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Pre-paid
funerals
Some
people choose to pay for their own funeral in advance with a
pre-paid plan - this gives the opportunity to select the type of
arrangements you would like.
If you are
arranging a funeral, try to find out if the deceased had made any
such arrangements.
If you are buying a
pre-paid funeral plan for yourself read the contract very
carefully. The contract terms must be fair and not put you at a
significant disadvantage in relation to the plan provider - if you
are in doubt about any terms get advice from your local Citizens
Advice Bureau
www.citizensadvice.org.uk or
www.cas.org.uk in Scotland, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in
Northern Ireland or by
contacting Consumer Direct.
In
addition:
-
check what the contract covers and what it
doesn't;
-
find out what should happen after you die and
leave appropriate instructions with your solicitor or next of
kin, as an incorrect decision could cause problems;
-
shop around, and check whether a plan
provider is a member of one of the trade associations who are
members of the Funeral Ombudsman Scheme.
You might
also ask other useful questions, such as:
-
what happens if you die before payments are
completed?
-
what happens if you chose a funeral director
who goes out of business?
-
how is your money protected over the years?
-
what happens to the money you have paid if
relatives do not know of the pre-paid plan and organise the
funeral independently?
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