The Skipton Funeral Plan
Key Features Summary
About this Key Features Summary
This document is intended to provide you with a summary of the key features and benefits of the Skipton Prepaid Funeral Plan provided by Dignity to allow you to assess whether it meets your requirements. Please refer to the Plan literature and Terms and Conditions for full details on the Plan.
What is the Skipton Prepaid Funeral Plan?
The Plan offers a Prepaid Funeral Plan and a number of defined tailorable options, which let you pay for certain funeral costs in advance. The Plan includes the main services for a funeral.
Who is the Prepaid Funeral Plan for?
Unless advised otherwise in writing by Dignity you can have a Skipton Prepaid Funeral Plan if the person who the funeral is for is aged 50 or over. The funeral must also take place in mainland Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Jersey, Isle of Wight or Isle of Man.
What will the Prepaid Funeral Plan provide?
The Skipton Prepaid Funeral Plan will provide the guaranteed services included in the Plan through a Dignity Nominated Funeral Director when the time comes. Provided that the Plan is paid for in full or if the Skipton Commitment applies, there will be nothing further to pay for the guaranteed services covered by the Plan.
The Plan guarantees to cover the following services:
Funeral Director Services;
- Advice and guidance on all aspects of the funeral including the registration of the death and collation of all necessary paperwork for the funeral to proceed
- Transport of the deceased to the Nominated Funeral Director's premises within 50 miles
- Preparation and care of the body
- A quality wood-effect coffin (unless a different option is selected under the tailorable options)
- Funeral Director and staff to attend service
- Provision of a hearse
- Family viewing by appointment within office hours
- Free telephone bereavement advice and support
Third Party Cremation Costs;
- The cremation fee
- Fee for a Minister or an Officiant equal to the amount paid for a standard funeral service at the crematorium or cemetery as listed in the Church of England Table of Parochial Fees.
Dependent on the tailorable options added onto the Plan, the following are also guaranteed:
- Limousines to transport the mourners, up to a maximum of six
- Transport to place of worship prior to cremation or burial
- The coffin selected from the choice of four available (if an alternative coffin is selected, this will be provided in place of the quality wood-effect coffin)
- An urn selected from the choice of three available
If burial is chosen, the Plan will include a contribution of £1,220 towards third party burial costs in place of the guaranteed Third Party Cremation Costs listed above. Dignity will increase the value of the £1,220 contribution each year in line with the Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation to help it keep pace with rising costs.
The Skipton Commitment;
If the Plan is paid for by instalments over more than 12 months, the Plan will include the Skipton Commitment. Should the planholder die before the instalment term has been completed, providing the Plan has been in place for more than 12 months, premiums are up to date and the Plan is not cancelled or lapsed, the Skipton Commitment will apply and the funeral services in the Plan will be provided with nothing more to pay.
What won't the Prepaid Funeral Plan provide?
The Plan does not include:
- Embalming
- The cost of Special Requests such as memorials, flowers, catering, newspaper obituaries etc.
- Transport of more than 50 miles from the Nominated Funeral Director. Any charge for additional miles will be payable to the Dignity Nominated Funeral Director at the time
- The cost of removal of mechanisms such as pacemakers (which must be removed before a cremation)
- Costs for conducting the funeral, burial or cremation on a weekend, at an unusual hour or public holiday
- Any additional charges that are passed to us due to changes in regulations, tax, laws or generally accepted practice
- The cost of repatriation from outside mainland Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Jersey, Isle of Wight or Isle of Man
- Any Doctor's fees and Coroner's fees.
Other Plan limitations include:
- If the Plan is paid for by instalments of up to 12 months, and the planholder dies before the final payment has been paid, your Funeral Organiser would have to pay the outstanding balance at the time of the funeral.
- If the Plan is paid for by instalments of over more than 12 months and the planholder dies within 12 months of the Plan starting, the Skipton Commitment will not apply unless the Planholder has died as a result of an accident as defined within the Terms and Conditions.
- Any taxes. Value Added Tax (VAT) is not currently charged on a funeral service. However, if this or any other tax becomes chargeable on a funeral service or part of it, your Personal Representative must pay the tax at the time of the funeral.
What is the price of the Plan?
The Prepaid Funeral Plan is designed to meet our customers' different requirements and budgets. For example you can make a single payment or spread the cost of your Plan over 12 monthly instalments. The prices for these options are:
Single Payment | 12 Monthly Instalments* |
---|---|
Base Plan with no added tailorable options - £3,495
|
11 payments of £291.25 with a final payment of £291.25 |
The Classic Plan - £3,850
|
11 payments of £320.83 with a final payment of £320.87 |
The prices listed above are for the full Plan price and are valid as at 17/12/2020. Prices are subject to review by Dignity. If at the point of application the Plan price has changed for any reason, Dignity will advise you of this before they set up your Plan and there will be no obligation for you to continue.
Longer fixed instalment terms are available provided that all payments over any instalment term longer than 12 months are completed by the 85th birthday of the eldest person named on the Plan and the instalment term does not exceed the maximum term available. Plans purchased over a period greater than 12 months will incur an instalment charge.
How can I pay?
If you buy your Plan in a lump sum, you can pay for your Plan by credit or debit card, cheque or Direct Debit.
If you buy your Plan by instalments your Plan will need to be paid for by Direct Debit. Your Direct Debit details will be taken at the point you apply for the Plan.
How is the money I pay protected?
The money that you pay for your Plan is paid directly into the National Funeral Trust. The National Funeral Trust is completely separate and legally independent from Dignity.
