Funeral Homes Studies: Overcharging

Funeral Homes Studies OverchargingRunning head FUNERAL HOMESAbstractThe overcharging of con rack upers by funeral shoess was investigated to confirm to consumers that they ar world rolld, and to place them some focuss to avoid creation overcharged. The goal was to show precisely when the funeral stands atomic number 18 winning improvement of the consumer, and to show that consumers study to be certain that funeral positions flummox water more than than one way of pickings prefer of them and overcharging them in gigantic amounts. The effects of this severe conundrum were determined by calculateing for over a law that has been drop in into place to subdue the crime, ship crumbal the crime is connected, and also an interview that was conducted to contact information on one of some alternatives to using the handed-d aver funeral supporter. in that respect be m each(prenominal) alternatives to the traditional funeral around lot just dont tell apart w here to learn ab push through with(predicate) them.Funeral Homes The Overcharging For Services and Distrust Behind ItIt is non liberal to lose a love one. In addition, it is non al ways easygoing for a individual to find forbidden how much it is going to terms them and their family to be regulate their love one the proper burial they deserve. During the epoch of sorrow, the family of the departed is not re all in ally concerned with the bells of the funeral, for all they be looking for is a proper burial or funeral ceremony for their love one. The cost of a typical funeral in the United States in 1983 was around $2,500.00 (Darmstadter, 1983). Solomon (n.d.) put ups that the fair funeral in the United States costs $6,500, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. The true sum can easily reach $10,000 once a burial plot, goers and opposite costs be included, the AARP understands. This price is from around 2004 consumers wish to be apprised that the prices argon steadily rising, and that if they dont watch out for those funeral inhabitations that try to educate more silver out of them, they could end up losing thousands more dollars than is indispensable to legislate on a funeral service.The crime of funeral offices taking benefit of consumers has been around for more years, and in 1984 The Funeral Rule was put into place in order to put a stop to it. On September 24, 1982, the FTC published a reigning kn testify in the federal Register as the Funeral Rule (Schwartz, Jolson, Lee, 1986). chthonian the Rule, the FTC mandates that funeral kinfolks allow customers to buy precisely those things they choose (Mark, n.d.). Many commonwealth do not overhear that during these quantify of vulnerability, the funeral home they save trusted the disturbance of their loved one with, could be taking advantage of them overcharging them for already pricy services. Funeral homes argon overcharging consumers trance they are suffer for the tone ending of a loved one.Funeral homes are overcharging consumers for their services. They are taking advantage of them while they are close to vulnerable in an emotionally distraught state as they are preoccupied in grieving for the loss of a loved one, and when they are in a zipper to plan a funeral for a explosive termination. Funeral homes sop up several ways of overcharging consumers, and deuce of the almost prominent ways they do this is by teaming up with hospice occupy centers and by quoting the wrong prices if they provide even repeat them at all.DiscussionTaking advantage of vulnerability.The funeral homes of the States take advantage of the bereaved when they are most vulnerable. One of the most common times that a funeral home ordain take advantage of the bereaved is when they are in the middle of grieving, stressful to arrange up a funeral while they are emotionally distraught. Schlozman and La Grand (1985) state that dying in a family is a someoneal, emotional experience that can reserve long term emotional and physical consequences for survivors (cited in Butler, 2007, p. 95).Funeral directors look for the best chance that they can sop up to get a grieving psyche to agree to buy something or to set up an dearly-won funeral while the bereaved are emotionally distraught, which is mostly in the starting time of the funeral grooming process, is when this happens the most. Many funeral directors will say that funeral homes are not taking advantage of consumers when they are most vulnerable, they are exclusively taking the necessary steps to make sure that the consumer gets what they need and what they ask for so as to get the funeral done in the most complete way possible. When a consumer is preoccupied in grieving for the loss of a loved one, they whitethorn be emotionally distraught and kind of out of their norm, however this does not mean that all funeral directors are low enough to take advantage of consumer s. Most funeral directors deal with so numerous emotional people fooling they are at their workplace, that most of them know what it is like for a individual to feel the way they do in that locationfore they will not go out of their way to take advantage of them for that little bit of otiose money. As one can see, this is clearly not the case. Funeral homes overcharge consumers while they are grieving for the loss of a loved one at times when they are most vulnerable, and with pre- intend, this can be partly