Professional Services
These include all arrangements in connection with the funeral, assistance and advice in matters relating to the funeral, attendance and services of staff, attending to all documentation, care of the deceased and use of the Chapel of Rest, provision of motor hearse, funeral director and embalming of deceased if required.
Payment of account
D Hollowell & Sons operates a pricing policy in compliance with the Code of Practice of the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors. Our price list provides clients with a full and detailed explanation of our charges as required by the Code. In addition to our charges, disbursements, i.e. Cremation or Cemetery fees, and other 3rd party costs must be paid. When the funeral arrangements are completed you will be given a written estimate of all the charges incurred by the service you have requested. You will be requested to pay a deposit due no later than 3 days after the arrangements have been made. If the deposit is not paid (without any prior agreement) then the service may be cancelled. Where the total estimated account is deemed excessive you may be asked to make an interim payment. We ask for this estimate to be signed as consent that you accept the contract, and charges, and will be liable for payment of the account when submitted. If wished, the account may be forwarded to your solicitor. If this is the case, please let us know so that we can forward any future correspondence to them. The account becomes payable after 28 days from the date of the account. We reserve the right to add interest on all outstanding accounts at 2% per month on accounts that remain unpaid after 60 days and any legal and court costs incurred due to non-payment. If, because of your circumstances, you have to make a claim for assistance from the Department of Work and Pensions, note that stringent rules apply as to the amount of help available. Please let us know in the first instance, preferably at the time of arrangements.
Payment Options. Payments can be made at any of our Funeral Homes. By Cheque, made payable to D. Hollowell & Sons. .By BACS using the funeral reference number, Sort Code 09-02-22 Account No. 10022364. By Cash, but please do not send cash through the post. By Debit/Credit Card, except American Express or Diners or through our website by using the secure payment page here
Cremated Remains
If you choose for the cremated remains to be safely held at our Funeral Home, they can be collected or transferred to you at any time should you so wish within the next 12 months, please contact us with at least 24-hour notice should you like this to happen. If you have requested a memorial option, please be assured that we will liaise with the provider and you our client. After 12 months and without further notification we reserve the right to return cremated remains to the crematorium for a dignified scattering. If you choose to purchase a receptacle to receive the cremated remains from another source other than D Hollowell & Sons and then wish us to transfer the remains to this receptacle we will then charge a £15 fee for insurance purposes to cover the event of the receptacle being damaged or broken during the transfer procedure.
Bariatric
Over 100kgs (combination weight of the person and coffin) we reserve the right to add £100 supplement for the additional cost of the chosen coffin and provision of bearers/assistants required to convey the coffin to disposition. Should the combined weight be more than 150kgs we are advised under Health & Safety regulations to use an electric bier to convey the coffin to disposition.
Conveying the coffin
Bearing by family members or anyone other than the staff of D Hollowell & Sons will only be permitted at the discretion of the Funeral Director. D Hollowell & Sons will not be held responsible for any mishap, loss, injury or damage should the family members or anyone other than the staff of D Hollowell & Sons wish to pall bear or carry out any other function usually carried out by the Funeral Directors staff. We insist on a minimum of 4 Bearers to carry. Bearers should be of similar height if possible, and prior to the funeral taking place, should be in good health and be alcohol & substance free.
Hygienic Treatment
Whilst we, as a funeral home, endeavour to present every deceased person entrusted to our care in the best way possible, we do have a professional guideline as to how we feel a deceased person should be presented. The Funeral Director will fully explain the difference in hygienic treatment and no hygienic treatment to allow you to make an informed decision. You will then be required to sign a personal indemnity when choosing to view the body of the deceased.
Floral Tributes
If you wish, you can donate flowers to a Care Home, Nursing Home, Hospice, be placed on a family members grave, or if appropriate to a war memorial. Floral tributes are delivered locally by D Hollowell & Sons. This service is free of charge and carried out at a day and time convenient to D Hollowell & Sons.
Newspaper Notices
We shall help compile a funeral notice for both local and national newspapers. We shall then arrange for a draft copy to be approved by the next of kin/client before publishing in the chosen paper/s and internet websites. In the event of a misprint by the newspaper, or D Hollowell & Sons, we will replace the notice wording free of charge in the next available edition.
Catering
We can make a recommendation of a local catering establishment, or home catering service should you require. The recommendation is based on client’s previous experiences and no benefit is given to us by the caterers.
Jewellery
We will take instructions from the next of kin/client before removing any jewellery from the deceased. Every care is taken over the handling of jewellery, which is normally removed and returned to the next of kin/client for safe keeping. We will require you to sign a receipt of safe return.
Affordable Alternative, Simple Alternative & Practical Funeral Plans – Viewing Restrictions
Viewing a loved one at our chapels of rest will be restricted to weekday office hours only (08:30 – 16:30). Any viewings which take place outside of these hours will incur additional charges.
Child Booster Seats
Child under 3 years of age – The correct restraint MUST be used. Child 3-12 years of age – The correct child restraint MUST be used – or under 135 cm in height, seat cushion should be used to reach correct height for seat belts. Child over 12 years of age – or over 135 cm in height, seat belt MUST be worn.