- The Trust is run by Managing Trustees, the majority of whom are independent of Dignity
- PricewaterhouseCoopers conduct an annual actuarial valuation of the Trust Fund, which determines if there is enough money in the Trust Fund for Dignity to meet its liabilities and promises to Planholders
- The appointed auditors conduct annual audits of the Trust's accounts
- The Trust adheres to the rules of the Funeral Planning Authority, who receive copies of the Trust's accounts and valuations and other information it requests.
What happens to the money in the Trust Fund?
All the money you pay for the Plan goes straight into the Trust Fund's bank account. From the money held in the Trust:
- Dignity is paid an allowance for the marketing, administration and lifetime customer management of the Plan
- There are annual costs for Trust management services, audits, valuations and other scheme expenses
- The remaining funds after these deductions are available to pay the Dignity Nominated Funeral Director, after the funeral has taken place, who agrees to provide all the guaranteed services
Dignity publish a Report on the National Funeral Trust annually and it is available upon request from Dignity.
What happens if there is not enough in the Trust to pay for the funeral?
In the unlikely event that the Trust does not have enough money to cover the future cost of funeral services promised to Planholders, Dignity would still honour the guarantees made to Planholders. Dignity owns a nationwide network of Funeral Directors and crematoriums and even in extreme circumstances should still be able to meet the promises made to Planholders.
How can I be sure Dignity will still be there to deliver my funeral?
No matter what happens to Dignity, the money for your funeral will be protected because it is held in the National Funeral Trust, which is legally separate from Dignity. In the unlikely event that Dignity were no longer in business and unable to provide the funeral or cover set out in your Plan, the Managing Trustees of the Trust would work with the remaining Nominated Funeral Directors, and where necessary seek to appoint new Nominated Funeral Directors, to continue to provide services to Planholders.
Dignity are a registered provider with the Funeral Planning Authority (FPA) and in this scenario other Registered Funeral Providers would co-operate in the delivery of the FPA's "Pledge to Customers" by which the other Registered Funeral Providers will examine the ways in which they might assist in delivering the funerals of affected customers.
What will I be sent after I apply for a Plan?
Once your Application Form has been received, your Plan will be set up within 14 days and you will be sent your Planholder Pack. This will contain confirmation of the Plan you have purchased, the amount you have paid, what is covered, details of the Funeral Director and how to claim. It will also contain a pack to be given to your Funeral Organiser.
What happens if I move home?
You must inform Dignity so they can update our records. If you have moved to a new area they may need to allocate a new Nominated Funeral Director from the Dignity panel. There is no charge for this, as your Plan is portable, and all the Plan guarantees will still be honoured.
Can I choose my Funeral Director?
Dignity will allocate a Funeral Director to your Plan, which is referred to as the Nominated Funeral Director. There is a nationwide network of Nominated Funeral Directors. If you would like to check if your Plan can be allocated to a specific Funeral Director please contact Dignity before you purchase. Dignity may change your Plan to a different Nominated Funeral Director if required.
What happens if the Nominated Funeral Director goes out of business?
If this were to happen, Dignity would re-allocate your Plan to a new Nominated Funeral Director. All the guarantees made in your Plan would still stand and you would not be charged any additional fees.
How to claim
When the person who the Plan is for passes away the Funeral Organiser should telephone Dignity on 0800 804 8071*. Dignity are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
This single phone call is all that is needed to put your Plan into motion. Dignity will contact the Nominated Funeral Director and provide them with the details of your Plan and your Funeral Organiser. The Nominated Funeral Director will then get in touch with the Funeral Organiser to finalise all of the arrangements.
What happens if my family or representative doesn't use the Plan?
If the Plan is not found until after the Planholder's funeral is arranged, or if your Next of Kin or Executor chooses not to use the Plan, they can cancel the Plan and receive a refund of the original amount paid for the Plan less the £195 cancellation fee.
Cancellation
You can cancel your Plan at any time. To receive a full refund of any payments made you must cancel the Plan within 90 days from the date you receive your Planholder Pack and Agreement. Dignity will charge a fee of £195 for cancellations after 90 days. Refunds will be completed within 14 days of the request being received.
If you wish to cancel your Plan tell Dignity either by completing and returning the form included in the Planholder Pack they send you or otherwise tell them by:
- Post: Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited, 4 King Edwards Court, King Edwards Square, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B73 6AP
- Telephone: 0800 804 8071*
- Email: planinfo@dignityuk.co.uk
How to make a complaint
Dignity make every effort to excel in the service they provide. However, if you feel that they have not met your expectations, please contact their Client Relations Department who will acknowledge your complaint within two working days and will do their utmost to ensure any complaint is dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible. Dignity's Client Relations Department can be contacted as follows:
- Address: Client Relations Department, 4 King Edwards Court, King Edwards Square, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B73 6AP
- Telephone: 0800 731 0655*
- Email: clientrelations@dignityuk.co.uk
The Skipton Prepaid Funeral Plan is not a regulated financial services product and as such is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority or covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
If you are dissatisfied with the response from Dignity you can take the matter further. Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited is registered with the Funeral Planning Authority (FPA), an independent organisation, whose Code of Practice we follow.
The FPA can be contacted as follows:
- Telephone: 0345 601 9619
- Email: info@funeralplanningauthority.co.uk
- Website: www.funeralplanningauthority.com
The Funeral Planning Authority when handling complaints uses one of the approved Alternative Dispute Resolution providers and you can gain direct access to them by using the FPA contact details provided above. You also have legal rights to dispute resolution via any other Alternative Dispute Resolution providers that might be specified under consumer protection laws from time to time.
Law
English law applies to this agreement. This Key Features Summary applies to the Skipton Funeral Plans purchased from 12/05/2021.
