Partially upheld: administrative errors in plan setup and documentation complaint against Golden Charter Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mrs C purchased a pre-paid funeral plan in 2016 for burial but discovered in 2025 it was incorrectly set up as a cremation plan. When she purchased a second plan for herself and paid £1,950 towards a burial plot, the new documentation still contained errors and omissions. GCL apologised and offered £30 vouchers, later increased to £100 cash compensation, but refused to refund the £325 arrangement fee. The ombudsman upheld the complaint but agreed the £100 compensation was appropriate, as GCL had provided services for the arrangement fee and gone beyond standard practice in assisting with burial plot arrangements, and the errors have since been corrected.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

While mistakes in the plan setup occurred, the ombudsman considered the impact on the customer and what is reasonable compensation. The plan has been set up and GCL went beyond usual practice by assisting with burial plot arrangements. The errors that could have affected plan delivery at time of need were the cremation/burial designation and failure to capture additional amounts paid. These have been corrected. Minor errors such as typographical mistakes and payment method recording would not impact plan delivery. The £100 compensation reasonably recognises the errors made without refunding the full arrangement fee, as GCL provided services for that fee.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website