Strange goings on at the undertakers

[shed driver]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-68516...

Very little details released on this and it must be very difficult for the families involved as well as those who have had funerals conducted by them. I work within the funeral industry and I and my colleagues know that reputational damage in this industry is not something that can be recovered from.

Not sure where I'm going with this post, but it's a subject of intense speculation at work.

SD.

[Scabutz]

Who knows what it might be, but sounds like one of those things I would rather not know the details.

[ScotHill]

This surprises me, I had a friend who worked at an undertakers and it sounded like they always tried to be as helpful as possible. One lady was due to bury her husband and she said he always wanted to be buried in a blue suit but had never owned one. My friend pointed out that another gentlemen that they were preparing for a funeral was wearing a blue suit and was a similar size and did she think that would be satisfactory - the lady said yes, and the family of that gentlemen weren't fussed about the colour of the suit, so he swapped the heads.

[mwstewart]

Accounts overdue.

[blingybongy]

ScotHill said:

This surprises me, I had a friend who worked at an undertakers and it sounded like they always tried to be as helpful as possible. One lady was due to bury her husband and she said he always wanted to be buried in a blue suit but had never owned one. My friend pointed out that another gentlemen that they were preparing for a funeral was wearing a blue suit and was a similar size and did she think that would be satisfactory - the lady said yes, and the family of that gentlemen weren't fussed about the colour of the suit, so he swapped the heads.

[Southerner]

ScotHill said:

This surprises me, I had a friend who worked at an undertakers and it sounded like they always tried to be as helpful as possible. One lady was due to bury her husband and she said he always wanted to be buried in a blue suit but had never owned one. My friend pointed out that another gentlemen that they were preparing for a funeral was wearing a blue suit and was a similar size and did she think that would be satisfactory - the lady said yes, and the family of that gentlemen weren't fussed about the colour of the suit, so he swapped the heads.

[Getragdogleg]

Southerner said:

ScotHill said:

This surprises me, I had a friend who worked at an undertakers and it sounded like they always tried to be as helpful as possible. One lady was due to bury her husband and she said he always wanted to be buried in a blue suit but had never owned one. My friend pointed out that another gentlemen that they were preparing for a funeral was wearing a blue suit and was a similar size and did she think that would be satisfactory - the lady said yes, and the family of that gentlemen weren't fussed about the colour of the suit, so he swapped the heads.

Well played, got me right up the last word.

[ScotHill]

To be fair, it wasn’t my joke. I’m sure it’s happened at least once though.

[The Rotrex Kid]

Getragdogleg said:

Southerner said:

ScotHill said:

This surprises me, I had a friend who worked at an undertakers and it sounded like they always tried to be as helpful as possible. One lady was due to bury her husband and she said he always wanted to be buried in a blue suit but had never owned one. My friend pointed out that another gentlemen that they were preparing for a funeral was wearing a blue suit and was a similar size and did she think that would be satisfactory - the lady said yes, and the family of that gentlemen weren't fussed about the colour of the suit, so he swapped the heads.

Well played, got me right up the last word.

Got me. Well played.

[Gareth79]

It's interesting that they have encouraged people to call. Hard to tell if it's just them wanting something in place to reassure people (somehow, not sure what they can say?), or they are hoping to get more tips/evidence from families who suspected things in the past.

Wondering if it might be something related to theft/sale of valuables of the deceased?

[Hilts]

shed driver said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-68516...

Very little details released on this and it must be very difficult for the families involved as well as those who have had funerals conducted by them. I work within the funeral industry and I and my colleagues know that reputational damage in this industry is not something that can be recovered from.

Not sure where I'm going with this post, but it's a subject of intense speculation at work.

SD.

The BBC approached the directors for a statement but neither William Burke nor Wiliam Hare wished to make a comment.

[Southerner]

Gareth79 said:

It's interesting that they have encouraged people to call. Hard to tell if it's just them wanting something in place to reassure people (somehow, not sure what they can say?), or they are hoping to get more tips/evidence from families who suspected things in the past.

