Consumer Awareness
Something any informed consumer should do is shop around and understand what they're purchasing, and funerals should not be any different. However, with the current funeral law regarding pricing, that can be a bit confusing. All funeral home pricing, in the United States, falls under the Federal Trade Commission and the Funeral Rule. All funeral home services are to be priced individually on The General Price List. This General Price List is an FTC requirement and is to be given to the consumer any time services or pricing is discussed. The purpose behind the individual pricing is to keep consumers from paying for anything not requested or required, but this is also what can make things confusing when shopping around. It is difficult to quote a price for a funeral without knowing what services would be requested. Funeral homes can offer a form of a package, but the total cost still has to equal the individual prices on the price list and it cannot include costs for anything the consumer does not specifically want.

Comparing General Price Lists is just one step to investigate; there are also merchandise costs to consider. Funeral homes are also required to have a Casket Price List and an Outer Burial Container Price List. The consumer will want to compare prices for caskets and outer containers. The price list should describe the various models of caskets in order to know what you're comparing (steel, wood, 20 Gauge, 18 Gauge, Hardwood, Veneer, etc). It's important to be sure what you're comparing, some funeral homes will keep their professional service costs low but put a large mark-up on merchandise, others will keep merchandise costs low with having higher professional service prices. Also, some funeral homes will offer "discounts" on their professional services if the consumer is purchasing the casket from them. In any case, the final professional services total needs to be the same as the individually priced services added up on the price list.

We welcome the opportunity to meet with you and discuss any pricing questions. We're confident that we will have competitive pricing and will match anything that isn't.

State Board | FTC rule and legal rights | FTC Funeral Rule Download pdf