segs@mhuxv.UUCP (slusky) (01/31/85)
I had the unfortunate experience of having to be responsible for
putting together and paying for a funeral yesterday. For a variety of
reasons, the funeral had to be in New York . I suppose that guarantees
that the funeral home will charge top dollar, but still I was outraged
at many of the charges. The ritual charges, chevra kadisha, shroud, etc,
were reasonable. But here are some of the ones that threw me:
Service Fee - general use $495
of funeral home personnel
Arrangements and super-
vision.
Transfer of body from $165
hospital to funeral
home (about 10 mi.)
Hearse for coffin from $150
funeral home to cemetery
(also about 10 mi.)
Use of room for chevra $260
kadisha to work in
Plain pine coffin $395
Has anyone else done this lately? Is it as crazy as I think?
Comparing the transportation charges to the cost of a private
limousine to an airport, for example, the coffin transport charges
seem totally out of whack. And the $495 at the top seems totally
baseless.
Susan Slusky
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