• Embalming: Consumers are often led to believe that embalming has long-term preservative effect on the remains. This is not true. Embalming only preserves the remains for a very short period of time to enable viewing of the body. A funeral director must ask for permission to embalm in advance. There is also no legal requirement to embalm before burial or cremation.
• Caskets and vaults: Before looking at caskets and other merchandise you should be given a written price list in advance. The average funeral industry mark-up on caskets is 500%, but can go as high as 2,000%. There are no special preservative benefits to purchasing a casket with a seal, in fact; sealer caskets may speed up the process. Sealed vaults also do absolutely nothing. Human remains will still decompose and caskets will still deteriorate whether the vault is sealed or not.
• Pre-need insurance: Consumers believe when making pre-arrangements that once they have paid their money, their funeral is locked in at the agreed price. The reality is that the majority of funeral homes do not guarantee that the pre-arranged price will pay for the funeral at death. There can be numerous other charges for which the family must pay. Avoid "pre-need" funeral insurance. With few exceptions these policies are overpriced and, as currently marketed, offer no inflation protection.
• Sales tactics: Direct marketers of cemetery products often use a series of gimmicks. Consumers are often required to purchase on the very first sales call or lose certain price benefits. Consumers are offered a variety of free items based on some affiliation, such as with a veterans' or civic organization. In truth, the price benefits or free items are offered to anyone at any time.

For more information about funeral industry practices read Profits of Death: An Insider Exposes Death Care Industries, Darryl J. Roberts, Five Star Publications, March 1997, retails for $12.95. www.amazon.com