Ironically, choosing a funeral home is easily one of the most important decisions a person will make in their life. But it’s a choice few people want to have to make.
Given the cost of funeral services today, it’s understandable for people to want to make sure they pick the right provider. Even though direct cremation is less involved compared to traditional burials and cremations, you still want to make sure you’re getting a good value and that the funeral home will provide respectful services that are up to your expectations. Here are five things you can do to ensure that happens.
#1 – Read as Many Reviews as Possible
Many people don’t like talking about their experience making funeral arrangements, but they may open up online. Just as with any service, you can read reviews about direct cremation funeral homes to get a true sense of how they work with clients. You’ll get a much better idea of how convenient a funeral home makes the cremation process and what their customer service is like.
Even though you aren’t having services at a funeral home and may not physically visit the crematorium, it’s still good to know that they’ll take care of you.
#2 – Check Their Business Credentials and Complaints
Many people make their issues known by leaving a bad review online. But sometimes they’ll actually make a formal complaint against a funeral home, and this is something you definitely want to be aware of.
The first place you can check to find official complaints is the regulatory board that oversees funeral homes in your state. Every state has a government entity that allows customers to file complaints against a funeral home. The complaints will be investigated, and if the funeral home violated any laws or regulations they can face fines, other penalties and could have their license revoked.
You can also see if any complaints have been filed with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). You can look up a direct cremation funeral home on the BBB website to see when the business was founded, who owns it and if any complaints have been made.
#3 – Look at the Funeral Home’s Website
Once you’ve gotten a feel for which direct cremation funeral homes are likely to provide acceptable services it’s a good idea to check the funeral homes out online. There are a few things to consider:
- Do they have a website or any sort of online presence?
- Do they update their site with information regularly?
- Is their contact information clearly listed?
- How easy is it to contact the funeral home?
- Are prices listed?
- What type of services do they offer?
Consider a funeral home’s website to be like online window shopping. It will give you a glimpse of what the funeral home is all about, but you have to venture a little further to know exactly what they have to offer.
#4 – Compare Services and Prices Based on the Area Average
Now that you’ve done research on each individual direct cremation funeral home it’s time to compare your top options. Which comparison points are most important is going to vary from person-to-person. What’s most important is that you know what you need and want from a direct cremation funeral home. You may even want to write out a list of your needs and wants to serve as a visual aid while you compare funeral homes. This is also a good idea because grief can affect decision making. Creating a list of needs and wants will help you remain focused on what’s most important.
Since price is such a big factor to so many people, it helps to know the average cost of funeral services in your area. While there are national averages for funeral costs, there will be significant differences depending on location.
#5 – Contact the Direct Cremation Service Providers
Today many direct cremation funeral homes know that people want communication to be easy and convenient. Many crematoriums can be contacted by phone, text or email. It gives you options for reaching out in a way that’s most comfortable for you to get your questions answered before settling on a direct cremation funeral home.
At Direct Cremate we make high quality cremation services remarkably easy to arrange. We’re a no fuss, no stress direct cremation funeral home. We provide everything you need without all the expensive unnecessary extras. You can call or text us to get the process started today.