obviated.The funeral homes of the States also take advantage of the bereaved when they are in a hurry to get the funeral set up. in that location is not much time betwixt when a person passes away, and the time the funeral inevitably to be set up and followed through with. Most of the major finishs regarding funeral arrangements must be do within 24-48 hours (Sommer, Nelson, and Hoyt, 1985). Many people do not know that their loved one is going to pass on when they d o, so they are in a frantic hurry to get the funeral set up and that is what gets them into much(prenominal) a bind with the funeral homes taking advantage of and overcharging them.One thing that a person who is in a hurry to set up a funeral typically does is calls funeral homes in their area asking for price repeats. When a person uses the phone to contact funeral homes round prices, they can compare prices among funeral providers, this may last help them to decide which funeral home and arrangement they would like to consider (USA Funeral Homes Online, 1999). Also, when a person is in a hurry to set up a funeral for a loved one, it is advised that they gather price lists from some of the funeral homes in their area to compare pricing and options (Wilke, 2005). Mark (n.d.) states that the funeral rule also requires that GPLs ( superior command Price Lists) list the prices of up to 16 items if they are services that the funeral home offers. . . . If a person were to go around to funeral homes in their area, a general price list is a good tool that the funeral homes are needed to give them, so they know the prices, thus promoting smart decision making, and the initiative of counteracting be overcharged and taken advantage of.It is often though that when a consumer has a emergent death in the family and they are in a hurry to plan a funeral, most funeral directors are not going out of their way to overcharge them to get that little bit of extra money. They may indeed be overcharging them however, they may simply be charging the prices they do because they motive to be sure to get the consumer e very(prenominal)thing that they need since the process is so hurry in this type of situation. These thoughts are obviously not relevant because, as one can see, if the funeral directors were as caring as they make them seem, they would give any unused money back to the consumer when the funeral is all said and done. obtain around for the best priced funeral home, and ignoring any suggestions given by hospice care centers, could be one of the most important ways for a consumer to greatly littleen the chance of existence overcharged. Funeral homes overcharge consumers while they are grieving for the loss of a loved one, at times when they are in a hurry to plan a funeral for a sudden death, and with pre- homework and smart decision making, this can be partly eliminated.Teaming up with hospice care centers.Consumers need to be witting that funeral homes have different ways of overcharging them. One of the main ways this happens is when funeral homes go together with hospice care centers. The Hospice Patients Alliance (n.d.) states thatOne of the major cozenages committed by such rogue hospices is to refer the family to one particular funeral home, if they havent do arrangements beforehand with other funeral home. The funeral home then charges their very highest rates for funeral home services and the family has no idea that they ha ve been scammed, because they trust the compassionate hospice people. If individuals go to that funeral home directly inquiring about charges for funeral services, they get offered discounted rates, only hospice referrals get charged the highest rates.When funeral homes team up with hospice care centers, they can overcharge consumers large amounts of money, and they can do it very discreetly. Many people would not umbrageous a hospice care center to refer them to a high priced funeral home this is why consumers need to be aware that this could happen. Consumers need to be aware that betrayping around for a funeral home with the best prices is one of the best things they can do to prevent being overcharged, even if a hospice care center that their family trusts recommends a funeral home, or they are pressed with time and any other issue that may come their way. The Hospice Patients Alliance (n.d.) states that you do not have to use the funeral home recommended by a hospice. They s hould not be recommending any funeral homes that is a decision for you to make, not the hospice. Many funeral directors will say that funeral homes may indeed be teaming up with hospice care centers in being sure that the funeral home will have a steady flow of business on account of the recommendations given by the hospice care centers but this does not mean that they are doing it to overcharge the consumers. They may in concomitant be doing this simply to help the family eliminate the hassle of finding a funeral home and going through the process of looking for price quotes, etcetera This is clearly not the case as one can see, simply because if funeral directors were as caring as they seem, they would not be exhausting to get consumers away from looking for price quotes and things like that, they would help them find the funeral home they are looking for, or be sure to accommodate their needs as best they can. Also, if a funeral home has that much trouble get business, someth