Farewill Direct Cremation Review: An Honest and Detailed Look at Farewill
Our Honest and Detailed Farewill Direct Cremation Review
As part of our commitment to helping families understand their choices, we have thoroughly researched the direct cremation market. This detailed Farewill Cremations review will help you understand if the service Farewill supply is the right choice for you and your lost one.
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Farewill Cremations Overview
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Low cost – If budgeting for your funeral is your priority, then Farewill offers one of the lowest headline pricesfor a direct cremation funeral in the UK today.
Essentials covered – Founded in 2015, Farewill offers a number of bereavement services, including will writing, probate and direct cremation funerals. Some optional extras are available, but their starting price of £800 will cover most of the essentials required to carry out a direct cremation service.
Service includes – For each of their funerals, Farewill offers a traditional, oak veneer coffin. Delivery of the ashes can be arranged for an additional price in a cardboard scattering urn or, if you prefer, they offer a range of more permanent urns starting at £75. Alternatively, you can opt to have the ashes scattered in the garden of remembrance at no extra cost.
They also offer you the option to purchase a young memorial tree which you can plant in a location of your choosing in order to remember your loved one.
Customer Satisfaction – Farewill has a very high degree of customer satisfaction, although most customer reviews refer to their will-writing and probate services.
Farewill Cremation Cost
What’s Included in the £800 Direct Cremation?
Farewill provides the following services in their single, direct cremation funeral. Everything is included in the headline price, except for the optional extras for which there will be an additional, specified charge:
Paid Extras Include
THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT YOUR CREMATION SERVICE
1. Farewill does not specify how soon a cremation will take place, but return of the ashes will take up to ten days if the delivery address is fewer than thirty miles from the crematorium, and up to twenty days if greater than thirty miles. You will need to bear this timescale in mind if you wish to have the ashes present at a separate memorial service of your choosing. However, delivery within five days is available for an additional fee.
2. The ashes will be returned in a cardboard scattering urn should you select this option. However, they also offer a number of more permanent urns for prices between £75 and £395.
3. Payment for the cremation service will be due in full prior to bringing the deceased into Farewill’s care. There is no credit option or payment plan available. This is inline with the service offered by most other providers.
Farewill vs Simplicity Cremation Vs Pure Cremation
Here’s how the Farewill Direct Cremations compares to direct cremations offered by a selection of other providers:
| SERVICE |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIST PRICE | £800 | £895 | £995 | £1,295 | £795 | £895 |
| AREA | Eng, Scot & Wales | England & Wales | GB | UK | GB | GB |
| HOSPITAL/PUBLIC MORTUARY COLLECTION | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS / CARE HOME COLLECTION | £250 | £250 | £250 | £250 | £250 | £200 |
| OUT-OF-HOURS COLLECTION | £250 | £250 | £195 | £250 | £250 | £250 |
| DOCTORS FEE | £82 | £82 | yes | yes | £82 | £82 |
| DRESS THE DECEASED | Simple gown | Simple Gown | Simple Gown | only clothing worn by the deceased at time of collection | Simple Gown | only clothing worn by the deceased at time of collection |
| OPTION FOR OWN CLOTHES | No | No | No | They will drape clothes over the body but not dress them | £50 | yes |
| REMOVAL OF MEDICAL DEVICES | Additional cost, subject to details | £100 | Subject to details | yes | yes | yes |
| REMOVAL OF JEWELLERY | Yes | yes | no | yes | no | £50 |
| COFFIN | oak vaneer | Eco friendly wooden coffin | Dark Wood Effect | solid wood | Medium Density Fibreboard | Veneer Chipboard |
| MAX. TIME BETWEEN COLLECTION & CREMATION | unspecified | Unspecified | ‘within a few days’ | 14 days | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| OPTION TO ATTEND | no | variable price | £400-£900 | £250-£400 | no | £300 |
| OPTION TO BE INFORMED OF CREMATION DATE | yes | yes | no | Yes | yes | yes |
| CHOICE OF CREMATORIUM | no | no | attended only option | No | Fee depends on location | Attended option only |
| DELIVERY OF ASHES | £50 | £91 | £75 | Yes | £100 | yes |
| MAX. TIME FOR ASHES DELIVERY AFTER CREMATION | 20 days | unspecified | 28 days | 21 days | 28 days | 14 days |
Closest Competitor Service
Below we have listed the closest comparable product to the direct cremation service offered by Tyde Cremation
| Competitor | Aura Cremations |
| Service | Each is a relatively new company specialising in an array of end of life services in addition to Direct Cremation funerals eg Farewill: will writing and probate & Aura: legacy facilities, bereavement support, celebration of life planning |
| Difference | Farewill is quite a bit cheaper, but the charges for extras are higher and they don’t include free delivery of the ashes Aura has an option to attend, Farewill does not |
| Review | Read our Aura Funerals Review |
Farewill Customer Reviews
Below are the awards, customer reviews and our opinion of the Farewill direct cremations offering
Farewill has earned an impressive 4.9 out of a possible 5.0 stars on Trustpilot.