Need to Contact Dignity?
If after reading this document you have any questions here are Dignity's contact details:
- Address: Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited, 4 King Edwards Court, King Edwards Square, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B73 6AP
- Telephone: 0800 804 8071*
- Email: planinfo@dignityuk.co.uk
Please see the Terms and Conditions for further details.
Skipton Building Society is a member of the Building Societies Association. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, under registration number 153706, for accepting deposits, advising on and arranging mortgages and providing Restricted financial advice. Principal Office, The Bailey, Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 1DN.
The Skipton Funeral Plan is provided by Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited (part of the Dignity plc Group). If you take out a Skipton Funeral Plan this will be on the basis of a contract between you and Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited. A company registered in England No. 1862158. VAT registered No. 486 6081 14. Registered Office: 4 King Edwards Court, King Edwards Square, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B73 6AP. Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited is regulated by the Funeral Planning Authority and not by the Financial Conduct Authority.
*Your call may be recorded for monitoring and quality purposes. All calls to 0800 numbers are free of charge whether made from a landline or mobile phone.
The Skipton Funeral Plan
Terms and Conditions
Introduction
The Skipton Funeral Plan provided by Dignity provides the funeral services as set out in the Plan as long as you make all of the payments in accordance with the details set out in the Plan (as defined below).
Definitions
In these terms and conditions:
"Additional Special Requests Form" means the form, which we will send to you after we have received your Application for the Plan, which allows you to notify us of any alternative or additional Special Requests;
"Agreement" means the written agreement between you and Dignity and is made up of the Application, the Funeral Plan Schedule, Funeral Plan Services Document, Key Features Summary and these Terms and Conditions;
"Application" means the application form relating to the Plan that you have completed and either returned by post, submitted online via a website or portal or completed over the telephone;
"Covered Areas" means mainland Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Jersey, the Isle of Wight and/or Isle of Man;
"Funeral Plan Schedule" means the schedule setting out all the details of your Plan, which we will send to you once we have received and approved your Application for the Plan;
"Funeral Plan Services Document" means the document setting out the details of the services which are guaranteed by the Plan, which we will send to you once we have received your Application for the Plan;
"Inflation" means a sustained increase in the general level of prices for goods and services measured as an annual percentage increase in line with the Retail Prices Index;
"Instalment Age Restriction" means the maximum instalment term you can pay your Plan over to ensure all payments have been completed by the time the eldest person named on the Plan reaches their 85th Birthday. The Instalment Age Restriction applies to any instalment term paid over more than 12 months;
"Instalment Charge" means the additional payment included in the price of any Plan where instalments are being paid over a term beyond 12 months;
"Key Features Summary" means the document summarising the key features and benefits and exclusions and limitations of the Plan;
"Nominated Funeral Director" means the funeral director, the details of which are set out in the Funeral Plan Schedule, or such other funeral director as we may appoint to carry out the Planholder's funeral;
"Personal Representative" means the Planholder's personal representative(s) after the Planholder's death, as defined by the Administration of Estates Act 1925;
"Plan" means the prepaid funeral plan you have chosen, to which the Application relates, and which provides the funeral services set out in your Application, as governed by the Agreement (and the arrangements covered by each plan shall be as detailed in the latest available version of the relevant plan description document in circulation as at the date of the Agreement);
"Planholder" means the person named in the Funeral Plan Schedule whose funeral is covered by the Plan;
"Price Guarantee" has the meaning given to it in the "What the Plan Covers" section of these terms and conditions;
"Skipton Commitment" means that you (or the Personal Representative(s) as applicable in the circumstances) will not be asked to pay any balance outstanding under the Plan, subject to the exclusions and limitations set out in the "Instalment Payments" section of these terms and conditions;
"Special Requests" means any personal wishes as to how you would like the Planholder's funeral performed, which have been notified to us in your Application, Additional Special Requests Form, by email, in writing or over the telephone;
"Trust" means the National Funeral Trust; and
"we" or "us" or "our" refer to Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited and our details are set out in the "How to Contact Us" section of these terms and conditions; and "you" or "your" or "applicant" means the person applying for the Plan.
Do You Qualify For The Plan?
Unless you are otherwise advised in writing by Dignity, the Plan is available to Planholders who are aged 50 or over at the date of making the Application. The Instalment Age Restriction means, at the point of applying for the Plan, the age of the eldest person named on the Plan could reduce the range of instalment options available.
The funeral provided by the Plan must be conducted in the Covered Areas. The Plan does not cover the costs of repatriation.
What The Plan Covers
Subject to these terms and conditions, details of the services guaranteed by the Plan are set out in the Funeral Plan Services Document. These services will be those selected in your Application. Once the Application has been received by Dignity the services guaranteed by the Plan cannot be altered by the Planholder.
Once you have fully paid the amounts set out in the Plan, we will cover the Nominated Funeral Director charges and the funeral cremation costs as set out in this "What The Plan Covers" section, at no further charge to the Personal Representative(s). This is known as the "Price Guarantee", which only applies to the services set out in this "What the Plan Covers" section.
Nominated Funeral Director
After receipt and approval by us of the Application, and upon the death of the Planholder, we will appoint a Nominated Funeral Director to provide the services described in the Agreement.
Please note that we reserve the right to appoint a different or new Nominated Funeral Director to carry out the Planholder's funeral for any reason. We will inform you if we do so.
If any of the services, which are to be directly provided by the Nominated Funeral Director, are not available at the time of the funeral we will provide an alternative of at least equal quality at no further charge.
If the Personal Representative(s) do not agree to the alternative arrangements, we may cancel the Plan and refund to the Planholder's estate any monies paid to date less a £195 cancellation fee.
