Funeral directors who submit Irish death notifications to the well-known Irish online death notice platform RIP.ie will be charged €100 starting in January, the site has revealed, reports The Mirror.
A representative for the website said that there were no intentions to charge site users; the fee will only be applied to funeral directors.
According to RIP.ie, the new costs are reasonable and provide excellent value for the money. They will also help the service grow and improve.
A spokesperson for RIP.ie told the Irish Mirror: “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. 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,” reports The Mirror.
As part of its growth of digital services and products, The Irish Times Group revealed earlier this year that it had acquired the death notice platform. The website had 3.3 million users last month.
Conor Sheehan, a Labour TD, asked for an urgent reversal and branded the judgement “horrendous”.
Deputy Sheehan said: “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. 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 to reverse this decision,” reports The Mirror.
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