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Funeral Price Survey — 2009
Comments on survey Under rules of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the price list at every funeral home must have the caption General Price List. The list must describe in specific ways the services and merchandise offered for sale and must be constructed so that a customer can order only what he or she wants. Wide variations from one funeral home to another were found in the listed prices of particular services and in the full-service price index. The lowest prices were found in Genoa, Groton, and Ithaca, the highest in Horseheads and Ithaca. Prices for the cheapest burial containers varied greatly. For direct burial two prices are listed for each funeral home. The higher price applies if the funeral home furnishes a minimal casket or an alternative container. The lower price (in parentheses) applies when the client supplies the burial container. Where the two prices differ by a small amount, an alternative container is usually indicated. If a price description specified "alternative container" the figure is marked with an asterisk. For more information about alternative containers, see Rating General Price Lists for Compliance with the FTC Funeral Rule.
In the Finger Lakes region as elsewhere, a person arranging for burial can control cost by prudent shopping based on price comparisons and/or by providing a burial container purchased elsewhere. An educated reader can add prices to learn the cost of services and merchandise at funeral homes. Readers are reminded that the full-service funeral price index in the survey tables does not include the cost of a burial container or vault, nor cemetery costs or incidental costs. Readers interested in direct cremation are reminded that a funeral home’s charge does not include the crematory charge.
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