Cremation Funeral
If you choose or have chosen a cremation funeral, the price you pay for the Plan will cover:
-
1. The cremation fee charged by the crematorium, subject to the following:
- (a) we reserve the right to select the crematorium used, which will usually be a crematorium close to and normally used by the Nominated Funeral Director; and
- (b) the cremation fee does not include any additional charges made by the crematorium, for example, any cost payable to the crematorium for use of an organist,
- 2. The Minister of Religion or an Officiant fee, equal to the amount paid for a standard funeral service at the crematorium or cemetery as listed in the Church of England Table of Parochial Fees. In the unusual event that the Minister or Officiant charges more than this amount, then you or the Personal Representative(s) will be responsible for paying that additional amount to the Nominated Funeral Director.
Burial Funeral
If you choose or have chosen a burial funeral, the Nominated Funeral Director will arrange certain services which are provided by third parties; for example, the provision of a burial plot, digging a new plot or opening an existing grave, cemetery fees, fees for a Minister of Religion or Officiant. The cost of these services varies widely throughout the Covered Areas and therefore the Plan does not guarantee to cover these costs.
The Plan contains a contribution towards these third party burial costs. The current rate is £1,220, which will rise in line with Inflation. We will advise the Personal Representative(s) of the value of the burial contribution at the time of arranging the funeral.
If the contribution towards third party burial costs does not cover the costs in full, the Personal Representative(s) will be required to pay the additional sum at the time of the funeral. Where the actual third party burial costs are less than the value of the contribution, we will either repay the difference to the Personal Representative(s), or put it towards other funeral costs incurred at the time.
What The Plan Does Not Cover
The Plan includes the services described in the Funeral Plan Services Document, which forms part of the Agreement.
The cost for other goods or services not set out in the Funeral Plan Services Document, for example a memorial, headstone, flowers, and catering are not included in the Plan. If you would like to make a provision for services not already included in your Plan, you may do so by making a contribution towards these costs. We will then make sure the value of that contribution increases in line with Inflation.
However, if that contribution does not cover the then current rate for those goods or services, you or the Personal Representative(s) must pay the difference between the value of your contribution (adjusted for Inflation) and the actual cost at the time of the funeral. Where the actual cost is less than the value of your contribution we will repay that difference to you or the Personal Representative(s).
Any fees payable to doctors or a coroner for the issue of death or cremation medical certificates, or coroner's certificates will not be included in your Plan and if they are charged for they will need to be paid for separately at the time of the funeral.
Extra Charges
We may charge reasonable extra amounts for the following requirements:
- any doctors' or coroners' fees that the Nominated Funeral Director is asked to pay on your behalf;
- the removal of mechanisms such as pacemakers (which must be removed before a cremation);
- providing a funeral which is not a normal funeral service;
- conducting the funeral on a weekend, at an unusual hour or public holiday;
- a religious or other service where the venue charges for use of that venue, heating, an organist choir etc.;
- if the crematorium charges extra for music, choir or an organist or any other services (including levies); or
- any adjustments to prices that reflect the additional cost to us of any change in regulations, tax, laws or generally accepted practice, and affect the conduct of the funeral.
Repatriation and Transport
The Plan does not cover the costs of repatriation from outside the Covered Areas to the Nominated Funeral Director.
If we need to transport the Planholder to or from a distance of more than 50 miles of the proposed funeral site, crematorium or burial place or if we need to incur ferry or air fares, we may charge you reasonable additional costs, less any contribution towards the cost of travel specified in the Plan.
Special Requests
If the special request is a tailorable option (limousines, procession route, coffin type or urn) and it is selected at the time of buying the Plan, this is covered by the Price Guarantee. Any special requests which fall outside the tailorable options or additions to the tailorable options after the point of purchase will fall outside the Plan, and are treated as contributions which grow with RPI. These will not be covered by the Price Guarantee. Once you have notified us of any Special Requests, we will send you a certificate confirming these. The Special Requests will be used as a guide for the Personal Representative(s) and the Nominated Funeral Director.
You are entitled to make a contribution payment towards the cost of any Special Requests and any contribution you do pay will be increased each year in line with Inflation. We do not guarantee that your contributions will cover the cost of all of the Special Requests.
The Personal Representative(s) will be advised of the value of this contribution at the time of arranging the funeral.
Payment
As the purchaser of the Plan, the rights and benefits set out in this Agreement accrue to you and you are responsible for making payments to us in accordance with this Agreement.
If you have named a different person as the Planholder on the Application, the rights and benefits set out in the Agreement will nevertheless accrue to you and not to the Planholder.
Care of Your Money
All payments you make are passed to the Trust to be held in accordance with the applicable trust deed.
Payments are made out of the Trust to us for funerals when they are performed, and for the cost of offering, selling and administering the Skipton Funeral Plan, and for refunds to purchasers of such plans.
Instalment Payments
By purchasing the Plan and agreeing to pay by instalments over a term, the following rules will apply:
Instalment charge
An Instalment Charge is payable by you if you pay over a term beyond 12 months because the Trust does not have all the money to invest at the Plan inception.
Instalment Age Restriction
If you pay over a term beyond 12 months the Instalment Age Restriction means that all payments must have been completed by the time the eldest person named on the Plan reaches their 85th Birthday.
If you fail to pay all of your instalment payments
If you miss one or two instalment payments the Plan will fall into arrears. We will contact you and request that you bring your Plan payments up to date. If we do not receive the missed payment within 14 days of our request, we will add the outstanding amount onto your final instalment payment.
