Funeral Packages

Funeral homes often offer their services in packages. The packages are commonly selected goods and services grouped together for pricing purposes. Often the funeral home presents the packages in a hierarchy of pricing, where the list of packages starts with the least inclusive/lowest-priced package and then goes up from there.

For unsophisticated (or emotionally distraught) buyers, these offerings can be misleading because the buyer cannot determine the price of the individual items, and may feel that they are only able to buy the whole packages.

The Federal Trade Commission passed laws to protect the consumer from this very confusion. The law states that consumers have the right to buy goods individually, and that they do not have to accept goods that are combined in a package. This ensures that an individual will only select and pay for the services he or she wants, and nothing more.

Disclosure for Required Charges

The law does, however, permit the funeral home to charge non-negotiable fees for required services. Funeral homes are also required to disclose these charges in writing when you visit the funeral home, and verbally when you call. And if you are required to buy a particular item because State or local law requires, the funeral home must disclose those charges, too.