Are Funeral Homes running a Legal Scam?

Are Funeral Homes running a Legal Scam?

And if so, is there anything we can do about it...

As if losing a loved one isn't hard enough, the financial strain placed upon the surviving family members can be very overwhelming.


When the inevitable happens is it right for the funeral industry to be taking such obvious advantage of people?

Almost everybody knows "somebody" still making payments for a service that didn't necessarily have to cost as much as it did. For example, we lost a loved one some time ago and we were charged almost 8 thousand dollars!!! To add insult to injury there are interest payments to deal with. Something is seriously wrong with the present way of dealing with this issue...nobody is doing anything!

Is it naive of me to even think that something can be done about it?

Should we ask our Governments to step up and regulate the industry?

Should we just shut up and continue to take it?

Well, I for one am mad as heck!!!
And I'm not gonna take it anymore!!!

It is a terrible shame how people are taken advantage of when they are weak and vulnerable. The last thing we need is the federal government getting involved. The government has too much power as it is, this would just compound the situation and give them more power. They then would want to raise taxes for all funeral homes and take the money to fund a black op invasion in a foreign country. In the end you would pay more so the funeral homes still could make money. Thats our government hard at work.

reply to post by alilonthecheekyside

Funeral homes are just one small player in the western sea of commercialism.
It probably just seems worse because it’s associated with death and people tend to get a bit touchy about that.

But this stuff happens with everything, you can’t allow one person to capitalize of people’s stupidity and then restrict another person’s right to do so.

I have never got why people feel the need for such expensive funerals and weddings etc..

Good old fashioned home made funeral pyre? Probably get arrested if you try it

Land is expensive these days, and some of the coffins to rot away in, are a very high end luxury. And then there's the cost of the nice headstone too, another $10,000

Ever since the idea was put in my head, that coffins could be relocated, or float up and around in a flood, I decided I would never be buried.

Put me in a burning funeral pyre, cremation, turn me into a diamond, just don't bury me.

That's why I always say to people I know:

"When I die, build a big bonfire in the backyard, use me as firewood, and throw yourselves a big shindig party."

Much much cheaper than some stupid satin lined $10,000 coffin for me to rot in.

Originally posted by PPGrocks
It is a terrible shame how people are taken advantage of when they are weak and vulnerable. The last thing we need is the federal government getting involved. The government has too much power as it is, this would just compound the situation and give them more power. They then would want to raise taxes for all funeral homes and take the money to fund a black op invasion in a foreign country. In the end you would pay more so the funeral homes still could make money. Thats our government hard at work.

It is a "terrible shame"!

You know what they say about "death and taxes", that doesn't make it right.

So are you saying there isn't a darn thing we can do about it?

Don't you think we have a responsibility to speak up?

Originally posted by alilonthecheekyside
Are Funeral Homes running a Legal Scam?

And if so, is there anything we can do about it...

As if losing a loved one isn't hard enough, the financial strain placed upon the surviving family members can be very overwhelming.

When the inevitable happens is it right for the funeral industry to be taking such obvious advantage of people?

Almost everybody knows "somebody" still making payments for a service that didn't necessarily have to cost as much as it did. For example, we lost a loved one some time ago and we were charged almost 8 thousand dollars!!! To add insult to injury there are interest payments to deal with. Something is seriously wrong with the present way of dealing with this issue...nobody is doing anything!

Is it naive of me to even think that something can be done about it?

Should we ask our Governments to step up and regulate the industry?

Should we just shut up and continue to take it?

Well, I for one am mad as heck!!!
And I'm not gonna take it anymore!!!

edit on 12-1-2012 by alilonthecheekyside because: (no reason given)

Did the funeral home bust into your family's home and force you to use their services? Unless you live in like the most rural of areas there are plenty of funeral homes to shop around for competition or if you want the cheaper option burn the body. Funerals have been a pricey thing since forever and its not a new or them ripping you off. This does explain where all the money and fees come from: www.nfda.org...

reply to post by BeforeTooLong

I have never got why people feel the need for such expensive funerals and weddings etc..

Yeah, I know. Traditions, more than likely.

Doesn't "commercialism" imply more of a want than a necessity?

More often than not people are left to handle the financial aspect of it "alone", not everybody has insurance.

And some people wonder why i told them to let me Rot where ever i die. (If its a reasonable place to be left to rot of course!) I dont want to place a 10 thousand dollar burden on my family. Me passing would be hard enough.
You shouldn't even need someone else to do a funeral service for you.

But how else would it get done in today's society?

reply to post by Mkoll

Good old fashioned home made funeral pyre? Probably get arrested if you try it

That's true, sad but true.

There must be "something" we can do about this???

But what, and I wonder...where would one even begin?

If we could bury or burn our own it'd certainly be cheaper, but we'd probably need a permit otherwise it'd be illegal... like everything else these days.

reply to post by snowspirit

Put me in a burning funeral pyre, cremation, turn me into a diamond, just don't bury me.

Awww.

I know how you feel, the thought of being a burden like this to someone in my family when my time comes, frustrates the heck outta me!

reply to post by alilonthecheekyside

Yeah, I know. Traditions, more than likely. Doesn't "commercialism" imply more of a want than a necessity? More often than not people are left to handle the financial aspect of it "alone", not everybody has insurance.

Yeah traditions from a time where such ideas were basically forced on people via religious rules.

Today it’s still a want, but not actually a want for the funeral itself. It’s about image, perceived importance and social influence. People think if they don’t go into debt with a huge funereal that people will look down on them or that they are outcasts.

Even if they have insurance they have still wasted probably more money on that over the years..
It’s all a circle of debt and driving people to fit in a mould.

When I go, burn me and spread my ashes over the sea.

Originally posted by CranialSponge
That's why I always say to people I know:

"When I die, build a big bonfire in the backyard, use me as firewood, and throw yourselves a big shindig party."

Much much cheaper than some stupid satin lined $10,000 coffin for me to rot in.

Wow, you "are" as cool as your avatar pic.

But will they do it? You know they're gonna do what ever "they think" is right anyway. Unless you leave a will.

No one has to have a formal funeral. The deceased certainly gets nothing out of it. And for that matter what do the surviving family get out of it?
Cremation can be done for less than a thousand dollars.
No expensive coffin; no viewing time, no expensive service; no expensive piece of land or headstone.

reply to post by Koffee


Yes, I understand what you are saying but cremation is not really "big" in my family. I don't know why that is exactly. Our ancestors did it. So much for modern ideas eh.

Originally posted by Anishnaabe
And some people wonder why i told them to let me Rot where ever i die. (If its a reasonable place to be left to rot of course!) I dont want to place a 10 thousand dollar burden on my family. Me passing would be hard enough.
You shouldn't even need someone else to do a funeral service for you.

But how else would it get done in today's society?

If it's a reasonable place to be left to rot???
You are trying to cheer me up, aren't you.

Originally posted by circlemaker
If we could bury or burn our own it'd certainly be cheaper, but we'd probably need a permit otherwise it'd be illegal... like everything else these days.

Yeah really, A pre-paid permit!

Originally posted by OhZone
No one has to have a formal funeral. The deceased certainly gets nothing out of it. And for that matter what do the surviving family get out of it?
Cremation can be done for less than a thousand dollars.
No expensive coffin; no viewing time, no expensive service; no expensive piece of land or headstone.

You certainly make it sound so easy. But is it?
Most people don't leave a "will" do they.

And what a decision to have to make!