If you have missed three instalments or more, the Plan will lapse and cannot be reinstated. If your Plan has lapsed the Price Guarantee and Skipton Commitment will fall away. We have the option (at our discretion) of cancelling the Plan so that it is no longer valid or effective.
A Plan cannot be reinstated once it has lapsed, however you can take out a new plan at the then current price of the former Plan. Any payments already received relating to the former Plan, will be transferred to the new plan as a deposit.
If the Plan is paid by instalments which are spread over 12 months or less and the Planholder dies before the Plan is fully paid up
The Skipton Commitment does not apply to instalment terms of 12 months or less. The Personal Representative(s) will be responsible for paying any outstanding instalments due. The outstanding instalments must be paid for in full before the funeral takes place.
If three payments or more have been missed and the Plan has lapsed, the Personal Representative(s) may request, and we may agree (at our sole discretion), to arrange for the funeral to be carried out by the Nominated Funeral Director. The cost of the funeral will be charged at the Nominated Funeral Director's then current market rate.
If the Plan is paid by instalments which are spread over more than 12 months and the Planholder dies within 12 months of the Plan start date
If the Planholder dies within 12 months of the Plan start date and the death is not an Accidental Death, you will not be covered by the Skipton Commitment. In these circumstances, the Personal Representative(s) will be responsible for paying the outstanding instalments due in order for us to provide the funeral in accordance with this Agreement. The outstanding instalments must be paid for in full before the funeral takes place.
If the Planholder dies within 12 months of the Plan start date, your instalment payments are fully up to date and the death is an Accidental Death, you will be covered by the Skipton Commitment.
For the purposes of this section, "Accidental Death" means a death of the Planholder caused when, a bodily injury is sustained, caused by accidental, violent, external and visible means, which solely and independently of any other cause results in death.
Accidental Death does not include:
- death caused by ingesting drugs, unless they were prescribed to the Planholder by a registered doctor in the United Kingdom; or
- a coroner's verdict of accidental death in circumstances other than where the death is caused by accidental, violent, external and visible means, which solely and independently of any other cause results in death.
If the Planholder dies more than 12 months after the Plan start date and the instalment payments are fully up to date
If the Planholder dies more than 12 months after the Plan start date, your instalment payments are fully up to date and the Plan has been in force for more than 12 months, you will be covered by the Skipton Commitment.
If the Planholder dies more than 12 months after the Plan start date but up to two instalment payments have been missed
If the Planholder dies more than 12 months after the Plan start date and you have missed up to two instalment payments, the Skipton Commitment in the Plan will lapse and will not be valid or effective. The Personal Representative(s) can reinstate the Skipton Commitment by making payment of all previously outstanding instalment payments. We will then provide the funeral in accordance with this Agreement, provided that the outstanding instalments are paid for in full before the funeral takes place.
If the Planholder dies more than 12 months after the Plan start date and three or more instalments have been missed
If the Planholder dies more than 12 months after the Plan start date and you have missed three instalments or more, you will not be covered by the Skipton Commitment or the Price Guarantee and neither will be valid or effective. Provided that the Plan has not been cancelled, the Personal Representative(s) may request, and we may agree (at our sole discretion), to arrange for the funeral to be carried out by the Nominated Funeral Director. The cost of the funeral will be charged at the Nominated Funeral Director's then current market rate.
Cancellation
You have 90 days from the date you receive the Agreement to decide that the arrangements you have made meet your requirements and that you do not wish to cancel the Plan.
If you do decide to cancel the Plan, you must either:
- notify us by completing and returning the cancellation form entitled "Notice of the Right to Cancel" which will be included with the documents that make up the Agreement; or
-
otherwise notify us in writing, by telephone or by email to:
- Address: Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited, 4 King Edwards Court, King Edwards Square, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B73 6AP
- Phone: 0800 804 8071*
- Email: planinfo@dignityuk.co.uk
Any notification of cancellation should specify all of the following details: (i) the Plan number; (ii) the full name and address of the Planholder (iii) the Planholder's date of birth; and (iv) a telephone number and/or email address for contact purposes should there be any issue with the cancellation. There will be additional security questions where the Plan is cancelled by telephone or by e-mail.
Provided we receive such notification within 90 days of receipt of the Agreement, we will refund all the money you have paid within 14 days of us receiving notification of cancellation.
If you wish to cancel the Plan at any time after the stated 90 days, we will refund any money you have paid, less a cancellation fee of £195, within 14 days of us receiving notification of cancellation.
In the event that the Plan is not used and cancellation is requested after the death of the Planholder, we may require additional information from the person cancelling the Plan before we can complete the cancellation.
Any refund will be made to the person who originally paid for the Plan or to the Planholder's estate.
We may cancel the Plan by giving notice to you if:
- an instalment remains unpaid more than 60 days after it is due;
- a funeral director is appointed independently by you who is not a Nominated Funeral Director;
- the funeral is to be conducted outside the Covered Areas
If we cancel the Plan, for any of the reasons above, we will refund any money you have paid, less the £195 cancellation fee, and we will have no further obligations to provide the services set out in the Plan.
We may make any changes reasonably necessary to the services that are provided under the Plan (including reducing or removing any part of the services or making any other alteration in the type of services provided), as a result of circumstances arising which are outside our control or outside the control of the Nominated Funeral Director (for example war, terrorism, riot or the occurrence of a pandemic or epidemic). To the extent that we make any such changes so that the services provided under the Plan are of materially reduced quality or capacity to the original services that would have been provided, we may, where reasonable and appropriate, adjust the price of the Plan by an equitable amount, and in such case we will refund any such amount that you have already paid.
