There are a number of important advantages to choosing a funeral home in advance of death. To begin with, it will enable you to find the one that best suits your needs. As with most other professions, there is a whole range to choose from. With a little effort on your part, you can find a funeral home that will offer the arrangements you want, whether simple or elaborate; and at a price you feel is fair.
Having preselected a funeral home can be especially helpful if you or a loved one dies away from home. They can help make arrangements with a funeral home in the area where the death occurred to bring you or your loved one home. If the place was another country, this is doubly true. Our county's embassy or consulate abroad MUST have the name of the receiving funeral home in the home city so that the remains can be brought back into the United States and ultimately home. Having named one in advance will save the survivors from having to investigate and decide upon a funeral home under the pressure of haste and grief.
Each week we feature a blog entry titled "A Director's Thoughts". We will discuss topics from "Pre-Arrangement" to "What not to say".
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Monday, March 30, 2015
Friday, March 27, 2015
NO HIDDEN COSTS
All of us have had the experience of opening a bill and being staggered by the amount. This is often because what we THOUGHT we were paying has been considerably augmented by "hidden costs," -- taxes service charges, surcharges, interest charges, ect.
The great majority of funeral directors adhere to a professional code of ethics which includes provisions for seeing that this doesn't happen. In order to eliminate those hidden costs, you will find that these funeral directors are explicit about the costs of goods and services. In addition, once the family decides on the kind of service desired, the funeral director should provide a written document for the family to review and approve.
This should include a description of the service and price. Any supplemental charges for merchandise or service should be listed. It should also make mention of any sums which the funeral director will advance on behold of the family, e.g. newspaper notices, death certificates, flowers or any other charges incurred outside the funeral home.
The great majority of funeral directors adhere to a professional code of ethics which includes provisions for seeing that this doesn't happen. In order to eliminate those hidden costs, you will find that these funeral directors are explicit about the costs of goods and services. In addition, once the family decides on the kind of service desired, the funeral director should provide a written document for the family to review and approve.
This should include a description of the service and price. Any supplemental charges for merchandise or service should be listed. It should also make mention of any sums which the funeral director will advance on behold of the family, e.g. newspaper notices, death certificates, flowers or any other charges incurred outside the funeral home.
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