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You could be one of the growing numbers of grieving customers who get fooled at the funeral home. For instance, your mother died and left instructions to be cremated in hopes of saving money. Did you know that you could be led to believe that you still need to pay for a casket and embalming? In today's society, death has become a huge business, which means big profits. In some large funeral homes the family will discover hidden costs listed on their bills for services they don't even remember or understand.
The death of a loved one is the most painful time of a family's life. During this period, mourners not only have to face the loss of their loved one but they question their own mortality, wondering when it will happen to them and what their own funeral will be like. Some even mention to another family member, "I want a casket just like mama's." Family members in a period of deep grief decide the funeral arrangement and according to several AARP studies, they are taken advantage of by the death industry at this vulnerable time.
Investigations by the AARP discovered suspicious actions in the death industry, including deceiving grieving consumers to buy higher price services and misrepresentation about the need for embalming and buying grave liners. The cost of funerals is continually rising. The price of a funeral this month could increase by the following month or sooner. According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, there are approximately some 27,000 funeral providers nationwide.
Death is on the rise and as all business people known when supplies increase, the prices go down, except in this industry. Most people desire to give their loved one a proper funeral, or they feel they want to give their loved one the very best. That's understandable but few people realize that a funeral is often the third most expensive purchase a person will make, next to their home and car.
Avoid expensive charges:
The typical funeral can range from $5,000-$10,000 with the average being somewhere around $7,000. The cheapest funeral with a metal casket can be arranged for as low as $2,000. It is a good idea to take a friend or family member with you when picking out a casket. The grieving person will not be as alert and can be easily persuaded by a smooth sales pitch.
It is recommended to ask for a price list but remember that the less expensive items often will be missing from the list. For instance if you ask about a less expensive casket or vault they might say they don't carry that style. Some funeral homes have a variety of price lists and will give you one according to your income, lifestyle and life insurance. You could end up paying as much as $5,000 more.
Not all funeral homes are in the business to cheat you. Many of them provide a good and honorable business to their community and will help you through the whole process of the funeral arrangement. These are the uncorrupted funeral homes who are in it to serve grieving families but beware there are others out there to actually bring you more grief than you bargained for. They work like any slick salesman and their job is to sell you the most expensive funeral. When you walk through the door, you've just made their day.
Caskets:
A higher priced casket, vault or grave liner will not preserve your loved one's body. It has been discovered that some presumably airtight caskets may actually quicken the deterioration process. Inside the casket a build up of gases takes place, which causes the body to decompose. The body's quantity of acid and chemical make up can in time destroy a casket, even the higher priced bronze and copper models. Actually the stainless steel caskets protect just as much. Allegations that protective metal caskets with rubber seals help preserve the body are simply not true.
Once folks were buried in a pine box, and they still exist today but are rarely put out for display. Cheaper models will be stored in the basement or in a special room. Also, beware of the price differences in caskets among funeral homes. For instance, one funeral home might charge $1,500 for a casket while another will charge $2,500 or more for the same casket.
According to burial and cemetery experts no type of vault can stop the body from decaying. In time nature takes its course. The vaults can range in price from $200 or more to several thousand dollars. Some will tell you the vault will keep the body from decomposing or keep the ground from collapsing on the casket. You're better off to get a reasonable priced casket and vault. It is possible now to buy a casket online from a wholesaler. If you do this beware that your funeral director will not take kindly to you not buying from him and could mark up your final bill to make up the lost sell.
Cremation:
A lot of families choose this type of burial because it's less expensive but you will most likely get stuck paying more than you planned. In order to have a viewing of the body you must "buy" a casket to put the body in.
Afterwards, the body is removed and cremated. The casket, which is still in perfect condition, goes back to be sold to the next grieving family. What the family needs to be aware of is that they have just "rented" a casket for their loved one, not actually bought one. If you do have a cremation and you need to cut expenses, talk with your funeral director to avoid the hidden cost of embalming, viewing and a less expensive container.
Save money on a funeral:
You don't need a custom funeral to honor your loved one. To save money, you can:
· limit the viewing to one or two days instead of three or more.
· bring clothing from the home for the deceased instead of buying an expensive burial outfit at the funeral home.
· Hold a memorial service at your church or have a graveside service.
· If having a cremation, eliminate embalming. This can save you from $500 to $950.
If you want to go the least expensive way you could go direct burial or cremation with no viewing or embalming. In direct burial the body is taken directly to the cemetery with no service at the funeral home, but most families choose to have a funeral held at their church or perhaps a graveside service. Many people today are making pre-arranged funerals. They are preparing for their own funeral and paying for it ahead of time. When the time comes for their death, it leaves less stress on their families and less cost to pay.
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