One of the most important aspects of arranging a funeral can be choosing the right funeral director for you and your loved one’s needs. If this is your first time arranging a funeral you may not know where to begin, or the right questions to ask.
As news reports emerge about unethical funeral directors operating in the UK, we wish to emphasise the importance of staying safe when choosing a funeral director. The funeral industry is unregulated in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but there are ways you can keep yourself and your loved ones safe.
The Farewell Guide has made comparing funeral directors simple with our free comparison tool that allows you to filter your search by location, price, and services. Keep reading to learn how you can easily compare funeral directors in your area and find the right one that matches your budget and unique needs.
In this guide we will cover:
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What to look for when comparing funeral directors.
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What to ask a funeral director.
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How to find and compare funeral directors with The Farewell Guide.
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How to use The Farewell Guide’s free funeral planning tool.
What To Look For When Comparing Funeral Directors
We believe that everyone deserves to arrange a funeral that best celebrates their or their loved one’s life, at a fair price, and with a funeral director they trust.
We’ve put together a list of things to look for when comparing funeral directors to help make this process easier.
1. If the funeral director is a member of SAIF or NAFD.
The Farewell Guide checks that all the funeral directors in our database are members of either The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) or The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF). This ensures that any funeral director you choose from our database adheres to the organistations’ Codes of Conduct and is subject to regular inspections.
2. If the funeral director is business compliant.
The Farewell Guide crosschecks each funeral director in our database with Companies House records to make sure they are up to date with their accounts and running a legitimate business.
3. If the funeral director is rated well by the public.
When a funeral director lists their business with us, we check their Google Reviews. A business’ Google Reviews are a good indicator of how highly or poorly their services are rated by their customers.
4. Check that your prepaid funeral provider is regulated.
If you are paying for a prepaid funeral, you should check if the funeral provider is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or if they are an Appointed Representative (AR) for a principal firm. All prepaid funeral plans are regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom.
5. Be assured of standardised pricing.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) now require all funeral directors to have a standardised price list. Funeral directors will have their services and prices advertised clearly on our website and at their premises. You can record your funeral service requirements when comparing funeral directors on our database and then contact them directly to find out their exact prices.
6. Compare services.
A good, experienced funeral director will go above and beyond to provide you with excellent service and create the funeral you want. You have the freedom to choose between what type of funeral you want (burial, cremation, direct cremation, eco funeral), whether it is attended or unattended, and bespoke features like flowers, limousines, or custom coffins. All these options and more are available for you when searching for a local funeral director on The Farewell Guide.
7. Cultural and religious sensitivity.
Finding a funeral director that understands your cultural needs or religious ceremonies and rituals may be extremely important to you and your family. You can find a funeral director that offers bespoke services listed on our database.
8. Find out how your loved one will be cared for.
An important aspect of choosing a funeral director is knowing how they will care for your loved one. You can ask the funeral director if your loved one will be kept on-site and if they will be cared for personally by the funeral director themselves. You can also ask if you can visit your loved one on-site or in the chapel of rest. A trusted funeral director should have no issue with you visiting the premises as much as you wish.
9. Check the availability of funeral dates.
Some funeral directors may have delays and can only provide a funeral date weeks into the future. You can check in advance if they have available dates for a funeral within the timeframe you and your family have in mind.
10. Use a free and independent website like The Farewell Guide to compare funeral directors.
It is completely free to find and compare funeral directors on The Farewell Guide. We are also a completely independent website and not owned by a funeral service provider.
How To Find and Compare Funeral Directors with The Farewell Guide
We’ve already done the hard part of vetting and ensuring all our listed funeral directors are regulated by funeral regulatory bodies and compliant with UK business standards.
Here are your next steps for arranging a funeral:
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Use our free funeral planning tool to record your end of life and funeral wishes. You can choose to plan a funeral right now or use it to record your wishes for the future.
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Find a local, independent funeral director. Answer a few quick questions about what you want for your funeral service. We’ll use these answers to match you to the right funeral director in your area.
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Get in touch with the right funeral director for your needs.
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Contact The Farewell Guide for any support.
More Support Guides from The Farewell Guide:
How To Choose A Funeral Director (https://www.thefarewellguide.co.uk/how-to-choose-a-funeral-director)
Don’t Let Loyalty Points and Digital Accounts Disappear (https://www.thefarewellguide.co.uk/dont-let-loyalty-points-and-digital-accounts-disappear-why-recording-your-wishes-matters)
How Are Prepaid Funeral Plans Regulated (https://www.thefarewellguide.co.uk/funeral-plan-regulated)