SAIF urges SunLife to clarify ‘simple funeral’ definition amid latest report
The SAIF has pointed out that what SunLife has described as a ‘simple funeral’ is regarded as a traditional funeral by a vast majority of UK funeral directors
The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) has called on SunLife to issue a clarification on the way it calculates the cost of funerals, as the trade association fears that consumers are being misled.
The criticism follows SunLife’s publication of its latest Cost of Dying Report, which claims that the average cost of a ‘simple funeral’ has risen by 3.5% during the past year to £4,285.
However, the SAIF is concerned that the figure is based on items not normally included in a ‘simple funeral’, such as a more expensive higher grade coffin and a limousine.
According to the trade body, it is also at odds with the attended funeral that all funeral directors are legally required to offer under Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) rules, which is seen as a useful benchmark for a ‘simple funeral’.
The CMA’s standardised price list, which became law in 2021, states that the only transport offered in an attended funeral is the hears, and coffins are described as “suitable” – generally taken to be low cost oak veneer.
The SAIF has pointed out that what SunLife has described as a ‘simple funeral’ is regarded as a traditional funeral by a vast majority of UK funeral directors.
Declan Maguire, president of the SAIF, said: “We’re disappointed to see this confusing terminology in SunLife’s latest report. The funeral sector and the CMA have worked hard to ensure transparency for consumers, and the progress we’ve made risks being undermined by these figures.
“This is why SAIF commissioned a new independent annual report that provides the real average cost of a funeral in the UK. Consumers should not be driven by fear to purchase prepaid funeral products based on reports from insurers. Based on our report, a typical simple funeral costs several hundreds of pounds less than SunLife claims.”
He added: “We call upon SunLife to commit to providing clarification in the short term, reviewing its report methodology and working with the funeral sector to support the CMA’s guidance on transparency.”
