Hull funeral home under investigation...

[Two Gun Bob]

Most people assume that something as important as the funeral services industry must always have had good regulation and oversight. Somewhat incredibly it's never really had any at all, until very recently and even now the newly instituted regulatory body isn't yet fully operational. Prior to the recent changes it was pretty much the wild west and it will take time to get it to the level needed. When you consider it's the ultimate 'distress purchase', that it has been left to its own devices is quite shocking. I did some work in the sector a few years back and it was very interesting. My experience was that it was full of people on the ground who were very dedicated and took great care of the deceased and their families but given the lack of regulation, too many senior managers in the sector were extremely complacent and had done little to nothing to offer better services or value for decades and decades on end.

NAFD .. Been In operation since at least the eighties that I am aware of?

The Funeral Director Code - The NAFD

The Funeral Director Code details guidance on the actions, behaviour and standards of NAFD funeral home and supplier members. Learn more here.

www.nafd.org.uk

 

[Gaylord du Bois]

My experience was that it was full of people on the ground who were very dedicated and took great care of the deceased and their families

Same here. All very down to earth.

 

[threespires]

NAFD .. Been In operation since at least the eighties that I am aware of?

NAFD is an industry body. Bit like asking the PL to regulate itself. Fine as a trade association but absolutely not appropriate for self regulation etc. In fairness the more scrupulous NAFD members were up for regulation because they saw it as a way to get rid of dodgier operators (and hoover up their customers obviously).

The independent regulator is called IFSO I think still in the process of setting itself up I believe.

 

[threespires]

Same here. All very down to earth.

As part of the work I was doing I spent the best part of a year visiting probably around 50 locations ranging from funeral homes of all shapes and sizes, crematoria, memorial masons, florists and even a coffin factory.

One of the things that has stayed with me was the way people generally behaved during the preparation and care of the deceased. It was not uncommon that people would address the deceased by name as if they were a member of their own family. It was both reassuring and touching.

 

[Phil1]

Mos people from Hull look like they’ve been dead for a few weeks so they’d have been better off just leaning the bodies against a wall. Nobody would have noticed anything wrong.

Scandalous story though. Some proper wrong’uns walking this earth.

 

[kippaxkid74]

That’s not fair. Some funeral directors do this. Most do not.

This particular scam is most likely a Direct Funeral scam where you pay peanuts for your loved one to be cremated wherever has the spare capacity to cremate extra bodies.

Direct cremation fees or "pure cremation" fees only amount to around £400, so not a great money saving scheme, when you consider your bodies are stacking up fast with nowhere to dispose of them?

Can i just say, direct cremation is not always like this.
Mum wanted one... it cost us £900 last summer, we got to sit for 5 hours with her coffin the day before to say our own goodbyes and treat it like a mini funeral for her, music, talking, looking at photos, just spending time... and then that company said they always use the same place (one near bury it was) and we were given a date it would be done( hence us going the day before), we even know the time as we noticed some paperwork dangling off the back side of mums coffin so had a read, and it said 8.30am the next morning (all we had know was it was to be the next day).
Direct cremations have come on since the days and image of "you don't know when it would be until you get the ashes back".

Don't know why i logged in to type all this really - i still cry all the time about losing mum.... I need her.

And this story makes me so angry for the familes...


(and we know we got mum back btw... as my sister asked for her metal knee to be included, so there it is in it's separate box... a charred metal knee...) (What i'm supposed to ever do with that i'm not sure!) (But mum was very proud of how she got on wit that knee)

 

[mexico1970]

Can i just say, direct cremation is not always like this.
Mum wanted one... it cost us £900 last summer, we got to sit for 5 hours with her coffin the day before to say our own goodbyes and treat it like a mini funeral for her, music, talking, looking at photos, just spending time... and then that company said they always use the same place (one near bury it was) and we were given a date it would be done( hence us going the day before), we even know the time as we noticed some paperwork dangling off the back side of mums coffin so had a read, and it said 8.30am the next morning (all we had know was it was to be the next day).
Direct cremations have come on since the days and image of "you don't know when it would be until you get the ashes back".

Don't know why i logged in to type all this really - i still cry all the time about losing mum.... I need her.

And this story makes me so angry for the familes...

I feel for you mate, the loss of your mum is one of the biggest losses of your life, she was obviously well loved and thought of.

 

[kippaxkid74]

Thank you. I miss her. She's my world.... it's only my 7 year old son that's kept me going.

 

[mexico1970]

Thank you. I miss her. She's my world.... it's only my 7 year old son that's kept me going.

That's your focus mate, he needs you like you need your mum, poignant bitter sweet memories is where it ends up a happy remembrance of the good times.

Believe me mate it'll get to that point and it's a very good feeling.

 

[didsburyblu]

My take which is pure guesswork is that it's come out that they were in severe financial peril which causes people to do crazy things.

34 bodies being removed from one funeral home is a hell of a lot so potentially they were taking the money off people for direct cremation but then not actually booking anything, no one attends so no one is any the wiser and the money is pocketed to help towards their dire financial situation.


Maybe the plan going forward was to put the left over bodies into coffins already carrying a body and dispose of them that way. Yes it would give extra weight, yes it would provide extra ashes which all could of caught them out but in times of desperation people don't always think straight.

Maybe the plan going forward was to do that at direct cremations or funerals whereby only their staff were the pallbearers so the extra weight could be more easily concealed as once it's placed in the Crematorium for any service it's thereafter moved via a trolley so easier to conceal the extra weight.

I'm sure the truth will come out eventually but horrific for the families involved anyway.