Anybody See This. Fines For Overingrunning Time

There is a place where you can get buried in a forest, no coffin just straight to earth in a linen sheet I think
Your plot is with other like minded folk in circles round a tree and no headstone, but you are allocated the exact coordinates of your plot so loved ones can visit anytime
It is more expensive than a cremation but more natural ...ish
That's how I would prefer it, returning back to the earth.

I hate HATE how even funerals have quadrupled in cost in the last ten years or so...casket, funeral director, cars, service. I guess the council charge an ever increasing fee for each private service

 

Absolutely Godz honest truth.

Might have mentioned it before, but...

Dad was ex Seaforth Highlanders, came out of the army into the Cheshire police (lucky me, I got born in Cheshire ) was in that for 20 years, retired and we moved to Ayrshire, where after a couple of jobs he became an undertaker.

This particular day the phone rings, its the police. A guy has dropped dead in his front garden cutting the grass, can dad come out with the hearse and collect him and take him to the pathologist dude. Make it snappy, he's lying in the front garden.

So off he goes, heading down the road, and gets snapped by plod with a hand held vascar unit, doing 35 in a 30. Plod pulls him up.

Dad explains he's on a police call, but plods having none of it, "you are doing 35 in a 30 zone, I measured it on my speed camera".

Dad says "I was in the police myself... I tested one of those for Cheshire, and registered an oak tree moving at 5mph". So, what he's trying to say is that they have some margin of error, but again, plods having nothing of it. Decides he doesn't like the fact that dad is prepared to argue the toss, and says "What's your occupation?"

Dad's sat there in a hearse, pin stripe suit, tails, top hat on the seat.... "I'm a f***ING taxi driver. What's it ****ING look like?"

Needless to say, he got a ticket. Glad to say he could laugh about it..... Later. Well, quite a bit later, actually

 

Yes it is s production line unfortunately, but it has to be efficient otherwise someone at the end of the day isn’t going to get buried. We had to wait 3 weeks for My father in laws funeral because the crematorium was booked solid. Costa geriatric, but they should have a time buffer so that, in my mums case, if it’s delayed, through no fault of ours, you shouldn’t have to be rushed let alone fined. Maybe the crem thought the bikers were getting restless and making too much noise and wanted them in quickly, but someone else shouldn’t have to suffer for it.

 

Seems like they are trying to cram too many services into too little time... It's like this everywhere - such as at work where people put back to back meetings in diaries not thinking about 'travel' time between meetings... They then wonder why everyone is late.

Funerals are clearly an emotional time - being rushed through is insensitive - but then making the next funeral wait is as bad.

A little more clarity and setting expectations would go a long way - also having a 'clearing/turn around' period between funerals would provide slack time for the occasional over-run and reduce the pressure to abandon your loved ones without a proper goodbye.

You just have to ensure you don't book that US Minister Michael Curry to do the service or you'd lose your house paying the over-run fines!

 

It's a bit like going to the vet... You have pet insurance to cover the costs, so they put their prices up because the insurance will pay them.

Funeral insurance plans, same thing. Many people are scared of not being able to pay for their funeral, so they take out insurance, and the costs go up accordingly. It's all down to greed at the end of the day.

Funeral insurance though... I'll be dead, so I'm not going to be particularly worried if I can't afford it..... Dig a hole, tip me in.

 

Another reason to be ashamed to be british.
Just when you think this country cant sink any lower!!!

 

I remember being on the top deck of a bus with my mum, going past a cemetery, she said, "that place is full of people who once thought they were indispensable." I was too young to understand at the time, but I now think of it as one of her many pearls of wisdom. Insightful rather than funny, I guess.

 

Cynically one could suppose unfairly fining someone at their weakest point is an easy way to boost revenues.....

 

Oh, twice

 

I have a very good friend who has been a funeral director for over 40 years. I showed him the OP post and he was disgusted. He told me in all his time he has never known anyone being charged for overrunning let alone a minute or so. Most of the crems he attends have an allotment of 15 to 20 minutes between services to take overrunning into account. Burials are the same but with 30 minutes between services, this happens a lot less these days due to the lack of space and costs.
As for cost-cutting. There is nothing to stop you from building your own coffin. As long as it follows the sizing and construction guidelines or even taking the body in the coffin in a day rent van for £29.00. Cheaper if you own a Volvo estate to the Crem.
Myself i want the cheapest way to cremate me. I don't want any fancy cars or flowers. If people want to celebrate me after the service they can buy their own drinks and sand wedges. Am sure my family could do better things with the saved monies.

 

Yep you can get ashes made up into pretty much anything these days. My wife has a pendant made from our pet dog's ashes. Wears it often as a reminder of him, we have a little joke about him being with us when we are out and about.....