New Survey Published
We are pleased to offer another comparative price survey of funeral homes, this time in a market that we
have not previously explored: the southeast corner of South Carolina comprising the communities of
Beaufort, Hilton Head, Bluffton, and Ridgeland. An internet survey located thirteen funeral homes
serving that area.
Because of the pandemic and distance from our headquarters in Columbia, we decided to conduct the
survey entirely by telephone. Normally our board members or local volunteers visit funeral homes in
person to collect their General Price Lists (GPLs). Federal regulations require homes to give a GPL to
anyone who shows up in person and asks for one. Likewise, they require homes to provide information
from their GPL over the telephone to anyone who calls and asks for it. So our board members each
called a couple of funeral homes to ask for prices in twelve categories.
While this method allowed us to show comparative prices, it did not afford us the opportunity to examine
the GPLs themselves to see if they conformed in full to Federal Trade Commission guidelines and the
Funeral Rule. We are unable to say if a particular funeral home is in compliance or not. Nevertheless,
we believe that the price comparison will help consumers in that part of the state arrange their funeral
plans.
Unfortunately, we found that some funeral homes, despite government rules, were reluctant to provide the
requested information. Our callers encountered suspicion and stalling tactics when contacting nearly half
of the businesses. We were unable to get price information from three of them.
In certain cases we were not able to get information about specific charges. For example, Chisholm
Funeral Home did not provide their top prices for caskets and vaults, saying that they could obtain
expensive ones through special order. The same was true of Allan’s high vault price. In future surveys,
we will adjust our question to ask for the price of the most expensive casket or vault in their regular
inventory. Oddly, the person at Chisholm who spoke to our board member did not know what an
alternative container was. That is the simple, combustible container used for cremations and low-cost
burials, which may be made of heavy cardboard, fiberboard, or unfinished wood. Prices for alternative
containers in our survey ranged from $10 to $395. Two funeral homes, Sauls and Vaigneur, could not
provide a limousine. Sauls said that clients had to make their own transportation arrangements; Vaigneur
said that clients could obtain a limousine from a third party that charged $125 per hour.
In regard to direct cremations, some funeral homes listed a range of prices, which varied depending on
the quality of container selected. In such cases we quoted the lowest price.
All but one of the funeral homes included the crematory fee in the quoted price for direct cremations. The
only one that did not was Allan, whose price was superficially the lowest at $895, but a crematory fee,
usually around $300 to $400, would need to be added. Consumers should always ask if the crematory
fee is included in the price for direct cremations and adjust their budgets accordingly.
Like our previous surveys, this one revealed striking variations in the prices charged by funeral homes
serving the same market area. The survey spreadsheet highlights the top and bottom prices in each
category. The wide price range for services that are essentially identical is one of the main reasons that
uninformed consumers suffer “sticker shock” when confronted with funeral expenses. That is why we
always recommend that consumers shop for arrangements in advance of need.
We are pleased to offer another comparative price survey of funeral homes, this time in a market that we
have not previously explored: the southeast corner of South Carolina comprising the communities of
Beaufort, Hilton Head, Bluffton, and Ridgeland. An internet survey located thirteen funeral homes
serving that area.
Because of the pandemic and distance from our headquarters in Columbia, we decided to conduct the
survey entirely by telephone. Normally our board members or local volunteers visit funeral homes in
person to collect their General Price Lists (GPLs). Federal regulations require homes to give a GPL to
anyone who shows up in person and asks for one. Likewise, they require homes to provide information
from their GPL over the telephone to anyone who calls and asks for it. So our board members each
called a couple of funeral homes to ask for prices in twelve categories.
While this method allowed us to show comparative prices, it did not afford us the opportunity to examine
the GPLs themselves to see if they conformed in full to Federal Trade Commission guidelines and the
Funeral Rule. We are unable to say if a particular funeral home is in compliance or not. Nevertheless,
we believe that the price comparison will help consumers in that part of the state arrange their funeral
plans.
Unfortunately, we found that some funeral homes, despite government rules, were reluctant to provide the
requested information. Our callers encountered suspicion and stalling tactics when contacting nearly half
of the businesses. We were unable to get price information from three of them.
In certain cases we were not able to get information about specific charges. For example, Chisholm
Funeral Home did not provide their top prices for caskets and vaults, saying that they could obtain
expensive ones through special order. The same was true of Allan’s high vault price. In future surveys,
we will adjust our question to ask for the price of the most expensive casket or vault in their regular
inventory. Oddly, the person at Chisholm who spoke to our board member did not know what an
alternative container was. That is the simple, combustible container used for cremations and low-cost
burials, which may be made of heavy cardboard, fiberboard, or unfinished wood. Prices for alternative
containers in our survey ranged from $10 to $395. Two funeral homes, Sauls and Vaigneur, could not
provide a limousine. Sauls said that clients had to make their own transportation arrangements; Vaigneur
said that clients could obtain a limousine from a third party that charged $125 per hour.
In regard to direct cremations, some funeral homes listed a range of prices, which varied depending on
the quality of container selected. In such cases we quoted the lowest price.
All but one of the funeral homes included the crematory fee in the quoted price for direct cremations. The
only one that did not was Allan, whose price was superficially the lowest at $895, but a crematory fee,
usually around $300 to $400, would need to be added. Consumers should always ask if the crematory
fee is included in the price for direct cremations and adjust their budgets accordingly.
Like our previous surveys, this one revealed striking variations in the prices charged by funeral homes
serving the same market area. The survey spreadsheet highlights the top and bottom prices in each
category. The wide price range for services that are essentially identical is one of the main reasons that
uninformed consumers suffer “sticker shock” when confronted with funeral expenses. That is why we
always recommend that consumers shop for arrangements in advance of need.
Funeral Rule Up for Revision
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is considering possible revisions to the Funeral Rule, which
protects consumers by requiring funeral homes to follow standard practices and disclose prices. The rule
was first issued in 1984 and revised in 1994, before the introduction of the Internet and digital
telecommunications. It definitely needs updating now that the public is doing more and more shopping
online.
I
There are three main reforms that our national organization, the Funeral Consumers Alliance, would like to
see made to the Funeral Rule. They are:
- Funeral homes that maintain websites should be required to post their General Price Lists (GPL) on them. This would make it much easier for consumers to shop and compare prices without having to call or visit funeral homes. We at FCASC believe also that funeral homes should be required to use a standard format for their GPLs, which also would facilitate comparisons.
- Funeral homes should be required to clearly state the price of a cremation on their General Price List if they use third-party crematories. Sometimes funeral homes will list a price for a direct cremation that does not include the cost of the cremation itself. If a separate fee is charged, it should either be added to the quoted price of the direct cremation or listed in conjunction with the quoted price. There should be no hidden fee.
- The Funeral Rule should be expanded to include cemeteries, which are not now included. Cemeteries also should be required to have written General Price Lists and to itemize prices. The current situation makes it much more difficult for consumers to deal with cemeteries than with funeral homes.
