A new legal duty is now in force requiring funeral directors and crematorium operators to provide clear pricing of their products and services to grieving families.
The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) has issued new guidance obligating service providers in the funeral industry to take steps to ensure their pricing for consumers information is clear and comparable and that it is provided upfront.
Funeral firms had been given 3 months to act on the guidance and implement necessary changes. One requirement is to display a Standardised Price List which has to include:
- The headline price of a funeral.
- The price of the individual items comprising the funeral.
- The price of certain additional products and services.
This list must be accessible to consumers on funeral firms’ websites and be displayed in the window of their premises.
The guidance comes following a CMA-led investigation into funeral pricing, which identified a number of concerns. One of the findings was a notable disparity between funeral firms in the prices of similar services. It was also found that the information provided made it difficult for grieving families to compare prices and choose the right combination of services.
The CMA has consulted with funeral directors, crematorium operators and groups representing people arranging funerals across the UK to implement a package of changes.
On 17 June, the first of these were written into law, including banning funeral directors from incentivising certain institutions – such as hospitals or care homes – to refer customers to them.
The guidance also refers to CMA taking action against funeral firms that fail to comply with the rules, including naming providers.
Crematorium operators must also provide specified price information to funeral directors and customers, displayed in the same places.
Author
Gill Laing is a qualified Legal Researcher & Analyst with niche specialisms in Law, Tax, Human Resources, Immigration & Employment Law.
Gill is a Multiple Business Owner and the Managing Director of Prof Services - a Marketing Agency for the Professional Services Sector.
