HFC Trust Charter
Our Commitment to Families, Transparency & Responsible Funeral Care
At Harmony Funeral Care, we understand that trust is more than just words.
It is earned through the way we communicate, the way we price our services, the way we treat families and the standards we hold ourselves to.
Following the publication of our public apology, we undertook a broader review of our business practices. This Charter sets out the standards we have chosen to hold ourselves to in our work with families.
Genuine Customer Feedback
We will not manufacture trust.
We will not procure, create or knowingly publish non-genuine customer reviews or testimonials. Where we share customer stories or testimonials, they will come from genuine customers only.
We believe families should be able to make decisions based on genuine experiences, rather than the number or appearance of reviews alone.
Clear & Transparent Pricing
You should know what you are paying for.
Our quotations will clearly identify, where reasonably practicable:
- what is included in a package;
- what is optional;
- the price of optional items where reasonably determinable;
- circumstances that may cause the final price to change; and
- additional services requested during the funeral.
Our aim is to give families sufficient information to understand their options and make informed decisions.
No Unexpected Add-Ons
An optional service should remain optional.
We will not treat an optional service as an automatic purchase. Where an additional chargeable service is requested or proposed during a funeral, we will explain the additional cost before proceeding wherever reasonably practicable.
Where practical, families will be given the opportunity to understand, accept or decline optional items.
Written or Typed Quotations
Important decisions should not depend on memory or verbal promises.
We will provide families with written documentation setting out the agreed services and relevant charges. Where arrangements change, we will endeavour to document those changes clearly in a written form or in the Whatsapp group chat that we usually have for each funeral. This group chat will have the next-of-kin of the deceased present and the next-of-kin will have to acknowledge and agree to the charges before anything is carried out.
Detailed Invoices
The final bill should make sense.
Our invoices should provide sufficient detail for families to understand what they have paid for. If something differs from the original quotation, we will explain the reason for the difference where reasonably practicable.
No Pressure
Grief should never be used to pressure a family into spending more.
We will explain available options and allow families to make decisions based on their own wishes, circumstances and budget. Where there are different options, we will explain the differences rather than assuming that the more expensive option is the right one.
Respect for Every Family
There is no single "right" funeral.
Different families have different cultural, religious and personal wishes. Our role is to understand those wishes and help families make informed choices — not to impose our own preferences.
We will respect the choices families make, whether they choose a simple arrangement like a direct cremation without a funeral wake or a more elaborate farewell.
Accountability
When we get something wrong, we will address it.
We will listen to complaints and feedback, investigate concerns appropriately and take corrective action where necessary.
Where we identify a genuine area for improvement, we will use that feedback to improve our processes and service.
Responsible Marketing
What we advertise should be what we can deliver.
Our marketing, package descriptions, promotional offers, comparisons and claims about our services should be accurate and capable of being substantiated. Where an offer has conditions, those conditions should be made clear.
We will take particular care with terms such as "free", "FOC", "upgrade", "saving" and "from", so that families can understand the actual offer and any conditions that apply.
These are among the pricing practices addressed in CCCS's Guidelines on Price Transparency.
Our goal is for our marketing to help families understand their choices — not create unrealistic expectations.
Genuine Feedback & Marketing Commitments
We will not treat third-party marketing services as automatically trustworthy
We have strengthened our review and approval process for services proposed by external marketing providers. Going forward, marketing services will undergo additional checks before they are approved or implemented, even where they may initially appear legitimate.
We will never purchase reviews
HFC will not purchase, commission, manufacture or arrange non-genuine customer reviews.
We will not incentivise reviews
We will not offer discounts, gifts, vouchers, upgrades or other benefits in exchange for a review or particular rating.
We will invite honest feedback — not a particular rating
Where families are willing to share their experience, we will invite them to provide honest feedback. Where feedback identifies areas we can improve, we will review it and take appropriate action. We are not interested in asking families for a particular rating. We are interested in understanding their genuine experience.
We will not manipulate negative feedback
We will not ask customers to change or remove genuine negative feedback in exchange for resolving an issue, nor will we selectively manufacture positive feedback to offset criticism.
Continuous Improvement
This Charter is not a marketing slogan.
We will periodically review our policies, processes and customer feedback to identify where we can do better. As HFC grows, our systems and practices should grow with it.
Because trust isn't achieved by saying "We are trustworthy." It is built by continually giving families reasons to believe it.
How We Hold Ourselves Accountable
A commitment only matters if families can hold us to it.
We invite families to ask questions about our services, pricing and processes. If something is unclear, please ask us before making a decision.
If you believe something has not been handled appropriately, please tell us. We would rather have a difficult conversation than leave a family with an unanswered question.
Where appropriate, feedback may lead us to review or change the way we work.
Our commitment is simple:
- Be clear.
- Be fair.
- Listen.
- Take responsibility.
- Keep improving.
This is the standard we want Harmony Funeral Care to be held to — by our families, by our team and by ourselves.
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