asking funeral directors if they are part of a large chain and it’s crucial consumers shop around.”

The figures for Bristol show that the average funeral with an independent funeral director cost £3,389 last year, whilst a comparable service with a chain was £5,924.

The average cost of a ‘standard’ Bristol funeral was £4,657 in 2018, according to Beyond. That is more than £1,000 higher than the average UK cost, which stood at £3,485.

The average cremation fee in Bristol was £851 and the average burial fee was £1,847. Funeral directors fees would be paid on top of this.

The CMA is currently carrying out a major investigation because of concerns over large price increases both for funeral directors and crematoria services across the country.

In November, it said initial work indicated the scale of price rises did not appear to be justified.

It said: “While some smaller funeral directors have sought to keep their prices low, other providers – the larger chains in particular – have implemented policies of consistently high year-on-year price increases.

“A number of these have now introduced lower cost funeral options, but this doesn’t go far enough to make up for years of above inflation price hikes.

“The CMA’s evidence also indicates most people who organise a funeral remain extremely vulnerable to exploitation and future rises in charges.”

The CMA said the cost of funerals has increased by more than two-thirds in the last ten years, almost three times the rate of inflation.

In January, Paul Buckley, of Bristol, told The Sun newspaper, he saved more than £3,000 on his late mother’s funeral by shopping around.

He said: “It was not about penny-pinching but if I could get a better price for the same service I didn't see any point in paying to add to some company’s profits.

“As it was, I saved more than £3,000, and the send-off was exactly what we all wanted.”

David Lloyd
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