In the summer of 2020, Great Britain’s Competition and Market Authority (CMA) investigated the death care business sector and one statement that was made was this, “some funeral directors were providing unacceptable low levels of care of the deceased”.  Couple that with the fact that, according to SunLife’s latest cost of dying report, funeral costs in that country have risen 39% in the past decade, and you can see why the CMA is promoting regulation and change.

Under the new rules announced in this article last week in Great Britain, beginning on September 16, 2021, all funeral directors must display a standard price list at all premises and on any website that includes the headline price of a funeral.  In addition, beginning immediately “funeral directors will be banned from making payments to incentivise hospitals, hospices, care homes or similar institutions for referring customers to a particular funeral director. They are also blocked from soliciting business through coroner and police contracts.”

The Competition and Markets Authority states that these actions will be legally enforceable and are necessary as they saw some funeral consumers overpriced by $US 550 when they paid for a funeral.

The CMA also found in their investigation, that in Great Britain, the two largest firms in the death care sector, Co-op Funeralcare and Dignity plc, were often significantly more expensive than many of the small, typically family-owned businesses that operate the majority of branches in the United Kingdom.

Martin Coleman, who chaired the CMA panel that led the inquiry into funeral prices said this, “Organising a funeral is one of the hardest things that anyone must do, and it is vital that people are treated fairly. Customers need clear information so that they know what they will be charged and are able, if they wish, to compare the prices of different providers.”

Funeral Director Daily take:  I’ve become a firm believer in price transparency and believe those United States funeral homes that don’t show their prices to the consumer will, more than likely over time, lose market share.

In my opinion, there is also somewhat of a generational bent to this price transparency issue.  Over the Father’s Day weekend I was discussing this article with my grown, and employed in other industries, sons — ages 27 and 23.  They both indicated that is is just common habit among themselves and their friends on virtually all purchases to look at the available price information on their mobile devices before making any decisions.  They both said that they would “more than likely” do it for a funeral purchase as well.

One of my sons said, “Even if a funeral home knows they will not be the lowest priced, they have a chance to tell the consumer why their price is higher and the value it may bring.  If they don’t put up their prices, the consumer may just ignore them.”

I thought that was an interesting thought.  As we move into a death care community of more and more direct cremations, we know that the lowest priced operator will be advertising prices.  My initial take is that a full service funeral home can only combat that price point by extolling the virtues and values of using their services. . . even if they are higher priced.

Food for thought.

Related:  Dignity:  UK watchdog gives funeral operators three months to standardize operations.  Marketscreener.com

More news from the world of Death Care:

• Last Responders – coroners, funeral workers and others – say they faced risks as COVID spread.  Frontline PBS
• Oakland awarded $25,000 for preservation of historic cemetery.  West Orange Times (FL)
• Helper receives advice on Mountain View Cemetery.  ETV News (UT)

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