Some funeral directors enter into agreements with groups such as religious or burial societies to arrange arrangements at special prices for their members. You may offer these packages as you choose, but you must still provide a General Price List and all other Rule disclosures.
You must offer a printed or typewritten Outer Burial Container Price List upon beginning the discussion of outer containers. You may also use a notebook or brochure, but the contents must be clearly visible.
General Price List
Planning a funeral can be stressful and emotional. Families are often under time constraints and on-the-spot decisions must be made. It’s important for consumers to understand the average funeral cost and price shop to uncover savings.
NFDA is proud to help consumers with this through Funeral Advantage, which helps policyholders find the best deals on funeral items and services. In fact, in 2017 alone, we saved our policyholders thousands of dollars.
The GPL must describe the prices for each type of direct cremation you offer, including any package prices that contain both the cremation and service options. It must also include your prices for transportation by livery of the remains or a container.
You must give out a GPL even when the discussion of prices and arrangements does not take place in your funeral home or office, such as when removing the body from the hospital or nursing home. Your employees should carry extra GPLs with them for this purpose.
Casket Price List
A casket is a metal or wooden container that encloses the body and serves as a place to hold a funeral service. It is the most expensive item that most consumers buy when making full-service arrangements. You must offer families your Casket Price List before they discuss or view a casket.
Many funeral homes rent outer burial containers to customers who want a cremation, eliminating the need to sell them. If you do this, your GPL must describe these options and include prices for a casket and an inexpensive unfinished wood box or alternative container that you regularly offer.
The Rule does not prohibit you from entering into agreements with organizations or societies that provide members with packages of funeral goods and services at a discount. However, you must still make your General Price List available to anyone who inquires about funeral arrangements. This includes representatives of religious groups, burial or memorial societies, government agencies and consumer organizations.
Outer Burial Container Price List
If your funeral firm offers packages that include a casket and outer burial container, the price for the package must be stated. This information must also be given to consumers who inquire about the cost of an outer burial container separately.
You must list the prices for forwarding of remains, receiving remains, direct cremation and immediate burial on your GPL, along with the basic arrangements you offer. The prices for these items must include the fee for transferring the remains to your funeral home, holding an arrangement conference, securing necessary authorizations and coordinating service plans with parties involved in the disposition of the body.
You must show a GPL to anyone who wishes to change funeral goods and services bought under a pre-need contract or to a survivor who must pay additional charges because prices have increased since the time of the original purchase. You may add the prices of certain special funeral arrangements, such as those for children or infants, to your GPL. Otherwise, you must prepare a separate price list for these arrangements.
Statement of Funeral Goods and Services Selected
In addition to a General Price List and Casket Price List, a funeral home must provide consumers with an itemized Statement of Funeral Goods and Services Selected before any payment or contract is made. This document is meant to help consumers understand the specific goods and services they have selected, as well as how much they will cost.
The Statement of Funeral Goods and Services Selected must also include a written explanation of why the consumer is charged for any particular service. For example, if you are charging for embalming because it is required by the cemetery or funeral home or is a legal requirement, this should be noted on the Statement.
You must give a completed Statement of Funeral Goods and Services to the consumer at the end of the arrangements conference. Mailing or handing a consumer a copy at some later date does not meet the requirements of the Rule. You may use a book that contains photographs of the outer burial containers you offer if you prefer to do so instead of providing individual price lists.