26-Feb-2010 --- Ipsos MORI research, commissioned by the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF), has concluded that independent Funeral Directors offer clients the best value for money compared to National groups such as Dignity and Co-operative Funeralcare.
The research is based on 150 calls made by a "mystery shopper" to Funeral Directors in 50 towns across Great Britain over the period 18-25 January 2010. For every town, the evaluator called one independent Funeral Director, one Dignity Funeral Director and one Co-operative Funeralcare branch. The key findings of the report are summarised below:
- Average Funeral Directors’ charges are highest for Dignity Funeral Directors and lowest for independents. Co-operative Funeralcare branches fall between the two.
- In a majority of towns, Dignity give the highest quotations for Funeral Firectors charges, while independents give the lowest quotations.
- Quotations for the total funeral follow the pattern of the Funeral Directors’ charges, with Dignity on average the most expensive and independent Funeral Directors on average the cheapest. Co-operative Funeralcare continues to be in the middle of its counterparts.
- The total cost of Dignity funerals is higher than that of the independents or Cooperative in the majority of towns, while the total cost of independent funerals remains the lowest in the majority of cases.
- These findings are in line with previous research undertaken in 1998.
- There is little variation in the quotations given for the cost of cremation, ministers’ fees and doctors’ fees across the results for the three Funeral Directors’ groups.
Source: SAIF (click
here for the full report)
