The Funeralocity Manifesto
Risks in the Funeral Home and Cremation Industry
For most people, end-of-life planning isn’t a common occurrence. Consumers searching for a funeral home or cremation service are typically in a vulnerable time of life; add on the lack of transparency of business practices and prices to this vulnerable moment, and some businesses see an opportunity to take advantage of consumers.
In 1984 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) created The Funeral Rule which states that funeral homes must provide accurate pricing when requested over the phone, along with an itemized list of charges after discussions about arrangements–but this transparency does not necessarily extend to price honesty online, which is the most likely (and most convenient) place for consumers to research funeral home prices.
Bringing Transparency to the Funeral Planning Process
In the spirit of consumer advocacy, Funeralocity combats murky regulations and industry gatekeeping with comprehensive online funeral home listings across the country. By using Funeralocity to search for funeral homes and cremation services in your area, you’ll get access to honest pricing information collected by industry experts, real ratings and reviews from actual customers, and the ability to easily compare multiple funeral homes at once.
Besides being a consumer advocate website for funeral or cremation planning, Funeralocity takes extensive measures to protect people during their time of mourning. Some of our key value propositions include:
Industry Specific Search Engine
Our directory of listings differs from the results you’ll find on typical search engines, as searches on our website exclusively show results for legitimate funeral home and cremation service providers.
According to a 2022 New York Times piece, several civil complaints have been made in court over companies who falsely advertise themselves as funeral homes, using search engines to falsely appear as end-of-life service providers, when in reality they’re unnecessary and predatory middlemen, brokering relationships between consumers and unaffiliated funeral homes that may be in unexpected locations and cost more than originally advertised.
By searching and comparing funeral homes on Funeralocity’s online directory, you can rely on honest third-party reviews, clear business practices, and diligent monitoring for fraudulent scams.
Funeral Home Fraud and Scam Alerts
Our comprehensive funeral home and cremation listings not only allow customers to search for funeral homes in their area, but we provide scam alerts for listings that have been found to conduct business in a misleading or fraudulent manner.
Proctoring Disputes Against Funeral or Cremation Businesses
If you believe you’ve been taken advantage of by a business while planning a funeral, Funeralocity will investigate disputes between families and funeral homes. Input your information into our Ombudsperson form, and our team will promptly get back to you after reviewing the reported issue.
Best in America Award
In efforts to bridge the gap between industry experts and mourning families with little or no knowledge of the funeral home and cremation industry, we developed the Best in America Award, which recognizes the top ten percent of burial and cremation providers in the US.
Our process for identifying recipients of the Best in America Award is conducted by an unbiased panel of reviewers and industry experts. Businesses are scored by strict criteria which include:
- Business practices
- Transparency
- Internal training processes
- Community leadership and involvement
- Compassionate service
- Disciplinary history
- Facility premises
- Reputation
Average Funeral Cost by State
In addition to detailed information and reviews about individual funeral homes in your area, you can view average funeral cost by state to get an accurate gauge of cost expectations.
Whether you’re wary of pricing quotes from a funeral home in your area, or want to start your funeral home or cremation provider search with an understanding of financial expectations, our interactive pricing tool can help prevent you and your family from overpaying for services.
Consumers can access average prices according to type of service, including:
- Traditional full service burial
- Full service cremation
- Affordable burials
- Direct cremation
Consumer Education
On our Knowledge Center, Funeralocity’s users can read up on anything and everything there is to know about funeral homes, cremation, memorial services, and all of the costs associated with planning an end-of-life service for your loved one.
We aim to educate individuals and families about standard practices when it comes to planning your service, as knowledge can be the greatest shield against scams and fraud. With this in mind, we developed the Funeral Bill of Rights, so consumers have a clear understanding of their rights when it comes to conducting businesses with funeral homes or other providers.
Planning Funerals with an Advocate at Your Side
Although the funeral and cremation industry is not exempt from bad-actors, frauds, and scams, at Funeralocity we believe in transparency as an agent of accountability for businesses in the funeral home and cremation industry. With this in mind we provide the following services all in one place:
- Trustworthy funeral home and cremation listings
- Knowledge about your rights as a consumer
- Careful monitoring of businesses on consumer’s behalf
- Mediation of disputes with service providers
During a potentially stressful and confusing time, Funeralocity provides consumers with everything they need to protect against scams, and plan a service for their loved one in peace.
Back to Knowledge Center