FUNERAL DIRECTORS TERMS OF BUSINESS FULL STATEMENT
We are a member of the National Association of Funeral Directors and subscribe to its current Code of Practice, a copy of which is available on request from the office. We aim to act in a professional manner and provide a courteous, sensitive and dignified service to you.
Estimates and Expenses
The estimate sets out the services we agree to supply. This estimate is an indication of the charges likely to be incurred on the basis of the information and details we know at the date of the estimate. While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the estimate, the charges are liable to alteration particularly where third parties change their rates or charges.
We may not know the amount of third party charges in advance of the funeral; however we give you a best estimate of such charges in the written estimate. Please note that although we may instruct a third party on the customers behalf for the purposes of supplying a service, we however have no liability for such services, and the customer remains liable for the full amount of fees for the third party supplier. The actual amount of the charges will be detailed and shown in the final account.
If you amend your instructions we may require your written confirmation of the changes. We may need to make an extra charge in accordance with our published price list.
Payment arrangements
The company would request a £1,300 deposit on an attended cremation funeral. Full payment is requested for an unattended funeral. The company would request a £1,000 deposit for burial funeral and £2,000 deposit for burial funeral where a new burial layer is requested. The funeral deposit is requested during funeral arrangements, before funerals are processed and the funeral account is due for payment within 30 days of the date of the funeral, unless agreed by us in writing.
If you fail to pay us in full, by the due date, we may charge you interest:
At a rate of 4% above our bank’s Base Rate from time to time in force, calculated (on a daily basis) from the date of our account until payment.
Compounded on the first day of each month and before and after any judgement (unless a Court orders otherwise)
We may recover the cost of taking legal action to make you pay.
Indemnity
You are to indemnify us in full and hold us harmless from all expenses and liabilities we may incur (directly or indirectly including financing costs and including legal cost on a full indemnity basis) following a breach by you of any of your obligations under these Terms of Business.
This means that you are liable to us for losses we incur because you do not comply with these Terms of Business. For example we may charge you an administration fee where we receive a cheque from you which is subsequently not honoured or if we write to remind you the account is overdue. If we instruct debt collection agents we may also recover from you the fees we incur. Further details regarding these fees are available on request. We may claim these losses from you at any time and, if we have to take legal action, we will ask the court to make you pay our legal costs.
Data Protection
We respect the confidential nature of the information given to us and, where you provide us with personal data we will ensure that the data is held securely, in confidence and processed for the purpose of carrying out our services. In order to provide our services we may need to pass such data to third parties and those third parties, who are performing some of the services for you, may contact you directly. Under the Act you have the right to know what data we are holding on you and you can, by applying to us in writing, receive copies of that data.
Cooling-off period
The Cancellation of Consumer Contracts made in the Consumer’s Home or Place of Work Regulations 2013 may give you the right to terminate this agreement in the cooling-off period of fourteen days. If you wish the performance of the agreement to which this right applies to commence before the end of the cooling-off period, you must sign the authority in the form which will be handed to you. In the event that you exercise the right to cancel this contract during the cooling-off period, you may be required to pay a reasonable amount for goods and services already supplied.
Termination
This agreement may also be terminated before the services are delivered
1:- by us if you fail to honour your obligations under these Terms of Business and
2:- by you communicating to us in writing, terminating your instructions.
If we or you terminate your instructions you may, depending on the reason for termination, be asked to pay a reasonable amount based upon the work carried out up to the time your termination is received.
Standards of service
The National Association of Funeral Directors’ code of practice requires that we provide a high quality of service in all aspects. If you have any questions or concerns about the service we provide to you, please raise them in the first instance with our Office Manager. If that does not resolve the problem to your satisfaction the National Association of Funeral Directors through the NAFD Resolve Scheme provides a “free to the user” dispute resolution service, as an alternative to legal action. You can contact the NAFD Resolve at 618 Warwick Road, Solihull, West Midlands, B91 1AA or by telephone 01217111636. The NAFD Resolve Service and how it works can be accessed, is explained in the leaflet ‘NAFD Resolve’ made available to you and on display on our premises. NAFD Resolve provides independent conciliation and arbitration through CEDR, an independent non profit organisation and registered charity with conciliation and adjudication services provided by qualified professionals.
All dates and times provided on the estimate cannot be guaranteed until final bookings are made and confirmed. Although we endeavour to provide a prompt and efficient service for you, there may be instances where, because of circumstances beyond our control, we are unable to fulfil our obligations to you on the date and time specified. Where this is the case we will contact you in advance, and advise you of alternative arrangements.
Agreement
Your continuing instruction will amount to your continuing acceptance of these Terms of Business.
Your instructions will not create any right enforceable by the virtue of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties Act 1999) by any person not identified as our client.
If any of these terms are unenforceable as drafted:-
It will not affect the enforceability of any other of these Terms; and if it would be enforceable if amended, it will be treated as so amended.
Nothing in these Terms restricts or limits our liability for death or personal injury.
This agreement is subject to Scots Law. If you decide to commence legal action, you may do so, in any appropriate UK Court.
