Most consumers have precious little knowledge of how to buy a funeral, let alone what is legally required and what rights the purchaser does have. According to the Federal Trade Commission, "A funeral can be the third or fourth most costly expenditure of our life". It defies logic that most people still rely upon the opinion of the funeral director, in many cases a stranger, for what is an appropriate ceremony, what type of casket should be selected, and how much should be spent!

We can avoid many of the pitfalls surrounding the funeral process by following seven simple steps….

1. Comparison Shop – Today’s average traditional funeral has skyrocketed to between $6,000.00 - $10,000.00, with costs continuing to soar. According to death care experts, a knowledgeable consumer can shop around and spend as little as $2,000.00 - $3,000.00 for a complete funeral with a steel casket.

Comparison shopping is the key. Funeral home pricing can vary dramatically for virtually the same selection of service and merchandise from one location to the next.

Many consumers are taking advantage of their legal right to comparison shop by phone. By law, funeral homes must provide specific answers to specific questions.

2. The general price list – The Federal Trade Commission requires all funeral homes to provide a written itemization of all of the services and products that they provide.

Before you ask any questions or enter into any negotiations for service, ask for a copy of the funeral home’s general price list, casket price list, and outer burial container price list. Comparing price is your best defense against over-paying for a funeral.

3. Guilt – The overriding emotion that takes place in the funeral decision-making process! In a state of grief and loss, our minds play tricks on us. We begin to think such things as…."I should have been at his/her birthday last year…. I should have been more insistent that he/she went to see the doctor". In this final ceremony of life, this final gesture of love, many of us have a need to spend our way out of ungrounded feelings of guilt.

The reality is, that very few of us have anything to feel really guilty about, and that more often than not, this is a case where left alone with our own thoughts, we are usually in serious trouble.

Unfortunately, guilt can also play a role in the decision making for pre-need or prearrangement planning. Often, the pitch is made to the consumer that the funeral ceremony is the closure mechanism that your family will need to begin the process of letting go. Subliminally, the message is that if you care anything about your family and friends, you have a responsibility to spend lavishly on a grandiose sendoff!

Quite simply, money is for the living. By comparison shopping and engaging in thought and planning for the celebration of the life that was, consumers have the ability to cut their funeral expenses by up to 50% without sacrificing the dignity of this occasion. The money that can be saved by comparing and shopping outside of the funeral home could pay a semester’s tuition for your grandchild.

4. Understanding Caskets – The casket plays a prominent role in the funeral and is viewed by many as a symbol for the life that was. All too often the casket can constitute up to 50% of the overall funeral home expense.

In 1994, the Federal Trade Commission began prohibiting funeral directors from charging a handling fee or penalizing consumers who wished to exercise their right to freedom of trade by shopping outside of the funeral home. Recently, the AARP (Association for the Advancement of Retired People) reported that consumers should consider places other than a funeral home to buy caskets.

Caskets vary greatly in construction design and materials. Metal caskets are available in varying thickness of steel, stainless steel, copper and bronze. The majority of wood caskets are constructed of hardwoods (any wood from a leaf bearing tree). Hardwoods have been favored in casket design due to their richly grained appearance and durability.

BY LAW, NO FUNERAL PROVIDER CAN MAKE ANY CLAIMS THAT A PRODUCT OR SERVICE WILL INDEFINITELY PRESERVE THE REMAINS!

5. Embalming – In many cases, embalming is not required by law. The three instances in whichembalming is required are:
       A. Death by infectious disease
       B. A prolonged period of time between death and burial.(Usually after 72 hours)
       C. When the deceased is going to be publicly viewed at a church, wake or visiting hours. Note that a private viewing by the family does not necessitate embalming.

While embalming is widely practiced throughout North America, most other cultures throughout the world shun the technique. In the twentieth century, many funeral directors have used embalming as a mechanism for stepping up consumers. If the funeral director can sell a family on the need for embalming, the process, in turn, triggers a multitude of other expenditures. If a family elects to have the deceased embalmed there is the opportunity to also sell them on the need for washing and disinfecting the remains, cosmetology and hairdressing; perhaps burial clothing is needed. With the embalming, it opens the door for the funeral director to sell the option of use of the facilities for visitation or visiting hours, and with this register books, prayer cards, thank you notes, and floral tributes. Last but not least, the whole process can pave the way for selling a much more expensive casket. If the family is going to the expense of embalming and visitation, there is the added subliminal message for your loved one to be viewed in the best casket possible.

6. Buy at a Casket Store – Numerous reports have been issued to substantiate that many funeral homes mark up caskets 300% - 500%, and sometimes more. Throughout the ‘90’s, North America has seen a large and growing number of retail casket stores opening in almost every area. The reason for the rapid growth of this new addition to the funeral industry is simple….most casket stores provide consumers with almost the same product, but at a savings of 30% - 70% below funeral home pricing! In many cases, shopping outside of the funeral home can save consumers hundreds, even thousands of dollars in unnecessary funeral expenses.

A new addition to retail casket sales is the concept of online marketing. While the Internet is a good sales and information tool, most consumers still prefer to touch and feel what they are buying…. particularly a casket at the time of loss. Consumers still have a need to know that the hardwood casket that they purchase is a solid hardwood and not a veneer. There’s no dress rehearsal for a funeral!

7. Dazzling In Simplicity – It’s easy to get carried away with the pomp and ritualism of ceremony when it comes to the funeral. All too often, we can forget that the funeral is a celebration for the life that was… a coming together of friends and family to give thanks that we have all shared, and been a part of each others lives.

It isn’t necessary to take out a second mortgage in order to honor a loved one.

Things to consider:

• Instead of a two day visitation, limit it to a single day.
• Instead of purchasing pricey burial clothing, consider furnishing a loved one’s favorite suit or dress to the funeral home.
• Instead of relying on the funeral home for floral tributes, contact your local florist.
• Instead of relying on the funeral home to arrange for a marker, monument or headstone, visit your local monument dealer.
• Ask for receipts on all cash advance items such as "opening costs for the gravesite, clergy honorarium, organist, obituary notices".
• By law, a funeral director must disclose if money is being made on these transactions.

8. It Always Pays To Plan Ahead…It May Not Pay To Pay Ahead! - There’s no substitute for the control of your own money. With many pre-need plans, consumers rarely have control of their investment. Many people are opting for trust funds specifically designated for funeral expenses. Compounded interest accrued more often than not out performs price increases.

 

Questions that should be asked when selecting a pre-need plan:

• Am I locked into one funeral home when purchasing a pre-need plan?
• What happens if I move to another section of the country. Is my plan transferable?
• Is there a penalty if I cancel the plan? How much is the penalty?
• Can I change my arrangements at a later date?
• Will the casket selected in a pre-need plan be the one used in the funeral? Many preneed plans have the disclaimer that if the named casket is unavailable, a casket of equal value and similar style will be used. Does this imply casket value at the time of need, or when the plan was purchased?
• If the cost of the service and merchandise used in the funeral is less than the face value of the pre-need plan, what happens to the cash value difference?
• If I have an existing preneed plan, can it be altered?
• If I choose to buy a casket at a place other than a funeral home, can I get a refund on that portion of my preneed plan?

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR FOR THE ORION CASKET DEALER NEAREST TO YOU, CALL

1.800.211.0970