Crematoriums charging for livestreams accused of cashing in on Covid

Crematoriums have been accused of cashing in on the pandemic by charging up to £103 to livestream a funeral service. 

With funeral numbers limited for much of the past year, many mourners opted to watch their loved one’s service online.

But crematoriums — many of which are council-run — are taking advantage of the bereaved by charging exorbitant prices for live streaming. 

Online funerals : With funeral numbers limited for much of the past year, many mourners have opted to watch their loved one’s service via a video stream

Operators are even billing up to £27 just to show a single photo of the deceased during the service.

A Money Mail investigation found that Penmount Crematorium — which is run by Cornwall Council — is charging £103 for livestreaming a service. 

Mourners who want a keepsake DVD or USB recording of the service are charged an additional £52.

It also charges £62 for a slideshow of 25 photos to be displayed during the service.

Meanwhile Taunton Crematorium advertises its livestreaming service at £73.

Kent & Sussex Crematorium charges £70 for the livestreaming service — though a spokesperson says these charges were waived during the first wave of the virus and were reintroduced in July 2020. To have a single photo shown during the service will set mourners back £27.

Dennis Reed, from campaigning body Silver Voices says: ‘This is just another disgraceful example of the funeral industry making a profit from grief.

‘The increase in funerals means lots of fixed overheads will have been covered so crematoriums could reduce their fees.’

Despite the fluctuation in costs, the vast majority of crematoriums outsource these charges to one of the same two companies: Obitus and Wesley Media.

Money Mail attempted to contact these providers but received no response.

A spokeswoman for Cornwall Council says: ‘Cornwall Council’s Bereavement Service is run on a cost-neutral basis. As well as the fee from Obitus for livestreaming, we must also cover the installation and maintenance costs for the equipment.’

She adds that the council invested in the system before the pandemic and had since upgraded with a new camera and microphones costing more than £7,000.

Bristol City Council — which offers live streaming for £30 — says the fee directly covered the charge by Obitus.

Many local authorities — including those in Nottingham, Plymouth and Worcestershire — say they have slashed the fee during lockdown. 

South Essex Crematorium’s webcasting service was cut from £115 to £30, with a spokesperson for Havering Council claiming they charge ‘the recommended retail price’ for the service.

According to life insurance company Sunlife, 38 per cent of mourners dug into their savings to fund a funeral in the past year while a quarter had to use a credit card.

Last year, the Competitions and Markets Authority ruled it had ‘serious concerns’ about the funeral industry and said the Government must establish an independent inspection and registration regime.

Under new rules, funeral directors could face court action from September 16 if they fail to display a standardised price list on their website.

This includes the headline funeral price, the cost of individual items and the price of additional products and services.

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