The remains were brought to the cremation center at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City. Dickson was quoted a price of $2,425 for what is called a “direct cremation.”

“I just told ‘em I wanted the bare basic just the ashes in a box no services no nothing,” he says.

At the time he thought it seemed like a lot of money for what he was getting. “I thought of it, but I thought what am I going to do, they’ve got the body here.”

Dickson paid the bill. But a few weeks later, an acquaintance of his wife said he had paid for a cremation around the same time and it only cost $600.

Dickson hit the phone and called about five different crematories in the valley — he received quotes of $400 to $2,400 for the same service.

But according to Arizona law, the Sunland Memorial Park did nothing wrong.

“We cannot control the prices. In other words this is free enterprise. A business is able to charge whatever they may want,” says Rudy Thomas, executive director of the Arizona Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers.

Thomas has heard the complaints before, but the FTC dictates that funeral homes nationwide don’t limit pricing. A consumer must physically be given a guide to funeral information if they are inquiring about services.

via www.myfoxphoenix.com

It is important to note that Sunland Memorial Park is a corporate facility specifically a Service Corporation International facility( NYSE: SCI)

Although this event is not a Service Corporation International Scandal, it does show the high pricing that can occur at an SCI Facility. This is something that the Funeral Consumer must be continually be made aware of.

Many times it is best inorder to save on Funeral Cost To Avoid a Corporate Funeral Home.

Funeral Industry| Funeral News| Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

It is important to remember that the FTC does not regulate Funeral or Cremation Cost.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Mr. Prochnow had purchased the business portion of the Bennett Funeral Home on S. Dixie Hwy. just south of Albain Rd. in 2006 from Darrell Bennett, who retired with his wife to Florida after selling the business.

But Mr. Bennett, now 78 years old, said monthly payments were not paid and he discovered other payments for services were ignored. Over the past several years, he said he personally lost a total of about $325,000 to bad business. When he returned from Florida this summer to take over operations, the company was in shambles.

Mr. Bennett said the building was not properly cared for — there wasn’t hot water — and the vehicles, including the hearse and limousine, were being repossessed though he had paid them off 10 to 15 years ago.

“I can never imagine anything of this magnitude ever happening,” Mr. Bennett said. “It’s put me in the biggest hole I’ve ever been in my lifetime.”

In addition to accusations of stealing money from Mr. Bennett, Mr. Prochnow has been charged with accepting prepaid funeral payments and using the money for his own benefit.

via www.monroenews.com

This shows that just taking a bank note may not be the best strategy, may not be the best strategy in exiting the funeral business- in an age of Funeral industry decline, when profits are down and cremation is on the rise.

Funeral industry| Funeral News | funeral blog by Your Funeral Guy

This article presents one more reason as to why one should not purchase funeral preneed or aprepaid funeral.

Image via CrunchBase

Amazon.com (AMZN)
> Interesting Fact: Amazon sells a steel embalming table
> # of Employees: 21,700
> Most Recent Quarter Revenue: $7.6 billion
> Most Recent Net Income: $231 million

Amazon.com helped bring the funeral service online.  Like Wal-Mart, the company offers caskets in more than 50 different varieties.  Additionally, it sells a steel embalming table for $1,095 and pet urns for under $200.  Many caskets are sold at 67% off the list price, thanks to a partnership with Bestpricecaskets.com.

via 247wallst.com

Funeral Industry| Funeral News| Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

your funeral guy has no affiliation with best priced Caskets.com http://www.bestpricecaskets.com/

Your Funeral Guy’s book Rest In Peace Insiders Tips to the low cost less Stressed Funeral is available online at amazon.com Presently Your Funeral Guy is not involved with the selling of  any Funeral Goods or products.

Image via Wikipedia

The death industry is a tale of two economies. A relatively few large companies, most of them publicly traded, control most of the businesses that sells caskets and granite for memorials. The rest of the death industry is made up of many modest businesses. Most of the 19,500 funeral homes in the country are small operations, often owned by the same families for generations. There are more than 120,000 cemeteries and many of these belong to families, nonprofits, and religious institutions.

via 247wallst.com

Here is al ist of the ten companies in the report.

Hillenbrand Inc-HI

Service Corporation International (SCI)

Walmart

Carriage Services Inc (CSV)

1-800 Flowers.com (FLWS)

Rock of Ages Corp(ROAC)

Stewart Enterprises(STEI)

Matthews International(MATW)

Amazon.com (AMZN)

Stone Mor Partners(Ston Mor)

Funeral Industry| Funeral News| Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

New Melleray Abbety Image via Wikipedia

The casket for 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green, the youngest of six victims gunned down in the attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, will be buried in a coffin built by Trappist Caskets of Peosta, Ia., near Dubuque. The Roman Catholic monks of the New Melleray Abbey in northeast Iowa have become renowned for their handmade caskets over the last decade and routinely donate children’s caskets.

Sam Mulgrew, general manager of Trappist Caskets, said that the monks initially were contacted Tuesday by a family representative who was a previous customer.

“He prefers to remain anonymous,” Mulgrew said this afternoon.

Final arrangements were made with the funeral director in Tucson. Trappist Caskets received the first call Tuesday morning, and by the end of the day the casket – engraved with Green’s name as well as her dates of birth (Sept. 11, 2001) and death – was shipped via Fed Ex from the abbey to Tucson. (Caskets of various sizes and in different stages of completion are kept on hand.) Green’s funeral will be held Thursday.

The monks also shipped special keepsake crosses for the late girl’s family, engraved with Green’s name.

via blogs.desmoinesregister.com

Funeral Industry| Funeral News | funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Image via Wikipedia

Opening music
A Native American blessing
Welcome by University of Arizona President Robert N. Shelton
The playing of the National Anthem
Remarks by President Shelton
Remarks by a University of Arizona Student
Remarks by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R)
Remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
Remarks by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
Remarks by President Obama
Moment of silence

funeral industry| funeral News Funeral Blog By Your Funeral Guy

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Arizona has set up a Funeral protection Zone to prevent Picketing by the Westboro Baptist Church at an Arizona Girl’s Funeral who was avictim of the Arizona Shootings. Legisllaturers

Arizona governor Jan Brewer signed an emergency law passed to prevent picketing from the Westboro Baptist Church at the funeral of a 9-year-old girl killed Saturday in the Tucson shooting rampage that left Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords critically wounded.

According to ABC 15, the Arizona house and senate unanimously passed the law in response to plans from the antigay church based in Topeka, Kan. to protest the funerals of the shooting victims. T bn

via www.advocate.com

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

President Obama is attending and Speaking at a Tuscon Memorial Service for the Arizona Shooting victims. If he uses the moment to promote his political agenda, or blames his political enemies for the shooting , he is likely to face harsh criticism.

And Yet there are those on the left who will criticize him if he does not use the moment to attack those on the right.

It is my opinion is that politics should be left out of this kind of Memorial Service especially when it is a National tragedy. Expect an admonition for non violence.

President Barack Obama will travel to Tucson, Ariz., on Wednesday to attend a memorial service for the victims of last weekend’s shooting rampage.

White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said late Monday that the president would speak at the service, and that first lady Michelle Obama would accompany her husband.

The University of Arizona said the service would take place at 6 p.m. local time on the campus and would be free and open to the public.

via www.foxnews.com

Funeral Industry| Funeral News| Funeral Blog by our Funeral Guy