Here’s a true story about a man named Mike, who contacted me recently via Funerals360.
His elderly father had passed away, and after the dust settled, he was worried that he had overpaid for the direct cremation his family had purchased from the local funeral home.
Even though his father was sick and under nursing home care, it was still a shock and heartbreak when he passed. Amidst the grief he and his family were already dealing with, they also had to plan the funeral.
But, like many people during this tough time, he didn’t have enough information to make the right decisions.
And, understandably, he simply didn’t have the time or mental energy to gather information from a variety of sources.
So he did what most people do: He made decisions on the fly. He didn’t shop around - at all. He went straight to the local funeral home that he passed by regularly.
Per his father’s request, he made the arrangements for his “simple cremation.” He paid the bill and said goodbye to his loved one.
Shortly thereafter, Mike discovered some shocking information.
He could have had the same service performed by another local provider for $3,800 less.
No, I am not making this up. Mike literally could have saved $3,800 by calling the funeral provider the next town over.
Yes, for the same exact service.
I know this because he reached out to me personally about his regret and to understand the cost of a cremation in his local market.
The money was gone. The service was over. There are no refunds in this business.
Unfortunately, this sort of thing happens to people all the time.
It even happened to me and my family in 2011 when my great Uncle died.
What I’ve learned over the past 7 years is that researching your local funeral market and inquiring on prices is not something to be ashamed of - it’s the financially responsible thing to do. Yet, it can be so difficult to do effectively and efficiently, especially at your time of need. Who has time to call all the funeral homes in the area to ask for their prices?!
That’s why we now list funeral home pricing at Funerals360. Costs estimates for immediate burial, direct cremation, and a full-service burial are available to everyone in Search Results and on funeral home profiles. With a Premium Membership, you can also see the full general price lists for funeral homes in your area, create funeral cost comparisons and custom funeral quotes using the price list from the funeral homes of your choice.
It’s just one more thing that Funerals360 has done to make funeral planning transparent and help Americans stay within their budget. Join today to be prepared for tomorrow.
