Co-op Funeralcare was found to have caused damage to the body of the deceased man, referred to as Mr A, after staff used an incorrectly sized coffin. According to a complaint upheld by the Financial Ombudsman Service, the lid was closed on Mr A’s head, causing “deep indentations” to his skull, while injuries were also observed on one of his hands.
When the family raised concerns, funeral workers reportedly suggested laying Mr A on his side to address the issue. The firm also informed relatives that Mr A’s dentures had been lost. They were later discovered underneath his body when he was transferred to a larger coffin.
Mr A died in February last year and had a pre-paid funeral plan with Co-op Funeralcare. When relatives first attended a viewing, they noticed his head protruding above the edge of the coffin and that his dentures were missing. On a subsequent visit, they observed visible injuries to his head and hand.
Co-op Funeralcare apologised and ordered a larger coffin, which arrived the day before the funeral. During the transfer, the dentures were found beneath Mr A’s body, but there was insufficient time to reinsert them before the service.
Following the funeral, the company invoiced the family £1,723 for additional services not covered by the funeral plan. After relatives, identified as Mr and Mrs G, complained, Co-op offered a £545 reduction on the bill.
The family escalated the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service, requesting that the remaining charges be waived and that further compensation be awarded. They told the ombudsman that the thought of Mr A being buried without his dentures in place was “awful”.
Chris Woolaway, the ombudsman who reviewed the case, ruled that Co-op Funeralcare should refund £1,125, plus 8 per cent interest calculated from the date of Mr A’s death until settlement.
While acknowledging the family’s distress, Woolaway said the ruling could not go further. Ombudsman rules allow compensation only to the “eligible complainant” — in this case Mr A, who purchased the funeral plan — meaning no additional award could be made for the emotional impact on his relatives.
“Mr and Mrs G have said how deeply upsetting it was to see that Mr A’s body had been damaged in Co-op’s care, and how they’ve been left with the memory of this,” Woolaway said. “I was sorry to read about the lasting effects this has had on them.”
In a statement, Co-op Funeralcare said it recognised that it had fallen short of its usual standards and apologised for the incident.
“Whilst we are confident that we fulfilled the arrangements recorded in the funeral plan, regrettably, on this occasion in early 2024, we recognise that we fell short in delivering the usual high standards that we pride ourselves on,” the company said. “We have since made process and procedural improvements to prevent such incidents from occurring again.”