ing needs to be done, and that funeral home should probably be looked at as a fraud. Funeral homes overcharge consumers while they are grieving for the loss of a loved one. Many people do not realize that it may not only be the funeral home that is in on the scam hospice care centers play a major role in this lie of the consumers also.Quoting the wrong prices.Another quite common way that funeral homes overcharge consumers is by quoting the wrong prices over the phone, or not quoting any at all. There are many people that are pressed for time when it comes mass to planning a funeral, and most of them resort to calling funeral homes to inquire about prices. What many people do not realize, is that the funeral homes may not be giving them the right price quote, and many of them quickly find out that the funeral home may not give them a price quote at all. The reason that some funeral homes do not give any price quotes at all, would be so they could adjust the prices whence to each and every funeral they conduct.The funeral home is inevitable to give you a free copy of the price list when you visit. Its also required to tell you its prices over the phone. If a funeral director refuses to do so, suggesting instead that you come in for an appointment, That should be a warning sign, Slocum says (Block, 2006). Many consumers do not know this important portion of information. The laws that regulate the funeral homes of America are not posted around the race as are the everyday laws that the people of America are required to follow. This is why, when shopping around for a well priced funeral home consumers need to be aware of the laws so as to catch the hints that are thrown at them. The hints that should make them think that perhaps they should not trust some funeral homes that they have come in contact with. When a person that is frantically trying to set up a funeral calls a funeral home, they do not look to to be taken advantage of and overcharged because m ost Americans would agree that this is a very serious business, and that most every funeral home should be trustworthy. However, that is not the case. When consumers are calling funeral homes over the phone, they need to be aware of the dominance dangers that it entails. park thought of consumers is that when a consumer contacts a funeral home over the phone pursuance quotes on prices for their services, the funeral directors may quote the wrong prices this does not mean that is what will be charged. Many funeral directors care enough to provide the consumers only with what they need or would like to have for the funeral, so the prices they quote may only be a ball-park figure for the general funeral service. When a funeral home does not quote a price at all, this may be to eliminate the problem of quoting the wrong prices, or even to eliminate competition between them and other funeral homes. Consumers may be frustrated by this, but in all reality this may be something that coul d help them because if they went with a funeral home that does not quote a price, they may actually end up spending less money than they would at a funeral home that quoted a price that was too high. The thoughts are clearly irrelevant because if funeral homes were quoting ball-park figures, they would most seeming state that the prices they are giving are ball park. Also, if a funeral home does not quote a price at all and others do, it is most obvious that they are planning on giving prices when the funeral is over with so as to inflate the prices and not be detected. Funeral homes overcharge consumers while they are grieving for the loss of a loved one. If consumers are aware of the potential dangers of calling funeral homes for price quotes, and the laws that are supposed to regulate them, this could greatly mitigate the risk of being overcharged.Ways to avoid being overcharged. There are many things that can be done for a person to prevent being overcharged when they are work ing with a funeral home to set up a funeral. The most prominent of all alternatives is full dead automobile trunk harmonium donation, which many people participate in. As Carol Wright (personal communication, February 29, 2008) described, full body organ donation is when a person chooses to donate their entire body to an organization of choice before they die. When they die, the organization will pick up their body from wherever they are, and ship them to where the body will be used. subsequently the organization is done using the body for all intents and purposes, they cremate it and manoeuvre the remains to a family member for a $25.00 shipping fee. Another well-known(a) alternative to being overcharged by a funeral is by using traditional organ donation. This will give the family time to plan the funeral as the infirmary or some other form of medical personnel removes the organ(s) the deceased person has agreed to donate subsequently death, thus slimming the possibility of being overcharged by the funeral home because it gives the family time to look around and find the best prices purchasable to them.One good thing about organ donation is that there have been, for the families of people who donate while they are alive and after they have died, some financial and health care-related reimbursement incentives widely debated (Boulware, Troll, Wang, Powe, 2006). Many people dont realize that without these alternatives, nearly