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FUNERAL CONSUMERS ALLIANCE OF PRINCETON, N.J.
50 Cherry Hill Road, Princeton, NJ 08540 FCAP Annual
Conference Reclaiming the
American Way of Death Joshua Slocum,
Executive Director Funeral
Consumers Alliance Sunday April
22, 2012, 2:00 PM
Princeton Public Library
65 Witherspoon Street, Princeton NJ
Nowadays, families across the country are reclaiming
their rights and saving money by performing funeral services for loved
ones themselves. In New Jersey, however—a state progressive in many
ways—friends and relatives of a deceased person cannot legally care for
their own without hiring a funeral home. New Jersey is one of only eight
states in the nation that require grieving families to hire a funeral
director to complete the process. The Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA),
a national nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting consumers’
rights to meaningful, affordable funerals, is at the forefront of
changing this and other rules concerning end-of-life issues. Josh Slocum
has been FCA executive director for nine years. In
his talk, Slocum, a nationally recognized expert on consumer rights and
funeral law, will report on the state of the funeral industry nationwide
and specifically in New Jersey. He will describe the uphill battle to
defend the rights of families and his strenuous lobbying effort to
encourage Congress to pass a bill curbing abuses of cemeteries. Join us
for this insightful—and sometimes humorous—talk. Bring friends who don’t
know about us. This presentation will open their eyes! For more information: FUNERAL HOME PRICE
SURVEY 2010 The biennial FCAP survey of area funeral homes
has been published. This survey solicits a copy of the General Price List (GPL) required
of each funeral home by the
Funeral Rule of the Federal Trade Commission. By regulation a copy of
this list must be provided to anyone who requests it. Most of the
surveyed funeral homes provided copies to our surveyers in response to requests by mail
or phone. Those who did not were visited in person one or more times.
Four funeral homes (noted on the survey report) refused to give us their GPL. The results of the
survey are very informative and show an enormous spread of fees charged
for similar services. These data should be very helpful to
persons or families choosing a funeral home or undertaker. Read the
explanation of the survey and write us at
info@fcaprinceton.org for
help with whatever you may not understand. CEMETERY SURVEY
2011 Cemeteries are not regulated by the
Federal Trade Commission. At this time there is no way to anticipate the
charges or services of cemeteries except by visiting them individually.
This represents our first inquiry into the area's cemeteries.
This
preliminary view shows considerable similarity among cemeteries, unlike
what we found with funeral homes, and we expect
further examination will make it easier to anticipate costs of interment
and availability of services.
Cemetery survey results. Plan Ahead
website search
technology courtesy FreeFind
WHAT IS THE FCAP?
The Funeral
Consumers Alliance of Princeton (FCAP) is a volunteer-run,
not-for-profit, educational organization dedicated for over 50 years to
promoting informed advance planning for funeral and memorial
arrangements. FCAP provides support, education, protection and advocacy
that results in thoughtful, cost-effective arrangements that honor the
deceased and affirm the lives of the living.
Why Do
We Exist?
A
funeral is a significant personal event, usually accompanied by
strong emotions. It is also a business transaction, one of the
most expensive a family makes. But, a funeral often catches people
by surprise, leaving them vulnerable, emotional, and lacking the
time and knowledge to make practical decisions. Most funeral
directors are honest, but some capitalize on consumers’ lack of
knowledge. Even well meaning professionals may not inform you of all
options. By providing clear and comprehensive information, FCAP
educates and advocates for consumers, empowering them to make
informed, thoughtful decisions about funeral plans before they are
needed
Did You
Know?
Affiliated with
Funeral Consumers Alliance
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