Funeral Package with a "discount". Sounds good right? Actually, NO, it's no different than the old - prior to the FTC Funeral Rule from the 1970's - dishonest "Bundling" of over priced services, without clear itemized pricing, that was BANNED by the FTC with the Rule.
Bundling was a practice by many funeral homes of NOT even having a printed price list to give to families upon inquiry or engagement of funeral services. They simply "made up" the pricing based on:
- The car the family drove and how they dress
- The reputation the family had in the community
- The total value of the Burial Policy or Life Insurance policy assigned to them
- Merchandise prices were bundled to hide their true cost
What was made law with the FTC Funeral Rule, which is still in effect today, was that ALL FUNERAL SERVICE COMPANIES are REQUIRED to provide IMMEDIATELY upon the request by any person inquiring about prices, to receive a GENERAL PRICE LIST. This GPL as it's called, is required to ITEMIZE and break down ALL COSTS and CHARGES that will be made.
What the FTC permitted, which now has WIDESPREAD ABUSE across the USA, is PACKAGES. These packages are presented as a DISCOUNT for families. NOT TRUE! These pacakges contain many worthless, unneeded or OVERPRICED items that are then "discounted" down in order to present a final pacakge price.
Here are some tips to avoid being OVERCHARGED and paying for unneeded, unnecessary or overpriced merchandise that is available from many different sources at up to 75% less:
- Always ask for, and receive the GPL
- Search within that GPL for the item labeled - DIRECT/IMMEDIATE BURIAL services
- Using this as your NORTH STAR for pricing, remember that everything else that a Funeral Director or facility does for you - other than the health care/embalming/cosmetics - is nothing but overpaid, overpriced CONCIERGE services to transport the deceased, stand and direct the service, etc.
- Remember that merchandise - flowers, prayer cards, thank you cards, Memorial Service Registers, Photo displays, Caskets, Urns, Vaults, Headstones - are generally marked up from 200-1000% over cost! EVERY product offered and sold by every funeral home in the country can be found for HUGE SAVINGS from 3rd parties.
PACKAGES - A DEAL? Far from it! Avoid them, refuse to be conned into one, and make sure that the way you would shop for an automobile, a home, an expensive piece of jewelry, or anything of high value - is the way you must shop for your Funeral Services!