How Common Are Funeral Scams?
Fortunately, getting scammed by a funeral home is fairly rare. The vast majority of funeral directors and their staff are trustworthy, caring people who simply want to help people send their lost loved ones off with dignity and personal care. However, this does not mean that suspicious individuals do not exist.
When a family is grieving or doesn’t have experience arranging funeral services, they may be unclear about how much things typically cost, and they may simply want to make fast choices to get the process over with. So, money-hungry people who wish to take advantage can quickly raise prices on many of their services.
There are several funeral scams that every person arranging a funeral service should keep an eye out for. If a funeral director is trying out any of these scams on you, it would be best to move on to a different business.
How Do I Make Sure I Am Not Getting Taken Advantage Of?
Therefore, if there are people out there who want to scam you out of your money even when you are going through a tough time, how do you know who they are?
When you are arranging a funeral and searching for a trustworthy funeral home, it would be best to keep these following thoughts in mind;
Know How Much Funeral Services Typically Cost. With some quick research, you should be able to figure out how much funeral services typically cost in your area. While prices will fluctuate depending on specific businesses, regions and circumstances, if someone is trying to offer you a service and you notice it is marked up to an incredible degree, they may be trying to take advantage of you.
Although, you should always keep in mind that funeral directors are still trying to run a business, and business requires profit to continue running. Just because they are charging you a fee does not mean they are trying to take advantage of you, so the simple act of asking for payment is not untrustworthy.
Ask For Prices; A Reliable Funeral Home Will Be Transparent About Their Fees. Throughout the entire process, your funeral director should always be clear about their prices when you ask them. Whether you are speaking to them for the first time on the phone or physically talking to them in person, they should always be able to tell you their prices for what they are offering.
However, if you call them and they refuse to give you their prices, or if they are constantly dancing around giving you a set number, this could be a bad sign. If someone refuses to be clear about their prices, they could offer you expensive services and then later give you a bill that is much higher than you thought it would be.
Be Clear About The Services You Want. When arranging a funeral with the help of a funeral home, you should be very clear about the services you do and do not want. This can be easily done by paying for a set of services with a fixed price, like our fixed price farewells here at Bay Cremation Care.
This way, you will pay for only what you want and won’t be forced to pay for things you find unnecessary. If a funeral director tries to pressure you into services that you don’t want, or they add services without asking you first, this could be a bad sign that they are trying to add extra fees onto your bill.
Where Can I Find A Trustworthy Funeral Home In New Zealand?
Do you need to arrange a funeral in New Zealand and want to find a reliable business to work with? At Bay Cremation Care, we always have you, your family and your loved one’s best interests in mind. We offer our funeral services at affordable prices and will be happy to speak to you about how to make your lost loved one’s funeral service personal and unique.
If you have any questions about our services, prices or anything else, please reach out to us through our website’s contact page or get in touch with us at (0800) 777 433. We understand that you are going through a very difficult time, and we would like to help you as best as we possibly can.
Send your loved one off with love and dignity with us at Bay Cremation Care.
