[cassjax2]

Glad I don’t have to deal with this. My daughter is in “that line of business” so she will take care of us when the time comes. So nice to not have that decision to make.

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

In my opinion, paying for a cremation or funeral before you are dead makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

We went through both. My wife's parents had everything pre-paid and pre-planed in a time of grief, it was all done as they wished.

On my side, while there were no disputes between my sister and I, we thanks to my great, great, great, grandfather have a huge family plot. By pre-paying you make your decision as to what and where clear to all. For us yet another unresolved dispute.
I want to be buried, wife want to be cremated. Solution-beats me.

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by Trayderjoe

I recently decided to attend a couple of the seminars on cremation that we see in our mailboxes or in the Daily Sun. I wanted to understand what each company offered, as I am one of those types who likes to have their ducks in a row...
Attachment 88112

First, I would recommend attending one of the seminars (the free lunches offered as an incentive are good) to learn for yourself and ask questions pertinent to your situation. The "seminar" portion lasts about 20-30 minutes (depends upon the number of attendees and questions), so it is not really tying up a lot of your time. One of the two presenters was a bit more forward in wanting to set up a follow-up meeting, so you do need to be willing (and it is ok) to tell the presenter that you want to review the information before committing to a follow-up meeting.

Full disclosure: I only attended two of these seminars, as I was impressed enough with the presentation of one of the two representatives, and the follow-up web work I did with that company, that I will be moving into signing 3 contracts with that company.

The first presentation I attended was good, but going in I knew that I would not sign a contract with that company right away, as I was there to learn about the process and hear their sales pitch (that is what these seminars really are so understand that going in). I would suggest that you should attend more than one seminar and do NOT sign anything until you do so.

So, company "A's" information sharing (re: sales pitch) met my learning goal. In fact, I was under the impression, based upon this ONE seminar, that they offered security on my investment (the concern that a company could go out of business and losing my money) and also would arrange transport of remains from anywhere in the world back to Florida at no additional cost that other pre-planning businesses did not offer. Admittingly, I was tempted to sign up with Company "A", but as with anything, don't let emotion or lack of sufficient data make your decision for you. What I subsequently learned was that the presenter of company "A" did not lie, but definitely led me to believe that only their company would be the one to go with for being able to handle these concerns. As the pitch wound down, the presenter did provide a range of cost (about $400 difference depending upon some options you chose-those options were NOT identified at the pitch). The presenter then indicated that they would be coming around to each of us to set up a private appointment so that we could review the contract, even though we would not be under any obligation to sign the contract and buy their pre-planning package. Don't be afraid to politely decline! Note that there were several couples who signed up for the follow-up meeting. I would suggest if you can't politely decline a meeting at the pitch (unless you have already decided that this was the company for you), it will be harder to say no in a "one on one" in your home.

Company "B's" presentation was very good, and I was extremely thankful that I attended it. Giving credit where credit is due, Company "B" actually publishes their fee structure online so I knew approximately what the costs would be before going to their pitch. I could not find fee structures for company "A" or one of the other companies online. In all fairness, it should be noted that Company B does offer a package that was not online (it includes the insurance discussed below), but the cost structure was in line with the published costs (so no bait and switch). The representative was very good and talked about transparency, which is supported by their willingness to publish their fees online. Company "B's" representative informed me that my pre-planning payment would be placed in a Preneed Funeral Contract Consumer Protection Trust Fund (here is a link to the Florida regulations for your convenience: link see 497.456(4)) and I would receive a 100% refund if I decide to cancel my policy or if the licensee (in this case, Company "B") went out of business. Additionally, company "B" offered an addendum to the pre-planning contract which consists of basically "travel insurance" so that your remains would be returned to Florida from anywhere in the world at no additional cost to your survivors. This addendum does come with an additional cost (which is actually included in the package presented) and it would be the only money that is non-refundable and which is at risk should the company go out of business before their services were needed. If you don't travel and KNOW that you will be within 75 miles at the time their service is needed, you don't need the insurance. It is a risk based decision. I don't know how Company "A" manages their no additional cost transfer of remains as I decided to not pursue doing business with that company so the answer would be moot for me. The representative for company "B" indicated that she would contact me in about a week to see if I had additional questions or if I had yet made any decisions.

Company "A" gave us 3 days to sign a contract to receive a discount, whereas company "B" provided a 2 week window. Both representatives did point out that price increases would also be coming (this is not unexpected for ANY business), most likely around March 1st.

I suppose that if you truly wanted to do "due diligence", you should meet with more than 2 companies, but for me, it was not clear that the other potential "lunch seminar" companies would better than, in my case, company "B".

Good luck and I hope this post was helpful.

Re: delivering your remains as a plus

I expect they use priority mail. Value about $10.

[chrissy2231]

I'm a whole body donor through Medcure if you're interested.

[noslices1]

Well I moved to the villages 10 years ago, I just went To one of the funeral homes and signed up for cremation and transfer to Bushnell Military cemetery. Paid in full, so just waiting to die. LOL I have no heirs, So I did it just for me.

[Jean G]

Excellent information. Thank you for taking the time for the benefit of your neighbors!

[Trayderjoe]

Originally Posted by DAVES

Re: delivering your remains as a plus

I expect they use priority mail. Value about $10.

Another reason to go to the seminar and ask questions specific to your final plans, but you might need to meet one on one for a detailed discussion to get those answers. At least in the discussions I had at my two seminars, company "B" indicated that the "travel insurance" is optional whereas company "A" did not present it as optional, nor as an "insurance policy". One needs to make an appropriate informed decision and just reading information online in these forums is not, IMO, something I would rely upon.

