Funeral directors have expressed concern over the news they will now be charged €100 for every death notice published on RIP.ie.
The fee, to be introduced in January, has been described by the website’s owners as ‘good value for money’, adding that the funds will be used to ‘support the development and enhancement’ of its service.
But while the fee will be charged directly to funeral directors, some of whom have described it as ‘excessive’, there are fears it will ultimately be passed on to people who have recently lost their loved ones.
One TD described the move as ‘horrendous’ and said that the website is ‘seeking to profit’ off death notices. Labour’s Conor Sheehan said: ‘Charging people €100 to post a death notice is wrong. RIP.ie has become a crucial community tool for people up and down this country, and I am calling on the Irish Times, owners of the site, to reverse this decision.
Funeral director Joe Grogan indicated that the costs would likely be passed on to families. ‘It’s something that we can’t absorb ourselves,’ he said.
Mr Grogan, who is based in Tuam, Co. Galway, described the €100 fee as ‘too much’ for families to pay. He also raised concerns over the type of content that may now appear on the site.
‘OFFERS FAIR AND GOOD VALUE’
‘Funerals are a sensitive business, you don’t want to be seeing ads or pop-ups that have nothing to do with funerals,’ he told RTÉ Radio’s Drivetime.
‘When RIP.ie was set up it was more of a personal family business, but you see it is more revenue-driven now.’
However, Mr Grogan acknowledged that before the website was launched, funeral directors paid significantly higher costs for similar family announcements in national newspapers and local radio stations.
He also questioned whether further price hikes are likely in future and what extra services will be offered to reflect these costs.
A spokesman for RIP.ie told the Irish Daily Mail that the fee offers ‘good value’, remarking: ‘Investing in our service will ensure that RIP.ie remains a trusted resource for bereaved families across Ireland and for the hundreds of thousands of people who post messages of condolence to those families on the site every week. The platform, which operates seven days a week, also ensures people can find key information about funerals and funeral-related services.
‘Having engaged with funeral directors and others involved in the sector, we believe the new fee structure offers fair and good value for money.
COSTS
‘We have no plans to introduce a charge to users of the site. RIP.ie remains committed to offering an excellent service and a secure platform where bereaved families can be supported in commemorating their loved ones.’
The website is one of the most popular in the country, boasting 3.3 million users last month alone.
But high levels of website traffic often come with higher maintenance costs. Earlier this year, the Irish Times Group announced the acquisition of the death-notice platform as part of its expansion of digital services and products.
Until then, death notices on the website had been free of charge, with undertakers paying optional fees for extra advertising on the site.
Following its announcement, the Irish Association of Funeral Directors (IAFD) has written to the Irish Times Group seeking clarity on the move.
‘When suppliers set prices beyond the control of the IAFD, which could affect our members and their clients, the association strives to voice any concerns on their behalf, as we aim to promote best practice and deliver value to both our members and their clients,’ a statement read.
Colm Kieran from Kieran Brothers Funeral Directors in Kingscourt, Co. Cavan, told Northern Sound FM that some families may choose not to pay, and instead use social media as a means to announce the death of a loved one.
‘What you do see now is that funeral directors are starting to publish on their own platforms,’ he said.
‘IT WOULD BE A REGRESSIVE STEP’
‘You’ll notice across the country funeral directors are taking en masse to having their own Facebook and Instagram pages where they can still continue to provide an online free of charge method by which they can publish a funeral notice for their community so there are free options still out there.’
Labour TD Conor Sheehan has said of the move: ‘This is greed, pure and simple. At the worst time in someone’s life, the last thing people need to consider is if they can afford to announce the death of a loved one.’
He added: ‘While the fee will be for funeral directors, it ultimately will be passed on to a grieving family. The announcement of a loved one’s death should not be on the basis of financial means. I note that the reason provided for this fee is to upgrade and enhance the service. From my own experience and from speaking to friends and family, the website seems to function perfectly.
‘Particularly for people who are not digital native, it would be a regressive step to change the operations of the website and how it functions. I implore a rethink on this decision.’
Michael Moynihan, a Fianna Fáil TD, said RIP.ie was a ‘very trustworthy brand’ and that it was used to get the news of the death of a loved on ‘right across the country and indeed the world’.
He told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘I think the difficulty with it is, if it is €100 now, what will it be in two years’ time?’
‘Funerals are an expensive time for families and we should all be mindful of that.’ He said the cost seemed a ‘little steep’ to him.
Fine Gael TD Alan Dillon said he thought that the figure of €100 seemed ‘excessive’ and that the Irish Times should ‘look at what is the appropriate cost of maintain – ing the cost of the website’ adding that they should at least benchmark it against the cost of placing an ad on local radio in the funeral notices, which he said was around €25 per notice.
He said that the notice and the messages of condolences had been a ‘real lifeline’ for families experiencing grief.
