Transparency About Funeral Options and Costs

We have had several conversations lately with families who have expressed amazement at our openness about their funeral care options and costs.

On a first telephone call, most families need basic information and a realistic cost estimate.

What we are hearing is that many other funeral directors are simply not willing to give this information over the phone.

We found this quite disturbing, so we set about finding out first hand by making a few calls to some of the big name funeral companies.

Some were great – giving approximate costs and offering to email information.

Others were alarmingly evasive and said they could only give out such information in a face-to-face meeting at their premises.

During some calls there were some fairly overt sales techniques being used and usually coupled with information either not relevant nor helpful for the caller.

There is good reason why the funeral industry has recently been under some scrutiny.

People in grief are vulnerable.

They are also often elderly and are almost invariably organising their first ever funeral.

This combination leaves them exposed to manipulation, often causing them to spend far more than they can afford on services they don't want or even need.

This is why Funeral Directors need to put aside high pressure sales tactics completely.

Such methods have no place in our work.

So – when you do call a funeral director, whether for immediate or future need, they should be able to tell you, in simple language and within a few minutes, the following information :

• your 3 main options – private cremation, cremation with service or burial
• an approximate cost for each option
• an indication of cemetery costs for burial
• whether or not the approximate costs given include essentials only or cover optional extras such as slideshow and livestream

They also should be able to :

• give you basic information on what to do next
• offer an email follow-up with your estimates

All this information should be easily accessible and clearly displayed on their website.

At Northern Beaches Funerals, we passionately believe in empowering all families with information.

Clear, concise and timely information will allow you to make an informed decisions on what is best for your circumstance.

A decision that suits both your needs, preferences and budget.

We offer as much information as we possibly can, and if we don't know the answer straight away, we will find it out and send it on, without pressure or obligation.

We recognise that we are privileged to be trusted by families when they are at a very raw time, and our reward is so much more than a number on a balance sheet.

Read what out customers say about us : Northern Beaches Funerals Testimonials.

Every person is unique.  Every family is different.
With us, every Funeral is Individual.

Contact Northern Beaches Funerals at any time :
  --   0455 285 041
  --   kathryn@northernbeachesfunerals.com.au