Co-op Funeralcare, Twickenham

3 Karen Smale 27th Jun 2022

We chose the Co-op as that was what my mum wanted. But on reflection i would not chose to use them again and would use a smaller family run business. Firstly, the day after my mother had passed i was called by Debbie Froud from the Whitton branch and she was asking about mum and what room she was in and if there were any obstructions in removing her from the house etc. I had to stop her mid flow and explain that mum had already been collected from the house. My mum passed at 6:30pm on 19th May, Debbie called me during the early afternoon on the 20th. I can't believe that she thought that mum was still at her address, i would have been extremely annoyed had she of been. Mum was in fact collected at 01:00hrs on 20th, i arrived home at 03:00hrs that same day and eventually got to bed at 04:00hrs. So, i was not overly impressed by Debbie ringing and thinking this was the case, surely there must have been a record showing when and where mum had been collected from. The next issue was to do with the payment for the funeral. My brother and i decided that we would obtain a funeral plan whilst mum was still with us so we had it already and sorted for when she did pass. I paid a deposit on the day and then paid the full amount off at the end of March 22, a good couple of months before mum passed. I just didn't want the hassle of trying to organise all of this after mum's passing when i was grieving and trying to sort a million other things. A few days after the first contact with Debbie, she called again and started talking about the funeral plan and the fact that the final amount was outstanding, she went onto say that even though this was the case we could still pay for the plan and the funeral would still be able to go ahead. Again, i had to stop Debbie mid flow and explain that she had all the details wrong and that i had in fact paid the full amount exactly to avoid all of the hassle that i was now trying to sort out. Again, why did her records not reflect that i had in fact paid the plan off in full in plenty of time. Why were her records so lacking in correct details? The next issue a few days later was Debbie ringing me telling me there had been a mistake with the amount that i had paid in full for the funeral plan. Debbie was telling me that the amount i had paid in full was incorrect and that there was a £99 shortfall. I explained when and how i made full payment and explained that i paid the amount that was told to me the female operator on the phone and i handed over my credit card details and in no way did i detail how much i needed to pay off, that was all dictated by the operator from the Co-op. In the end as i was losing my patience and trying to deal with my grief i told Debbie that this was not a fault at my end and that it was a matter for the Co-op to sort out and not me and this was precisely everything i was trying to avoid. I said that i felt like cancelling the plan with the Co-op and Debbie informed me that if i did then i would be charged £250 for doing so, so basically i was held to ransom by the Co-op or that is at least how it felt. In the end, i had to get someone else to deal with this matter as it was too much for me to deal with everything else i was going through. Overall, i did not feel that the details that i required as to how and when things would or need to happen were provided to me from the beginning, I had to ask the questions to get the answers i required. I did not feel supported in a time when i really needed someone to take control and that person be authoritative enough for me to feel confident in their skills, along with everything else i have highlighted i hope you can understand why i would not recommend the Co-op to anyone else at their greatest time of need. On a positive note, i would like to say that the funeral directors on the day of mum's service were impeccable. They were polite and courteous and on time and smart and conducted themselves with dignity and paid the upmost respect. I can not fault them in any way and thank them for their service on the day. Please pass on my gratitude and thanks to those involved on the 10th June.

5 Valerie Hartnell 13th Jun 2022

Very professional, understanding and caring. Explained fully everything regarding the prepaid service we had to use. A great Celebrant was appointed who was also very caring and professional. On the day everything ran as smoothly as was expected with a very professional team. I would highly recommend.

5 Anne Rogers 30th May 2022

Very helpful staff, showing respect and consideration at all stages of our interaction with them. Funeral conducted with dignity. I had an issue over obtaining the relevant form from our GP which caused a delay in registering my husbands death, your staff  member dealt with this on my behalf and moved things along. 

4 Alan Barker 30th May 2022

Debbie the funeral arranger was very understanding and helpful though out the whole process.