Vehicle
In the unfortunate event of a vehicle failure, we reserve the right to substitute another vehicle equal to the purpose but not necessarily the same model or age that may have been chosen.
Smoking Policy
Smoking, including e-cigarettes, is strictly prohibited within all company work areas and public spaces, including private offices, reception areas, restrooms, chapel of rest, arrangement rooms, all company vehicles and any other enclosed areas.
Bringing a Loved One into Our Care
When transferring a person after death from an NHS Institution we can only do so when the full NHS protocols have been followed. A sufficient deposit needs to have been paid to D Hollowell & Sons due to the NHS guidelines of 2017. These state that once a person has been transferred from the hospital into the care of a funeral director no funding can be sought from the NHS or Borough Council towards the funeral costs in the event of that person instructing the funeral director failing to provide funding for the funeral arrangements.
Pacemaker Removal
If fitted, a pacemaker must be removed when a cremation service has been requested. This procedure is carried out by one of our clinical staff under clinical conditions and is not invasive. The pacemaker remains the property of the NHS and is returned to them.
Clothes and Glasses
When a person is brought into our care with clothing, or personal effects, we will hold the items for a maximum of a month only. Should you require these at any point during the month please inform your funeral director. When a cremation has been chosen and the deceased is presented in their own clothes, should you have provided shoes and glasses, these will be removed and unless otherwise stated they will be donated to a local charity.
Change of Arrangements
Any change to the arrangements can be made by the applicant only. This can be done in several ways. In person at the funeral home, or in your home or office. You will be asked to sign a change of instruction form. Alternatively, you can make changes via telephone as our calls are recorded, or by email to info@fyldefunerals.co.uk
Service Sheets and Stationery
Service sheets are complimentary on the Stirling and Penrith Funeral Plans. As they are a non-chargeable item we reserve the right to carry the company name on the reverse of the booklets. If our clients have chosen to have the service sheets printed with a 3rd party, we ask that our name does not appear on the booklet and that they are provided 48 hours prior to the service
Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
We will treat your personal information with care and confidentiality in line with UK Data Protection laws. We need to process personal information to enable us to fully arrange and organise funerals for our clients. We may use the information for the purposes of administration, customer service and business management. We may share some of this information with 3rd parties such as Crematoria/Cemeteries, florists and officiants solely for the use of arranging the funeral. We monitor and record telephone calls for security purposes and to improve customer service levels. We will not share or sell your information with 3rd party organisations without your permission for marketing purposes. For further information please refer to our privacy policy.
Right to cancel (for arrangements made in the client’s home only)
You have the right to cancel the contract if you wish. This right can be exercised by sending or taking a cancellation notice to the funeral director at any time within the period of 14 days starting on the day of the arrangement. The right to cancel can be lost during the cancellation period if the service is provided in full before the 14 days elapses. Where applicable, you will be liable for any payments made in respect of any services carried out or disbursements paid, once the performance of the contract has begun and prior to the cancellation notice being received. If you wish to cancel the contract you must inform the company, in writing, within 14 days. We have attached a Notice of the Right to Cancel on the reverse of our terms and conditions for your use if required.
Complaints Procedure
Our commitment to clients:
We aim to ensure that:
1) Making a complaint is as easy as possible and we treat your complaint seriously.
2) We deal with your complaint promptly and in confidence.
3) We learn from complaints and use them to review and improve our service.
What is a complaint?
A complaint is when you tell us you are not happy about any part of the service and/or the products we provide.
How to make a complaint
If you wish to make a complaint you can contact our Employee & Client Liaison Manager, in any of the ways listed: By email: clientsupport@fyldefunerals.co.uk In writing: For the attention of Client Support, D Hollowell & Sons, Devonshire House Funeral Home, 287 Devonshire Road, Blackpool, FY2 0TW. In person (by appointment only) at: D Hollowell & Sons, Devonshire House Funeral Home, 287 Devonshire Road, Blackpool, FY2 0TW. Your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 days and fully investigated within 5 working days.
If you are unhappy with the response you can contact Jack Hollowell, in any of the ways listed: By email: jack.hollowell@fyldefunerals.co.uk In writing: For the urgent attention of Jack Hollowell, D Hollowell & Sons, Devonshire House Funeral Home, 287 Devonshire Road, Blackpool, FY2 0TW
If You are Still Unhappy
If you are still unhappy with our response you can contact The Funeral Arbitration Service in any of the ways listed: By email – fas@nafd.org.uk, In writing to – The Funeral Arbitration Scheme, 618 Warwick Road, Solihull, West Midlands, B91 1AA, By phone – Tel: 0121 711 1636. Timescale for findings and final response will vary depending on each individual case and investigation. Please note that The Funeral Arbitration Service will not investigate a complaint unless the internal complaints procedure of the Funeral Directors has been exhausted.
If you are still unhappy – If you are still unhappy with the response and final decision of The Funeral Arbitration Service, you can request that your complaint be referred to the Independent Dispute Resolution Service (IDRS) Ltd. For more information and to download a leaflet of the scheme please visit https://nafd.org.uk
Last Updated: 12th February 2024