16 CFR Part 453
A federal rule protects you in the arrangement room. Most families have never heard of it.
The FTC Funeral Rule applies to every funeral home in the United States. It gives you the right to prices over the phone, an itemized price list in your hand, the right to buy only what you want, and the right to buy a casket or urn anywhere and have the funeral home use it, with no handling fee. This site explains the rule in plain English and gives you the words to use.
Prices by phone are your right
Any funeral home must answer price questions over the phone. You do not have to give your name or visit first. Calling three homes is the single highest-value hour in this process.
The casket can come from anywhere
Buy it online or from a retailer for a fraction of showroom price, ship it to the funeral home, and the home must accept it. Charging a handling fee for that is illegal.
Packages are optional
You can pick items one at a time, like ordering from a menu, instead of taking a bundle. If your own list adds up to less than the package price, buying it your way is your right.
The printable Binder
Everything on this site is free to read. The Binder is the print version for the arrangement room: the checklist, the rights card, a phone script with blanks, a cost worksheet, a bring-your-own casket letter that cites the rule, and worksheets for obituaries, cremation quotes, and prepaid contracts. One PDF, $19.
See what is in the Binder