Costs
THE COST OF A
FUNERAL SERVICE
There is a wide range of funeral services to choose from. Although it is difficult to speak in generalities about the "typical" cost, there is a range to select from. At Mclnerny Funeral Home we have had services cost over $10,000.00 or as little as $1,500.00. A service at the high end range would involve the purchase of a higher end casket and/or outer interment receptacle. A service at the low end range would involve a direct cremation with no embalming, calling hours or funeral service, and having the cremains returned to the family for disposition.
How is the cost of a service broken down? For the sake of explanation, the cost of a funeral service is broken down into three areas:
1) Funeral home service charges. These are items that appear on a funeral home general price list and include, but are not limited to: removal from the place of death to the funeral home, embalming and other preparation, basic arrangements required by the funeral home, supervision charges for calling hours and funeral services, use of the funeral home facilities for the calling hours and funeral service and, livery use for the funeral service. For a direct cremation service, the service charge at McInerny's is $1,860.00. For a service with afternoon and evening calling hours, a funeral service at the funeral home the next day, and procession to the cemetery for burial, the service charge at McInerny's is approximately $3,900.00. For the families that want some type of limited service, the fee would fall in between the direct cremation and complete service charges.
2) Cash advance charges. These are charges that are not part of the funeral home service charge. Services and merchandise provided as cash advance items will be billed at the same amount paid by the funeral firm. Some of these items include, but are not limited to, cemetery or crematory charges, cemetery equipment, clergy/church fees, organist fees, death certificate transcripts, and paid newspaper notices.
3) Casket and/or outer interment receptacle charges. At McInerny's we have caskets available for under $800.00 or over $10,000.00. The selection of a casket is a very personal decision and there is no right or wrong selection. Some families prefer the warmth and beauty of wood while others prefer the wider range of exterior colors that are available with the selection of a metal casket. Both wood and metal caskets have various fabrics and interior colors to select from. The outer interment receptacles available at McInerny's range from $8,919.00 for the 3,000 pound Wilbert Bronze vault to $685.00 for the 1,600 pound concrete grave liner. Both caskets and outer interment receptacles are explained in more detail in the Casket and Outer Interment Receptacle section of our web site.
It is important to keep in mind, if calling different funeral homes for price information, that service charges, casket and outer interment receptacle cost are added together to get a total cost (less cash advances) of the service. This should be done because one funeral home may have a lower service charge than another but the cost for the casket and outer interment receptacle could be more. This could result in a more costly service. On the other hand a funeral home could charge more for the service charges, but less for the merchandise. It is also important to make sure the merchandise being compared is the same. For example, if someone is looking for an 18 gauge protective steel casket, the range at Mclnerny Funeral Home is from $3,270.00 to $2,070.00. By asking for a specific casket, such as the 18 gauge protective steel Camelot Hunter Green with arbutus velvet interior that Mclnerny Funeral Home sells for $3,060.00, you can then compare identical merchandise. The same logic is used for the outer interment receptacle. With having a comparable casket and outer interment receptacle, the service charge can then be factored in to compare costs between funeral homes.
Although cash advances do come into play in the overall cost of the service, all funeral homes can charge no more than what is actually paid to a third party. While one funeral home may estimate the cash advances to be $700.00 and another funeral home may estimate the charges at $900.00, the bottom line is that each funeral home will charge exactly what is paid out. Those charges shouldn't figure into a selection of a funeral home.
Every funeral home is required to give price information over the phone. At McInerny's we will be glad to meet with anyone interested in service information either at the funeral home or in their own home.
With all that has been said about pricing, it is important to remember that a funeral home is in business to provide service. People have to be comfortable with whom they're dealing. Just as there are different levels of service and comfort at different department stores, restaurants and hotels, the same is true of funeral homes. At McInerny's we have a caring, professional and compassionate staff that holds to the highest standards and our facility that is second to none in the area.
We again refer you to the
Last Updated 11/26/98
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