Minimising the Risk of Non-Payment
There exists an anarchic business concept which affects you as funeral directors called the Prostitute Principle.
It states that the desire to pay diminishes significantly after the service itself has been rendered.
Although most funeral directors take a deposit to cover disbursements, they still charge most of their fees by invoice after the funeral has taken place.
This invariably can cause payment problems.
So the question is, what can you do to minimise the risk of non-payment?
The following three principle procedures will help enormously:
Firstly, before the funeral takes place ensure the Funeral Arrangement Confirmation Form is fully completed and signed by the person who is paying for the funeral.
Secondly, it is imperative that the terms and conditions include a provision for the collection of contractual interest and third-party costs in the event of any payment as default and, most importantly, to ensure you have multiple points of contact with the funeral arranger.
For example, the full postal address, email address, mobile and landline numbers, this way, you have an alternative point of contact should you require it.
Here at Town and Country Legal Services LLP, we have a great deal of experience helping with funeral directors. If you would like to discuss any of the above problems, please give us a call at 01883 212121 or email enquiries@tclsllp.com.