Bad Funeral Business Tactics

The Sad Truth about Many Mortuary Owners

When someone you love dies, the last thing you want to do is invest hours trying to figure out how much the funeral home is going to charge. Your first priorities are how to handle their remains and celebrate their life. Unfortunately, many funeral homes are cagey about prices and offerings. Capturing your business before honestly disclosing their fees, these unscrupulous vendors rely on a dishonest business model to fill coffins and coffers.

Bad Funeral Business Practices Common

A recent article posted on National Public Radio (NPR) revealed the fact that the funeral industry has been consciously nontransparent since at least the 19th century. This was when the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) prohibited members from advertising in the newspaper. The same post asserts that, as recently as the 1960s, the association barred members from advertising their prices. They finally agred to end the ban in 1968, after being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Unfortunately, the culture of secrecy persists, with a strategic ambiguity about prices part and parcel of the death care industry. 

FTC Addresses Bad Funeral Business Practices

The Federal Trade Commission sought to fix the disturbing lack of price transparency. They also reined in a variety of other abusive and anti-consumer practices occurring in the industry in 1984, with The Funeral Rule. This rule requires that funeral businesses give consumers an itemized price list when they talk to them in person. What’s more, they must give clear price information when asked for it over the phone. The itemized list, known as the “general price list,” helps consumers pick and choose what they want and don’t want.

 FTC Funeral Rules

  1. Buy only the funeral arrangements you want.
  2. Get price information on the telephone.
  3. Get a written, itemized price list when you visit a funeral home.
  4. See a written casket price list before you see the actual caskets.
  5. See a written outer burial container price list.
  6. Receive a written statement after you decide what you want, and before you pay.
  7. Get an explanation in the written statement from the funeral home that describes any legal cemetery or crematory requirement
  8. Use an “alternative container” instead of a casket for cremation.
  9. Provide the funeral home with a casket or urn you buy elsewhere.
  10. Make funeral arrangements without embalming.

    Funeral Prices should be transparent.

Lack of Transparency = Bad Business

Despite these rules, in recent years, federal regulators shopping undercover have found that about one in four funeral homes fail to disclose price information. This despite the associated risk of large fines from the federal government for non-compliance. Now is the time to follow the rules and also bring disclosure requirements into the age of mobile platforms, searchable data and social media. Price lists should be online.

Foothill Funeral & Cremation (FFC), posts our products, services and prices online. Not only that, but we also publish our competitors’ price lists, for full transparency. We do this because we have witnessed bad business tactics by our competitors and want to make sure that we operate with integrity. Working with people during a very vulnerable, we realize the process can be difficult. So, we aim to make the process as pain free as possible.

Choose a mortuary that values their clients.

Centrally located at 402 West Baseline in Glendora, Foothill Funeral & Cremation proudly serves the San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles Basin, Orange County and the Inland Empire. With years of experience in the mortuary industry, we have worked hard to build our reputation. We value quality, sincerity and trust. We would be honored to help you at your time of need or in the future. Call today (626) 335-0615 or drop by our showroom.

Ash Decisions

What will you do with your loved ones’ cremains?

When you decide that your loved one’s ashes will be embalmed and buried, the end of the funeral and graveside service provides a sense of closure that cremation doesn’t always afford. Cremated remains, also known as ashes or cremains, can be stored in an urn or other “casket alternative” indefinitely. Since ashes are not legally required to be buried or disposed of at sea – oddly –they could start to gather dust while you figure out what to do.

Deciding How to Handle your Loved Ones’ Ashes

While you decide how to handle your loved one’s cremains, they may sit in an urn atop your mantle or on a bookcase, or even in the trunk of your car. If the location warm, dry and safe, you can take your time deciding how to proceed. Here are a few choices to consider:

There are lots of ideas for creative ash disposal or display.

What to do with ashes

Ash Scattering Stories

  • Rolling Stone Keith Richard snorted some of his father’s ashes.
  • One woman in the United Kingdom slept beside her mother’s ashes for years.
  • A distinguished pathologist plans to have his ashes be scattered over Tony Blair.
  • Denise Moon took the ashes of her late partner to court to prove that she was not evading taxes.
  • The recently deceased actress, Carrie Fischer, opted to have her ashes put into an urn fashioned into a Prozac capsule.

Ash Disposal Ceremonies

illegally dumping ashesWhatever way you choose to release the ashes, make a ceremony of it. Choose a place where you can have a joyful ceremony – somewhere the practice is allowed, so you won’t have to duck behind bushes to hide the operation. If you opt to scatter your loved one’s ashes on a mountaintop, be aware that the inherent phosphate could upset ecology. And your loved one likely wouldn’t want to have become a biohazard. So, recommend you check with authorities before sprinkling your loved one’s remains somewhere that may land you in hot water. The best thing to do is to check with an experienced funeral director, such as Manny Godoy or Rocky Bautista at Foothill Funeral & Creation Services, who can point you in the right direction.

