Avalon Funeral Plans is celebrating a coveted award win after being named ‘Best Funeral Plan Provider’ at the 2019/20 Personal Finance Awards.
Now in its 22nd year, the Personal Finance Awards has long been recognised as a benchmark for excellence in the UK’s consumer finance market, providing a reflection of the consumer’s choice of top financial providers over the last two decades.
Nominations for the awards are sent in directly by the consumer, based on their experience of outstanding products or customer service in the industry. This year, the awards received just over 20,000 votes.
With over 25 years’ experience providing funeral plans to more than 70,000 customers across the UK and Europe, Avalon was recognised for its dedication to its customers, as well as the high standard of its service.
These qualities are continuously reflected in the company’s industry-leading customer feedback, with over 2,000 reviews and a rating of ‘excellent’ on Trustpilot, as well as a five-star rating on Defaqto, lending justification to the company’s esteemed award win. So trusted is the brand that someone chooses an Avalon funeral plan every 10 minutes*.
Avalon is the fastest growing provider of funeral plans in Europe, providing specialist expat plans in Spain, the Canaries, Portugal and Cyprus.
Avalon funeral plans are specially designed with British expats in mind, with unique features compared to other providers. If expats split your time between the UK and Cyprus, an Avalon funeral plan is valid in both countries so they can choose to have a funeral either in Cyprus, or back in the UK.
Nearly three quarters of British funerals involve cremation now and more expats are choosing cremations across Europe, but as an expat in Cyprus this option isn’t available as there is no crematorium on the island. Should customers want to be cremated, their Repatriation Plan includes everything required for repatriation back to mainland Great Britain. It covers all of the legal and administrative formalities needed, Funeral Directors services in both countries and the flight back to mainland Great Britain.
Also, Their 24/7 English speaking expat bereavement helpline is of vital support for families when the time comes, particularly in countries where the funeral process can be unfamiliar and complicated. For example, funerals in Cyprus can happen with 24-48 hours and Funeral Directors can request part of full payment upfront, plus there is the language barrier to contend with. Having an Avalon expat funeral plan in place makes planning and paying for a funeral as an expat simple.
The award win follows a successful period of growth for the business under a new senior management team led by CEO, Susan Stevenson.
Speaking about the award win, Avalon’s CEO, Susan Stevenson, said: “There are few other industries in which taking care of the customer, their journey and their family is quite so important.
“We like to think we’re different to other funeral plan providers in that we go the extra mile in helping customers and their loved ones when they perhaps need it most.
“It’s our promise to always put our customers at the centre of what we do, and the fact that we’ve been recognised for our efforts – particularly by such a widely renowned awarding body as the Personal Finance Awards – really means the world to us.”
Regulated in the UK by the Funeral Planning Authority (FPA), Avalon employs more than 200 people at its offices in Cheshire and across Spain, The Canaries, Portugal and Cyprus.
The company is flexible in offering customers three different ways to discuss their requirements and their range of funeral plans. They can speak to a specialist advisor in the comfort of their own home, or over the phone, or 24/7 online.
For more information, visit www.avalonfuneralplans.com
*Based on sales of funeral plans over the period January – December 2018, by home appointment or over the phone, during standard trading hours.
