Top 10 Questions to Ask Your Funeral Provider

When you’re planning a funeral, whether for yourself in the future or for a loved one, you will have a lot on your plate to consider and deal with emotionally, financially, and mentally. Finding the right funeral provider should be the least of your worries. To help get you through this process, here are the top ten questions to ask your funeral provider.

1) Do You Offer Pre-Need Insurance?

Preneed insurance is an insurance agreement between you and a funeral home. By covering everything from the casket to the flowers, it relieves the burden of finances and preparation from you and your family. If this sounds interesting to you, be sure to ask your potential funeral provider if they provide or will work with this type of insurance.

2) What Customizations Can I Make to the Service?

Whether you’re using a pre-need plan or not, you’ll still have many customization options to choose from in your service. With most funeral providers, you can choose everything down to the smallest detail. Be sure to ask, then, what customizations you can make, especially those you know you are interested in ahead of time.

3) How Many Years Do You Have in the Business?

When choosing a funeral provider, you want to make sure you are working with someone you can trust. One of the best ways to determine this is by simply asking about their years in the business—how many customers have they served, and were they happy with it? Have they worked with anyone in similar circumstances like the one you are in? All of these questions help gauge how well the funeral provider will be able to help you.

4) What Other Services Do You Offer?

Many funeral providers will provide additional services along with the funeral itself. Generally, most will do the following if you request it:

• Transport the deceased body to the funeral home
• File proper paperwork for the death certificate
• Notify family and relatives
• Assist with providing certified copies of death certificates
• Work with insurance or government to file for benefits
• Prepare and submit an obituary
• Arrange purchase of a casket or burial plot
• Arrange transportation to/from the funeral/cemetery
• Provide grief assistance to bereaved
• Coordinate with clergy or celebrants

5) What Payment Plans Do You Offer?

Almost every funeral provider offers some form of payment plan. If you are worried about your expenses, a good company will work with you to establish a plan that you can confidently afford. And, you may also want to ask if they accept final expense insurance—if you have a final expense plan, this question is crucial in your choice of funeral provider.

6) Why Should I Choose You Over Other Funeral Providers?

Asking why you should choose their service over others is a sure-fire way to get a broad overview of what the company has to offer—and, if you can use it as a type of negotiation, they may be willing to offer discounts if they want to keep you as a customer.

7) Do You Work with Other Companies or is Everything In-House?

Knowing where your prospective funeral provider receives their services is a great way to gauge their reliability. It’s not uncommon for providers to outsource, but the more in-house options available, the more reliable and inexpensive it may be.

8) Do You Require Embalming?

Embalming a process that preserves a body for a funeral service. There are many reasons why someone may opt-out of this process, and it is up to the funeral provider to determine whether or not they will require it. Judging their response to the question, however, may be a good indicator of their flexibility and willingness to work with you—if they turn it down hardly without considering your reasoning for doing so, they may not be a great provider to work with on other matters.

9) What Packages Do You Offer?

If you are looking for an affordable, pre-arranged service, you will want to ask about the provider’s package deals. They should, at varying prices, offer everything from a basic set of options to an all-inclusive plan. These plans can include, among other things, a casket, burial spot, travel, and more.

10) What Would You Plan for Yourself?

Sometimes, the best way to get an understanding of the prospective funeral provider is to simply ask what they would plan for themselves. It not only gives you an idea of a plan if you are having trouble choosing, but it also indicates their character and personal drive to provide you quality service.

If they are pushy and tell you about their flashiest, most expensive options, you may want to be wary about their truthfulness and reliability. However, they will hopefully be very understanding and upfront with their answer, giving you confidence in your decision.

Looking for the Best Life Insurance Policy for Your Funeral Planning? Contact Senior Life Services

Choosing a funeral provider is probably one of the last things you want to do, whether it be for yourself or a loved one. But such a difficult task deserves easy people to work with, and that is why it is so important to ask questions before settling into an agreement with a funeral provider. That is why we have come up with these ten questions to get you started on the right foot. But there are still more questions to be answered—what is the best way to compare funeral providers? What insurance do you need to cover your funeral expenses?

Senior Life Services is here to answer all of your questions and more. We want to ensure that you get the best deal on your funeral services and life insurance policies, no strings attached. We are here for you—to speak with one of our experts, contact us today.