* CMA requires all funeral directors to list prices from
Sept.
* Prices must be displayed at premises and website
* CMA bans referral incentive payments to hospitals, care
homes
(Adds detail, background)
By Yadarisa Shabong
June 16 (Reuters) - Funeral directors and crematorium
operators in Britain have until September to show a standardised
list of prices, from overall costs to a break-down of the
products and services they offer or risk legal action, Britain's
competition watchdog said.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Wednesday
ordered that from Sept. 16, all funeral directors must show the
price list at their premises and on their websites.
It has also banned from Thursday funeral directors from
paying hospitals, care homes and other institutions for customer
referrals and from soliciting business through coroner and
police contracts. (https://bit.ly/3zxANDd)
An investigation focusing on funeral directors and
crematoria services was launched in 2019 after a market study in
2018 revealed high prices were charged to distressed families
who relied on directors to help them navigate options.
The probe found, among other things, that prices for similar
services differed "considerably" between funeral directors and
the way information was provided, making it difficult for
grieving families to compare prices and choose.
However in August last year, the CMA said it could not
implement price controls because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which
has caused almost 128,000 deaths in Britain, the seventh highest
globally.
There are over 7,000 funeral companies in the United Kingdom
from small family firms to large corporations such as Dignity
and Co-op Funeralcare.
"We urge funeral directors and crematorium operators to
start making these changes now," CMA Panel Inquiry Chair Martin
Coleman said.
"We will be keeping a close eye on the sector and stand
ready to take action if firms don't follow the rules."
The standardised list must include the overall price of a
funeral, the price of the individual items comprising the
funeral, such as the type of ceremony and coffins, and certain
additional products and services such as flowers, the CMA said.
(Reporting by Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak
Dasgupta and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
