Funeral insurer Yarden is continuing to charge grieving families extra fees to carry out funerals even though this was ruled illegal in 2014, the Volkskrant said on Friday.

The extra charge affects 60,000 people who paid for a policy which specified which services would be offered – such as type of coffin, cars and cards – but not cost. The cooperative which issued this policy was taken over by Yarden in 2001.

Yarden told policy holders in 2007 that it wanted to end this type of insurance and that maximum coverage would only be up to €3,733, on condition they worked with a Yarden-approved funeral home. Those who wanted to choose their own funeral home would get just €2,304 towards the cost of the service and burial.

Judges said in 2014 that if the final cost is more than Yarden had expected, it should still pick up the bill and families should get what their original policy entitled them to. Nevertheless, the standard Yarden funeral has gone up in price to over €6,000, and the company is asked relatives to pick up an even bigger bill, the Volkskrant said.

Yarden director Klaas de Boer told the paper only a few people are affected. ‘We consider people that took out that type of policy are getting more than they are entitled to,’ he told the paper. ‘They have not paid for it.’