Funeral Director charging more for headstone work than I signed for?

[Geebs]

Can anyone give advice on this problem please?

3 month ago I went to a local funeral directors office to arrange to have an inscription added to a headstone. We agreed a price of £200.66, I paid a £50 deposit. Now I have received a bill for £467.96 less £50 deposit so I owe £417.96 according to them. I have my signed copy of the Order which clearly states £200.66.

Now this extra charge is for "removal & refix" of a headstone, I was not told about this charge, so I have not agreed to it. As far as I am concerned I owe £200.66 less £50 deposit so I owe £150.66.

Will I be in the right to refuse to pay the extra there claim I owe, and so just send them a cheque for £150.66 which I agreed and signed for? Can anyone give advice on whether I legally owe this extra amount?

[MissFM]

Re: Funeral Director charging more for headstone work than I signed for?

Hello Geebs

Don't know what your legal situation is (am sure others on this site do!) but it does sound a rather similar problem to one I have with a wedding provider. People do seem to play on the fact that you are very vulnerable at these times and don't want to argue about money - not to put too fine a point on it, some people seem to routinely overcharge and hope you will find it too distasteful to argue and/or be too emotional to notice. What I would do is pay by cheque what you agreed with a covering note saying that it is a full and final settlement according to your prior agreement (with copy of that contract) and see what happens.

Best of luck!

FM

[astraldream]

Re: Funeral Director charging more for headstone work than I signed for?

Are they a member of the NAFD? This is the National Association of Funeral Directors. If you don't get anywhere with the Funeral Directors complaints procedure then these are the people to approach if they are members. Being open and honest about the prices and giving written estimates are part of the policy. the remove and refix is a fee the Cemetery (normally although areas can vary) charge, if the headstone was last fitted pre 1996 then a NAMM fitting MUST be used when refitting and if it isn't then the Cemetery will not allow this to go on.

[enaid]

Re: Funeral Director charging more for headstone work than I signed for?

As far as I know they charge by letter and the cost depends on the finish, kind of stone etc, that should be on your invoice as to the cost of that. The cost of the removal and replacement of the stone should also be on the original invoice. I personally think what they are trying to charge is a lot indeed.
I would try find their price list they maybe on the internet or ask someone to call in and get one from their office and see what it says on that.

[Sapphire]

Re: Funeral Director charging more for headstone work than I signed for?

I had my mums details added to my dads stone 3 years ago, just her name, dob and date of death, ,cleaned and re-gilded, cost me just under £800.

[Geebs]

Re: Funeral Director charging more for headstone work than I signed for?

Thanks for the replies, they are indeed a member of the NAFD. The original headstone was fitted around March 2003.
The "Memorial Order" I have here states 53 letters at £1.96 per letter, plus £76 cemetary fee plus VAT.
No mention anywhere about a removal or refit fee.
I have sent them a letter and cheque for what we agreed, and told them I do not accept any extra charges.
I'll await there reply, and let you know what they say.

[Geebs]

Re: Funeral Director charging more for headstone work than I signed for?

Just checked my bank account online, and they have cashed my cheque. So let the fun begin.

[MissFM]

Re: Funeral Director charging more for headstone work than I signed for?

Geebs -

I think you are home and dry. If you told them it was your full and final and they banked it, it means they accept that it is all you owe. I think. But do check with Tboy or one of the other ****-hot legal ones.

[ODC]

Re: Funeral Director charging more for headstone work than I signed for?

If your Funeral Director was a member of either the National Association of Funeral Directors or

National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) then they are bound by a charter on how they conduct their business. Had they discovered more work need done then they are obliged to advise you of this charge before commencing work..

As a former Funeral Director I can see what has possibly happened in your case. Most headstones have the additional inscriptions added to them in situ in the Graveyard or Churchyard by the memorial mason. If however when the guy went to add the inscription he discovered the headstone to be loose and therefore a danger then it would need to be secured before the inscription could be added. I t would be a poor memorial

mason who would leave a headstone insecure.

That said though he should have contacted you to advise you of the situation.

Rather than making threats of legal action my advice would have been to approach the Funeral Director and ask for an explanation of the charge and as to why you were not informed about it prior to the work being commenced.