If the Personal Representative(s) do not agree to the alternative arrangements, or Dignity is unable to provide alternative arrangements, either party may cancel the Plan and refund to the Planholder's estate any monies paid to date (taking into account any refund due), less a £195 cancellation fee.
Dignity may consider (acting reasonably and appropriately) waiving the cancellation fee, for example in certain circumstances where the alternative arrangements are materially worse than would otherwise have been provided under the plan.
The Plan is designed to cover funeral costs and is not an investment product, and we will not pay interest on money refunded.
Value Added Tax ("VAT")
VAT is not currently charged on a funeral service. However, if VAT or any other form of tax becomes chargeable on a funeral service or part of it in the future, you or the Personal Representative(s) must pay the VAT or additional tax at the time of the funeral.
If you are paying for any Special Request as part of the Plan then any third party suppliers who provide those goods or services may charge VAT, which we will pay and recover from you, or the Personal Representative(s).
How to Contact Dignity
If you have any questions regarding the Plan, Dignity's contact details are:
- Address: Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited, 4 King Edwards Court, King Edwards Square, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B73 6AP
- Telephone: 0800 804 8071*
- Email: planinfo@dignityuk.co.uk
Change of Address
You must notify us of any permanent change of address. If appropriate, we will appoint an alternative Nominated Funeral Director for you.
The Agreement
Once we have confirmed and approved your Application for the Plan, the following documents all make up the Agreement:
- your Application;
- the Funeral Plan Schedule;
- the Funeral Plan Services Document;
- the Key Features Summary; and
- these Terms and Conditions.
Please keep these documents in a safe place for the attention of your Personal Representative. You are advised to discuss your funeral arrangements with the person who will be the Personal Representative(s).
These documents together make up the Agreement concerning the Planholder's funeral arrangements. Anything which is not documented in writing in the Agreement will not be effective. If there is any ambiguity between the documents referenced above, the terms set out in these Terms and Conditions take precedence over the others.
English law shall apply to this Agreement. If anything in this Agreement is invalid or unenforceable, then this Agreement will be interpreted as if that part were modified or deleted to make it valid and enforceable, and the rest shall remain in force.
If we fail to exercise or delay in enforcing our rights (such as our right to cancel the Plan in the event of unpaid instalments), such failure or delay will not restrict our rights to do so, and a waiver of any such rights or of any breach of any term will not be deemed to be a waiver of any other right or any later breach.
You may propose a change to the Plan, but no change will take effect unless it is agreed in writing by us. If you wish to change the type of plan then this will take effect through a new Agreement for a new plan. Please use the contact details set out in the "How to Contact Us" section in these circumstances.
The Agreement is personal to you and may not be assigned (transferred) or made the subject of any trust, mortgage or charge given as security for any obligation to any third party. Only you or the Personal Representative(s) are entitled to claim the rights or benefits set out in this Agreement. The Nominated Funeral Director may also claim the rights or benefits set out in this Agreement. Otherwise, no other person (including the Planholder) has any right under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce any term of this Agreement. This does not affect any other rights these people may have. These Terms and Conditions apply to all Skipton Funeral Plans entered into from 10/03/2021.
How To Make A Complaint
We make every effort to excel in the service we provide. However, if you feel we have not met your expectations, please contact our Client Relations Department who will acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days and will do their utmost to ensure any complaint is dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible. Our Client Relations Department can be contacted as follows:
- Address: Client Relations Department, 4 King Edwards Court, King Edwards Square, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B73 6AP
- Telephone: 0800 731 0655*
- Email: clientrelations@dignityuk.co.uk
If you are dissatisfied with the response from us you can take the matter further. Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited is registered with the Funeral Planning Authority (FPA), an independent organisation, whose Code of Practice we follow.
The FPA can be contacted as follows:
- Telephone: 0345 601 9619
- Email: info@funeralplanningauthority.co.uk
- Website: www.funeralplanningauthority.com
The Funeral Planning Authority when handling complaints uses one of the approved Alternative Dispute Resolution providers and you can gain direct access to them by using the FPA contact details provided above. You also have legal rights to dispute resolution via any other Alternative Dispute Resolution providers that might be specified under consumer protection laws from time to time.
Skipton Building Society is a member of the Building Societies Association. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, under registration number 153706, for accepting deposits, advising on and arranging mortgages and providing Restricted financial advice. Principal Office, The Bailey, Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 1DN.
The Skipton Funeral Plan is provided by Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited (part of the Dignity plc Group). If you take out a Skipton Funeral Plan this will be on the basis of a contract between you and Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited. A company registered in England No. 1862158. VAT registered No. 486 6081 14. Registered Office: 4 King Edwards Court, King Edwards Square, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B73 6AP. Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited is regulated by the Funeral Planning Authority and not by the Financial Conduct Authority.
*Your call may be recorded for monitoring and quality purposes. All calls to 0800 numbers are free of charge whether made from a landline or mobile phone.
Website Terms and Conditions
Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited (a subsidiary of Dignity plc)
Please read these terms of use carefully. For the purposes of these terms, "we/our/us" means Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited.
Together with our privacy policy, they govern our relationship with you in relation to this website. If you have any comments or questions about our website terms of use, please contact us at company.secretary@dignityuk.co.uk or write to us at Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited, 4 King Edwards Court, King Edwards Square, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B73 6AP.
We may change these terms of use or our privacy policy at any time by updating this page. Please check this page from time to time to review these terms of use to ensure you are happy with any changes. Using or accessing this website indicates your acceptance of these terms of use. If you do not accept these terms, please do not continue to use this website.
Information about us
Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited is a subsidiary of Dignity plc. Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited is a British company registered in England and Wales at Companies House. Our registered office is at 4 King Edwards Court, King Edwards Square, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B73 6AP and our registered number is 1862158. Our VAT number is 486 6081 14.