5 Julie Smith 23rd May 2022

Lovely, helpful staff. At our most saddest time, they took away the stress. Thank you.

5 Stephen Pierce-Smith 23rd May 2022

Everything went very smoothly. If i have one criticism it would be that it would have been less stressful for me if my mother had been tended to before I saw her to at least have had her mouth closed and to have been covered up.

5 Andrew Hoppe 23rd May 2022

Excellent service - very understanding staff and made the difficult and emotional task of arranging the funeral much easier

5 Daphne Mckellar 3rd May 2022

Extremely pleased with the help and arrangements done at a difficult time. Would recommend co-op to all.

5 Joanna Emilianowicz 3rd May 2022

This was my first funeral which I had to organise and knew nothing about what I am doing. Debbie was amazing. She was patient and explain to me how everything will work. She had a great attention to detail and kept in regular contact to keep me informed. Thank you for making my dads day so special. 

5 Cheryl Cirale 25th Apr 2022

Thank you for making my beloved sisters final journey memorable, you were both professional and caring at the same time. Regards Cheryl Cirale

4 Sue Williams 12th Apr 2022

All the staff were very professional and friendly. I felt looked after.

5 Peter Hill 4th Apr 2022

A perfect service from beginning to end. The staff could not have been kinder or more helpful. On the day itself the director and his fellows were the epitome of respect and helpfulness. I cannot recommend these people highly enough.

5 John Reece 3rd Apr 2022

Generally I found the service excellent.

5 Debbie Hetherington 25th Mar 2022

Easy to organise the funeral during a difficult time. Thankful to the team for making the process as smooth as possible and for answering the multiple questions I had to ask along the way.

5 Barry Jones 23rd Mar 2022

Excellent service, very caring and understanding staff. The day ran very smoothly. 

5 Joanna Rapsomanikis 21st Mar 2022

I would like to thank Debbie she was so kind and understanding. She arranged my brother's funeral a few months ago. Sadly my mother passed away 4 months later and I asked for Debbie specifically again . Thank you Debbie

5 Joyce Gibbs 14th Mar 2022

Debbie and the whole team were helpful, considerate and, above all, kind. The funeral went perfectly thanks to the careful attention to detail shown by everyone at Co-op Funeralcare, Twickenham. 

5 Gregg Birt 28th Feb 2022

First class service giving a great customer experience.

5 Clive White 21st Feb 2022

I was completely taken aback with the choice of music being played over the PA system in the Chapel of Rest. The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams . This was a beautiful choice of music as both John and I loved this work very much. Thank you so much for a most sensitive choice and the dignity shown by the Crematorium Staff. Kindest regards Clive A.S. White

1 Wesley Brill 15th Feb 2022

You’ll be hearing from me soon .    twickenham no problem. it’s the rest of you absolutely disgraceful 

5 Mary Nicholas 19th Jan 2022

 A very caring group of people looked after us so well meet all our requirements many thanks 

5 Mark Elliott 17th Jan 2022

Would definitely recommend this company  So easy to deal with in a very sad situation  They simplified everything for us right from the start  Can’t thank you enough 

5 John Peacock 17th Jan 2022

Debbie at the Whitton branch was particularly helpful going above and beyond the call of service to help. I was left with the unenviable task of organising a funeral after a sudden death and I couldn’t have asked for a better level of support. Great communication and understanding at every step of the way ensured that the service went smoothly and my brother had a send off that I could be proud of. Martin Shaw as our celebrant was sincere and accurate with the running of the service, which also added to the occasion.

5 Diane Dyos 17th Jan 2022

Debbie at Whitton was kind and very helpful, the minister Steve Cochrane was excellent and conducted the service beautifully,the funeral director and his team were efficient, kind and professional, I would recommend Co-op funeral care and particularly Whitton branch 

5 Kelly Walsh 10th Jan 2022

Excellent care of our dad. Kept us informed and up to date with everything. Debbie was wonderful.