Chosen Heritage Funeral Plans

Compare Chosen Heritage Funeral Plans – now Dignity Funeral Plans

Chosen Heritage stopped selling funeral plans in 1995, and their remaining customers are taken care of by Dignity, who offer a range of plans. Anyone who wishes to take out a new funeral plan with Chosen Heritage would need to do this through the Dignity brand.

As with any financial decision, we recommend that you carefully consider what you need and what options are currently available across the market. We can help you with this process.

Dignity offer four types of funeral plan.

The four Dignity plans are: The Limited Funeral Plan, The Amber Funeral Plan, The Pearl Funeral Plan, and The Diamond Funeral Plan. The funeral plans have competitive pricing, and they all include different service offerings, so it’s essential to understand the details.

We are happy to support you with any questions.

The Limited Funeral Plan

Dignity’s Limited Funeral Plan is their base level plan, covering the main costs related to a typical funeral. The plan has less options for the timing of the funeral and the Funeral Directors you can use when compared to the other options that Dignity offer. This plan also does not include a facility to pay for additional requests in advance.

The Limited Funeral Plan includes the following benefits:

• Funeral Director Services from a network of 800 owned or approved branches
• Death registration guidance
• Managing the funeral logistics and guiding the family
• Transport of the deceased in a suitable vehicle to a funeral home within 50 miles, at any time of day. This transportation service does not include ferry or airfare fees
• Preparation of the deceased for viewing, without embalming
• Basic coffin
• Chapel of Rest with viewings organised at a mutually convenient time
• Hearse
• Funeral Director, driver, pallbearers
• Guaranteed payment of Funeral Director fees and cremation fees. Contribution to burial fees
• Can move plan within the UK if you move home
• Documentation of special requests, such as preferred hymns
• 24/7 support helpline
• Free bereavement telephone service

The Amber Funeral Plan

The Amber Funeral Plan contains all the benefits of Dignity’s Limited Funeral Plan plus:

• Support from a more extensive network of 1,200 Funeral Directors
• Managing a collection for charitable donations, flowers and other tributes
• Wood effect coffin
• Mutual agreement on date and time of the funeral with fewer limitations
• Ability to add extra items to your plan such as a limousine
• Can make payments towards special requests during the lifetime of the plan. Contributions increase annually in line with inflation

The Pearl Plan

The Pearl Plan is Dignity’s most popular Funeral Plan. It includes the benefits of The Amber and The Limited Funeral Plans plus:

• A quality wood effect coffin
• One limousine
• A funeral procession from the funeral home to a specified location and then onto the crematorium or burial site
• Complimentary thank you cards

The Diamond Plan

The Diamond Plan is Dignity’s top of the range Funeral Plan, which they market as being particularly suitable for larger families. It includes the benefits of the other plans plus:

• A high-quality wood veneer coffin
• 24/7 access to view the deceased in a private chapel
• Two limousines

The Diamond Plan has received a five-star rating from the independent financial review site, Defaqto.

Have Chosen Heritage (now Dignity) Funeral Plans got good customer feedback?

Chosen Heritage stopped selling Funeral Plans before online independent customer review sites were available. However, Dignity has extensive customer reviews available on the independent review site called Feefo. Feefo emails all Dignity customers after their purchase to gain feedback about their experiences, and enables them to leave anonymous reviews.

At the time of writing, Dignity has an excellent score of 4.8 stars out of 5 on Feefo, comprised of over 1,800 reviews. Feefo awarded Dignity a Platinum Trusted Service Award in 2020 in recognition of its consistently excellent service.

The majority of reviews comment on Dignity’s excellent service standards. In the few cases where customers have left negative feedback, or expressed a concern, Dignity have replied to assist the client.

What happens if I take out a Chosen Heritage (now Dignity) Funeral Plan?

Dignity is taking care of all Chosen Heritage customers. All new plans come under Dignity’s brand name.

Once you have signed up to a plan with Dignity, they will instate your plan within 14 days and send you a Planholder Pack. This pack contains the details of your plan, payments, cover, your Funeral Director and information to provide to whoever will be organising the funeral. You’ll also receive a second copy that you can pass to a family member or the Funeral Organiser.

If you take out a plan with Dignity and change your mind, then you are entitled to a full refund within 30 days of the date that you received your Planholder Pack. If you cancel after this period, then Dignity take a cancellation fee from any amount due to be returned to you. At the time of writing, the cancellation fee is £249.

Where do Chosen Heritage (now Dignity) keep their clients’ money?

Customer funds relating to Chosen Heritage Funeral Plans are held in the National Funeral Trust, which the company created in 1986. This Trust receives an annual audit to ensure that it has sufficient funds to support the remaining plan holders.

Dignity is a financially stable company with a long history. It also places new client monies into the National Funeral Trust.

Do they offer guarantees?

The Dignity Promise offers a guarantee to customers who opt for a payment plan of longer than 12 months. If they die before the payment plan finishes and their actual payments are in good standing, Dignity will cover the outstanding balance so that this does not become a liability for loved ones. You also receive protection on a 12-month payment plan if you pass away due to an accident.

With Dignity’s prepaid plans, you fix your Funeral Directors’ prices on the date that you buy your policy.

If you select a burial option, then they guarantee to contribute to the fees related to the burial. For cremations, they guarantee to cover the cremation fee and the fees associated with the Minister or Officiant in line with standard fees for these services.

Dignity are the first UK-based organisation to receive the BSI Kitemark™ for Customer Service, so they market themselves as an organisation that consistently delivers excellent service.

Are Chosen Heritage (now Dignity) registered with the Funeral Planning Authority (FPA)?

Yes, Dignity have a registration with the Funeral Planning Authority through their limited company, Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited.

What payment options are available?

Dignity allow customers to select from three payment options:

• A single payment, covering the full cost of the funeral plan
• A 12-month instalment plan, which does not come at an additional cost
• Longer instalment plans provided that all payments will finish by the time the oldest person named on the plan has reached 85. There is an additional fee for instalment plans of over 12 months to ensure that the client monies held within the Trust Fund can grow with inflation.

Dignity accept payments by debit card, credit card, or by direct debit for instalment options.

What if I have a complaint with Chosen Heritage?

If you have a complaint relating to a Chosen Heritage Funeral Plan, you can call 0800 525 555.

If you would prefer to email Chosen Heritage, their email address is: customer.service@chosenheritage.co.uk

If you would prefer to write to Chosen Heritage, their address for complaints purposes is:

Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited

4 King Edwards Court

King Edwards Square

Sutton Coldfield

West Midlands

B73 6AP

If Chosen Heritage, now Dignity, do not resolve your complaint, you can refer it to the Funeral Planning Authority by calling 0845 601 9619.