You can contact us by email at company.secretary@dignityuk.co.uk or by telephone on 0800 804 8071.
The website to which these terms of use apply and for which we are responsible is www.skiptonfuneralplanpayments.co.uk
Your use of this website and our intellectual property rights
We have made this website available to you for your non-commercial use. We may modify, withdraw or deny your access to this website at any time.
This website and all the materials contained in it are protected by intellectual property rights, including copyright, and either belong to us or are licensed to us to use.
Materials include, but are not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance, graphics, documents, on the website, as well as other content such as articles, reports, presentations, stories, logos, trademarks (registered or unregistered) and other text.
You may not copy, redistribute, republish, modify or otherwise make the materials on this website available to anyone else without our consent in writing.
You may print or download materials from this website for your non-commercial use or copy the content to other individuals for their personal information provided that:
- no materials are modified in any way
- no graphics are used separately from accompanying text
- our copyright and trademark notices appear in all copies and you acknowledge this website as the source of the material
- the person to whom you are providing these materials is made aware of these restrictions.
Our liability to you
These terms of use do not exclude our liability (if any) to you for:
- personal injury or death resulting from our negligence
- fraud
- any matter which it would be illegal for us to exclude or to attempt to exclude our liability.
We do not guarantee that this website will be compatible with all or any hardware and software which you may use. We do not guarantee that this website will be available all the time or at any specific time. We reserve the right to withdraw or modify this website at any time.
We are only liable to you for losses which you suffer as a result of a breach of these terms by us. We are not responsible to you for any losses which you may incur which were not a foreseeable consequence of us breaching these terms and conditions, for example if you and we could not have contemplated those losses before or when you access this website. Our liability to you shall not in any circumstances include any business losses that you may incur, including but not limited to lost data, lost profits or business interruption.
Information on this website
While we strive to ensure the information contained on the website is accurate and up to date, we cannot guarantee that inaccuracies will not occur.
If this should happen, we will correct the information as soon as we are aware of it.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, Dignity Pre Arrangement Limited disclaims all representations and warranties, express or implied, that content or information displayed in or on this Website is accurate, complete, up-to-date and/or does not infringe the rights of any third party.
Linking
We may link to other websites which are not within our control. We are not responsible for these websites in any way and do not endorse them. It is your responsibility to check the terms and conditions and privacy policy on any other website which you visit.
You may not link to this website from another website without our consent in writing.
Governing Law and Jurisdiction
This Agreement is governed by English Law and the parties agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts in respect of any dispute (including non-contractual dispute) or difference arising under it.
Skipton & Dignity Privacy Policy
How your information is used
The Skipton Funeral Plan is provided by Dignity plc, in association the Skipton Building Society ("Skipton").
Skipton Building Society and Dignity act independently to process your personal information and are committed to protecting your privacy and the personal information that you provide. This policy explains how Skipton Building Society and Dignity use, share, and protect your personal information.
We may change this Policy from time to time so please check this page occasionally to ensure that you're aware of any changes.
Who are Dignity?
"Dignity" refers to the Dignity Group of companies and subsidiaries of Dignity Plc, registered in England at their registered office at Dignity Plc, 4 King Edwards Court, King Edwards Square, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B73 6AP.
If you have any questions about this policy, please contact Dignity's data privacy team by emailing Privacy@dignityfunerals.co.uk or in writing to Privacy, Dignity Plc, King Edwards Court, King Edwards Square, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B73 6AP.
What information do Dignity collect?
Dignity collect personally identifiable information about you such as your full name, address, email address, and bank account or payment card details. If you purchase a service online, they will collect additional information such as your IP address and any session details. They will only collect the minimum amount of information necessary for the purposes outlined below.
Due to the sensitive nature of their services, Dignity will on rare occasions process data confidentially where a funeral plan has been purchased for another individual.
How do Dignity use your information?
Services
Dignity will process your data on the requirement that it is necessary to fulfil their contract with you when you purchase a service from them.
If you enquire about one of their services, they will use this information to provide you with further details by either post, telephone or email. To do this they will share your information with their printing agencies.
If you purchase one of Dignity's services, they will use the information you have provided to administer your plan. If required, this involves sharing your information with their payment processors and legal advisors.
Dignity will retain your information for the duration of their relationship with you and for as long as determined by their regulatory, legal and business requirements. Dignity will review these retention periods on a regular basis to ensure they do not store unnecessary personal information.
Legitimate Interests
In addition to the above Dignity also process your information for the purposes of their own legitimate business interests:
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You may choose to opt-out of some or all of the above if possible (opting out is not possible for the items marked with an asterisks) by emailing Privacy@dignityfunerals.co.uk or in writing using the address above.
Profiling
Dignity creates a profile of your interests and preferences so that they can contact you with information most relevant to you. They may also use your personal information to detect and reduce fraud and credit risk.
Service Providers
Dignity employs third-party service providers and contractors to carry out its day to day activities. All of their service providers are carefully considered to ensure that they handle your information with care and only for the purposes intended. It may be necessary for Dignity to share some or all your information with these providers as necessary. Dignity will always minimise the access and ensure data is securely destroyed when it is no longer required by our third-party providers.
Who do Dignity share your information with?
Dignity will share your information with Skipton Building Society for the above purposes.
Other than as described in this policy, Dignity will not transfer, disclose, sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties other than their subsidiaries, parent company, group companies or potential purchasers of their business without your permission, unless they are required to do so by law.
How Skipton use your personal data
Skipton Building Society is the Data Controller responsible for the personal data they collect, use, share and hold about you.
