Alderson & Horan Funeral Services

Incredibly unprofessional and a complete lack of care or duty causing untold stress to my family during a difficult period. Very surprised to learn this wasn't their first day of operating as a funeral service. Careless, disorganised and an almost purposeful disregard for the peace of mind of others. AVOID.

From our first meeting with Leyton, my brother and I were very impressed with the dignity and respect they showed toward our Mum. They made the whole process very easy and were extremely professional and considerate to our every need. On the funeral day itself, we were very appreciative of their organisation and caring approach. The celebrant, Peter Smith, hit exactly the right note in celebrating Mum's life. Thank you, Leyton, Peter, Denise, Sam and the whole team, for giving Mum the best possible send off.

I used this funeral director because it was the one my mother wanted for her funeral. However they refused to let me use the cardboard coffin (from an industry approved manufacturer) that I had chosen. When I tried to insist Stephen Alderson became increasingly angry stating "the body could fall out of the coffin" and shouting at me. That was my mother he was talking about. After much deliberation I decided to go ahead with them simply because I did not want my mother's body moving about anymore and just wanted to get the whole thing over with. I ended up paying £500 more for a coffin they insisted on providing instead of the one I wanted to use. They did not make it clear to me that I would have to use a coffin they provided until after they had collected my mother's body. Because of the way Stephen Alderson had spoken to me I complained to the regulating body. It went to conciliation and Alderson and Horan, whilst denying shouting at me and saying the body could fall out of the coffin, agreed to write to me apologising for any distress caused and to make a donation of £50 to a charity of my choice in memory of my mother. However, they did not do this within the time limit, so I then took them to arbitration. The arbitration found in my favour and Alderson and Horan were then instructed to pay £250 in compensation. This they finally did but only after the deadline had expired. All this dragged on for over six months. Their attitude, the way they spoke to me and their subsequent behaviour has caused me additional grief and anxiety at what was already one of the worst times in my life. I would never recommend their service. They were callous in the extreme.