British family struggles with father’s funeral costs in Thailand

[Liverpool Lou]

59 minutes ago, dddave said:

When my friend was hit by a car in Pattaya and later died of his injuries, his family in the US and I used a agency specializing in overseas deaths to handle everything.  The agency took care of all the paperwork, transportation and care of the body and arranged and paid for a very respectful funeral and cremation.  Their fee for everything was B40,000.  Very reasonable considering the level of service and the stress it saved his family.

Is the name of the agency a secret, perhaps it could be useful to others, also?

[NanLaew]

12 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

So, who paid the four grand just for the flight until now?

And why did they fly to Thailand if they can't afford it?

It seems some people have this attitude that they always have to find someone else to pay.

 

But aren't your bar girl sweethearts pretty much the same?

[steven100]

29 minutes ago, sungod said:

 My fault, it was a joke. I'll put a laughing face on it in future 🤣

I know it was a joke .... 

[NanLaew]

 

8 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

47 minutes ago, renaissanc said:

The British Embassy doesn't help anybody under any circumstances on any day at any time and in any way. You're on your own if you're British and you need help.

The British Embassy does everything that it is obligated to do for their citizens.

 

Absolutely correct.

 

I think the whiney malcontents are upset that they no longer get invited for croquet, cucumber sandwiches and Pimm's No. 1 Cup on the lawn at the Ambassador's residence anymore.

[steven100]

1 hour ago, dddave said:

When my friend was hit by a car in Pattaya and later died of his injuries, his family in the US and I used a agency specializing in overseas deaths to handle everything.  The agency took care of all the paperwork, transportation and care of the body and arranged and paid for a very respectful funeral and cremation.  Their fee for everything was B40,000.  Very reasonable considering the level of service and the stress it saved his family.

That sounds very reasonable dave.  Throw my ashes off the cliff ...  when your dead it won't matter.   Just make sure the wind is blowin the right way  

[Liverpool Lou]

3 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

 

 

Absolutely correct.

 

I think the whiney malcontents are upset that they no longer get invited for croquet, cucumber sandwiches and Pimm's No. 1 Cup on the lawn at the Ambassador's residence anymore.

Hear, hear!   I'll bet that 99% of them have never needed the Embassy's help, so have never been refused anything and they just rely on inaccurate AseanNow (and the like) posters' regurgitated hearsay.

 

"...they no longer get invited..."

They never got invites!

[ignore it]

See “The idiot’ guide to GoFundMe” chapter 3.  Death travel/holiday.

Or “Crowdfunding fir Dummies” by Steven Dresner  Section 4. Using sympathy.

[anyone]

5 hours ago, soalbundy said:

A can of petrol and a fire pit is even cheaper.

...the shark will do everything for free...

[JimTripper]

19 minutes ago, steven100 said:

That sounds very reasonable dave.  Throw my ashes off the cliff ...  when your dead it won't matter.   Just make sure the wind is blowin the right way  

Why would it not matter when you're dead?

[steven100]

3 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

Why would it not matter when you're dead?

because you don't care how or where they burn you, bury you or dispose of your ashes. 

It won't matter one bit because you won't feel a thing. 

[roo860]

1 hour ago, Ralf001 said:

Fairly sure gofundme is a worldwide website.

 

what are the equivalent websites other nationalties use ?

Gofundme is accepted in around 20 countries.

Alternatives apparently are= Donorbox, Classy, Fundly, and Snap! Raise, Give butter. There's a few more as well.

Edited August 17 by roo860

[JimTripper]

5 minutes ago, steven100 said:

because you don't care how or where they burn you, bury you or dispose of your ashes. 

It won't matter one bit because you won't feel a thing. 

Do you care now?

[champers]

33 minutes ago, steven100 said:

That sounds very reasonable dave.  Throw my ashes off the cliff ...  when your dead it won't matter.   Just make sure the wind is blowin the right way  

You don't want a Big Lebowski experience.

[Ralf001]

22 minutes ago, roo860 said:

Gofundme is accepted in around 20 countries.

