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New funeral survey helps people prepare
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By Debbie Gardner
PRIME Editor
When it comes to buying that new car, big screen TV, or even toaster oven, most people are proud to say they've done their homework and shopped around for the best model at the best price.
But have you ever thought of applying those same savvy-shopper skills to planning a funeral?
The Funeral Consumers Alliance of Western Massachusetts (FCAWM) thinks everyone should, and they've just made it easier to get a handle on what a funeral will cost local consumers.
In December 2006, the FCAWM released its latest funeral service price survey for funeral homes in western Massachusetts.
A total of 72 funeral homes spanning the distance from North Adams to Agawam provided information to the FCAWM for this price comparison.
For example, this current list shows pricing for direct cremation -- one of the more affordable options for burial -- ranging from $700 to $4,275, depending upon which funeral home a consumer chooses.
"We gathered price lists from almost all of the funeral homes in the four western Massachusetts counties," FCAWM volunteer and Board of Directors member Eileen Pratt told Reminder Publications during an interview about the survey. "There were a few who didn't want to participate, but it's pretty complete."
Pratt said consumers could access survey results online at www.FuneralConsumersWMass.org. They can also receive a copy by mail by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Funeral Consumers Alliance; P O Box 994, Greenfield, MA 01202-0994.
The survey compares the prices funeral homes charge for six basic areas of funeral services: immediate burial, direct cremation, basic funeral home services, embalming, least expensive casket and least expensive outer container (required by most cemeteries for internment).
The survey also includes an information sheet that explains the terms, and outlines some of the add-on fees that families may incur, depending on the type of funeral that is planned.
"We're hoping that our survey would be used as a guide to narrow down their choice of funeral homes and then sit down and get their prices," Pratt said.
Be an informed funeral consumer
"There are a lot of surprises when you go to find out the final cost," Pratt said, referring to what she experienced when planning her mother's funeral last spring.
Pratt said she follows the FCAWM recommendation of comparison shopping by calling several funeral homes to ask about prices for certain services.
"The funeral home I went to . I got the cost of the visitation for the wake [over the phone], and then, [when I arrived to sign the contract] they said, 'by the way there's an additional $600 for the cost of using the funeral home'."
"Wouldn't you think that would be included [in the price quote]?" Pratt said. "I learned you've got to ask about that."
She added that the survey's information sheet lists services consumers should inquire about when discussing price with a funeral director.
"Until you sit down and do the contract, it's hard to know what you're actually going to pay," Pratt said.
Know your rights -- and the funeral home's
"A funeral home does not have to give prices over the phone if they do not wish to," said Edward Brown, FCAWM web master and local expert on the Federal Trade Commission Funeral Rule guidelines. "The general price list is invoked during a face-to-face [meeting] between the consumer and the funeral director."
Brown said, under the Funeral Rule, "The funeral director must [at the face-to-face] supply a general price list that has a specific list of services with separate prices so that the individual can choose only those services they desire."
For a complete listing of a consumer's rights under the FTC Funeral Rule including the right to purchase a casket from a third-party source such as Costco or Funeral Direct and have it used at the funeral home of choice without additional fees -- Brown suggests people visit the FCAWM web site and click on the link to the FTC's web site.
"If you read what the funeral director reads in terms of what the FTC says the funeral director can and cannot do, that's about as clear a picture as the consumer can get regarding those rules," Brown said.
But more than just ensuring consumers understand their rights when contracting for an important service at a very stressful time, Brown said the FCAWM wants people to think about the end of their lives, and plan for the kind of funeral they want.
"My mother had her obituary all written out . it was just fill-in-the-blanks-with-the-date," Brown said. "This is the kind of thing the Funeral Consumer Alliance recommends. The more you can take the burden off those you leave behind the better you will feel about [your funeral] and the better they will feel about it."
Brown said the FCAWM we site provides links to an array of online resources that can help consumers plan and write instructions for the funeral they want.
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