Collin County Living Well Magazine May/June 2017 | Page 33

Simple Cremation…
Are you sure?
I
By Rick Allen
n today’s economy it pays to shop around. When we
went to purchase our youngest daughter a car, we were
working on a very limited budget. We found a great
deal in the most unlikely place. A luxury import dealer in
an upscale area of Dallas had a late model domestic car
they had taken in on a trade. They did not have much in the
car in the way of investment and were looking to move it off
their lot. As a result, we found an unbelievably good price
on a quality automobile. We had looked at cheaper cars,
but when weighing our daughter’s safety and well-being
against a little more cost for the better car, the decision was
easy. If we would have simply searched out the cheapest
price, I am confident we would have had regrets later for
one reason or another.
Believe it or not, many people will choose a cremation
provider based solely upon who will offer the lowest price.
While the theory exists, “Who cares, you are gone and
won’t know anything about it.” Something can be said
for respecting the dignity of an individual after they have
died. I am not going to cast accusations against low cost
providers. I will simply base my opinion on what I know
to be fact and tell you that the phrase “buyer beware” ap-
plies totally when doing business with these type of firms.
There are two major things to be cautious of. First, the bait
and switch operator; this is the one who attracts you with
a low price advertisement in the newspaper or on a bill-
board. Once you have committed to doing business with
them, then the low cost “hook” has add-on’s that increase
the cost. This can be confusing and extremely frustrating.
Secondly, and this one is even worse in my opinion, is the
get-what-you-pay-for guys. This is where dignity goes out
the window. Because low cost has to be offset with high
volume in order for an operator to be profitable, these
types of operations remind me of a processing plant more
than they do of a funeral establishment. Human remains
are stored in cramped areas while the firm completes the
necessary paperwork and then the remains are shipped
off, several at a time in a cargo van, to be cremated sev-
eral miles away from the funeral establishment the family
originally contracted with. The end result is a far cry from
anything resembling dignified and on top of that, the fam-
ily is left waiting, often times as long as ten days to get
their loved one’s ashes back.
The media has trained funeral consumers to use the word
“simple” when describing to their funeral director what their
wishes are. Unfortunately, funeral directors have trained
themselves to hear the word “cheap” when a consumer
says “simple”. I believe when consumers say “simple” they
are really saying, “I want something dignified and appro-
priate, but I don’t want you to overcharge me for what you
do”. A woman recently came to me after her husband had
died. She told me she wanted “simple” cremation. After
we visited for a while she started describing to me the type
service she wanted at their church, and then asked about
the possibility of family and friends coming together for a
time of reflection and remembrance the evening before the
funeral service. We then composed a beautiful obituary for
our website, created a video tribute and selected an urn.
When we finished she was relieved that the cost for all the
things she wanted were so reasonable and that she felt to-
tally comfortable with our firm and knew that her husband’s
wishes would be carried out exactly as he described to
her prior to his passing. Afterwards, I learned that when
she originally told me of her desire for a “simple” crema-
tion, she meant that she did not want to bury her husband
in the cemetery and have an elaborate memorial marking
his grave. She did save a tidy sum of money by not having
to purchase those items, but in my opinion, the service we
provided to her was anything but “simple”. This just proves
that one person’s definition of “simple” may not always
match up to that of another.
Cremation is growing in popularity in our particular geo-
graphic area. Some may see this as a positive and some
may view it as a negative. I see it as nothing more than
one way, out of several, to accomplish final disposition of
one’s body. No matter what you choose, please do not
make your decision solely on who will give you the lowest
price. Cost should be one of your considerations, but not
your only concern.
Ri ck Allen is the owner of Allen Family Funeral Options. Visit their informative website at
www.affoplano.com to learn more about your options or give them a call at 972-596-8200.
COLLIN COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MAY/JUNE 2017
31