James & Thomas Funeral Directors

I only have praise for James & Thomas and thank them for making the whole process of arranging my mother's funeral as easy and stress free as it was. The room we were in had a very calming feel. Amanda, the lady who dealt with me, had a lovely gentle voice and made me feel very much at ease.she guided me through the process and explained everything very well which meant any choices I had to make were that bit easier.
I found I had no problem with James & Thomas when I had to make a few changes to the initial funeral plan I had agreed.
The day of the funeral I had no problems, everything went as well as I could have hoped for.
The staff were amazing and very polite and extremely respectful.
I can't fault them.

I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to Liz and the team at James & Thomas for their assistance and support, at what was a very difficult time for me, my wife and the other family members. The team have acted throughout with compassion and professionalism which has been much appreciated. I would not hesitate to recommend their services.

Well, what can I say, Liz at James and Thomas was amazing. From the moment we walked into the office she put my husband and I at ease, guiding us through the whole funeral process and making a difficult and emotional time totally stress free for us. Liz was at the end of the phone to answer any queries that we raised and dealt with everything professionally. Liz even had flowers made in the shape of a cat for us. We wouldn’t hesitate to use James and Thomas again. I cannot recommend them highly enough. Thank you.

From the moment I called to the day of the funeral I felt James and Thomas were really looking after us.

We recently used James & Thomas for my Mum's funeral. From the moment we walked through the door, we were put at ease by the wonderful Liz. She was so helpful and obliging throughout the whole process and was so responsive to any query we had. Literally, nothing was too much trouble for her. The funeral home is also located in a beautiful location which was a real positive for us.

Everything ran so smoothly on the day of the funeral and we were so impressed with all the proceedings that were all so dignified (as opposed to some funerals we have attended in the past!). Special thanks to Paula, the chief mourner, and the rest of the team. The Order of Service that was put together for us by Liz was beautiful and is a lovely record for us all to treasure. Thank you to the whole team at James and Thomas - we would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone!

Our dear Mum passed away, having lost our dad 32years ago our mum used James & Thomas they had a double plot. From the moment the phone call was made I was put at ease with the calm voice on the end of the line,never having experienced arranging a funeral before.
The 2 gentlemen who came to the house were so respectful to us & taking our dear mum.
Paula was our funeral Director, so very caring from start to finish always in contact & helpful the whole experience was not as daunting because of the expertise of James & Thomas. The respect & care for our mum was simply the best we could ever ask for.Paula even laid the flowers on our mum & dads grave when filled in, they arranged them beautifully.

THANK YOU
Paula & the staff at James & Thomas Cobham Surrey

Right from very first contact, Paula was so positive, helpful and open. As someone who felt daunted by the sudden prospect of so many arrangements, I found Paula was very accommodating and willing to explain the process every step of the way. This made the whole experience - exacerbated as it was by all sorts of additional lockdown restrictions - so much more reassuring than it might otherwise have been. My whole family is very grateful and we would highly recommend Paula and J&T.

(Posted on behalf of my mother)

I went to James and Thomas after the passing of my partner. They were local and convenient which is why I chose them. Liz Bayliss welcomed and advised me and was very helpful, sympathetic and accommodating.
It all started to go downhill 3 days before the funeral date I recieved a phone call from a young man informing me that I needed to make a payment before the funeral. During this phone call I asked if someone would please take photographs of the coffin (which had pictures of Race horses on it) and of the flowers in the hearse. It was confirmed that they could do this and that the coffin would arrive outside my house at 11.15 which is the time I told family and friends.
The bill was paid that day and the day before the funeral I had a call from Paula (who would be standing in for Liz as it would be Liz's day off). We discussed the finer details of the funeral. I could name 5 Pall bearers but couldn't remember the name of the 6th, Paula informed me that if there were only 5 then none of the family could carry the coffin and that only her team or a trolley could be used. I was upset and concerned about how to tell my sons that they couldn't carry their fathers coffin. She eventually said not to worry we would sort something out. I then asked her about taking photographs of the coffin and flowers and was told it would be fine. During this conversation I was told that the hearse would arrive at 11.10 then 11am. It was too late to let everyone know the change in time.
After the funeral service, the mourners were leaving the church and we were all to follow the hearse to the cemetery, but we were rushed to leave the church and the hearse sped up through the High Street which meant we lost a lot of mourners also because they couldn't turn right onto the main road, couldn't keep up with the hearse and a lot of them were not local so didn't know the area well enough to find the cemetary. Those who did manage to find the cemetary went to the wrong entrance, couldn't find the grave and so gave up and went home.
At the cemetery I had asked for the coffin to be laid on the path with the flowers either side so that people could say goodbye and view flowers without treading on graves. The coffin was placed on the grass in-between a tree and a tap and the flowers were placed on a grave 6 graves up so it was inaccessible. After the committal service I again asked Paula about taking photographs of the flowers and coffin and she said they would. Paula asked me if I wanted the cards taken off of the flowers and I said yes, had I been thinking straight I would have said no, because we hadn't had a chance to view the flowers and so we don't know who they were from.

When we went back to the wake we discovered that hardly anyone had come back and as a result lots of food was wasted.
A week later I recieved another bill of £45.00 without explanation. When I went in to discuss my concerns with Liz I discovered that no photographs had been taken despite repeatedly asking.
Liz told me to send a complaint in writing which I did, She has forwarded it onto head office and I am still waiting for a response.
I am very disappointed with the way this was handled, I feel emotionally scarred and this will stay with me forever.