How to Shop for a Funeral

 

FIRST slow down...like take 20 minutes

If a hospital, or police, are asking you to, "Call a funeral home NOW", don't let that force you to rush.

-If you don't want to hire out start with our What To Do When Death Occurs Flow Chart 

-If you do want to hire a funeral home:

DON'T tell them where the body is yet (Hospital releases a body to an unauthorized funeral home)

DON'T go to a funeral home in person yet

* if a funeral home tries to charge you for their sales pitch then report them.

In 2025 we've been seeing charges of, between $250 - $950, for a funeral home to "engage" with you, or "arrange" a funeral. They already charge EVERY customer a non-declineable fee to cover that risk. So, for now our recommendation is that potential customers refrain from going in-person "to establish a relationship" (as Funeral Directors like to say)...until you have decided to hire them for sure. 

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SECOND price compare

Funeral home prices vary by thousands $$ for the same packages. Our free at-a-glance chart lists every Utah mortuary’s package prices AND it includes the General Price List of each. So you can see who charges what before you decide if the mortuary Aunt Betty went to (or if the mortuary is closest to home) is more important to you than price.

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If death occurred OUTSIDE of Utah see if there is a Funeral Consumers Alliance [find-an-affiliate] hosting an at-a-glance price survey. If they don't then you can try Funeralocity.com to get a general idea of which mortuaries are charging more and which charge less. Or type into a Search Engine something like: "discount cremation/funeral provider near _[city, state]_" to find candidates.

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Expensive Funeral Homes typically:
-owned by a corporation with shareholders pressing for profits on their investment.

-insist you sit down with them at their location for an "arrangement conference": their chance to "build a relationship", make you feel like you're getting a good deal, as well as plan your event & the preparation of your loved one.

-insult your requests to do part yourself or to bring your own casket etc.

Cheaper Funeral Homes typically: 

-locally owned, by a family

-more flexible,

-let you buy online,

-don't use threatening or demeaning language when you want to do part of the services yourself, and

-are friendly to you bringing outside merchandise.

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THIRD examine selections & totals in private

After you have selected all the goods and services you need: the funeral home must present you with an "itemized Statement of Goods & Services Selected" [see a sample]. Once you've examined that statement (in a place you can discuss openly with those helping you decide) tell the mortuary to remove anything you don't really want.

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FOURTH reconsider reducing the cost

Cemeteries and funeral homes require you pay before they conduct the burial, cremation or a funeral service. If you can't afford to pay up front we plead with you to choose more affordable options:​​​

More Meaningful & More Affordable

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1. Perform final disposition BEFORE any remembrance service. The two lowest cost final dispositions:
"Immediate Burial": the body is buried on mortuaries' own timing without embalming or viewing: Add Cemetery Cost ~$3K &up

"Direct Cremation": the body is cremated on mortuaries' own timing without embalming or viewing. Cremation decisions

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2. CASKETS: A mortuary might use poor lighting, condescending names, yucky colors, dull finishes (called "vulgarizing") for displaying their more affordable caskets and urns. So go to our caskets page to find lovely selections at half the price.

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3. Alternative Venues: If you have people in your group that know how to conduct a meeting, move decor and carry a casket you don't need a professional to conduct services. Instead of holding remembrance services at a mortuary, consider locations like a church, home, park, community center, or virtual meeting (for better sound than zoom: https://willowise.com/ 

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4. Alternative Sources for Decor: Flowers can be from a store or from a garden, artificial or fresh. You could even invite attendees to bring potted plants instead of cut flowers. Or decorate the venue with portraits, handicrafts or art made by the deceased. A favorite quilt over the casket can be more touching than a floral spray.

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5. Print Your Own Programs: Instead of having a funeral home print programs, design and print them yourself or seek assistance from a friend or family member. Many want to do something meaningful to express their love. This is one of many ways to let them. 

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6. Purchase Items Separately: Most mortuaries bundle their goods & services for charging a discounted package price. But you can purchase items and services separately. It's called Itemizing, which often ends up costing less than a package of things you can do yourselves.

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9. Make Love-based decisions Instead of Fear-based: Take the time to discuss your options with those who are supportive of you AND who know your rights. When people say, "You can't...", search this site or contact FCA of UT and we'll advise any time of the day or evening: Joyce 801-368 5884.
The Federal Trade Commission also has advice for funeral shoppers to help encourage you to advocate for yourself: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/shopping-funeral-services

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10. Burial Plots: Many consumer complaints we get are about cemeteries! If you have prepurchased plots, cemeteries raise prices for opening and closing and all the accouterments, without telling you. They also make you sign away basic rights, and are extremely restrictive about monuments and plaques. Yet they often don't publish those restrictions. So before buying a bunch of plots ask for a copy of their policies and procedures which include:

 -what is allowed if you later decide to resell your plot(s)

 -how the future fees will climb for interment/opening closing, vaults and monuments (if you don't prepay, or if family become non-residents)

 -restrictions as to shroud burial or grave liners (cheaper vaults)

 -memorial stone requirements (materials, size, sheen, where purchased, setting fees, inspection fees, space for adding names).

Monuments: Some families wait years for a pre-paid monument to be delivered, until the funeral home stops picking up the phone.

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Consumer Alerts

2024 National Scam Alert 

Funeral Homes adding fees for first call pick up in the night, or from a nursing home or to send a second personnel.... The price on the GPL for the transfer of remains already includes “personnel, equipment and vehicle”. The FTC Funeral Rule does NOT allow for a sliding scale of costs for "first call pickup" based on the number of personnel sent or the time or the place of death. The State of NY sent this: cease and disist order.

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2023 National Scam Alert 

Pretenders contact you asking for more money AFTER you have made arrangements with a funeral home but BEFORE the funeral service. They are NOT from the Funeral Home: https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2023/06/scammers-impersonate-funeral-home-staff-prey-mourning-families-can-it-get-any-lower