Co-op Funeralcare, South Croydon

5 Terry Brooker 9th Jan 2023

A wonderful service organised  by Lucy and her team. Nothing was too much and everything went smoothly. We as a family would definitely use the Co op Croydon again and would highly recommend them

5 Jonathan Brome 12th Dec 2022

Lucy offered us the best customer service that I have experienced from a service provider. On the day of the funeral the the attendees were impressed by the professionalism of the pall bearers. The experience over exceeded our expectations.

5 Sonny Drew 14th Nov 2022

Really supportive, and wonderful service throughout. 

Thank you. 

5 Terry Brooker 19th Oct 2022

The team at Croydon were excellent, very knowledgeable and helpful in what is obviously a very difficult time for any family.
Lucy was a delight to do business with and we would highly recommend the
Co-Op!
The Celebrant was also spot on.

5 Christine Martin 12th Sep 2022

Very good and caring service given by Lucy Everett. Thank you. 

5 Anne Turner 30th Aug 2022

The Co-op at South Croydon surrey branch were absolutely fantastic , they gave us as a family so much support and guidance, they were very kind Lucy and Terry were there for us every step of the way , have and will going forward certainly recommend them to friends and family x thank you 

5 Sharon Taylor 22nd Aug 2022

Very professional and all involved was lovely and helpful and well organised and a nice send off for our loved one. Thank you 

5 Lynn Quinn 18th Jul 2022

Tho Co op organized my Mums funeral.
They were exceptional, everything i requested was taken care of without any problems at all.
The church service was lovely & i was so impressed with the order of service. Thanks so much to the Co-op.

5 Kirsty Driscoll 27th Jun 2022

Lucy at South Croydon was amazing she gace me all the information I needed to make the right choices. Adam had a very good day and everything went well.

5 Evadne Bygrave 20th Jun 2022

I have been very impressed with service, which comes from a genuine place of empathy. I was also pleasantly surprised at the continuing  aftercare service and support, giving guidance on next steps and how to keep your love one’s memories a live.  Overall a great service when offered at a time when people ate at there lowest.

4 Matthew Pollard 13th Jun 2022

Great service and support from start to finish. No question was considered daft, no request sneered at and so much helpful advice. I used the coop funeral service a couple of years back and was so impressed I came back knowing I'd be treated well and that everything would be fine. Thanks Lucy, Jeff and team for your sensitive and first class service.

3 Trinity John 19th May 2022

I found it difficult to decide how many stars. I would say between 3 and 4 but have landed on 3 - I will try to explain. Some elements were excellent - Lucy, the funeral arranger's level of care; her manner with us from the start, her communication, clarity and gentle way throughout arranging was really great. The funeral itself went really well, brilliantly in fact. Terry the funeral director was wonderful - we couldn't ask for more. He was both professional and considerate to our needs on the day - such attention to detail and a caring vigilance. The day went smoothly and that comes down to all the arrangements leading up to it and how everything was executed. Alan, our celebrant, was also wonderful. Just so warm and sincere in all he did. The day itself - excellent.

I have marked down on a few elements of my experience as the client. Largely down to the period of time where Lucy was off with Covid and some issues within the administration/systems for when someone is off/communication between branches - amazingly Lucy was still in touch with us via email here and there although poorly at home - but the system that Co-Op have for when someone is off left us with inconsistencies and a couple of things that were a bit upsetting. Those particular things have weight to them and so have dragged my score down from 4 stars. I have marked down for the inconsistencies in communication in the two weeks leading up to the funeral (unfortunate timing) - I dealt with 3 different people from 3 different branches. I found Julia from Wallington branch had a good manner about her via telephone and found communication with her easy but there were issues with another conversation with another person where my instructions seemingly were not passed on and I have also marked down due to quite an upsetting experience when visiting the chapel of rest.

One issue I had was that I had specified the wording for the grave marker (both in person at the initial meeting with Lucy and then re- confirmed via email) but this was not correct in the end. I had asked for the words 'In ever loving memory' but in the end it was just 'Rest in peace' - the default I guess as if I hadn't specified (but I had). When we went to visit Dad at the chapel of rest the lady covering was lovely BUT I had also specified via a phonecall with someone at another branch (possibly Jo at Thornton Heath) that there were two items of jewellery Dad had on. I left specific instructions, she was taking notes while I was on the phone - I was VERY CLEAR - but somehow this did not transpire to have been carried out/honoured. One was that Dad had a chain on and this was to be worn by him, visible over his shirt and under his tie, for him to be buried in - it's how he would've worn it. I also specified that he had two bracelets on (both different wording) and that one was to be removed before he was embalmed/placed in the coffin for me to take.

