Memoria claims CMA report lacks clarity on ‘consumer detriment’

Memoria, a private memorial park and crematoria operator, has questioned the recent Competitions and Markets Authority’s (CMA) report for not providing clarity on “consumer detriment”.

For the past two-and-a-half years, Memoria has supported the CMA in its effort to better understand how the UK funerals market works, and whether this could be improved to benefit bereaved families.

The investigation was concluded last month with the publication of the CMA’s Final Decision Report.

Memoria welcomed the CMA’s efforts from the start, in the belief that the “high standards of quality and transparency” its customers already enjoy should be “experienced across the sector” as a whole.

In particular, Memoria revealed it was pleased the report concluded that there is “no basis for imposing price controls” on crematoria at this time.

It also said it “fully supports” the new transparency obligations the CMA has imposed, which largely echo the group’s “long-standing policies and means” its own sites are already compliant.

However, the crematoria operator was “disappointed” to find that, after more than two years of detailed investigation, the report provides an estimate of “consumer detriment” for funeral customers without giving “sufficient clarity” on the nature and causes.

Jamieson Hodgson, director at Memoria, said: “We want to reassure our customers that we have not been responsible for causing any detriment, and that they have not overpaid for our services.

“In our experience, many families appreciate the quality of setting and service that Memoria offers and we are pleased the report leaves us free to continue to offer outstanding quality of service and state of the art facilities in the future.”