Alternatives apparently are= Donorbox, Classy, Fundly, and Snap! Raise, Give butter. There's a few more as well.

Awesome... beggars around the world are well covered !

[john donson]

no 800.000 in the bank for his retirement ?  go F me

 

f as in fund

[PuiPuiHarry]

When you cannot afford the ticket ( and... 2000 pounds eacht? Business class ? ? ), stay at home. Why to go, when you know the cremation is in a few days, and you anyhow cannot be in time for that ?

Second: I presume he gets a British ( state + private?) pension, so still money will flow, the month he passed away. Should be enoug for a Thai cremation.

What disturbs me the most: again, others are asked to pay for the costs, caused by own unwillingness to have a proper insurance for it.

For me, after my death: the hack what they do with my body. Better the cheapest way, and use the money for a great bye-bye party.

[brianthainess]

16 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

BS! Two persons can fly with return tickets for 2 000 dollar. Not 4 000 pounds. So, they already have enough money. Stay a while and cheap funeral costs in Thailand should not be a problem for a full family.

Agree 10-20k max should cover a thai cremation.

[brianthainess]

8 hours ago, jacko45k said:

I believe the embassy will arrange something basic, although they don't seem to advertise it. 

They do recommend funeral directors to take care of all paperwork/and do the embassy stuff etc.. they are not that expensive, the death cert must be registered at the Amphur where he died, before the body is released. (tried to tell a Thai friend of mine who's husband just died, about that I was ignored, His body was brought to the temple by hospital ambulance, then of course they couldn't cremate him, she had to high tail it back to the Amphur, from Buriram back to Chanthaburi, as the hospital had neglected to do it) 

                                         This is one.

[freedomnow]

10 hours ago, milesinnz said:

Average funeral costs in the UK 4,800 pounds.. over 200,000 Baht ?... average funeral costs in Thailand The cheapest was about 8,000 baht, while those that lasted longer and required more items cost more than 50,000 baht, some close to 100,000 baht. - seems dying in Thailand is a bargain..

Cheapest circa £850 direct cremation in UK (even £350 )...cheapest-to-cheapest comparison.

Edited August 17 by freedomnow

[yang123]

From the Go Fund Me site:

 

The organizer has currently disabled new donations to this fundraiser.

[maesariang]

7 hours ago, rwill said:

Hopefully he had a good time before passing away.

The restaurants made a lot from him.

[1sickpuppy]

22 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

 

The sudden death of a British man from Sunderland has left his family reeling, both emotionally and financially.

 

Alan Carr Bryan, a well-known Sunderland local nicknamed “The Bear” passed away at his hotel in Pattaya on July 28, prompting his daughter, Abigail Ilsley, and stepdaughter, Natalie Parish, to travel to Thailand for his funeral and to settle his affairs.

 

Despite his prior travel insurance, Bryan unknowingly overstayed his coverage, leaving his family with an unexpected financial burden of approximately £6,000 (around 270,000 baht). Bryan’s ex-wife, Julie Robertson, mother to Abigail, described their ongoing relationship.

 

“I am his ex-wife, but we had been in touch constantly through our daughter. We were still friends; we had always been friends. He used to phone me from Thailand and introduce me as his wife. I would say, ‘We have been divorced for 24 years’.”

 

The family’s concern grew when Bryan abruptly ceased communication.

 

“He was supposed to be in contact with us, but we could not get hold of him. His phone was just ringing, his Thai phone was just ringing – then one of his friends told us he had found him in his hotel room and he had passed away.”

 

Ilsley and Parish are staying with a friend of Bryan’s in Pattaya but are still facing a steep bill for travel, funeral, and paperwork costs.

 

Robertson has set up a GoFundMe page to help with the expenses.

 

“We have raised about £2,100, but it was four grand just for the flight.”

 

The 71 year old man was a beloved figure in Sunderland, renowned for his size and athletic prowess, earning him the nickname “The Bear.” He attended Red House Comprehensive and was the top shot putter in the country at 15. Bryan also played rugby for Belford House and football for various teams. He worked as a bus driver and bouncer in the city centre.