We Can Help!

Centrally located at 402 West Baseline in Glendora, Foothill Funeral & Cremation proudly serves the San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles Basin, Orange County and the Inland Empire. With years of experience in the mortuary industry, we have worked hard to build a reputation of quality, sincerity and trust. We would be honored to help you at your time of need or in the future. Call today (626) 335-0615 or drop by our showroom.

How to Plan a Funeral or Memorial Service

Planning a Memorial ServiceAs our culture changes, the ways we handle the passing of loved ones also evolves. Today, people choose to celebrate the lives of those they love in a variety of ways. With the introduction of new traditions and burial practices, many professional mortuary directors use the terms “funeral” and “memorial” interchangeably. However, key differences are worth noting for planning a funeral or memorial service.

Funeral vs Memorial

What’s the difference? The most commonly misunderstood terms in our industry are Funeral Service and Memorial Service. A Funeral Service is held to memorialize a deceased person with their body present. On the other hand, a Memorial Service memorializes a deceased person without the presence of their body. Other than terminology and the presence or absence of a casket or urn, funeral and memorial services are very similar.

Most include:

  • Music
  • Opening Remarks or Passage
  • Candle Lighting or other Ritual
  • Background information
  • Readings
  • Personal reflections by one or more family members or friendsPlanning a Memorial Service Readings
  • Readings
  • Summation by service leader
  • Closing Remarks
  • Music

5 Easy Steps for Planning a Memorial Service

Make sure the service that you plan acknowledges the uniqueness of the deceased. It should celebrate the individuality of their personality and the uniqueness of their life path. This is important not just for them, but for you. It affirms the relationship and promotes healing after loss. Honoring their life is truly an act of love – for the both of you.

      1. Decide on the type of memorial service. Did the deceased have a known preference for a funeral or memorial service? Consider highlighting the deceased’s hobbies, devotion to family, dedication to charity or personality traits. You may want to select a theme for the service, which can help spark ideas about program contents and décor. There are two facets of the design process. First, we ask you to consider how you wish to honor and celebrate the life. Next, we’ll turn to the issue of how you wish to care for the physical remains.

        Planning a Memorial Service Hobbies
        What types of hobbies did your loved one enjoy?
      2. Set the date and location of your memorial service. Clients of Foothill Funeral & Cremation Service can provide locations or ask us for suggestions. Since we have been in the San Gabriel Valley since 1996, we have contacts across Southern California. We work with venues including churches, outdoor areas, reception halls and more.
      3. Invite guests to the memorial service. As you assemble a list, include relatives, friends, colleagues, customers, and neighbors of anyone who loved the one you have lost.

        Planning a Memorial Service Candles

      4. Identify the facilitators for the memorial service. Clients of Foothill Funeral & Cremation Service benefit from our 22 plus years of experience as professional funeral planners. We are available to facilitate the service behind the scenes or even to speak at the service. Some of the other services we offer include video tributes, personalized printing and memorial websites.
      5. Write everything down about the memorial service. Grief can mess with short-term memory. Make sure you record everything in writing. This will help eliminate unwelcome surprises on the day of the event. We provide written instructions for our clients, to help them through the process. For more about this, contact us at (626) 335-0615.

Planning a Memorial Service To Do ListCentrally located at 402 West Baseline in Glendora, Foothill Funeral & Cremation proudly serves the San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles Basin, Orange County and the Inland Empire. With years of experience in the mortuary industry, we have worked hard to build a reputation of quality, sincerity and trust. We would be honored to help you at your time of need or in the future. Call today (626) 335-0615 or drop by our showroom.

Caskets

Glendora CasketsYou will face several important decisions after a loved one dies. One of the first is whether you will have their body cremated or buried in a casket. For detailed information about cremation, read last week’s blog post, Cremation Consideration. The more traditional choice is burial, in a casket. How do you narrow the choices when grief leaves you less prepared to cope than in less stressful times?

We recommend you make the decision long before circumstances force your hand. To help, we provide a planning checklist, which is available on our website. Also, this post should help you understand available choices.

Casket – another word for coffin. This is typically the largest funeral-related expense you may make. The word “coffin” originated around the 16th century. It is generally used outside of the United States. But the terms can be used interchangeably. The term “casket” refers to a four-sided rectangular box usually featuring a split-lid for viewing.
Glendora Caskets

As for costs, the good news is that caskets are much more affordable now than in previous years. Today, caskets run $695 to $5,595. Foothill Funeral & Cremation (FFC) offers all-inclusive packages. These can feature funeral services, embalming, and a casket, and individual line items. We work with families to help them feel comfortable with products and services customized to suit their tastes, needs and budget. It may surprise you to learn that a casket is not legally required in any of the 50 states. However, a “suitable rigid, combustible container” must be used for cremation.

