ITV documentary raises important questions about industry pricing
Fosters has welcomed a recent investigation into the industry from ITV’s Tonight Show which put the spotlight on the cost of dying.
Funerals: The True Cost asked whether people are paying too much, explored the need for better regulation, discussed changing attitudes to funerals and asked if we needed to be more open about discussing mortality.
Crucially it highlighted the provisional conclusions of a Competition & Markets Authority investigation which revealed there has been at least a decade of overcharging by some providers, with price rises in excess of inflation.
The reality is that at Fosters we offer fantastic quality for far less.
Nick McLaughlin, Managing Director of Fosters, said: “We have always been outspoken about the need to address funeral poverty and our entire business model is built around making funerals as affordable as possible without making compromises on quality.
“We welcome the fact these issues are finally being discussed and brought to the attention of the public as these practices are giving reputable funeral directors like ourselves a bad name and need to be addressed.”
The show revealed just 8 per cent of people ‘shop around’ when arranging a funeral, opting for the closest funeral director instead, highlighting how some unscrupulous firms might take advantage of people in their time of need.
Nick explained: “Nobody should have to get into debt organising a funeral, however families don’t want to feel like they’re haggling over prices. Giving their loved one the funeral they deserve is all they are focused on and is an important part of the grieving process.
“However firms should not prey on people at a time when they are most vulnerable and are unlikely to shop around. Fosters have been saying for many years that funeral directors have been charging too much for too long, and it is time for more cost transparency.
“We have chosen to charge less to allow families to do more for their loved ones, and we will continue to uphold this commitment.”
Watch on STV player https://player.stv.tv/summary/tonight or ITV hub https://www.itv.com/hub/tonight/1a2803a1254
