This document is intended to provide you with a summary of the key features and benefits of the Simplicity Cremations Prepaid Funeral Plan to allow you to assess whether it meets your requirements.
Please refer to the Plan literature and Terms & Conditions that accompany this document for full details on the Plan.
Our Plans let you pay for certain costs in advance and includes a direct cremation.
Simplicity Cremations are a low cost funeral provider that actually owns all the facilities necessary across mainland Great Britain to be able to take care of the deceased throughout the whole cremation process.
Simplicity Cremations is a trading style of Dignity Funerals Limited which is part of Dignity Plc. Our plans are provided by Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited.
Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited are wholly owned by and part of Dignity Plc. Dignity has helped over 997,000 people plan for their funeral in advance and is one of the UK’s largest operators of Funeral Directors and Crematoria.
Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited is regulated by the Funeral Planning Authority.
Unless advised otherwise in writing by Simplicity Cremations, you can have a Simplicity Cremations Prepaid Funeral Plan if the person who the funeral is for is aged 50 or over. The cremation must also take place in mainland Great Britain.
The Simplicity Cremations Prepaid Funeral Plan will provide the guaranteed services included in the Plan through the Dignity funeral network. Provided that the Plan is paid for in full there will be nothing further to pay for the guaranteed services covered by the Plan.
All Plans guarantee to cover the following services:
• Guidance by our professional telephone team 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
• Our local team to meet with you to complete and sign the necessary paperwork for the cremation to proceed
• Transportation of the deceased within Great Britain in a specialist funeral vehicle
• Bringing the deceased into our own mortuary facilities
• Care and preparation of the deceased, who will be dressed in a simple gown for cremation
• A practical and simple coffin
• Cremation fee
• Return of ashes or option to have them scattered in our gardens of remembrance
What won’t the Simplicity Cremations Prepaid Funeral Plan provide?
It does not include any kind of service, procession or the services of a minister or celebrant. Other items listed below are also not included:
• Embalming
• The cost of special requests such as memorials, flowers, catering, newspaper obituaries
• The cost of removal of mechanisms such as pacemakers (which must be removed before a cremation)
• Any additional charges that are passed to us due to changes in regulations, tax, laws or generally accepted practice
• The cost of repatriation from outside mainland Great Britain.
• Any Doctor’s fees & Coroner’s fees.
• Transportation in a hearse, or the provision of limousines
• Viewing the deceased once taken into our care
• Dressing the deceased in specific clothing or with personal belongings
Other Plan limitations include:
• If the Plan is paid for by instalments and the cremation funeral is required before the final payment has been paid, your Executor would have to pay the outstanding balance before the funeral takes place.
• Any taxes. Value Added Tax is not currently charged on a funeral service. However, if this or any other tax becomes chargeable on a funeral service or part of it, your Personal Representative must pay the tax at the time of the funeral.
The Simplicity Cremation Prepaid Funeral Plans are designed to meet our customers’ different payment requirements and needs. For example you can make a single payment or spread the cost of your Plan over 12, 24, 60 or 120 monthly instalments. The prices are below:
Single Payment | 12 Monthly Instalments | 24 Monthly Instalments | 60 Monthly Instalments | 120 Monthly Instalments |
Simplicity Lily £1,495 |
£124.58 per month |
£65.88 per month |
£28.54 per month |
£15.97 per month |
Simplicity Magnolia £1,795 |
£149.58 per month |
£79.10 per month |
£34.26 per month |
£19.17 per month |
Simplicity Orchid £2,295 |
£191.25 per month |
£101.13 per month |
£43.81 per month |
£24.52 per month |
Prices valid at 17/12/2020. Prices are subject to review by Simplicity Cremations. If at the point of application, the Plan price has changed for any reason, we will advise you of this before we set up your plan and there will be no obligation for you to continue.
Alternative fixed instalment periods are available provided that all payments over any instalment term longer than 12 months are completed by the 80th birthday of the eldest person named on the plan and the instalment term does not exceed the maximum term available. Plans purchased over a period greater than 12 months will incur an additional fee.
Payment methods include Credit or Debit Card, Cheque and Direct Debit. You can pay for your plan online, over the telephone by speaking with one of our advisors or, by enclosing payment with your paper application form.
The money that you pay for your Plan is paid directly into the National Funeral Trust. The National Funeral Trust is completely separate and legally independent from Simplicity Cremations.
