IN COVID WORLD, UPSTART SITE FUNERALOCITY.COM SHARES TIPS AND EXPERIENCES FROM SPRING OUTBREAK OF CORONAVIRUS
Sold Out Funeral Homes, Hidden Costs, Price Variances, Social-Distancing Restrictions and “Upsells” Among Issues Consumers Should be Aware Of
July 22, 2020 – When Funeralocity.com launched in 2019, the site could have never expected its servers would nearly crash several times during the worst pandemic in generations. At the height of the coronavirus death toll, thousands of grieving families visited the site for vital information about planning funeral services for loved ones who had passed. Funeralocity.com, the only price comparison website offering up-to-date costs for 19,000 funeral homes across the US, learned during the crisis that many of the visitors lacked basic knowledge and/or experience in planning services. With the virus again surging throughout the US, the site is sharing answers to many of the questions and concerns consumers had during the spring outbreak.
“One thing we came to understand during the pandemic is that there is a big lack of information available to the public to plan funeral services,” said Funeralocity.com founder Ed Michael Reggie. “Many people, for understandable reasons, do not know a lot about the process, and trying to figure this out when you’re experiencing a loss makes it even more challenging. So Funeralocity.com made it part of our mission not only to provide pricing for all the funeral providers in the US, but also helpful information and tips to make the experience easier. With the virus back on the upswing, we’ve decided to share what we know to a wider public.”
- Demand will surge during the outbreak. “Depending on the severity, many funeral homes will be overburdened and forced to delay or turn families away,” said Reggie. “These facilities do not have unlimited capacity to handle burials or cremations. Consumers should have several options in the event that is the case.” Funeralocity.com lists all funeral homes and cremation providers in every market, which provides consumers a much-needed resource in the event of that circumstance.
- Funeral homes are not required to list their prices online. “This is a huge problem for people: up to 90 percent of funeral homes in the US are not listing their prices,” says Reggie. “You literally have to call or go in personally to get a list of the costs.”
- Prices will vary in every city. “We are seeing variances in the thousands of dollars,” says Reggie. “Prices differ from home to home. Consumers need to understand one budget does not fit all.”
- Funeral homes cannot reject victims of the coronavirus. “This regulation dates back to the AIDS crisis: funeral homes cannot discriminate or turn away those who died from COVID-19. If a funeral home does, consumers should call their state funeral board. And certainly choose another provider.”
- Beware of hidden costs or “up sells.” When people are grieving, price shopping caskets, flowers and obituaries is not top of mind,” says Reggie. “Consumers need to be aware and alert that there are a lot of extra, unexpected costs when planning a service. Caskets prices vary widely, as do the costs for obituaries. Having this information ahead of time can make a huge difference.”
- Social distancing laws will affect your ability to have a service: “Depending on the state, the number of attendees at services can be significantly restricted, which makes having a funeral much harder. Fortunately, there are options like virtual services that provide an alternative setting for families and friends to grieve.
- Be upfront about your needs. For the most part, funeral homes are sensitive to cultural, spiritual and religious considerations of families when saying goodbye to loved ones but “you need to be upfront about it ahead of time, and make sure the funeral home is willing and prepared to honor your wishes.”
“We have taken away from this crisis basic facts and information that are not readily known, and which consumers should know,” says Reggie. “And we’re very pleased to share what we know so people can make wiser, more economical choices when planning services.”
Funeralocity.com is the only up-to-date price comparison for funeral homes online. With a simple search of city or zip code, users can find prices, locations and contacts for funeral homes and crematories across the US. There has a never been a resource like this that makes the process of searching and finding the right funeral home easier and more transparent. All the prices listed on www.funeralocity.com are collected and verified independently.
Press Contact:
Jeremy Murphy
jeremy@360bespoke.com
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