I am sorry for your loss. I am also sorry for the poor service you received from the funeral home you chose. It is very unfortunate and I hope those involved and families such as yours and mine will never experience such heinous carsales-like "service" again. I regret having to defend the funeral service industry but your letter prompted me to do so, please understand I mean no offense to you in any way.
Perhaps all of the funeral homes in your area are owned by the same group or are coincidentally run in poor taste. I have been in funeral service for 25 years in California and have rarely heard of such reprehensible actions by a funeral establishment. I have heard stories, and they may be true, but I can assure you that the vast majority of funeral homes (both corporate and independently owned) are run fairly and implement the highest of moral and ethical standards.
We all have our overhead and need to make a liveable income so each establishment has a set price for goods and services offered. I do suggest "shopping around" well ahead of time because we are all in the same line together, no one comes out alive, so to speak. Each funeral home will have a different price for services, embalming, cremation, caskets, etc. and however you add it up, the bottom line will be similar all around town, as long as you have selected the EXACT casket, services and other necessary items that you may select or be required to obtain. You see, there are thousands of caskets to chose from of all sorts of materials, colors, and "features" such as adjustable beds, memory drawers, changeable headpanels, and so on, and they come in prices from $500. to $25,000. I have a book with 28 caskets to chose from, they vary in material, color, options, and quality. I believe my offerings represent most, if not all, the types of caskets available. They range in price from $1095. to $10,695. with most between $2,000. and $3,000. If I do not have what the family wants whether it's price, color, etc. I will gladly show them more options until we find exactly what they want. I can get any casket the family wants and I can beat Costco's price if we are comparing apples to apples here. If I provide the casket I can promise perfect attention to detail and time constraints. The "outside" suppliers cannot. Why use an outside supplier of caskets in your hometown funeral home when you can get the same thing for the same price with guaranteed satisfaction from a guy who buys from your market, restuarant, tire shop, gas station and whose kids go to school with your kids, and whose family flys the same flag on the porch, etc. Get the picture?
RE: keeping you for 8 hours! Never, no way. I want to go home at 5 too. It takes 15 minutes to get the info REQUIRED for the permit and death certificate (i.e. address, career, etc.), and as much time as you NEED to make your own decisions on casket, services, etc. 2 hours MAX! We serve approx 210 families per year with respect.(3000 characters)
Joe
of CA
@
Aug 12, 2009 20:27:23 PM
Do You Want To Take Care of Dead Bodies?
I own a few Funeral Homes. Have NEVER had a family for more than 3 hours for arrangements. Usually 1-2 hrs. Funeral Homes do not make very much money. Yes, the casket prices seem expensive because this is typically where we make our money. Take that away and we will just have to charge it somewhere else. Unless you want to run the funeral homes out of business and then take care of your families on your own, cut them some slack. We pay our employees 365 days per year, liability insurance, fees for the right to play music, vehicle insurance, mortgages, taxes, upkeep, energy fees etc. How much do you think furniture stores mark up their product? What about mechanics? Sure, you could by your car parts online and take them to your mechanic. He usually doubles the price of parts. This pays for his overhead. He makes money on the labor. So, sure, buy from Costco and pay more somwhere else or put your local FH out of business. It is easy to demonize funeral homes while trying to sell your own product. It is, however, fairly shameful.
California Director
of CA
@
Jul 18, 2009 20:50:29 PM
I bought an online casket and saved $3000
I bought an online casket from www.BestPriceCaskets.com and saved $3000.00. I read their site beforehand and it told me how to do it.
Go to the funeral home and show interest in their caskets (they think they will make an extra $3000-$4000 on the casket so they are more likely to discount the rest of the funeral) and ask for an itemized list from the funeral home of all expenses. Them that you have 3 other appointments that day for three other funeral homes and that you only have an hour to spend with them (They try to wear you down by holding you there for 8 hours and you are ready to sign anything). Push down on the Funeral expenses and burial costs.
Then go to the second funeral home and repeat. Make sure you let them know that you still have to go to the Smith, Williams, and Jones funeral homes for prices. Develop some compitition.
After checking around call the first one back up and tell them that you can do it if they can cut another $1000 off, after all you only get a 2 hour viewing, and 2 hour embalming, a dug hole and a $200 vault, really how much should this cost?
The website goes on to tell you that typical costs are:
GOOD PRICE TYPICAL PRICE HIGH PRICE
embalming $250 $300-$400 $1200
face+hair $150 $150 $ 400
Total funeral $2500 $3500 $5500
Dig+fill hole 600 700 1200
Vault 600 700 1200
Total: $3700 $4700 $7900
When you go to the funeral home they will ask you questions like
1) Is there insurance
2) what do you and your husband do for a living
3) how many or whom will be paying
All the above prices are really all about, how much can we charge you. Which itemized price sheet should I give you? This is not a good time to bring your nice car, to really dress up or try to impress this funeral director. A better story is my husband just lost his job 3 weeks ago, none of the rest of the family can help us, there is no insurance, I don't know how we are going to pay for this. We are going to 3 other funeral homes today and two tomorrow. We are going to be forced to go with the best price. Do not push down on the price of the casket.
You will leave with your itemized list. Tell each funeral home that you will only have an hour to spend with him because you have other appointments.
The average funeral home only does 50 funerals/year or 1 per week. They need to hit a home run. This idea of scheduling appointments, and how busy they are, well you get the idea.
After all what is the suggested retail price of a funeral, embalming, limo ride, face and hair prep etc.? It is whatever they can get you to pay.
BestPriceCaskets
18 gauge caskets =$995 funeral home $3000-$5000
Solid wood $1095 $5000 or $6000
Check out www.BestPriceCaskets.com, they have 40 models and Costco had 6.
Steve Thompson
of NY
@
Jan 10, 2009 09:31:00 AM
coffins
Since Costco usually packages large quantities of each item, and then sells them at a comparatively low price, if one were to sponsor a "coffin party", similar to a "Tupperware Party", could one then get a "group discount"? Would Costco provide samples of the various styles so that the people attending could try them out for size, color preference, and comfort? If one lived much longer than expected, and the styles changed over that period, could one trade his in for a newer model?
Shirley Samson
of CA
@
Nov 20, 2008 22:14:55 PM
huh
i wonder if they have a deal where you get a discount off the coffin price if you overindulged on their bulk system and gave yourself a coronary?
jeremy
of TX
@
Nov 20, 2008 15:08:11 PM
Somebody's got to sell them
After a lifetime of high prices, why not get a bargain at long last?
HillbillyBill
of TN
@
Nov 20, 2008 06:41:56 AM
Costco Sells Caskets?
Will the next item be Semi-Automatic Machine guns and bulletproof vests.
Kirk Shinkle is a senior editor at U.S. News. He writes daily about ups and downs in equity markets, sectors and stocks. Formerly, he covered business and economics on both coasts for Investor's Business Daily.
Joe of CA @ Aug 12, 2009 20:27:23 PM
California Director of CA @ Jul 18, 2009 20:50:29 PM
Steve Thompson of NY @ Jan 10, 2009 09:31:00 AM
Shirley Samson of CA @ Nov 20, 2008 22:14:55 PM
jeremy of TX @ Nov 20, 2008 15:08:11 PM
HillbillyBill of TN @ Nov 20, 2008 06:41:56 AM
SrPr1 of TX @ Nov 19, 2008 16:16:53 PM
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