The Funeralocity Manifesto

Funeralocity is the nation's leading consumer advocate for funerals. We are the trusted resource for thousands of families searching for the right cremation provider or funeral home. We are committed to the rights of consumers to fair and honest business practices, price transparency and compassionate service. Our mission is informed by the families for whom we advocate and our relationships with end-of-life healthcare providers.

Funeral costs have exceeded the Consumer Price Index for decades

The fifth most expensive purchase in the average American's life - after a home, college education, wedding, and automobile - is the funeral. And this significant financial transaction is often made in a grief-stricken state by loved ones. Funeralocity was created to assist families in that time of need and also in advance planning for the future.

We stand with families. Funeralocity was launched in 2017. Our service is free of charge.

We established the Funeral Bill of Rights for Consumers.

Funeralocity is the only site that shows the prices of every cremation and funeral provider in the US. We do that because more than 90 percent of cremation and funeral providers do not post their General Price Lists online. It is important to note that the prices of cremations, burials, caskets, urns and other funeral goods and services can vary significantly even within the same neighborhood.

But price cannot be the only reason for selecting a funeral provider. The quality of the services provided and the condition of the physical premises are essential in measuring the true value of the service. In addition, a high-level funeral provider is skilled in creating an event that celebrates the life of the individual.

Funeralocity credentials cremation providers and funeral homes according to strict quality standards. We consider feedback we receive from consumers and end-of-life healthcare providers about which providers they feel give the highest levels of quality compassionate service. We created the Best in America Awards to recognize the top 10% of all funeral homes and cremation providers in the US and designate them as such on our site.

When a loved one dies, family members generally must organize the funeral on short notice. Making important financial decisions in a grief-stricken state causes stress and the temptation to overspend. Accordingly, we are strong advocates that consumers plan their own funerals. Done in advance, individuals can customize their funerals, spend according to their sensibilities and save their families from the future burden and tendency to overspend while in grief.

We created and are continuously updating our Resource Center which helps in planning a funeral, decodes funeral terminology, explains the different options for funeral services, sets out how to preplan, and provides grief resources after the loss of a loved one.

We are dedicated to end-of-life healthcare providers and have created a separate Hospice Portal with information tailored to the profession. The continuum of care should not be doesn’t end at hospice care. We believe that it extends to a compassionate and fitting celebration of that person's life.

We hear from consumers every day, follow industry news, monitor actions by state funeral regulatory bodies, and have talk with funeral providers across America. When we encounter a cremation provider or funeral home whose business practices or quality level is below standards, we place a CONSUMER ALERT on its profile on our site.

We established our Ombudsperson service to help mediate disputes that sometimes arise between families and the funeral establishment with whom they have done business. To initiate facilitated dialogue between the family and the funeral provider, either party can click our Ombudsperson button. There is no charge for this service. The process is not one for litigation and is designed to solve issues amicably.

The funeral industry can have an adverse impact on our environment. Millions of gallons of embalming fluids are deposited into the ground each year, as well as thousands of tons of metal caskets. Cremations have as much carbon impact as a 500-mile automobile ride. We feel a responsibility to inform consumers about what is a green funeral and what is not, but we respect their right to make their own decisions.

Funeralocity is a carbon-negative company. We have a responsibility to do our part. As a proud sponsor of Trees for the Future, we support the planting of trees to help reforest our planet and offset carbon, as well as to provide income to poor tree farmers in the third world.