Casket Options
Eco-friendly casketsThe two main types of caskets sold for traditional funeral purposes are metal and wood. A third, relatively new category is the “green casket.” These are made from other natural products.

  • Casket Rental

    This unique choice offers a one-time use. It is good for families who want a traditional funeral but don’t need of the casket because they plan to bury the body at sea or have it cremated.

  • Value-Line Caskets

    No one wants to make a choice based solely on budget. But the reality is that death is a natural part of life, which must be considered and handled, along with every other milestone. To help families on a budget, we offer several types and styles of caskets for the value-minded buyer, including cloth-covered cardboard or veneer, in a variety of finishes and interiors and featuring crepe interiors.

  • Mid-Line Caskets

    caskets for funerals
    funeral party

    These include caskets made of fine woods such as poplar and pine. They are available in numerous finishes and a variety of styles, featuring either crepe or velvet interiors.

  • Top of the Line Caskets

    Oak, Maple, Cherry and 18 or 20-gauge steel come in dozens of colors and styles, most of which feature velvet interiors.

  • For more details, check out our price list.

high-end caskets GlendoraCentrally located at 402 West Baseline in Glendora, Foothill Funeral & Cremation proudly serves the San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles Basin, Orange County and the Inland Empire. With years of experience in the mortuary industry, we have worked hard to build a reputation of quality, sincerity and trust. We would be honored to help you at your time of need or in the future. Call today (626) 335-0615 or drop by our showroom.

Cremation Consideration

Urns are available in a variety of styles and price points.

In the not too distant past, people considered cremation distasteful. Focused on financial savings alone, cremation represented an obscure choice of people without the luxury of choice. Those days are gone.

Today, the national rate of cremation is increasing steadily, from 26.2 percent in 2000 to 47 percent in 2014 and 48.6 percent in 2015. In fact, if the trend continues, the National Cremation Association predicts that cremations will surpass burials by the year 2020. And the Funeral Directors Association believes that, by the year 2030, 70.6% of final dispositions will be cremations.

History of Cremation

In 1969, archaeologists found the 20,000-year-old remains of a partly cremated body near Lake Mungo in Australia. These ashes are now considered among the world’s oldest known cremations. This 1969 finding shows that cremation, as well as complex burial rituals, might have existed in early human societies.

Only two documented instances of cremation exist in the United States prior to 1800. Early crematory openings in the 1800’s were influenced by Protestant clergy and doctors who wanted to reform burial practices. One reason was concern about health conditions in and around early cemeteries. Crematories soon sprang up in Buffalo, New York, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Detroit and Los Angeles. By 1900, 20 crematories were in operation, and in 1913, there were 52 crematories in North America, with over 10,000 cremations taking place in that year.

Today, loved ones choose cremation for a variety of reasons:

Environment –

Services including full body burial or sprinkling ashes at sea are now available through many reputable funeral homes, including Foothill Funeral & Cremation (FFC) in Glendora, California. FFC also offers full body burials at sea. Arguably the greatest impact of burial is relative to land use. If everyone opted to be buried in their own plot of land, we could not keep up with land use requirements. Green cremation choices at FFC include bio and natural salt urns.

Religion –

Cremation was popular throughout Greece and Rome between 1000 B.C. and 395 A.D. because slain warriors on the battlefield posed a health risk. But the rise of Christianity saw a sharp decrease in the practice, as early Christians considered cremation pagan. At the time, traditional sepulcher entombment remained the preference of Jewish cultures. By 400 A.D., burial replaced cremation except in rare times of plague and war.

Some urns can be buried.

Industry –

While funeral directors used to direct people toward embalming and burial, today’s funeral professional, such as the staff at Foothill Funeral & Cremation, works with loved ones to make sure that they feel comfortable with the very personal choice of whether to bury or cremate a loved one. Most funeral homes now offer the option of burying ashes. Many find this comforting, since it provides a place to go to mourn or communicate with loved ones who have passed, without the necessity of storing the cremated remains, also known as “cremains.” 

Finances –

Cremation is the most economical choice for handling a loved one’s remains. Foothill Funeral & Cremation offers a plethora of cremation choices, which are as individualized as a person’s life. Minimal plastic urns, which are required for releasing cremated remains to the public, are just $25. And direct cremation starts at $995.

Foothill Funeral & Cremation is centrally located at 402 West Baseline in Glendora. We proudly serve the San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles Basin, Orange County and the Inland Empire. With 21 years of experience in the industry, we work hard to build a reputation of quality, sincerity and trust. Please let us help you at your time of need or in the future. Call today (626) 335-0615 or drop by our showroom.

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