While most of these will refer to their services in will writing and probate, fewer than 3% of all total reviews recorded any kind of dissatisfied service.
On the other hand, Farewill creamtions may be less suitable if:
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a Farewill Paper Brochure Available?
Farewill does not offer any paper literature for their direct cremation funeral service.
How do I Purchase a Farewill Direct Cremation Funeral?
A direct cremation funeral can be arranged with Farewill by phone after the death of the deceased, or you can submit an enquiry online which will prompt a callback at an agreed time.
What Type of Coffin does Farewill provide?
An oak veneer coffin is supplied with a Farewill direct cremation funeral service.
What Happens to Medical Devices and Jewellery?
Removal of medical devices will incur an additional cost, subject to the nature of the removal work.
Farewill will remove any items of jewellery and other valuables before returning them within thirty days. However, they advise that any such items are removed from the deceased prior to bringing them into their care.
Can I Choose where the Cremation Takes Place?
No, you will not be able to choose the crematorium handling the cremation.
Will Farewill Tell me the Date of Cremation?
You have the option to be told of the date of cremation if you are purchasing a direct cremation funeral.
How Can I Pay for My Farewill Funeral?
Payment for a Farewill direct cremation funeral can be made by debit or credit card over the phone. They can also issue an invoice if funds need to be released from a bank.
Please note that Farewill requires payment in full before a cremation is carried out.
Are Special Offers or Farewill Discounts Available?
Farewill does not appear to be running any promotional offers at this time, nor do they offer discounts to selected groups.
They have, however, published a detailed article on how you can search for help with paying for a funeral.
It’s worth noting that Farewill also offers will writing and probate services. This means that all of your major bereavement services could be handled by a single provider, should you do choose.
How do I Make Enquiries?
Enquiries can be made by email or by phone.
A Direct Cremation Funeral can be arranged on 020 3966 3935. You can also request a quotation online, followed by a callback.
Their email address is funerals.support@farewill.com.
The company also has a social media presence on Twitter and Facebook, but it’s not clear if these accounts are monitored for the purpose of making enquiries.
Are there any Hidden Costs?
The headline price for a Farewill direct cremation funeral should cover all of the essentials for a direct cremation in the UK.
However, extra provision will have to be made for contingencies or for optional items. For instance, removal of medical devices and delivery of the ashes will be subject to additional charges.
Helpfully, their online quotation form will breakdown any additional costs for you so as to lend you visibility over the final amount you will pay.
Are they Offering a Prepayment Plan?
Farewill is not offering any prepayment plans for sale at this time, but they are hoping to do so once they receive regulatory approval from the Financial Conduct Authority. You can ask to be added to a waiting list so that they are able to contact you once they can offer you a plan.
Are they Eco-Friendly?
Farewill do not emphasise their environmental credentials, however their will writing service works with a large number of charities such as the British Ecological Society. They also explain the environmental impacts of opting for either a burial or a cremation.
For an additional £80-£100, Farewill also offers the option to add a memorial tree to your direct cremation service, which you can plant in a location of your choosing.
Who Owns Farewill?
Still run by its co-founder, Farewill is a relatively new specialist in bereavement services such as will writing, probate and direct cremation funerals.
With no overall controlling party, their investors come from a wide number of individuals, companies and venture capitalist firms.