Funeral Terms and Conditions Dunstable Bedfordshire

Standard Terms and Conditions

These are our terms and conditions which will govern the contract between you and us. Any reference to ‘us’ or ‘we’ in these terms and conditions is a reference to Heritage Funerals Limited (company registration number 11679896).

By instructing us to act on your behalf and by signing our order form, you are agreeing to these terms and conditions.

Our services

1. We will provide the services listed on the arrangement form you have signed at the costs specified in the funeral estimate, subject to these terms and conditions. We may not be able to confirm the final price for certain services (such as the production of orders of service) until you supply us with additional details. If we cannot provide a final price upon signing the arrangement form, we will confirm it once we receive the necessary information from you in writing.

2. We cannot verify who has the right to organise the funeral. By entering into this contract, you confirm that you have the authority to arrange the funeral. If it later transpires that you lack this authority, you agree to indemnify us and hold us harmless against any costs, claims, and expenses arising from this. Should there be a dispute between you and another person regarding who is entitled to organise the funeral, we will be unable to resolve it, and you agree not to involve us in such disputes. We can provide details of Alternative Dispute Resolution services that may help resolve such disputes, but by entering into this contract, you recognise that we cannot settle these disputes and that our obligations are owed solely to you as our client, not to any third party.

3. We are registered as a data controller under the Data Protection Act 2018 and will comply with the UK Data Protection Rules at all times. We will use your personal information to organise the funeral, provide the services outlined in this contract, and inform you about bereavement support services and community groups. Your personal information will only be used to send you marketing materials by post unless you have given us permission to contact you electronically. We will not disclose your personal information to third parties unless it is necessary to deliver the goods and services you have requested. Details regarding the timing and specifics of the death and funeral are in the public domain and will not be regarded as personal information for these purposes. We retain records of funerals we have conducted indefinitely and may share information about the death and funeral with third parties upon request, but your personal information will not be shared without your explicit consent, except as described above.

4. We will accept verbal instructions to collect the deceased’s body. We will also accept verbal instructions to modify or amend the goods and services ordered, and additional fees may apply. However, we reserve the right to require you to confirm any verbal instruction, order, or variation of an order in writing. When we do so, you must confirm your verbal instructions to us in writing (which includes sending us a confirmatory email) within the period specified by us. If you do not confirm any verbal instructions within the period we specify, we will have no obligation to provide any additional or amended goods or services.

5. When you appoint us as your chosen funeral director, we might not be aware of the size and weight of the deceased. In such cases, the prices listed on the funeral estimate are based on the assumption that the size and weight of the deceased are within reasonable limits. If the size or weight of the deceased exceeds normal limits, we may need to amend your funeral estimate, as there are maximum sizes for every coffin, casket, hearse, grave, and crematorium. Additionally, while we generally aim to carry the coffin, we will be unable to do so if the weight of the deceased makes it unsafe for our staff. If we decide that it is necessary for safety reasons, we will supply a wheeled trolley to convey the coffin, and where this is required, we will endeavour to inform you before the funeral takes place.

6. Many of the services included in the funeral will not be provided directly by us but will be supplied by third parties such as celebrants, ministers, churches, cemeteries, crematoria, organists, gravediggers, and the like. By entering into this contract, you authorise us to engage third parties necessary to provide the services you have requested on your behalf as your agent, and you agree to be responsible for the fees payable to those third parties. These costs will be included in the final invoice we send to you.

7. The deceased will be transported to our premises once we receive instructions to proceed. Any soiled clothing will be regarded as clinical waste and sent for incineration. Other clothing and valuables will be removed, if possible, recorded, and dealt with according to your instructions.

8. Where the deceased is cremated, we will, if requested, store the deceased’s ashes free of charge for one year from the date of cremation, in accordance with the signed declaration. After that year, if you have not collected the ashes or given us instructions on how to handle them, we will scatter the ashes in a garden of remembrance at the crematorium where the cremation occurred.

We will only release the deceased’s ashes to you or to a person nominated by you.

