funeral plans......bullying

I hve a small life insurance policy that will go towards the cost of my funeral, I want nothing extravagant either! I also save a small amount in a designated savings account to help towards the cost too so when the inevitable day arrives my I'm confident that my daughters will not be out of pocket, they may have to pay up front themselves but the money will be available once my estate is settled. I flatly refuse to buy into a plan where the company might go bankrupt, someone could misuse funds or my daughters might not want to deal with those specific indivuals.

Also recommending Golden Charter here. I actually used to work for them a good few years ago and they use a network of independent funeral directors across the country. The money you pay for the funeral is held in a trust account. They also take notes as extensive or simply as the person making the arrangements want (my job was to record these requests on file - and some were very simple and others could be a bit more “off the wall”).

Mr C wants a 'Viking' funeral: put in a boat, boat set alight and pushed off into the sea...!

Being as we don't live remotely near the sea or know any friendly Vikings, any other ideas?

I may actually speak to the companies suggested here to see if there is such a thing, who knows, there may be...

I told my husband to put me out with the bins! I'd like a Viking funeral really but I don't think they're strictly legal.

A one-day offer... right. Because you picked exactly the right day on which it was on. She needs a lesson or ten in manners.

My late husband said he wanted the cheapest possible funeral, so I went to the local Co-op, saying those were his instructions. They complied, and the cost was modest.
I have left similar instructions for my children.

@silverlining48 your maths is wrong. You've added an extra 0 and the cost quoted is a little under £10k!

Nanna Pat Yes I did know that and acknowledged mistake as soon as I had posted.

When an Uncle died, one of his cousins had called the Co-op on my Mothers behalf, !!!!!!!

She for once waited until I arrived that evening, and we discussed it.
She had used the Co-op for my Father and did not like them at all.
I contacted a local company in the area my Uncle lived, then called the Co-op to say they would not be needed.
The woman was really rude, even trying to threaten breach of contract. When I asked which contract she said she had a verbal contact with my Mother I asked the name of the caller (cousin) and told them to get in touch with her.
Also informed them that I would involve a lawyer if they ever contacted my Mother.
The thing is she would probably have given in to them, in fear.
The local company is excellent and has since been used by many of the family including me for my Mother.

You should check out moneysavingextra.com which has comprehensive information about buying a funeral plan and what pitfalls to look out for. At the very least you should check that the company is signed up to the Funeral Planning Authority.

I lived abroad for years and did not intend to return to UK so had no insurances. Then in 2013 I had to return, I was 71. I had to find a way of making plans to cover funeral expenses. I decided to purchase premium bonds. I purchased them as and when I could, they are there if I have an emergency or they will be there for funeral expenses. I also looked online and found really pretty eco coffins, took photo, they were under £200, so added the photo and where they could purchase them. Now have peace of mind and my children won't need to worry about paying for my funeral.

Camelotclub

I told my husband to put me out with the bins! I'd like a Viking funeral really but I don't think they're strictly legal.

I would absolutely love a Viking funeral and have done since I watched the film the Vikings with Kirk Douglas!!! but unfortunately won’t be happening however I know that you can get a miniature viking longship to put the ashes in and send out to sea......

Here it is.....

Sorry it’s a bit blurred but you get the idea

I bought my funeral long ago. We spoke to a local funeral director who was really helpful and refused to take payment on the day saying that we should think about it speak to family if we wished and give him a call if we were happy with the package. We paid a competive rate and let my children know we had arranged this. I then put the plan in the bank and have never thought about it since.

Candelle - I recommend to your OH then film What we did on our Holiday starring Billy Connolly and David Tenant. It is very funny and moving and highly relevant to his funeral wishes.

how do you go about donating your body to science MS as a matter of interest?

good idea to think about the funeral plan but it would have a bad idea to go with such a horrible company. well done with putting the phone down. there are lots of others out there so do not worry about one bad apple . i'm glad you have complained

Agree I have done Pure Cremmation cheap polite.......they seem to get good reviews and I am happy with all their information had polite phone calls. such a relief I have sorted it out knowing no stress for my family.

Good for you Boodymum67.
I would have done exactly the same with a few naughtyies thrown in.tut tut

Hi green green grass. I have Spinal PPMS...a rare type, so they may want to peek at what`s what eh? It took 22 years to diagnose!

Thank you everyone for your replies.
The topic certainly got us all fired up......sorry for the unfortunate pun!

Ah aggressive sales people!

I was in a mall once, with my 6 months old baby and this guy tries to sell me a $40 cream for my under eyes, he asked if I got enough sleep

After me saying I am not interested and that I was late for an appointment for 3 minutes, trying to be polite, he blurted:
"Dont you want to be beautiful for your husband"
Oh my! I cannot believe he went there. How much lower was he willing to go?

I told him he was a terrible salesman and left a negative review in yelp.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Open an ISA account and put the £80 odd cost in monthly. You can then access the money when needed plus get some, admittedly minute, interest. You keep control of your money. You could save
approx £1000 a year - your money available when you might need it.