Uk funeral homes accused of ‘ripping off’ bereaved families

Funeral firms (undertakers) in Britain have been accused of taking advantage of the grief of bereaved families by overcharging for funerals.

Reports in the popular newspaper the Daily Mail, state that the Competition and Markets Authority is conducting an investigation into the charges of the undertakers based on allegations that they are fleecing families of the dead. Funeral costs have risen by more than two-thirds over the past 10 years, three times the rate of inflation.

The average funeral now costs the equivalent of just under EC$15,000 with another further $6800 for items such as flowers and catering. The reports claim that those who can least afford it are most affected and that paying for a funeral now costs those with the lowest incomes more than they spend on food, clothing and energy combined. (Does that ring a bell in SVG?).

The reports also put most of the blame on the larger funeral homes stating that while some of the smaller ones try to keep prices affordable, larger ones have been jacking up prices year after year.