How to Save on a Funeral
NEVER mention us
until after the bill is written.
Some funeral homes have two price lists - which is illegal.
If they even think you may provide your own casket they may give
you the price list with the higher fees to offset their expected
loss. You should negotiate pricing before you tell them you will
supply your own casket.
After you get the total bill in writing (with their
casket price), then its ok to let them know you will supply your
own. This is the only true way to realize your savings. If they
change any initial prices, then call the FTC, because that is highly
illegal! Federal Trade Commission: 877-382-4357.
Compare at least
3 Funeral Homes
We provide Funerals
and Cremations in Cincinnati, Middletown, Dayton, and N. Ky.
(If you have a church, we can
perform funeral anywhere. Our prices include a 50 mile radius.)
Feel free to use our funeral planning worksheet
to help you compare apples to apples.
|
Direct Cremation - $699 (includes container)
Direct Burial - $999 (includes casket)
Graveside Service - $1500 (includes casket)
Complete Funeral - $2500 (includes casket) |
18 Gauge vs. 20 Gauge
caskets.
18G Caskets are heavier in weight than 20G caskets. 18G Caskets
have locking mechanisms, rubber gaskets and memory tubes. Whereas
most 20G caskets are lighter in weight and do not have these features.
Some funeral homes claim to match our prices by offering customers
20G caskets for the same price as our 18G caskets. There is nothing
wrong with a 20G casket, just don't pay over $500 for it, and know
the difference in price and quality.
Other Ways to Save.
(1) Avoid Saturday services. You
could probably save $1000 in cemetery and funeral home fees by simply
having it on another day. Transportaion, opening and closing at
the cemetery, police escort, etc all get more expensive on Saturdays.
(2) If your family does not require a visitation, then you could
have a Closed Casket Service. This
may save thousands! You could possibly avoid embalming fees. You
can definitely avoid dressing and cosmetology fees. You can have
a memorial service with your loved one's picture next to the closed
casket. There are a range of options and other ways to save if you
have a closed casket ceremony.
(3) Have a graveside service. This
is probably the least expensive way to have a non-cremation burial.
We have had customers do graveside services for less than $2000
excluding cemetery fees. Call us if you have questions on how to
plan this type of service.
(4) Buy your casket from us.
Some funeral homes will use scare tactics by saying it won't arrive
in time or may arrive damaged. We are local, and personally deliver
each casket to assure safe and quick delivery. By using our caskets
your saving could look like:
|
Avg Funeral Home |
Main St. Casket Store |
Savings |
20 Gauge Casket |
$1500 |
$500 |
$1000 |
18 Gauge Casket |
$3500 |
$1000 |
$2500 |
Wood |
$4000 |
$1000 |
$3000 |
(5) Buy your flowers directly
from a Florist.
(6) Buy you register book from a party
supply or greeting card retailer.
(7) Buy your burial markers from us.
We average 75% less than a funeral home or cemetery. Click
here for more information.
Know Your Rights (The
FTC Funeral Rule).
The Federal Trade Commission has stopped funeral home price
fixing by allowing you to purchase funeral home products from other
sources. Before they enacted this law, you had no choice but to
buy the casket from the funeral home, which is why their prices
are so high. They knew you had to pay it, and could not go anywhere
else. To help consumers, the FTC created the Funeral Rule. Now you
can buy caskets from places like WalMart, Costco, and of course
The Main Street Casket Store.
They can not change any prices
or charge you extra for using our casket. They can not use scare
tactics to get you to buy their casket instead of any 3rd party
casket retailer.
The FTC recently made this ruling April 19, 2010:
"...while disparaging the quality of third-party
caskets does not necessarily violate the Funeral Rule, funeral providers
may be held liable if they make material misrepresentations about
third-party caskets that are false, misleading or deceptive."
Full text of the FTC advisory opinion is available at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/funerals/opinions/opinion10-1.pdf.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the funeral home accept products that I buy
elsewhere? The answer is Yes. THE FUNERAL RULE:
* They may not refuse service, cause duress, embarrassment, or cast
aspersions in any way onto persons choosing to bring their own products
into a funeral home from an outside source.
* They may not alter routine charges based on the acceptance of
outside merchandise.
* They may not require the family to present at the time of delivery.
* They may not charge any fee for handling or inspection that would
discourage third party vendors of caskets, vaults, monuments, flowers,
or printed material such as registry books and acknowledgement cards.
* Remember, we can save you money, even if you use our prices to
negotiate a cheaper casket from the funeral home. We're just trying
to help...
Will the funeral home charge me a handling fee?
No. By law the funeral home can not charge you a handling or service
fee when you choose to buy a casket from a third party.
What rights does the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Funeral Rule provide me?
The Funeral Rule, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC),
protects consumers by allowing them to purchase funeral items, such
as caskets, from a source other than a funeral home, without being
penalized in any way.
When you begin the arrangement process, the funeral director, by
law, must give you a General Price List of the goods and services
they provide. With the exception of the non-declinable fee (the
basic fee of the funeral director and staff, which must be accepted),
you can select or omit any item on their general price list. The
funeral director cannot change the prices on their list, charge
you a fee, or offer you a different price list to penalize you if
you wish to buy a casket elsewhere.
What types of caskets are available through Main
St. Caskets? We offer a wide variety of brands, styles, colors,
and materials. Some of these include steel, hardwood, and copper.
Some are domestic, but many are imported. Do not be afraid of imported
caskets. Many "Big Brand" domestic casket companies manufacture
their caskets outside the United States, and our quality is just
as good, if not better.
What if I see something somewhere that I would
like but do not see it online? If you see something somewhere
you would like let us know and we can arrange to get it for you.
When will it arrive? Most of our stock is in
our downtown store and can be delivered at a moments notice. Caskets
that are not in our local stock can be delivered next day if ordered
by Noon. Just let us know when and where you need your casket, and
Eric will make sure the casket arrives on time, guaranteed.
How may I pay for the items I decide to purchase?
You have three options to pay for your casket. You may pay with
cash, cashier's check, or credit card.
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