Your rights and obligations

9. You agree to provide us with all information regarding the deceased, the proposed venue for the funeral, and details of the funeral arrangements that we reasonably require to organise and supply the requested goods and services. We shall be entitled to charge a reasonable administration fee if you fail to provide any such information promptly, and we will not be liable for any failure to supply the requested goods and services where our inability to do so results from your failure, inaccuracies, or lack of sufficient information.

10. You have the right to cancel any arrangements made for goods and services within 14 days of instructing us. To cancel our services, you must send us a written notice of cancellation to the address provided.

Heritage Funerals Limited

53 Katherine Drive

Dunstable

Bedfordshire

LU5 4NP

The cancellation notice becomes effective once we receive it. You cannot cancel goods or services that have already been supplied, or if the goods have been customised to your specifications and cannot be resold. If you cancel after we have begun providing services but before their completion, you will be liable to pay us for the services provided up to the point we are notified of the cancellation.

11. Once the funeral arrangements are finalised, we will supply you with a written invoice outlining all costs for the services you have requested.

12. If you request it, we will send a copy of the final invoice to a third party, such as the solicitors managing the deceased’s estate, for settlement. However, you agree that you remain personally responsible for settling the final invoice, whether or not we send a copy to a third party.

13. Payment Terms are outlined in the accompanying Appendix 1.

Limitations on our liability

14. The date and time of the funeral cannot be guaranteed until final bookings are confirmed and we receive confirmation from all third-party suppliers of goods and services. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we may need to make changes to funeral arrangements and their timing. You agree that time is not of the essence in this contract, and you recognise that we shall not be liable if we have to alter the funeral arrangements or the date and time of the funeral due to factors outside our control.

15. The funeral arrangements may include animals such as horses and doves, as well as vintage and classic vehicles that are prone to mechanical problems. We shall not be liable if, due to health concerns, adverse weather, or the behaviour of the animals involved, we are unable to provide the requested services.

16. We shall not under any circumstances be responsible for any failure to provide goods or services requested that is caused by matters outside our reasonable control.

17. We will only be responsible for the parts of the funeral arrangements that we directly carry out ourselves. We will not be liable to you for any goods or services provided by third parties where we have arranged for those goods and services to be supplied on your behalf as your agent.

18. If any valuables, jewellery, or sentimental items are left with the deceased in a chapel of rest, we are not responsible for their safe keeping and will not be liable in the event of loss or damage unless caused by our negligence.

19. There may be restrictions imposed by the venue or government on the number of mourners who can attend the service, and we shall have no liability if, due to these restrictions, some mourners are denied entry.

General

20. While we will accept amendments and variations to your arrangements verbally, these terms and conditions can only be varied, amended, and agreed upon by us with you in writing.

21. Title to all goods supplied, including memorials and rights obtained from third parties, remains ours until full payment of our final invoice is received.

22. If more than one person is jointly instructing us, each of you will be jointly and severally liable to fulfil your obligations under the terms of this contract.

23. Nothing in these terms and conditions shall exclude any liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or any fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.

24. If any part of these terms and conditions is found to be invalid, it shall (to the extent permitted by law) be severed from the rest of the contract, and the remaining provisions shall continue to be in full force and effect.

25. The contract between us is governed by English law, and the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising from this contract.

Appendix 1 Payment

Deposit

At the time of arrangement, your Funeral Arranger will advise you of the amount required in advance of any funeral preparations taking place.

This will usually be a request for a bespoke or personalised service, for example, if you have asked for a ‘bespoke or personalised’ service or items, such as a Motorcycle Hearse or a coffin with photographs printed. In such cases, Heritage Funerals may require you to make an advanced payment since the service or item cannot be cancelled.

Final Balance

The final balance is due no later than 48 hours before the funeral date.  Heritage Funerals will ensure that you receive a full itemised invoice complete with payment options in substantial time before the due date. 

Credit Options

Funeral Safe is a specialist consumer credit company that might be able to provide you with credit to cover part or all of your funeral costs. Funeral Safe Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Please speak to a member of our team at Heritage Funerals Ltd if you need any more information or contact details.

Late Payment

Regretfully, if the full balance of the funeral is not received by our offices no later than 48 hours before the service, the funeral may be cancelled and rearranged.  Please note that if this unfortunate occurrence arises, additional charges for rearrangement will likely be incurred.