Skipton respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. They endeavour to ensure that all personal data is kept confidential, accurate, up to date, available to you and held and transferred securely. They put in place a range of security measures to help protect your data. They only collect, use, share and hold your personal data when they have a lawful basis that allows them to. They hold personal data for a period determined by their regulatory, legal and business requirements.
Skipton use personal data about you to:
- identify you
- check the eligibility and suitability of products and services you apply for or have with them and review this on an ongoing basis
- process, manage and administer your application and enquiries
- link this application to your customer record and other accounts, products and services you hold with them
- manage your experience with Skipton
- protect you and provide security
- provide colleague training to help improve the quality of their service and for general quality assurance and communication monitoring
- prevent crime, money laundering, protect you and others from fraud and for public safety
- communicate with you about the products and services you hold with them
- send marketing communications, by the methods you have agreed to
- undertake research and gain insights into market trends, consumer behaviour, their competitors and changes in technology
- meet their legal, regulatory, auditing, tax and accounting obligations
How Skipton share your personal data
Skipton will share your personal data with Dignity and a range of other parties to help process, manage and administer your application and enquiries. The other parties Skipton share personal data with include:
- your authorised representatives
- credit reference, fraud prevention, law enforcement agencies
- external auditors
- research and insight agencies
- mailing houses and printers
- information technology service providers
- risk, data modelling and ratings agencies
Cookies
The Skipton Funeral Plan website is hosted by Dignity, like many other websites it uses cookies. 'Cookies' are small pieces of information sent to and stored on your device to allow that website to recognise you when you visit. Some cookies are essential, as they ensure your security and privacy when you use our secure sites, as well as enabling you to move around a website and use its features, others collect statistical data about your browsing actions and patterns for example; cookies store your country preference. This helps them to improve their website and deliver a better, more personalised service.
A full list of the cookies used on skiptonfuneralplanpayments.co.uk is set out below, along with a definition of what each cookie is used for.
How to control and delete cookies
You can delete the files that contain cookies ‐ those files are stored as part of your Internet browser. If you wish to restrict or block the cookies which are set by skiptonfuneralplanpayments.co.uk, or indeed any other website, or if you wish to receive notification of cookie placement requests or decline cookies completely, you can do this through your browser settings. The Help function within your browser should tell you how. Please be aware that declining or denying cookies may prevent you from being able to use the website to its highest capability.
Alternatively, you may wish to visit www.aboutcookies.org which contains comprehensive information on how to do this on a wide variety of browsers. You will also find details on how to delete cookies from your computer as well as more general information about cookies. For information on how to do this on the browser of your mobile device you will need to refer to your manual.
This is a list of the main cookies set by the Skipton Funeral Plan website, and what each is used for:
Cookie name | Cookie use | Host | Definition |
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__ga | Metrics: Google | skiptonfuneralplanpayments.co.uk |
skiptonfuneralplanpayments.co.uk uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. Google Analytics sets a cookie in order to evaluate your use of our website and compile reports on user activity.
Google stores the information collected by the cookie on servers in the United States. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. By using skiptonfuneralplanpayments.co.uk, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above. |
__gid | Metrics: Google | skiptonfuneralplanpayments.co.uk | |
_gat_UA-34896245-1 | Metrics: Google | skiptonfuneralplanpayments.co.uk | |
MediaCode | Promotion: Tracking | skiptonfuneralplanpayments.co.uk | Used to track and monitor the performance of marketing campaigns and trigger, where applicable, promotional messaging. |
SERVERID | Necessary | skiptonfuneralplanpayments.co.uk | This cookie is used to assign the visitor to a specific server - this function is necessary for the functionality of the website. |
ASP.NET_SessionId | Necessary | skiptonfuneralplanpayments.co.uk | Preserves the visitor's session state across page requests. |
RequestVerificationToken | Necessary | skiptonfuneralplanpayments.co.uk | This is an anti-forgery cookie set by web applications built using ASP.NET MVC technologies. It is designed to stop unauthorised posting of content to a website, known as Cross-Site Request Forgery |
Security
Skipton and Dignity are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure they have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information they collect from you.
Your Rights:
In respect of your personal data, you have rights to:
- be informed about the personal data they collect, use, share and hold about you. The purpose of this privacy notice is to do this
- request details of the personal data both Skipton Building Society and Dignity each hold about you
- have inaccurate or incomplete personal data corrected
- request the erasure of your personal data
- restrict the collection, use, sharing and retention of your personal data in some circumstances
- request the electronic transfer of your personal data to you or another service provider
- object to the collection, use, sharing and holding of your personal data
- challenge automated decisions
- complain to the Information Commissioner's Office
More information
To find out more about how your personal data is used, who it's shared with and why, how long it's kept, the lawful bases that apply, your rights and how to exercise them you should contact Skipton and Dignity separately as shown below:
For Skipton please refer to their full Privacy Notice at skipton.co.uk, ask at your local branch, call them on 0345 850 1700 or write to their Data Protection Officer at Skipton Building Society, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 1DN
For Dignity – please refer to their full Privacy Notice at dignityfunerals.co.uk, or write to Privacy, Dignity Plc, King Edwards Court, King Edwards Square, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. B73 6AP, or call on 0808 159 8888.
The Direct Debit Guarantee
- This Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits.
- If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit, Royal Exchange Trust Company Limited Re National Funeral Trust will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request Royal Exchange Trust Company Limited Re National Funeral Trust to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request.
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If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by Royal Exchange Trust Company Limited Re National Funeral Trust or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society.
- If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when Royal Exchange Trust Company Limited Re National Funeral Trust asks you to. - You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify us.