Overspending risk as just one in five compare funeral prices

Some eight in ten people do not compare funeral director costs when organising a funeral, according to the latest data from SunLife’s Cost of Dying report.

The UK’s longest running report into funeral costs revealed that despite spending an average of £4,271 on funerals, only 20 percent of those organising a funeral get more than one quote and fewer than five percent get more than two.

This means that many people across the UK could be spending more than they need to on a funeral – or not getting the service they want – because they are not making any comparisons with other funeral service providers nearby.

However, when it comes to buying other products, customers are much more likely to shop around with 89 percent comparing motor insurance and 75 percent comparing home insurance. Plus, these costs are much lower than the amount spent on funerals, with the average motor insurance policy costing £493 a year, while the average home insurance premium is £297 a year.

Ian Atkinson, marketing director at SunLife said: “When someone passes away you may have to choose a funeral director immediately to take the body away. It is a stressful and emotional time, and the last thing on most people’s minds is to start comparing funeral director’s prices, so, unless you have organised a funeral before you could end up just going for one you’ve heard of, or doing a quick search online and picking the first on the list.

“And once you have called a funeral director to collect up the body, you are unlikely to switch funeral directors even if you later realise you’d have preferred someone else.”