When we sent to see him at the chapel of rest the chain was not visible and both bracelets were still on. My aunt spoke to the lady who was supervising our visit (I can't remember her name but it was Monday 11th April at South Croydon branch) and she proceeded to move Dad's arm to get the bracelet off and poke around to find the chain while we were in the room. I ended up joining her in this - all very discombobulating and not what I had planned or wanted to do when making this visit. Clearly she is very comfortable dealing with such matters as this is her job, and I appreciate she wanted to try to rectify the situation but I found it unsensitive to us the family and all in all the whole thing was unsettling and upsetting. In the end we stepped out and my aunt helped her to get the chain out from under his shirt but it meant his tie was undone and it just wasn't what we had asked for. A shame. Something I struggled with and just had to "let go" and tell myself it didn't matter, but the thing is, these things do matter, otherwise why do we bother? The woman there also asked me a load of questions that day (before we left) about final arrangements which I wasn't expecting and found quite difficult. I was there that day just to see Dad. Any other communication should have been done separately I feel.

I'm sorry to 'land people in it'. Like I say everyone was 'lovely' but the experience on the whole left a few things to be desired unfortunately, and there's no doing it again or rectifying it. A partial refund would go some way in alleviating any bad taste left in my mouth I suppose. Dad would say not to worry, some people may shrug or even laugh it off but I can only be honest about my experience. It has taken me a while to be able to write this review. In conclusion - a mixed bag. The funeral overall: Excellent. My experience: some parts very good, some parts average, some parts poor (the communication and systems poor I think), the grave marker being wrong - poor, the experience at the viewing - mostly fine and managed warmly but that experience of Dad being moved around / things not being as they should have been (my specifications not carried out as per a previous phonecall) / the level of professionalism in that moment - quite awful. Like I say, a mixed bag. Nonetheless I express my gratitude to those persons and instances where things were carried out in an exacting, respectful and caring manner.

5 Paula Doherty 14th Apr 2022

I found Lucy in the South Croydon branch, did a wonderful job of supporting me through the process of arranging my sisters service, I received  both  a very empathetic  and professional  approach, at what has been the most difficult time in my life. 

5 Joan Baker 4th Apr 2022

The funeral director Lucy was excellent. She managed everything in a professional way and with empathy, which was very much appreciated.
The day went smoothly and well managed by the funeral team

5 Anthony Goodchild 4th Apr 2022

Brilliant service, helpful, understanding, really put my mind at ease at this difficult time. All went smoothly, once again, Thankyou Very Much. Lucy at Croydon& Jayne at the Deal Kent Branch. 

5 Elizabeth Igbokwe 28th Feb 2022

I was very happy with the service the Co-op provided. They were very understanding & caring and assisted us through the process with such professionalism.
Everything went smoothly.
I would definately recommend them.

5 Sheila Owen 28th Feb 2022

The care and support I received from the team at South Croydon was outstanding and made such a difference as I arranged my mother’s funeral

5 Lorraine Collins 21st Feb 2022

Lucy was absolutely wonderful, welcoming, caring and supportive. Very informative and even after care has been outstanding. Looked after Sophie whilst she was at the south Croydon branch and us. 

Whilst sophie was at the purley branch she and us was well looked after by Karen. 

Sophie’s celebration of life went well and this was due to the outstanding care of the minister and the funeral directors on the day. 

Thank you to all the team that was involved before, during and after Sophies celebration of life 

5 Alicia Musiitwa 7th Feb 2022

Lucy was the best funeral director in one of the worst situations one can face in life; death/loss. She not only did her job impeccable, providing support, advice and updates at every step of the way, but she exudes the heart and warmth that everyone facing loss needs; offering a high level of personal care that money can't buy. I would 100% recommend Lucy as anyone's funeral director. If there was a 6 star rating I would give it without hesitation. Thank you once again Lucy!

5 Sue Newman 24th Jan 2022

Lucy and the team at South Croydon provided fantastic service. They organised everything perfectly and kept me up to date  all the time.