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Savvy Consumers Find Relief In Their Time Of Grief |
Benjamin Franklin once said, "In this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes. At least now, thanks to the internet, death doesn’t have to be as expensive.
According to AARP, the average funeral in the United States can easily reach $10,000 once a burial plot, flowers and other costs are included.
Educated consumers are no longer in the dark about how the funeral industry works. Big conglomerates are mercilessly buying up family-operated homes with their eyes solely on the bottom-line. Caskets alone average a 600% mark up. They may be the last example of a legal monopoly left in the United States. Mourners are literally gauged, as they haven’t the time or presence of mind to comparison shop.
It has always been tradition to call upon the neighborhood funeral parlor, cemetery or monument dealer when a loved-one passes. But, due to the internet, that traditional is starting to change.
MonumentsInStone is the sister company of Interstate Granite, a family-owned, monument manufacturer that has been in business in the Atlanta area since 1916. They have recently launched a website offering granite headstones, bronze markers and crematory products at a fraction of their retail price. "We have been there." Say the owner, Robert Womac. "And, we want to right an industry-wide wrong."
MonumentsInStone supplies headstones and memorials directly to the consumer. Although cemeteries might not like this, they have to, by law, accept a stone from an outside source. The savings have been a blessing for many customers.
The Funeral Consumers Alliance has many tips that should be followed when planning a funeral. They told us that savvy consumers need to shop around for a grave marker or monument. The Better Business Bureau also warns to resist high-priced sales pitches from funeral industry vendors. They should treat you with compassion; not pressure you.
Perhaps, asking a friend or neighbor to work the phones or search the net would be a good idea. Even a check on Ebay has produced a number of beautiful choices. I found an elegant, Granite Companion Monument for a third of the price my funeral parlor was pitching. A Tombstone on Ebay? I emailed the highest bidder to find out why. "I’m sorry," He told me. " I see no reason to pay top dollar because of some outdated tradition."
By: MonumentsInStone
MonumentsInStone is the sister company of Interstate Granite, a family-owned, monument manufacturer that has been in business since 1916. We offer elegant, extinguished stone work at a fraction of the retail price. www.monumentsinstone.com
Article source http://w4rum.com/1950.t
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| [By Kimber Fulcher] [05/May/07] |