• The Trust is run by Managing Trustees, the majority of whom are independent of Simplicity Cremations
• PricewaterhouseCoopers conduct an annual actuarial valuation of the Trust Fund, which determines if there is enough money in the Trust Fund for Simplicity Cremations to meet its liabilities and promises to Planholders
• The appointed auditors conduct annual audits of the Trust’s accounts
• The Trust adheres to the rules of the Funeral Planning Authority, who receive copies of the Trust’s accounts and valuations and other information it requests
All the money you pay for the Plan goes straight into the Trust Fund’s bank account. From the money held in the Trust:
• Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited is paid an allowance for the marketing, administration and lifetime customer management of the Plan
• There are annual costs for Trust management services, audits, valuations and other scheme expenses
• An amount from each Plan is retained in the Trust to help the Trust maintain a surplus so it can better withstand unexpected rises in funeral costs or better cope with poor investment returns
• The remaining balance is available to pay Simplicity Cremations, after the funeral has taken place, who agrees to provide all the guaranteed services for this sum
We publish a Report on the National Funeral Trust annually and it is available upon request.
In the unlikely event that the Trust does not have enough money to cover the future cost of funeral services promised to Planholders, Simplicity Cremations would still honour the guarantees made to Planholders. Simplicity Cremations is a trading style of Dignity Funerals who own a nationwide network of Funeral Directors and crematoriums and even in extreme circumstances should still be able to meet the promises made to Planholders.
The money for your cremation funeral would still be protected because it is legally separate from Simplicity Cremations. In the unlikely event that we were no longer in business it may however mean that we would be unable to provide the cremation funeral or cover set out in your Plan. If this happened the Managing Trustees of the Trust would work with the remaining Nominated Funeral Directors, and where necessary seek to appoint new Nominated Funeral Directors, to continue to provide services to Planholders. We are a registered provider with the Funeral Planning Authority (FPA) and in this scenario other Registered Funeral Providers would co-operate in the delivery of the FPA’s “Pledge to Customers” by which the other Registered Funeral Providers will examine the ways in which they might assist in delivering the funerals of affected customers.
Once your Application has been received, your Plan will be set up within 14 days and you will be sent your Planholder pack. This will contain confirmation of the Plan you have purchased, the amount you have paid, what is covered and how to claim. It will also contain a pack to be given to your Executor.
You must inform us so we can update our records. There is no charge for this, as your Plan is portable, and all the Plan guarantees will still be honoured.
When the person who the Plan is for passes away the Executor should telephone Simplicity Cremations direct at any time 24 hours a day on 0800 484 0531
If the Plan is not found until after the Planholder’s funeral is arranged, or if your Next of Kin or Executor chooses not to use the Plan, they can cancel the Plan and receive a refund of the original amount paid for the Plan less the £95 cancellation fee.
Cancellation
You can cancel your Plan at any time. To receive a full refund of any payments made you must cancel the Plan within 30 days from the date you receive your Planholder Pack and Agreement. We will charge a fee of £95 for cancellations after 30 days. Refunds will be completed within 14 days of the request being received.
If you wish to cancel your Plan tell us either by completing and returning the form included in the Planholder Pack, we send you or otherwise tell us by:
Post:
Simplicity Cremations Prepaid Funeral Plans, 4 King Edwards Court, King Edwards Square, Sutton Coldfield B73 6AP
Telephone:
0800 484 0531
Email:
How to make a complaint
If you wish to complain please contact our Client Relations Department who will acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days and will do their utmost to ensure any complaint is dealt with as quickly as possible. Contact details are as follows:
Post:
Client Relations Department, 4 King Edwards Court, King Edwards Square, Sutton Coldfield B73 6AP
Telephone:
0800 731 0655
Email:
client.relations@simplicity.co.uk
The Funeral Planning Authority when handling complaints uses one of the approved Alternative Dispute Resolution providers and you can gain direct access to them by using the FPA contact details provided. You also have legal rights to dispute resolution via any other Alternative Dispute Resolution providers that might be specified under consumer protection laws from time to time.
Regulation
Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited is a Registered Provider with the Funeral Planning Authority, the professional body that oversees the operation of registered funeral Plan companies. If you are dissatisfied with the response from us you can make a complaint to them. Their details are:
Telephone: 0345 601 9619
Email: info@funeralplanningauthority.co.uk
Web: http://www.funeralplanningauthority.com
The Simplicity Cremations Prepaid Funeral Plan is not a regulated financial services product and as such is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority or covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
Law
English law applies to this agreement.
This Key Features Summary applies to Simplicity Cremations Prepaid Funeral Plans purchased from 10/03/2021.
Need to Contact us?
If after reading this document you have any questions here are our contact details;
Post:
Simplicity Cremations Prepaid Funeral Plans, 4 King Edwards Court, King Edwards Square, Sutton Coldfield B73 6AP
Telephone:
0800 484 0531
Email:
Please see the Terms & Conditions for further details.