Test Funeral Plans - Funeral plan lost/not found

• Finding a lost funeral plan can be tricky, but there are some ways of tracking one down. 
• First of all, try and find a policy document or a relevant direct debit on an associated bank account. If you’ve found either of these, you should contact the company listed on them. If you have either a policy document or evidence of a relevant direct debit, you can demonstrate that a plan was taken out. The company should work with you to find a solution. If they are unable to, you can take the matter to the FPA (if the plan provider is registered).
• The FPA’s website can be used to check if any FPA registered provider has a plan. This is a free service and only needs you to give a few key details.
• In the event that the plan was taken out with an organisation that has since gone out of business, the Funeral Plan Authority may be able to help.

How long should I wait for a response?

You should generally expect a response within 7 working days of a funeral plan provider receiving your complaint. If you don’t receive a response within this timeframe, send a follow-up message via Resolver!

How can I take things further? 

Not all funeral plan providers are regulated! Double-check that your funeral plan provider is signed up to the Funeral Planning Authority (FPA).

If your funeral plan provider is FPA registered, you can escalate your case to the FPA who will try and help you resolve your complaint. The FPA also has an independent conciliation and arbitration service if your complaint cannot be resolved.

The Funeral Planning Authority (FPA)

The funeral plan market is served by the Funeral Planning Authority (FPA). The FPA is an opt-in organisation that regulates the funeral planning providers who sign up to its service with a stringent code of conduct. 

Generally speaking, you should always check to see that your funeral plan provider is an FPA approved business. 

You should expect FPA-registered organisations to stick to their code of conduct – and if they don’t, you can take the matter to the FPA. 

Unfortunately, companies who haven’t signed up to the FPA are unregulated. This is an issue that has been recognised by the industry – and as of 2019 HMT have proposed that funeral plans should be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or other statutory regulator, subsequent to a consultation.

Resolver’s rights guides are largely drawn from the FPA’s code of conduct. We believe the code sets a minimum level of expectation that all funeral plan providers and funeral directors should aim to live up to. Be aware that you won't be able to escalate your case to the FPA if your funeral plan provider isn’t registered with them. Be warned that organisations who aren’t FPA registered might not live up to expectations and aren’t bound to any particular code of conduct!

We highly recommend that you check that your plan provider or director is FPA registered before buying a plan.

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