Keep in mind that the requirements for handling of remains may be different in other states (I don't honestly know), not to mention outside of the US (which I would feel is more likely). Are there documentation requirements and associated fees to bring the remains back into the US? What if your final plans include embalming for a viewing prior to cremation? I would suggest that the cost to transport embalmed remains would be quite a bit higher than $10 via priority mail.

I say again, there is value in at least getting information specific to your personal desires and then planning accordingly.

[Two Bills]

I had a word with our local council, and they said, provided my body is double bagged, they will take me away in the green compost bin, free of charge on normal collection day!

[Trayderjoe]

Originally Posted by noslices1

Well I moved to the villages 10 years ago, I just went To one of the funeral homes and signed up for cremation and transfer to Bushnell Military cemetery. Paid in full, so just waiting to die. LOL I have no heirs, So I did it just for me.

Thank you for your service. I am sorry to hear you have no heirs, but I am glad that you made plans so that in the end, your wishes are carried out.

Hopefully you have many years to go, so "party hearty", and enjoy each day the best that you can.

[Jerry Leinsing]

We went to seminars but didn’t commit. The one very valuable thing we got was a pre-planning guide from Paige-Theus in Leesburg. We worked on the book for many hours filling in the blanks and including copies of supporting material and noting where the originals are stored. Our family members have detailed letters including photos of what the main reference manual looks like, the storage locations and safes of these important original documents, a parting letter of instructions and other mushy stuff, as well as instructions on how the trust works and doesn’t need probate. The will, however, will need to be probated but has no financial assets because it just has a clause that states anything I have that is not already in the trust belongs in it. Family needs cash soon. Set up a small bank accounts with your and your family member’s name. Multiple owners of accounts don’t need probate before the other person can get the funds. When one dies, the other uses the death certificate if required. Otherwise, withdraw when needed.

[Joe C.]

When you sign up for cremation, the cost is known up front. Pay in full or pay monthly installments. Not expensive. And no, you aren't screwed if the company pulls goes away. The money is in escrow (state law). They give you a card to keep in your wallet. No matter where in the world you die....they take care of everything, and the ashes are delivered to the designated recipient. No hassle and no fuss. When you die, it's a stressful situation for the next of kin, and sometimes they aren't in a good mindset to make any decisions concerning you. (expensive caskets, big expensive funeral, expensive urn, etc.). This way, YOU make all the decisions before you die, saving your next of kin the stress and worry.
BTW, I went with Baldwin Brothers. I liked what they offered.

[Villageswimmer]

Originally Posted by MIskra

We also attended two presentations from competitive companies. Going into this, we felt it was something we wanted to do, but did not know anything about it. I have to admit, that we are the kind of people who tend to over-analyze everything. This was our experience:

After the luncheon with the first company, we felt very pressured by the presenter to set up a follow-up discussion in our home (to the point we felt uncomfortable). We thought that once she was in our house she would put even more pressure on us and it would be hard for us to get her to leave without a signed contract, so we declined. We later contacted their storefront office in The Villages, asked to speak to the manager, explained the situation, and requested to talk to that person (instead of the pushy-presenter) in their office instead of our house. We were accommodated and the manager was very nice, not pushy at all, and answered all our questions. We wanted to do some comparative shopping, so we did not sign a contract.

We thought the presentation at the luncheon of the second company was more informative and less emotional, which we appreciated. Maybe because we had already been educated in the office of the first company, we found this presentation much better and no pressure whatsoever to do anything. Again, we were hesitant to invite a sales person into our house, but we asked for a private session at their office in The Villages. The private session was excellent and mostly what we talked about was the differences between the two companies. We also contacted the first company for them to confirm and explain any differences. We learned a lot.

We also contacted a funeral home who has been in business for many, many years in this area. We met with them...no luncheon...no pressure....pure information. Also excellent. Several difference were noted and discussed.

We put together a comparison chart on these three options. There were differences between all of them. I don't like to give out the names because none of the differences were bad, mainly personal preferences. We took a lot of time to make up our minds, and we made several follow-up calls/emails to all three. We ignored all of the BS "sign now because prices will be increasing" threats, and in the end, so did they. All knew we were doing serious research, and they gave us our space.

We chose the second company. We called the other two and thanked them for their time and explained that the option we chose worked best for our particular circumstance.

Because everyone's personal and family situation is different, I would suggest that you not take anyone's recommendation or opinion. Just do your own due diligence. First decide if preplanning a cremation (or burial) is the route you want to take, and if so, move forward as you would with any major purchase. Include your family in your decision so that everyone knows what to do at the time of your death (regardless if you pre-pay or not).

Thanks for your post. Which company did you go with?

[JustRita]

It is a true gift to your loved ones who will be in a grief state. My parents and husband passed within the past few years. All had planned funerals. I don’t know what it would have been like to have to pick out caskets etc. I was in no shape and would have been an easy target for a sales pitch.

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by DAVES

We went through both. My wife's parents had everything pre-paid and pre-planed in a time of grief, it was all done as they wished.

On my side, while there were no disputes between my sister and I, we thanks to my great, great, great, grandfather have a huge family plot. By pre-paying you make your decision as to what and where clear to all. For us yet another unresolved dispute.
I want to be buried, wife want to be cremated. Solution-beats me.

I know of someone with the same situation who lost her husband suddenly. She has requested to be buried with her cremains in his arms, where she wants to be.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by DAVES

We went through both. My wife's parents had everything pre-paid and pre-planed in a time of grief, it was all done as they wished.

On my side, while there were no disputes between my sister and I, we thanks to my great, great, great, grandfather have a huge family plot. By pre-paying you make your decision as to what and where clear to all. For us yet another unresolved dispute.
I want to be buried, wife want to be cremated. Solution-beats me.

You can do both. You can be buried, she can be cremated and her urn buried in your lot. Some graveyards might not permit it, you just have to check.