So many things about funeral services pass around as myths that we thought you may
enjoy hearing the truth about them. For some of you, you’ll be proud that you
already know some of these myths and you can be a help to others. Here they are:


1. The body HAS to be embalmed, that is the law. FALSE

TRUTH – Although the Funeral Home can require embalming in order to have a
viewing, it is not required by law. Most states require that the body become
refrigerated after usually a 24 hour period, but embalming is against some people’s
religious beliefs and others who just want everything to be “natural”.
This is why some families will select an All Wood Casket such as Jewish families use. Actually any casket at www.CasketXpress.com can be used for families that don't wish embalming as their choice.


2. We must use the Funeral Home located on the Cemetery property. FALSE

TRUTH – Many families are led to believe that if there is a Funeral Home on the
property of the Cemetery where they own their burial plots or mausoleum crypts,
that it is required to use that Funeral Home and no other. Nothing could be further
from the truth. Some states don’t even allow the same company or
individuals to own both a Cemetery and a Funeral Home. This way no one company
or group of individuals have a monopoly.

However, where the law allows ownership
of both, there is a quick growth of Funeral Homes being built on the
property of a Cemetery. The convenience of this is the primary reason. What about costs?
Of course they go through the roof! Unfortunately the FTC is not doing a good
job in monitoring the out of control growth of just several giant funeral corporations
who are setting up a near monopoly within certain large city zones.
You may wish to review Your Rights to become an Informed Consumer by contacting us for free funeral advice. Burial choices and helpful information can be found at www.CemeterySales.com.


3. The Funeral Home located on the Cemetery should give us a lower price
because we own our Cemetery Property there. FALSE

TRUTH – You’d think that would be the case, but the Funeral Industry happens to take
advantage of you with this partnership (like they do so many others things to their profit and your costs) and use it to
actually charge you MORE! If it is a large Funeral Home, the service you receive
may just be like an assembly line where you are passed from one person to the next,
never knowing who is going to assist you with the visitation, the service, the graveside ceremony, etc. You can even shop around for a burial site that is being resold by the owner or those who may have inherited the cemetery property. Actual property being resold can be viewed at www.CemeterySales.com. At www.CasketXpress.com our goal is not only to save you money and grief, but to help you with relevant, timely, and correct information.

Shop around for the best Funeral Home regarding price but also
service. Ask who is going to help you and who is going to follow through all the
services until the very end of what you are contracting for. Ask for a complete
breakdown of the costs BEFORE you choose to use that funeral home, even if it
means moving your loved ones body to another Funeral Home.
You’ll save money and headaches.


4. It is required by law, and we must use a licensed Funeral Director and Funeral Home. FALSE

TRUTH – many states allow what is called “caring for your own dead.” If you wish to be closely involved, www.CasketXpress.com has consulted many families that want their services the old fashioned way. This means that
if your loved one passes away and you want to handle everything as next of kin,
you can. You can process the Death Certificate with the help of the doctor, hospital,
hospice society, coroner or Board of Health. The Burial Permit can be processed by
yourself by paying the permit fee and in person filing the Burial Permit at the
Board of Health. You are not required to embalm, but burial usually takes place quickly.

You can obtain the casket yourself, dress your loved one, place them
into the casket, and carry them to the church or cemetery. If you have a private
cemetery, you may even arrange to have the grave opened and closed by whom you
want. Remember, most of the laws in most states don’t make you do anything to
increase your costs, they just make sure Health guidelines are followed. It is the
Funeral Home and Cemetery regulations that increase your costs. Many of the items
they charge for are 95% profit and they are more than ready to do it for you and let
you think you can’t do it yourself. Make sure you are familiar with your Casket Consumer Rights.


5. A casket that locks will preserve my loved one for over 100 years! FALSE


TRUTH – the rubber gasket that surrounds the outer edge of a steel casket shell acts just
like the seal on a refrigerator. In reviewing the features and descriptions of the caskets on www.CasketXpress.com, you'll find a notice whether the casket has this seal and lock. The gear that pressures the top lids down upon that
gasket is turned with an Allen wrench type of “key” that anyone can get at a local hardware store.
The pressure against the seal provides a temporary “peace if mind” for burial
in very bad weather or very wet soil. Most of the caskets we provide in metal have this gasket and lock –
for example the Lincoln Black Cherry Steel Casket.

If you have chosen a Mausoleum crypt, you don’t want a sealing casket at all. A wood
casket that “breathes” in the crypt chamber helps to accomplish the purpose of
a mausoleum crypt, the drying out of the remains. A good example of this is the Executive Poplar Casket.
Sealing in a body that is over 90% water will not provide for that. Body fluids can corrode ANY metal except
Stainless Steel. High grade Bronze, Copper and even 16 Gauge Steel will not be able to stop that regardless of what the
Funeral Director has told you. That is why some of the biggest Casket makers like
Batesville Casket Company paid out Millions of Dollars due to false claims and promises about “sealing” caskets. At www.CasketXpress.com we have experience in consulting for families what certain burial choices are involved in selecting your burial property and how the casket is involved.


6. Buying a casket in a Discount Package from the Funeral Home will save me 100’s of Dollars
and is a better deal than choosing my own from a Casket Store. FALSE


TRUTH – all the Funeral Industry is doing is presenting the same old story with a new
cover. In the 1970’s with the Funeral Rule becoming enforced, funeral homes could
no longer present a package and tell you that there could be no substitutes and
you had to buy everything in the package. They are required to post prices
separately, rather than wait until they see what kind of car you drive up in to see
which price list to bring out and show you. These new packages show the extremely
high price of the casket ( up to 800-1000% markup) and then “discount”
the casket by requiring it to be purchased together with the services. If you do, then
you receive a so-called discount on your prices. At www.CasketXpress.com we are strongly against this fall back to old dishonest practices by the funeral industry.

Actually, they have raised the prices of both the services and the casket, then have
offered you a discount back to the regular price! The net price of the casket AFTER the
discount is still 100’s of Dollars more than you should pay for the Casket. As an Informed Consumer,
you should demand that the Discount price be given to your family
even when you are purchasing a casket from an outside supplier such as CasketXpress.com

This reverse casket handling fee hidden in the form of a "Package" is illegal and you have rights to demand that they
offer you the same pricing as any other family.This game the Funeral Home
plays really makes you wonder what the real price is and does anyone really pay that price?
Or does everyone receive a different price based on how savvy they are to
these pricing schemes? Don’t let them abuse you and your family! With www.CasketXpress.com you will always pay the lowest retail price anywhere and not have to play the games the funeral industry is involved in.

Let us know which casket design would be perfect for your loved one, and how we can help you.


Call us Toll Free at 1-800-550-7262 for answers to your questions.