Some unscrupulous funeral directors are taking advantage of their vulnerable clients, charging exorbitant fees, refusing to hand out receipts and even contacting relatives of ailing people.
Several people took to the Facebook page ‘Are you being served?’ to lambast the service they received by some funeral directors and undertakers.
The abuse was flagged after a man posted that right when he was at his most vulnerable – after losing his mother – he came face to face with “people who take advantage of you without any conscience”.
The bill for the funeral included “a lot of extra figures” in addition to the commission.
When the undertaker was contacted, the man was told that if he was going to claim the VAT, the fee would be raised. His experience sparked off a flood of comments.
Francesca Bianchi wrote in to say that after being presented with a bill for €2,050 she asked for a VAT invoice detailing every item purchased.
“I was willing to pay the total if I had a breakdown of each item. He had to do a VAT number because of me.
“The receipt and invoice he gave me were numbered 001. I was the very first person he had given a receipt to,” Ms Bianchi told Times of Malta.
“The cheek of it: taking advantage of people at their most vulnerable.”
Another woman claimed she was approached by an undertaker in hospital when her mum was very ill.
Her mother survived but the experience made her distrust undertakers.
The bank told us that some undertakers rely on the fact that relatives are too distressed to even look at the bill. Talk about vultures
Describing this behaviour as “grotesque”, another woman said she was aware of cases in which undertakers were tipped off by nurses and phoned relatives before the patient passed away. When her great-aunt died, she continued, the family was presented with a list of items that were not needed, such as an injection costing about €200.
After asking the bank to check whether the cost was covered by her inheritance, she was informed the injection was only necessary if the corpse needed to be maintained for around a week in case relatives needed to fly in from abroad.
“The bank told us that some undertakers bank on the fact that the relatives are too distressed to even look at the bill. Talk about vultures.”
According to the president of Consumers’ Association Malta, Benny Borg Bonello, clients have the right to obtain itemised bills with VAT. Such tax paid on funeral expenses can be claimed from the VAT Department.
The problem, according to Mr Borg Bonello, came down to the fact that, unlike what happened abroad, there was little competition in Malta because only a limited number of licences were issued.
In addition, funeral directors tended not to publicise their fees in advertisements.
“Unfortunately, the government cannot interfere with the issue of prices. But there are a number of ways in which the regulator can go about exerting pressure.
“The authorities could publish the fees, just as the Malta Financial Services Authority publishes bank charges.
“This would lead to discussion and pressure would be exerted. There is no need for the authorities to intervene directly but they can go about exposing the market.
“The Office for Competition within the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority could also look into the matter,” he said.
There have been reports that some undertakers paid commissions to nurses and hospital staff to tip them off about patients on their deathbeds.
The authorities could investigate the issue of privacy, he added.
Asked to comment, the president of the Motor Hearses Association, John Bray, admitted he was aware of a number of funeral directors who abused the system.
“A funeral director should give out an invoice, bearing a letterhead, and a fiscal receipt. It’s important to give your clients a quotation in advance.
“Unfortunately, some funeral directors abuse the system, even approaching relatives before loved ones have passed away.
“Such matters should be reported immediately. It is insensitive and unfair both to the ill people and their relatives,” Mr Bray said.