If you and he cannot come to an amiable resolution then a complaint to whichever trade body he belongs to will result in an impartial investigation without the need to involve either solicitors or courts.

[Geebs]

Re: Funeral Director charging more for headstone work than I signed for?

There is no way the headstone was loose or insecure, before they got they hands on it, I have witnesses to this.

I havent threatened them with legal action, they give me a price, of which I "signed" for £200.66. No way does this mean they can charge an extra £276 without my authorisation. That is a crazy amount for removal and refix, and a bag a readymix costs £5 ish. They should have given me an explanation as to the extra cost, and said we can come to arrangement about the extra, but no, they just sent a bill. IMO they have acted in a disgracefull manner. They know fine well, they should have informed me of an extra charge before the work was done, and got my permission for it. The Funeral Directors are in the wrong, not me. As far as I am concerned, I signed a legally binding document for the sum of £200.66, and this is what they are getting, therefore ending my legal obligation.

[labman]

Re: Funeral Director charging more for headstone work than I signed for?

Geebs -

I think you are home and dry. If you told them it was your full and final and they banked it, it means they accept that it is all you owe. I think. But do check with Tboy or one of the other ****-hot legal ones.

Very nearly, but not quite. They are perfectly entitled to cash the cheue, as long as they write within a reasonable time to state they had banked it on account towards the debt.

If you don't hear within the next week or so, you may be OK, but there are never any guarantees with F&F's as they are formed on Common Law of Contract, each case stands or falls on its own merits. :beagle:

[ODC]

Re: Funeral Director charging more for headstone work than I signed for?

There is no way the headstone was loose or insecure, before they got they hands on it, I have witnesses to this.

I havent threatened them with legal action, they give me a price, of which I "signed" for £200.66. No way does this mean they can charge an extra £276 without my authorisation. That is a crazy amount for removal and refix, and a bag a readymix costs £5 ish. They should have given me an explanation as to the extra cost, and said we can come to arrangement about the extra, but no, they just sent a bill. IMO they have acted in a disgracefull manner. They know fine well, they should have informed me of an extra charge before the work was done, and got my permission for it. The Funeral Directors are in the wrong, not me. As far as I am concerned, I signed a legally binding document for the sum of £200.66, and this is what they are getting, therefore ending my legal obligation.

If there was a recent burial in the grave it is very likely that the headstone and/or surround had become loose. As i previously suggested contact your Funeral Director and try to sort things out in an amicable fashion.

If you think you could reset a headstone properly with just a £5 bag of readymix I suggest you start up your own business as you will be inundated with customers. Sadly you will be bankrupt within a month.

[Inca]

Re: Funeral Director charging more for headstone work than I signed for?

My Mums headstone was removed and had something written on it without the permission of immediate family,MM's were mortified when they found out,took stone down and re did it. Didn't want to charge us a penny but we paid a certain amount,,wasn't their fault.

[Geebs]

Re: Funeral Director charging more for headstone work than I signed for?

If there was a recent burial in the grave it is very likely that the headstone and/or surround had become loose. As i previously suggested contact your Funeral Director and try to sort things out in an amicable fashion.

No there was nothing loose with the headstone after a burial, and if they was it is there duty to inform me before any work starts of an extra charge especially as it is more than double the original order.

[salsmoss]

Re: Funeral Director charging more for headstone work than I signed for?

No there was nothing loose with the headstone after a burial, and if they was it is there duty to inform me before any work starts of an extra charge especially as it is more than double the original order.

The price you agreed to is the price you pay, if a roofer did this he would be convicted of deception. You are totally in the right to pay what you agreed on, end of. The plinth would most certainly would of taken a bag of aggregate and the purchase of a bag of cement and probably a shovel of sand to bed it, then place the head stone onto the plinth, if a recent burial had taken place and the head stone disturbed then the company should of re bedded free of charge as they would of caused it. Well done Geebs.

PS
Name and shame the company, too much of this going on and many people getting ripped off by companies who you think would never do such a thing, NAME AND SHAME would help others to inform others, if this company has done it to you then it should be made public.