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Preventing & Resolving Disputes With Cemeteries

When dealing with a dispute with cemetery, you can take help from a regional or national consumer activist group to resolve the issue. After all, the funeral and death care industry is filled with traps for gullible consumers.

Even the most prudent customers can fall preys to companies that are notorious for taking advantage of customers when they are shocked and devastated after the death of a loved one. Thus, mediation or some other form of conflict resolution is required to solve the problem.

Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) is by far, the largest group or organization in this regard. It is a non-profit organization that helps protect consumers’ rights so that they can get meaningful and affordable funeral services.

At the Funeral Consumers Alliance website, you can find further information on how FCA can help prevent and resolve disputes with cemeteries.

Plus, you can visit www.funeralethics.org and select your state to get detailed information regarding funeral arrangements, prepaying for a funeral, embalming, burial, cremation, and other aspects associated with consumer rights for your state.

There is another non-profit, industry-sponsored association called Cemetery Consumer Service Council (CCSC).

It is a private group that provides information associated with cemeteries and assists consumers and their family members resolve disputes with cemetery operators, without charges.

If the conflict is not resolved in spite of efforts by the State as well as National CCSC, then the organization is likely to provide guidance on the other options you have. Hence, it provides guidance in terms of private legal counsel.

Moreover, it can inform you about the relevant government agencies that you may approach. You can find the CCSC Complaint Resolution/Information Inquiry Form at the ICCFA website.

Complaints about cemeteries can also be filed with the Better Business Bureau. Besides, you may consider giving a negative report about the unreasonable policies of the cemetery to the local media.

More often than not, the complaints arise due to misrepresentation, dishonesty, breach of contract, negligence, unprofessional conduct, and violation of state or federal laws.

It is suggested that before escalating the matter, though, you should contact the Cemetery Manager directly in case you have a complaint or of you need specific information.

Most problems are likely to be settled in this way. You can get more information related to cemeteries and the death care industry at www.deathcarelaw.com.

In addition, as “prevention is better than cure,” it is better to be aware of the funeral rules and laws beforehand.

The Funeral Rule enforced by the Federal Trade Commission states that it is not necessary to get the body embalmed when going for cremation.

Plus, when getting a gravestone for a loved one, it is best to check the cemetery rules and regulations before placing the order so that the cemetery does not reject it afterwards.

However, it is not necessary to buy the monument from the cemetery itself. Similarly, you are not obliged to buy the funeral and memorial products from cemeteries and funeral homes. Instead, you can purchase these items from third-party vendors.

In fact, these products are usually priced high in funeral homes and cemeteries. Moreover, companies are required to provide you with a General Price List featuring the products they offer and their respective prices.

In order to avoid disputes and conflicts at a later stage, choose the cemetery wisely by testing its way of dealing with the customers and checking its policies beforehand.