Pre paid funeral?

[davidphilips]

Anybody any experience of pre paid funerals? Have been told pure cremations do a very basic cremation (my address etc so may be more or less in different areas?) for £1,595 seems very reasonable.
Question is can they be trusted to keep with the contract and whats the chance of them going bust? Any views would be interesting?

 

[ColinJ]

Do what am doing - donate your body to medical science, and ask them to chuck the scraps in the hospital incinerator!

If friends and family want to arrange a wake, that is up to them.

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

Why worry? Legally the first call on your estate are funeral/interment costs. You state your wishes and your executor/next of kin follows them.
If you pay now you have lost the use of that money for ever. And, yes, the company could go bust just like any other company. Then a second payment will have to be made. That doesn't sound like a good deal.

 

[Archie_tect]

Mrs A_T and I have Age Concern pre-paid funerals, so has my mum- we all felt it made sense.

It takes away some of the many tasks for the people left to sort out - the funeral directors who we used for my dad and the in-laws were great and are part of the Age Concern approved firms.

 

[Chris S]

Do what am doing - donate your body to medical science, and ask them to chuck the scraps in the hospital incinerator!

So long as you don't mind it being blown up to test explosives.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49198405

 

[Chris S]

On a related note be careful of over 50s life insurance plans that offer a fixed sum when you die. The payout is often a fraction of what people pay in.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/over-50s-life-insurance/

 

[Archie_tect]

So long as you don't mind it being blown up to test explosives.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49198405

An elderly aunt died leaving her body to science... no idea where she is and no closure for her children as they have no idea what's happened to her body and no-one seems bothered to return what, if anything, remains of her.
She died five years ago...

 

[Archie_tect]

If you pay now you have lost the use of that money for ever.

Er, once you've gone it's all lost....

 

[Drago]

It just so happens thqt a chum of mine runs a business hand making bio degreadeable coffins. Always assuming I go before him, thats what theyll do - dig a deep hole and chuck me in it for the worms to nosh on. No church service of the like foe me.

 

[numbnuts]

I've got one, my mother also had one and she told me before she died it's all in that blue book.
On the day she died I opened the book and there was phone number and a membership number
I phoned and gave them the number, the whole funeral had been pre arranged, and they took over from there, it was one less thing to worry about and of course no expense to me.
I took out one a few days later and paid monthly, so now it's not a worry for my next of kin.

 

[Eric Olthwaite]

It just so happens thqt a chum of mine runs a business hand making bio degreadeable coffins. Always assuming I go before him, thats what theyll do - dig a deep hole and chuck me in it for the worms to nosh on. No church service of the like foe me.

It is with some surprise that I learn it would be legal for my wife to simply bury me in the garden, next to the dog. Of course, questions might be asked if she doesn't wait until I'm dead.

 

[Chris S]

On a related note be careful of over 50s life insurance plans that offer a fixed sum when you die. The payout is often a fraction of what people pay in.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/over-50s-life-insurance/

It might just be a coincidence but I've just got an ad for a funeral plan on YouTube!

 

[Deleted member 1258]

It is with some surprise that I learn it would be legal for my wife to simply bury me in the garden, next to the dog. Of course, questions might be asked if she doesn't wait until I'm dead.

There was an article in the paper a while ago, a house was being sold and the owner was buried in the back garden.

 

[bruce1530]

It can certainly save a lot of stress and worry for family at a difficult time if everything is organised and pre-paid. And can be financially beneficial if you have a need to reduce your savings.

However, I had a bad experience. A relative had pre-arranged and pre-paid his funeral. Undertaker, cars, church, burial, reception afterwards - all organised.

Jimmy had been a joiner - the type of guy who would admire some craftmanship "That's a nice bit of wood, that is..."
He had specified a solid wood coffin; quite an expensive one, the same as his wife had been buried in.

The night before the funeral, his body was taken to the church to lie overnight. When we arrived, the first thing I noticed was that Jimmy was in a formica coffin!
Mentioned it to my wife, who couldn't believe it, but we didn't want to say anything in case we upset Jimmy's immediate family.

Pub afterwards, mentioned it to brother-in law - equally appalled, but didn't want to say anything in case it caused upset.

A few drinks later, we mentioned it to immediate family - yes, they were appalled too, but didn't want to cause a fuss.
A phone call was made, and next morning when we arrived at the church, Jimmy was in a new box.

 

[Blue]

I have one and so does my wife.

We used to have joint savings for the funeral expenses but those count as assets if either, or both, need care, whereas a prepaid funeral doesn't count. Useful when being assessed for care cost payment.