Don’t get scammed in planning a Texas funeral. Many people, in the stress of planning a funeral, spend more than they can afford or purchase unnecessary goods and services. here are some helpful tips.
1. Prepare in advance. In Texas, you can leave written Burial Instructions and designate a person or company to handle all of the arrangements. If you wish to donate your body to science, then contact the medical school or other medical facility directly to make arrangements.
2. Embalming is generally not required by law, but may be demanded for some funeral services which involve a viewing of the body.
3. The funeral home is required to furnish customers with an itemized written statement that lists the funeral goods and services chosen with prices, a good faith estimate of the total price, and the total cost of the goods and services selected.
4. A casket is not required by law for cremations. You have the right to order an unfinished wood box, an inexpensive container, or even a pouch.
5. Funeral providers are allowed to add a surcharge for items purchased from third-parties, but have to disclose the amount to you. These cash-advance items may include pallbearers, public transportation, obituary notices, cemetery services, flowers, musicians and death certificates. Since you cannot be reuqired to buy a package deal, you could save considerable money purchasing these directly from the provider.
For more on the law, the Federal Trade Commission has posted a Consumer Guide.