It can be difficult to remember everything that you need to ask about funerals after a death in the family, so here are some questions that may be useful when speaking about the funeral with the funeral home, in person or on the phone.
These questions don’t cover everything and may not be relevant to your situation, but hopefully, you find some of them a useful starting point!
- Is there a funeral director available 24/7 to answer questions you may have?
- Is the funeral home locally owned or part of a large chain of funeral homes?
- Are the funeral directors paid a commission or bonuses on any service or product sales you may select?
- When you have been to other funerals at this funeral home, did you feel that the funeral service was handled properly with care and compassion?
- Were you welcomed into the funeral home for another’s service with a high degree of dignity and respect?
- When you first called the funeral home, did they recognize your loss with compassion?
- Are the funeral home owner/manager/ staff active in the local community?
- Is the funeral home staff well versed in handling your specific religious or cultural requests?
- Is the exterior/interior of the funeral home up to date or does it appear average or run down?
- Is the interior décor modern and up to date?
- Is there a limit to how many family and friends can attend a service or reception?
- Does the funeral home have a dedicated reception facility or area?
- Who does the catering/food preparation for catered events?
- Does the funeral parking lot provide ample space for family and friends to attend?
- Does the funeral home have an area and information specifically for children?
- Has the funeral home staff created personalized services that are truly unique to the individual who has died?
- Can they share some past ideas that have included in other services?
- Does the funeral home have a licensed funeral Celebrant on staff? Is the price of the Celebrant included in the service fee or an extra cost?
- What post-funeral services does this funeral home provide (such as Executor, Grief, or Bereavement services)? Are there extra charges?
- If embalming is requested, is the embalming completed on-site or at a 3rd party provider location?
- Will the funeral home post an obituary to their website and social media sites at no cost? If there is a fee, what is the cost?
- Are the cost of the services and products clearly shown on an up to date price list that is accessible online?
- Are the prices competitive in the local market with other funeral homes
- Will the funeral home provide an online quote?
- Can you view their services, facilities, products, and pricing from the comfort of your home?
- Does the funeral home offer any funeral packages?
- Does the funeral home provide any funeral payment options?
- Does the funeral home provide modern technology that supports live streaming of services for those who can’t attend?
- Can you pre-arrange but not prepay for the funeral if that is your choice?
- Does the funeral home offer both trust and insurance funding options for your pre-arrangement?
- Will the funeral home allow you to transfer your pre-arrangements to another funeral home?
- Does the funeral home have an onsite crematorium? If not, where is the actual cremation performed?
- Does the funeral home exercise care and control of the deceased during the cremation process?
- Does the funeral home use a transfer service to pick up your loved one or an individual from the funeral home?
- Is the funeral home in good standing with professional associations to which they belong? Which associations do they belong to?
- Does the funeral home have a positive reputation in the community?
- What, if any complaints have been received by the better business bureau?
- What, if any complaints have they received from a governing body in your province?
- What type of ratings has the funeral home received on review sites like Yelp?
- What separates this funeral home from the others in the community?
