Direct Cremation plan

18wood

Looking at a direct cremation plan with Simplicity Cremations. Anyone know anything about them? Thanks.

kuratowski

I would check whether they are registered with the Funeral Planning Authority
https://funeralplanningauthority.co.uk/

BooJewels

I'm just organising a Direct Cremation and was struggling with who to use and was going to ring round local funeral directors to see if they offered it and found that the nearest one is actually now a Co-op Funeralcare agent and they do Direct Cremations, for about the same price as the ones that advertise on TV.   https://www.coop.co.uk/funeralcare/funeral-services/direct-cremation

I personally was happier with a service with a long standing reputation and who have an office that I could actually walk to.

tealady

I havent bothered with one of these companies.
I told my executor (who is also the main beneficiary) that I want my funeral to be as cheap as possible.
The less they spend, the more they get, a "win, win" IMO.

scoot65

I arranged a Direct Cremation about 18 months ago. I used Co-op Funeral service. Total cost was circa £1400 all in if I remember correctly. The person died in hospital and the Co-op staff dealt with all the logistics. I found that the whole process was professional and respectful.

When the time comes to arrange another funeral, I'll be using the Co-op's Direct Cremation service again. 

SevenOfNine

Most of the funeral directors where I live do them. Much more easily available/popular than they might have once been because of covid limitations being so tight.  FD's have adapted & I don't see them reverting back to the overpriced alternative - it's loved ones who may not be keen on something so basic.

Technosaurus

SevenofNine makes an excellent point - the funeral, weirdly, is really for the people left behind than the deceased. Most people might say "just put me in a binliner at the side of the road, haha!" but when push comes to shove the next of kin usually want an excuse to meet up, perhaps have a drink with family afterwards.

Where I live, direct cremations are only available in set 10 min slots usually at 8.30-9am. So even going for pint afterwards is  largely impossible. It still takes 90 minutes to burn the body after that, each body taking up one cremator. So they're not particularly popular with crematoriums either, who can charge another few hundred quid to the 'normal' funerals for almost exactly the same resources. It's not uncommon for the "direct" cremations to have to wait for a gap in the schedule at the start or end of another day, creating delays for collecting the ashes. 

It wouldn't surprise me if councils start doing everything they can to make direct cremations harder and harder to book, leaving the next of kin potentially hanging around for several weeks between death and funeral. Usually at this point the private sector will swoop in but the privately owned crematoriums around here are all owned by Dignity, the world's largest funeral director, who will also have limited interest in hosting the less profitable services.

We are already seeing that "statutory only" weddings are only hosted at certain times on certain days (normally awkward times like 9.30am on a Tuesday) because councils legally have to offer them but have also twigged that they make far more money on the 'bells and whistles' stuff. Of course with weddings it's just a case of having to wait, but if you're looking to get closure on your dead Mum/Dad/Brother/whatever, having to hang about can take its toll.

I'm not saying Direct Cremations are bad, indeed for some people they are exactly what they want, and of course for some people they are a financial necessity. But the above are the sort of things that people ordering them for themselves tend not to have thought about

Gers

Direct cremations do not normally allow any mourners to attend.  That's the whole point.  So yes, they tend to be done at 'off peak' times.

EDITED to add this link to a good explanation.

https://www.simplecremationshull.co.uk/direct-cremation/

My late mother's direct cremation was booked for 9.30a.m. so I sat at home quietly with a friend and spent the time reflecting and remembering. She thought very carefully about the options and was adamant that it was her choice.  She told all the medics and friends about it.  It was a delibrate decision which wasn't about money, she was very old, friends mostly gone before and a restriction on numbers all added to the process.

Technosaurus

I work in the funeral industry Gers so I have attended all types of funerals... and my wage more-or-less stays the same whether it's Direct or not, so I don't have a vested interest!!! It sounds like you and your late mother had a very positive outcome with a Direct cremation, which is great (although sorry for your loss). 

My concern about people buying a plan for them without necessarily consulting their next of kin is that they often just see it as a financial decision without getting into emotional concerns of those left behind. I have had to turn well-wishers away from a service before, because it was 'Direct' - they had driven a considerable distance and the family had advertised when funeral would be on Facebook without realising what a 'Direct cremation' really meant. They clearly hadn't talked about it (deceased died quite suddenly reasonably young) and the family were too grief-stricken to fully comprehend when the time came.

The family themselves were very distraught about not being able to attend, but ultimately had it explained to them at considerable length. However it caused a lot of bad blood in the run-up - if I remember correctly one of the sons/daughters was actually reasonably well off and the other siblings sort of expected them to put their hand in their pocket to 'upgrade' to a normal funeral so people could attend. When they refused, it caused an almighty row, then on the day several more carloads of people got turned away (including a couple of family members who thought they would try their luck anyway). Nobody was in the wrong and ultimately the deceased got their wishes, but clearly it hadn't been discussed in advance.

BooJewels

I'm not sure I agree with the comment about Direct Cremations being a cheap option that councils resent and push to the outer time limits and resent not getting as much money for and will seek to restrict in future. 

I've arranged 2 funerals recently, a regular one (deep in 1st lockdown, so minimal service anyway, but through a funeral director) and a Direct one last week.  In both cases, the cremation fee appeared on paperwork and was almost the same - so that part at least doesn't cost less.   Maybe providing an attended service adds another separate fee, but the act of cremating the body is possibly closely regulated anyway.  If you're getting less (i.e no service), you clearly expect to pay less.

It was explained to me that the Direct Cremations are at either end of the day because those time slots are much less popular for services with attending mourners, yet the cremators need to be fired up ready for the day and they do fit in between regular services.  That just makes efficiency sense to me - and perhaps ensures that the crem make money for times that might be unused anyway.  The time for my one, simply does not matter to me - as I won't be there.  I've actually asked not to be told when it happens.  Waiting for ashes is not an issue for me either.

I've also seen a lot of talk in this forum about how mourners will resent not having the opportunity to say goodbye and pay their respects.  But when ringing and telling people of his passing, when I explain, not one person has had any issue with it - they all seem to give a tiny little sigh of relief when they realise they don't need to take time off work etc.  In line with his wishes, we'll have a party to celebrate his life when Covid restrictions make it sensible to do so and everyone has seen that as a much more sensible idea. 

The one close family member that I thought was going to be most problematic declared "thank goodness for that, I hate funerals and didn't really want to go at all, but knew I'd be expected to".  Another elderly family member commented on it in advance and was quite outraged and told me as much.  Then rang a day or two later and had been thinking about it more carefully and decided that she fancied the idea for herself and would decide after this one had passed, see how she felt after not attending.

BooJewels

@Technosaurus - that situation, whilst incredibly unfortunate, does not reflect on the Direct Cremation process itself, but on human beings not communicating efficiently or appropriately.  

My husband and I discussed it at length before he passed and his reasons all made perfect sense - my son and I fully understand and comprehend the process and are perfectly happy and at peace with it.  I don't even know when it will happen and don't want to, as I don't actually want to even think about that process - I do know where, as it is needed on certain paperwork, but haven't told anyone else.  And if I don't know the date, I can legitimately spare anyone else from knowing too.  No one has actually asked yet.

I can't speak for others, but as the 'grieving widow' I'm very happy not to have to endure that process in public and anyone who has mentioned flowers or anything of that kind, I've asked them to make a donation to one of the charities that has helped us so much recently and that makes me happy that some good will come from it - that was his expressed wish too.

Funerals are very personal and I'm happy that we've settled on a system that we're very comfortable with and the reaction I've had to date has actually been very positive too.