Bjorn Burke, Staff Reporter

Funerals are often a costly and unexpected expense. In addition to the loss of a loved one, the hardship of bearing the financial burden is often one that most are fiscally ill-equipped to face. It appears that funeral homes are increasingly aware of these adversities, doing more to lend a hand to persons in receiving a decent burial.

Once upon a time, personal tastes and preferences seemingly took precedence in the planning of a grand send-off for loved ones. Today, it appears that most are concerned about money.

THE STAR caught up with a woman in the Corporate Area, who wished to remain unnamed, said that she would be completely devastated if an unexpected death were to occur in her family.

"It would be very difficult. These days, things are so very expensive. If there is a programme going on then, you know the family members can put half, and others put half," she said "If family members don't come around and help out, and put a little of what they have together, then no. It would only work if I'm getting help towards something, and I would appreciate it of course. I couldn't do it by myself."

negotiating

It appears that a cash advance is a standard for most parlours when it comes to negotiating a contract for a funeral with clients. This can be seen as a sign that many have become accustomed to bad debt when a family is not able to pay for the services garnered. It is not uncommon for struggling families to leave their loved ones in a funeral home for extended periods as a result. Consequently, many parlours have reported that a full payment is required before a funeral can take place. Others, however, have been more compassionate.

The fact is, funerals are expensive. THE STAR made checks with several funeral homes around the island and was rarely ever quoted a price of under $100,000 for a basic burial package.

A well-known funeral home located in May Pen, Clarendon, told our news team that a base cost of $168,900 in funeral expenses is afforded to clients.

"We start there and we go up the ladder," the representative said, adding that a burial plot was not included in the cost. The funeral director added that customers have up to three days before the day of the funeral to take care of outstanding balances, seemingly hinting at policies put in place by the establishment so as to avoid monetary conflicts.

Another funeral home contacted, located on Orange Street in downtown Kingston, starts at $250,000 for a basic burial package.

"Well, you can be looking at 250 and over. This gets you 100 programmes, one announcement, a Gleaner publication, the floral for the casket, the casket, removal and preparation of the body including embalming and our service charge, and a half double at Dovecot," the representative said.

Seemingly sympathetic to tough economic times, a Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, funeral home was open to the possibility of providing a payment plan to potential clients. Additionally, the funeral parlour was eager to inform they were reasonably competitive at a cost of $85,000 for a basic burial package, though it could be considered quite an anaemic one in amenities in comparison to the competition.

"If it's a pending case, you can come in and do your payment little by little. we usually put it down in a pending book so at least when the person passes on, you have information to say that you have paid down on a specific package and so forth," the funeral home director said.

In most cases, THE STAR discovered that cremation options were most often comparable, if not more expensive than the basic burial package quoted.

Death is inevitable, but some funeral homes are playing their part in easing the pain families experience during their gloomy moment. Most funeral parlours are forced to evolve, having noted that their future might depend on whether they are flexible in payment options.