every person in the United States would be taken advantage of at some time or another by a funeral home.The Federal Trade Commission (2000) stated thatTo quiet their families of some of these decisions, an increasing number of people are planning their own funerals, designating their own funeral preferences, and sometimes even paying for them in advance. They see funeral planning as an extension of will and estate planning.If someone in a family dies, and there has been no planning for a funeral whatsoever, the family members that are to do the planning for the funeral are left in a bind. If a person plans their own funeral, the surviving family is left with the precedent, information and moral support needed to get the type of service it wants (Bender, 1974). To eliminate funeral homes taking advantage of and overcharging the bereaved, as The Federal Trade Commissions and Bender state, a person should think about planning their own funeral so that it is set in stone, and the surviving family has much less of a chance of being pressured into meaningless spending while they are most vulnerable. Funeral homes are overcharging consumers while they are grieving for the loss of a loved one.ReviewMajor issues.There have been two major issues discussed in this writing about how funeral homes overcharge consumers the first being that many funeral homes take advantage of consumers when they are most vulnerable. There were two times in which this happens quite often that were discussed here. The first is when consumer s are tied up in grieving and pre-occupied with the whole funeral planning process, and getting things organized and followed through with. The second is when the consumer is pressed for time trying to plan a sudden funeral, and the funeral home takes this hurried process to their advantage.The second major issue discussed is that consumers need to be aware that funeral homes have different ways of overcharging them. There were two of the most common ways discussed here the first being that funeral homes overcharge by teaming up with hospice care centers, and the second being that the funeral homes either quote the wrong prices over the phone, or in person, or they simply do not give prices at all, so as to inflate them accordingly with each and every funeral they conduct.Expenses. The most popular way for consumers to recognize the death of a loved one is to plan for a traditional funeral. conventional funerals can be very costly, and often times not securely what the consumer w as looking for when it is all said and done. Most people would agree that the traditional funeral is the best way to go about putting a loved one to rest however, when funeral homes are overcharging for these services that are already overpriced, it is hard for some consumers to follow through with it because of the fear of running out of money before it is all done with. Darmstadter (1983) stated that the purchase of a funeral is the trey largest single expenditure after a home and a car, that many of us will ever have to make.Alternatives to the traditional funeral service.There are many alternatives to the traditional funeral service, and the most prominent one of those is organ donation. practiced body organ donation and traditional organ donation were discussed anterior in the writing. Full body organ donation is when a person has agreed to donate their body to science after thy have passed on. handed-down organ donation is when a person agrees to allow any of their organs that are useable, to be donated to another human being after they have passed on. These are two of the most prominent ways for consumers to avoid being overcharged by funeral homes and they are used most commonly by people who did not do any pre-planning for their funeral. What many consumers do not realize is that these options are readily available to anyone who would like to take advantage of them they are just not advertised since death is such a furnish topic in the United States.Funeral homes are overcharging consumers while they are grieving for the loss of a loved one. When a consumer is looking around trying to plan a funeral, one of the best ways to avoid being taken advantage of is to be aware of what is happening, and how funeral homes are actually taking advantage of consumers, and what they can do to avoid being take advantage of. A solution to the problem of funeral homes taking advantage of consumers would be for the consumer to shop around for funeral prices and ar rangements in advance when anticipating a funeral. Sure, not every person will have time to do this since not all deaths are anticipated however, this problem will be greatly eliminated if those consumers who are anticipating the death do in fact plan the funeral ahead of time, so as to have the time to go around and shop for the best prices and have the funeral set up the way in which they so desire. Planning a funeral is can be an overwhelming time for the consumer however, following the simple suggestions that have been given throughout this writing may in fact make the job a lot easier. People need to be aware that in times like these where life just seems like it is not worth living, life will go on. As long as consumers are aware of what is happening out there in the funeral service industry, and they plan for things ahead if possible, problems like these may be wholly eliminated all together.