Some call themselves Funeral Homes; others cremation providers. Some even claim to do both. Some funeral and cremation providers are expensive; others are incredibly inexpensive. Some are family owned and operated and others are part of a large network. So how does someone choose the right funeral home or cremation provider? Or better yet, avoid choosing the wrong one? Hopefully we can provide a little clarification and tell you what to “look” for and “look out” for.
Family owned or a conglomerate? I’d be lying if I told you I never shopped at a large network of retail stores. In fact I might visit one on a daily basis. But after working at a funeral home that belonged to a national chain I understood first hand the limitations of this particular funeral home. Every community is different and the funeral home usually takes on the personality of that individual community. After all, we are part of the community ourselves. And as a funeral director it’s our job, much like a policeman, to serve the community regardless of the family’s abilities or limitations. A conglomerate usually operates on the idea that every community and every family within that community is the same. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. And each family deserves personalization and the full attention of it’s funeral director.
1-800-Cremation…. These companies are popping up everywhere and especially in Florida. Most laypeople are unfamiliar with how a funeral home or crematory operates. When someone chooses cremation you’d assume the funeral home or cremation provider comes to pick up the deceased and bring him or her back to the crematory. Well think about it; if you’re calling a 1-800 number there’s a good chance this company doesn’t have a facility or staff in your town. As a matter of fact, there’s a good chance they don’t have a facility or staff in your state either! Who’s picking up Mom? Where are they taking her? And if you’re paying this company hundreds or thousands or dollars, why aren’t they doing any of the work? Call a local funeral home or crematory and then ask if they’re family owned.
Does the funeral home or cremation provider have an on-site crematory? This one’s simple….ask the funeral home or cremation provider whether or not they do. If they don’t, there’s a good chance you’re paying more money to this company to be the “middle man” between you and the crematory. And there’s a good chance you can accomplish the same thing for less by directly calling the other funeral home or cremation provider. Just because a company has the word(s), crematory, cremations, or cremation provider in their name, doesn’t mean they have an on-site crematory.
The last thing to look for is PRICE. This is something that has gotten out of hand in some markets and can vary by thousands of dollars. How can one funeral home charge almost five thousand and another just under a thousand; for the same service???!!! Well the answer isn’t as simple as it seems but funeral homes operate just like any other business. There’s a good chance the funeral home charging almost $5,000 has a very high overhead and is passing the expense onto the family. Or maybe they think their popularity is so great they can get by with charging a higher price. Or maybe it’s a combination of the two. Now the low priced guy can also be untrustworthy. If a funeral home doesn’t charge enough there’s a good chance they might not be in business very long. Or there’s a chance they’re keeping their expenses extremely low by not maintaining any facilities, vehicles or doing any of their work.
In summary, the best solution to selecting the right funeral home or cremation provider is due-diligence. And please do not wait until the need arises. Get online and research the funeral home’s website and sit down with the funeral director and get to know them. Read about and meet their staff. Check prices and ask plenty of questions. And when you’ve made the right choice, take it a step further and pre-plan so your family doesn’t have to.
