How to Avoid being Scammed when Planning a Funeral

A lot of funeral homes are violating laws when bereaved families are availing of their services as described here. Because most bereaved families often forget to check laws and know their rights as consumers, some funeral homes are taking advantage of this.

Scams among funeral homes are so prevalent that one out of five funeral homes was confirmed to break laws and take advantage of their clients. Because of this, it is vital that you know your rights and avoid being scammed by funeral homes.

Avoid Getting Scammed by Funeral Homes

Whether you are planning a funeral for a deceased loved one or for your future funeral, it is ideal that you do measures to avoid being scammed. This is particularly true if you are planning a funeral for a loved one who suddenly passed away. Because you will likely be in grief during this time, you might not be able to decide on things as you would under regular circumstances. Thus, it would be ideal if you would have funeral program guidelines to help you know whether you are being scammed or not.

Here are some tips that you can follow to avoid being scammed by funeral homes when planning for a funeral.

• Read Funeral Program Guidelines

Even if you are in a hurry and you are still grieving, it is important that you take time to read funeral guidelines so that you will know the things that should be done and prepared for a funeral.

This will help you avoid getting committed to things that are not really necessary for the funeral service. This will also enable you to know the price range for the services and the supplies needed for the services so that you do not pay for overpriced materials and services.

• Review Your Insurance Policies

If you have a plan or insurance for your loved one’s funeral, you should check it immediately before contacting a funeral home. This way, you can determine if the insurance can cover a lot of things for the funeral. This will also enable you to know if the funeral home is not charging fees that are already covered by the insurance company.

This also goes for planning a funeral for the future. Make sure that you discuss everything with your family so that they will know how much they only have to pay.

Also, make sure that when you avail of plans from funeral homes, you have every detail of the plan and the accommodations listed and checked by a lawyer or someone who is familiar with these things. Having funeral program guidelines will also help to determine if your chosen funeral home is charging you excessively for their services.

• Do Not Go for All-in-One Packages

When getting a service from funeral homes, do not choose all-in-one packages. These packages are often overpriced or include services or things that you do not really need for the funeral. Plan everything on your own and let your wishes be known by the funeral home. As long as you are following proper funeral program guidelines, you have the right to ask for your wishes. If the funeral home refuses to give you such services, it is best to choose a different funeral home.

• Find Resources Online

It is best to find free resources online before opting for the offers of your chosen funeral home. There are a lot of free things that you can get online such as online memorial program cards.

These free online memorial program cards will help you create funeral cards easily. Just by downloading these free cards templates, you can create personalized online memorial program cards that you can save on your computer and print at home.

There are also sample funeral program guidelines that you can download from funeral card shops. You can use these to guide you in the preparation of a funeral.

Because of these resources, you do not have to get every offer your funeral home suggests. Thus, you do not have to pay excessive fees for simple services that should have been cheap; and this includes everything, from flowers, the casket and the rental of the funeral home’s room.

When planning for a funeral it is best to check guidelines and the Internet so that you can avoid being scammed. Getting recourses from the Internet for guidelines, online memorial program cards and everything else, is a great way to make sure that you are safe from scams and overpricing.

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