Planning a funeral is an emotional experience; it’s also an expensive consumer purchase that typically needs to be done quickly because most people don’t make plans before they die.
“You can control how much you spend if you are willing to separate the emotion of showing love for a person who’s died from the amount of money that you spend on their funeral,” said Josh Slocum, executive director of the non-profit Funeral Consumers Alliance. “The price difference between funeral homes – maybe within two miles of your own house – the price for the same services varies dramatically. We’re not talking about a 15% or 20% profit margin difference. We’re talking factors of two, three or four times.”
Funeral homes are required to give you a full price list when you visit in person. They are not required to post those prices online – and a recent survey by the Consumer Federation of America found that most don’t.
Slocum says some funeral homes will email price lists or provide information over the phone.
“Literally making a phone call and getting a price quote before you commit to a funeral home. That simple act alone may save you $2,000,” he said.
More Info:
Survey: Few Funeral Homes Post Prices Online, Consumer Advocates Urge FTC to Require It (This story contains the Consumerpedia podcast, Dealing with Death: Planning and Paying for a Funeral.)
Advice on planning a funeral from Checkbook.org.
LOCAL RATINGS: Checkbook is an independent, non-profit, subscriber-based consumer rating and education service. As a courtesy to Northwest Newsradio listeners, you can use this special link (until August 21, 2022) to get ratings for 35 funeral homes in the Puget Sound area.
The Funeral Consumer Alliance website offers information about funerals and cremations and explanations of your legal rights. It has volunteers across the country, including in the Seattle area, who work directly with consumers.