Wondering if it might be something related to theft/sale of valuables of the deceased?

That would just be straightforward theft, surely? Unless they were prising gold teeth out!

[Silvanus]

Remember David Fuller?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-6387651...

[Gareth79]

Southerner said:

Gareth79 said:

It's interesting that they have encouraged people to call. Hard to tell if it's just them wanting something in place to reassure people (somehow, not sure what they can say?), or they are hoping to get more tips/evidence from families who suspected things in the past.

Wondering if it might be something related to theft/sale of valuables of the deceased?

That would just be straightforward theft, surely? Unless they were prising gold teeth out!

Yes I thought the wording was vague enough that it might be that, but having done some more reading it's obviously not, and the investigation has seemingly been extensive and detailed.

Today apparently they moved some bodies to a local authority mortuary. Reading the original press release it says the report was about "the storage and management processes relating to the care", which is a bit more detailed than the quote in the BBC news article.

[Se7enheaven]

ScotHill said:

This surprises me, I had a friend who worked at an undertakers and it sounded like they always tried to be as helpful as possible. One lady was due to bury her husband and she said he always wanted to be buried in a blue suit but had never owned one. My friend pointed out that another gentlemen that they were preparing for a funeral was wearing a blue suit and was a similar size and did she think that would be satisfactory - the lady said yes, and the family of that gentlemen weren't fussed about the colour of the suit, so he swapped the heads.

Good old Jethro.

[wisbech]

Slightly off topic, but the upselling attempts by the local funeral director were a bit annoying when my father died- had to be firm that, yes, we were happy with the cheapest coffin & cremation package they had. Closed coffin, no need to dress the body in anything other the morgue had. Cardboard is fine thanks, it's only going to burnt and is more environmentally friendly. We spent the budget instead on a good quality Indian buffet and open bar for the wake. A good curry and beer was what he would have wanted, not an expensive casket.

They were very good on all the logistics though, which we were happy to pay for.

[Kermit power]

At the risk of going down a really niche rabbit hole, I wonder how long the police and other public bodies will continue to offer 0800 numbers for people to call for this sort of thing?

Given the subject matter here I guess there are likely to be a vastly greater number of elderly people calling from landlines, but given that even amongst the elderly mobile phone penetration is up over 75% these days and pretty much every SIM seems to include unlimited free calls now, surely it can only be a matter of time before almost every call the taxpayer will be paying to receive on an 0800 number will have been made from a mobile that could've called a normal land-line for free?

[Escort3500]

Kermit power said:

At the risk of going down a really niche rabbit hole, I wonder how long the police and other public bodies will continue to offer 0800 numbers for people to call for this sort of thing?

Given the subject matter here I guess there are likely to be a vastly greater number of elderly people calling from landlines, but given that even amongst the elderly mobile phone penetration is up over 75% these days and pretty much every SIM seems to include unlimited free calls now, surely it can only be a matter of time before almost every call the taxpayer will be paying to receive on an 0800 number will have been made from a mobile that could've called a normal land-line for free?

[XCP]

wisbech said:

Slightly off topic, but the upselling attempts by the local funeral director were a bit annoying when my father died- had to be firm that, yes, we were happy with the cheapest coffin & cremation package they had. Closed coffin, no need to dress the body in anything other the morgue had. Cardboard is fine thanks, it's only going to burnt and is more environmentally friendly. We spent the budget instead on a good quality Indian buffet and open bar for the wake. A good curry and beer was what he would have wanted, not an expensive casket.

They were very good on all the logistics though, which we were happy to pay for.

Are you saying that they were trying to charge extra for dressing the deceased in his own clothes? So you chose a gown? I know all firms are different but that wouldn't cost any more in the firm I worked at.

[wisbech]

XCP said:

Are you saying that they were trying to charge extra for dressing the deceased in his own clothes? So you chose a gown? I know all firms are different but that wouldn't cost any more in the firm I worked at.

Yep. They were.