Complaining about a funeral

This page tells you what you can do if you're not happy with the service you've received from a funeral director.

Your rights when you pay for a funeral service?

When you pay for a funeral, you have a right for the service you get from the funeral director to be carried out:

• with reasonable care and skill

• within the time agreed or at a reasonable time if no time has been agreed

• at the cost agreed or at a reasonable cost if no cost has been agreed.

If you've agreed a price with the funeral director, they shouldn't charge you more than this unless they discussed it with you first and agreed a new cost.

If the funeral director deliberately misled you about the cost of the funeral, they may have broken  the law and you should report them to Trading Standards.

More about your options if you're unhappy with a service.

How to make a complaint

If you have a complaint, speak to the funeral director. If they are a member of a professional association, check the association's code of practice to see the standard of service you should expect. If speaking to the funeral director doesn't work, put your complaint in writing.

If you don't get a satisfactory response to your complaint, you might be able to complain to a professional association, if the funeral director is a member of one. They may have an arbitration or conciliation scheme which can sort out the problem.

If the funeral director isn't a member of a professional organisation, your only option for taking your complaint further may be to take legal action.

Next steps

More about how to check whether a funeral director is a member of a professional association.

Report a problem to Trading Standards

If you need more help