75ZT Community

Anyone bought a funeral plan? I have had one with Golden Charter for ~ 25yrs. It offered four plans and I bought what was its top and most expensive. I was swayed by the quality American-type casket which the plan provides whereas the other three provided a coffin of varying quality dependent on the plan chosen. The value of the casket alone outwith the plan was said at the time to be worth most of what I was paying for my complete plan, which reinforced my view of a good deal.

So the years rolled by and in recent years I received a letter from Golden Charter showing what it thinks??? is a statement of what my plan provides. Its use of the word coffin in the statement stood out and set alarm bells ringing as great care was taken to differentiate it from a casket at the time. Is it a slip of the pen, I wonder, or is Golden Charter hoping that memory of the details of our contract might have faded and it is attempting to rewrite it at my expense. Hmmm?

Maybe they are under new management.

More than likely a new...undertaking....

This is something we are considering after we finally sorted wills and POA's. What has stopped us so far is the uncertainty of the longevity of the company's and their underwriters. I really need to look into what guarantees are in place. As for your "rewording" it's certainly worth a query?

Don't have a plan ourselves, but my parents both did. Pure cremation. I hope it worked for them, we experienced no problems. It was totally their choice, and we had no complaints.

Bermudan 75 wrote:More than likely a new...undertaking....

Pleeeease, this is a very grave matter.

Actually, you mention one of the problems that I'm going to have to deal with as does the post above yours re management. I guess funeral plans are like wills, the longer they run for the more chance of changeable events occurring. Will discuss further but had a long day out today and struggling to stay awake so will have to retire for now.

I have yet to contact Golden Charter (GC) about my concerns and I say concerns because more have arisen. Many shudder and put off discussing matters relating to this topic but at the end of the day someone has to sit down with an undertaker and do it. With a funeral plan you do this in advance of the inevitable and get to make your own arrangements, and in so doing you accept the responsibility and do not unfairly burden those you leave behind with having to sort things for you. They will thank you for it because at a time of bereavement emotions can be quite fragile and with many decisions having to be made in a very short time. It can be unbearably stressful.

In effect GC is an insurer as the services which the plan provides for are carried out by third parties. I had to nominate a church and an undertaker on my application, both have subsequently closed. I knew about the Church closing but the undertaker ceasing trading I found out via a letter from GC advising me of it and of its nominated replacement. I have never heard of its replacement and not without good reason. It is not local, not even in the same town and is what I would describe as regional. I have recently tried to nominate my own replacement but GC have rejected it saying that they can not currently give my business to a member of the Dignity Group - of which my chosen replacement apparently is. This set another alarm bell ringing as I had no recollection of this constraint being mentioned at the time of application.

I knew that I had kept all paperwork and that I had placed it somewhere safe, so safe that I had to search high and low to find it for a few weeks on and off. Found it a couple of days ago and it is indeed very specific that the plan provides for a casket and the sales brochure shows this too together with what each of the three other plans include - coffin, coffin, coffin ... CASKET.

This statement of what I consider to be facts (note I didn't say story) doesn't fill me with confidence that ones wishes will be granted I'm afraid. It seems even at the end people are expected to have to fight for what is rightfully and legally theirs.
Good on you for standing up for yourself.

It would appear that GC are owned by an association of independent funeral directors. I presume that Dignity are not part of the gang.

It seems that they now have three plans:-

Direct Cremation Plan - A coffin suitable for cremation

Standard Plan - A simple coffin

Select Plan - A high-quality coffin

If you have an agreement with them for a casket, I would imagine that they are bound to provide that.