Can A Funeral Home Deny Your Own Casket?

Caskets At A Funeral Home

Before the internet and the availability of online alternatives, people always got their caskets at a funeral home. However many people find the expenses around planning a funeral to be very high, making an already challenging task even more difficult. Caskets that are sold at a funeral home tend to be priced very highly, especially because people would find it easier to buy it directly from there in the middle of the hassle of organizing things.

With the arrival of online shopping, there have also emerged retailers of online caskets which sell caskets at a fraction of the price that funeral homes might charge. To ensure that funeral homes do not try to retaliate to this loss in their business by forcing customers to avail only their funeral goods and services, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) established The Funeral Rule. This rule comprises several guidelines and is aimed at helping consumers know and exercise their rights to make independent decisions about the funeral being organized.

One of the instructions under The Funeral Rule is that funeral homes cannot deny your casket if you buy it somewhere other than the funeral home, including buying online caskets. Here at Titan Casket, we aim to offer casket options to suit various budgets. We know this is a difficult time for you and we provide free shipping and timely delivery of the casket you purchase on our website to minimize the hassle you are already facing.

The Funeral Rule

There are strict measures taken to ensure that funeral homes comply with the guidelines enumerated in The Funeral Rule. 

Here are some of the rights consumers can exercise as per The Funeral Rule:

• You can avail a full price list known as the General Price List (GPL) from the funeral home for all the goods and services they offer.
• You can choose to select only the funeral goods and services you want, and the funeral home is obligated to mention this right on the price list. The funeral home cannot force you to purchase a package.
• Funeral homes must disclose their prices to you when asked, be it online, over the phone, or in person. 
• Funeral homes cannot demand that you opt for embalming (preservation of the corpse through arterial injection) as refrigeration is sufficient.
• The funeral home cannot deny a casket, or even any alternative burial container, if you have bought it elsewhere. Not just that, but they cannot charge a handling fee or demand that you be present at the time of the casket delivery to the funeral home.

Despite the existence of these rules, some funeral homes might still try to coerce you into giving them more business. The best way to protect yourself from such manipulation attempts is to be aware of your rights. If a funeral home refuses to follow any of the guidelines listed in The Funeral Rule, you may complain to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In many cases, the funeral home will stop trying to exploit you if you are clearly well aware of your rights.

Online Caskets

It is no longer the norm to buy caskets at a funeral home, especially if the prices are too high for you. If your wallet is bearing an undue burden of funeral costs in what is probably already a difficult time for you, you must consider online caskets or online coffins. If you are skeptical about ordering a casket online, you can check other customer reviews to gain confidence before you purchase your casket online. 

At Titan Casket, you can browse several models of caskets to find the one that feels right. Not only do we offer caskets at a fraction of the price you would pay at a funeral home, but also our caskets are fully customizable, giving you a wide variety of choices. Lastly, the casket you purchase will be shipped free of cost to your delivery location and in a timely manner. As long as you are aware of The Funeral Rule, you do not need to worry about your casket being denied by any funeral home, no matter where you purchase it.