A Dundee couple say they are facing having “pauper’s graves” after the firm in charge of their £6,000 funeral plans went bust.
Linda and Ronny Hocking, from Coldside, each bought a funeral plan worth £3,080 from Safe Hands in December 2017 – hoping to save their two children the expense when they pass away.
But on March 23 the company fell into administration, leaving 45,000 people facing uncertainty.
This week, Linda, 62, and Ronny, 69, received letters informing them that the provider had gone under.
‘I am totally devastated’
Linda said: “I feel like I’ve been kicked in the teeth.
“I don’t have money to pay out for another two funerals.
“I am just totally devastated by this. I don’t know what to do.
“My husband doesn’t keep well and I just feel that if anything happens to him, what am I going to do?
If we don’t get this sorted it’s going to be a pauper’s grave at this rate.”
“We’re only on Ronny’s state pension, we get pension credits and I’ve got my private pension – we’ve got nothing else coming in.
“On top of that the cost of everything else is rising. We don’t have money to put aside or anything like that.
“If we don’t get this sorted it’s going to be a pauper’s grave at this rate.”
Ronny says the couple have no savings to fall back on.
He said: “I am going to be 70 on May 28 this year and this has got us both worried sick as we feel we have been left in limbo.
“My wife and I paid for our funerals so as not to burden our families with any cost or worries.
“Now we are left wondering if we will ever get our money back as we cannot afford to pay for two more funerals.”
Dignity, one of the UK’s biggest funeral firms, has offered to provide services for any Safe Hands customers who die during the next 14 days, allowing joint administrator FRP Advisory to find a long-term solution.
The administrator says it is not in a position to refund customers, but will instead try to pass on plans to other firms.
Safe Hands ‘not in position to issue refunds’
Nedim Ailyan, partner at FRP, said: “Safe Hands Plans is no longer in a position to continue trading as a result of the administration.
“Our immediate focus has been to secure an interim funeral services provision with Dignity for the next 14 days to ensure that any plan holders that pass away are cared for while we seek to find a longer-term solution.
“As joint administrators, we have been appointed by the court and will undertake a detailed statutory investigation of the financial position of the business and the events leading to the insolvency.
We appreciate how upsetting this period of uncertainty will be for Safe Hands Plans’ customers and their families.”
“This will support our work as we progress towards realising the company’s assets to make returns to creditors.
“Regrettably, the administration means the company is not in a position to issue refunds at this time.
“We appreciate how upsetting this period of uncertainty will be for Safe Hands Plans’ customers and their families.
“We will contact all plan holders, and personal representatives of any deceased plan holders, to outline the process for registering a claim as part of the administration.”
