A Baker’s Dozen of Questions
Probably the answer is “yes”…if you can answer “yes” to these 13 questions:
- Did you get a General Price List when you came?
- Did you get a casket/outer burial price list before picking one?
- Was there a casket for less than $500?
- Were low cost caskets shown with dignity and no disparaging language? Was a grave liner presented?
- Was the funeral home accepting and accommodating if you decided to buy a casket elsewhere? Was no illegal casketing fee added?
- Did you get an itemized statement prior to the funeral/memorial?
- If you chose cremation, did the price list clearly state that cremation charges and medical examiner’s fees were – or were not – included?
- If you wished to avoid embalming, were the options of cremation and direct burial presented clearly, respectfully?
- Was there no charge for the first three days the body was at the funeral home/cremation service?
- If there were “cash advance items”, (flowers, paid obituary) were you charged just for these services?
- Were your wishes respected without subtle pressure for more expensive items or services?
- Did the actual price equal the estimate?
Please let us know of your experiences with funeral and cremation services—how did they score, which were ethical, which were not, and where were the lapses? We can check and read the printed price lists, but only an actual consumer can report on the real sales practices.