 

A cremation ceremony has already taken place in Thailand, and a memorial service will be arranged later, reported Sunderland Echo.

 

By Puntid Tantivangphaisal

Photo courtesy of Julie Robertson via Sunderland Echo

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-08-16

 

-  Cigna offers a variety of health insurance plans designed to meet the minimum requirement for medical treatment coverage, with benefits reaching up to THB 3 million. These plans are tailored to provide comprehensive healthcare solutions for expatriates, ensuring peace of mind and access to quality medical services. To explore the full range of Cigna's expat health insurance options and find a plan that suits your needs, click here for more information.

 

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Something fishy here, it only cost about 30000 baht here to get BBqued, may he rest in peace

[Gottfrid]

7 hours ago, Drumbuie said:

Not entirely BS, I think.

 

In February the best deal I found was £2500 for two return tickets from UK for family members to fly out in July.

 

These people were travelling from Sunderland, quite a distance from an airport with flights to Thailand. Train travel in the UK is very expensive, as are internal flights - and taxis. And petrol, if someone kindly offered to drive them.

 

They were travelling at short notice and would, presumably, have travelled with checked luggage. 

It all adds up. 

I checked the price for ticket immediately with Skyscanner. It is 2000 go and back for two persons. The lowest was actually 877 dollar per person.

[Gottfrid]

8 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Nothing wrong with having more than one. 

 

Can you predict the future? 

 

 

Nothing to do with future, the info already existed in the OP that you replied to.

And, yes! I can predict the future. Done it successfully for 30 years.

[NowNow]

40 minutes ago, yang123 said:

From the Go Fund Me site:

 

The organizer has currently disabled new donations to this fundraiser.

 

It seems that the hadn't actually purchased the tickets at the time the GoFundMe fundraiser was set up.

I guess they would have found cheaper tickets, if they bothered to travel at all.

£4,000 for two people is nonsense. I guess that would have raised some people's hackles.

[GinBoy2]

8 hours ago, prakhonchai nick said:

And the idiots contribute!!!!!!!!!

Yeah I struggle with this whole Gofundme concept.

 

Maybe some horrific incident happens I can see it.

 

But people die, we all die, If the family want to go see the cremation all well and good but why should strangers chip in?

 

Literally minutes before I read this i was on the Medicare website (US Healthcare for us old 'uns) looking at my payments.

 

Maybe I should cancel that and just do a gofundme every time I go to the Doctors?

 

Maybe it's a Brit thing which I don't understand, but personal responsibly needs to kick in at some point 

[NowNow]

Just now, GinBoy2 said:

Yeah I struggle with this whole Gofundme concept.

 

Maybe some horrific incident happens I can see it.

 

But people die, we all die, If the family want to go see the cremation all well and good but why should strangers chip in?

 

Literally minutes before I read this i was on the Medicare website (US Healthcare for us old 'uns) looking at my payments.

 

Maybe I should cancel that and just do a gofundme every time I go to the Doctors?

 

Maybe it's a Brit thing which I don't understand, but personal responsibly needs to kick in at some point 

 

More foolishness. GoFundMe isn't even British and why does it bother you so much? is it because you are just mean and hate to see people help others? Go on, explain why it bothers you so much.

Just envious. Sad.

[metisdead]

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[theblether]

10 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Hard to believe really.

A funeral here, I would expect to be  somewhat cheaper than one back in the UK. Although I hear there is some basic service being offered back there now. 

As someone else said, everyone seems to be looking for someone else to pay for things, and cover their lack of foresight. 

 

My aunt chose the disposal/cremation method. I think it cost £600, certainly well under £1000. 

 

Gawd forgive me when I say that she did us all a favour, this was one of the most vindictive women I have met in my entire life. The idea of attending any form of celebration of her life was torturous. Maybe I'm going to hell for saying that but it's the truth. 

[theblether]

4 hours ago, steven100 said:

because you don't care how or where they burn you, bury you or dispose of your ashes. 

It won't matter one bit because you won't feel a thing. 

 

So it's all about you? It will have no emotional impact upon your friends or family?