2016 Ventura County Funeral Home Price Survey Results

About the Survey:

While all funeral homes are required to comply with the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule of 1984 regarding disclosure of costs to protect consumers’ rights, the reality is that some price lists are more complete and understandable than others.  The lack of uniformity in the format and content of General Price Lists can lead to confusion and misunderstanding for consumers.  

To enable consumers to make as fair a price comparison as possible, the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Southern California conducted a price survey of funeral homes in Ventura County.  In order to make it possible for consumers to compare “apples to apples” across funeral homes, 3 categories of services were defined and evaluated.  The categories included:  direct cremation, immediate burial, and a full funeral service.   Definitions for each of the categories evaluated can be located at the end of the price survey as well as explanations for evaluating whether a price list has been posted online, and ownership structure. 

We have made a good-faith effort to ensure these numbers are accurate and comparable, however we cannot guarantee that the actual price one would pay at any of these funeral homes is exactly as listed on the price survey.  For example, some funeral homes offer packaged funerals at a discount from the itemized price. We did not use these packages as their components differ from business to business, making direct price comparison challenging. 

This price survey shows the range of costs and will help you determine relative price differences between funeral homes.  Also, keep in mind that price is not the only factor to consider when choosing a funeral home.  Reputation and quality of service are very important, but are difficult to measure.  Therefore, this price survey should be used as a resource and not as a substitute for conducting independent research.  

The prices below have been organized by city.  Please note that it is not necessary to select a funeral home in the city you live in or of the deceased.  Most funeral homes have a service range consisting of a 30 to 45 mile radius, after which they charge an additional fee for transportation costs.  Therefore, it is important to look at surrounding cities when trying to identify the lowest cost provider.    Use the below map to locate funeral homes in your surrounding area. 
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​Map of Ventura County Funeral Homes 

CAMARILLO

FILLMORE

MOORPARK

OJAI

OJAI

OXNARD

SANTA PAULA

SIMI VALLEY

THOUSAND OAKS

VENTURA

Services Evaluated

To enable consumers to make as fair a price comparison as possible, we made every attempt to ensure we were comparing “apples to apples” for the three most common types of funeral arrangements:  direct cremation, immediate burial, and a full funeral service.   

We calculated total prices based on what was printed on each funeral home’s most recent General Price List.  The definition and description of the three categories of services we compared are listed below.

Direct Cremation is the transfer of the deceased from the place of death to a funeral home, placement in a container and delivery to a crematory without formal viewing, visitation or ceremony.  

Direct cremation is a practical and cost-effective method because it requires only minimal services by the funeral home. If a family wishes, they may have a memorial service wherever they would like without the involvement of a funeral home.

The services and merchandise included in our survey for a direct cremation are:  

• The basic service fee for the funeral director and staff, including overhead costs (also referred to as the non-declinable fee)
• Transport of the deceased from the place of death
• Appropriate care of the remains (usually refrigeration)
• Securing necessary permits and authorization for the cremation
• Provision of an alternative container to encase the body during cremation (“alternative container” refers to a heavy-duty cardboard [or cardboard/wood combination], or an unadorned cremation casket made of fiberboard)

• Transportation of the body to the crematory
• Crematory fee
• Return of the cremated remains in a secure container to the family directly or making the cremated remains available for pickup at the funeral home

Cremated remains are generally returned in a suitable container.  The families of decedents who weigh over set amounts (200, 250, 275 or 300 pounds) will usually be charged extra by the crematory for the additional fuel necessary to cremate the body. 

Direct cremation prices in the survey do not include the cost of an urn (prices range from less than $50 to a few thousand dollars at some funeral homes); an urn outer burial vault (these can cost up to $1000); any rite or ceremony, embalming, family’s use of funeral home facilities, cost of obituary, or other services by staff.  

There is some confusion as to whether or not the refrigeration costs for storage are covered if the cremation cannot be performed immediately after death (for example if there is a delay in obtaining a death certificate, or in the event a crematory is too busy).  Be aware that in the event the body must be kept for an extended period of time by the funeral home, additional refrigeration costs may apply.  

Immediate Burial is the transfer of the deceased from the place of death to a funeral home, and placement in a casket and transportation to the cemetery or other burial site without formal viewing, visitation, or ceremony. The cost of an immediate burial shown on our list does not include the cost of a casket. Instead, we have listed the least expensive casket offered by the funeral home separately because consumers are not obligated to purchase a casket from the funeral home and may choose to select a casket from a vendor of their choice. 

Immediate burial is a practical and cost-effective method if burial is desired because it requires only minimal services by the funeral home. If a family wishes, they may have a memorial service wherever they would like without the involvement of a funeral home.

The services and merchandise included in our survey for an immediate burial are: 

• The basic service fee for the funeral director and staff, including overhead costs (also referred to as the non-declinable fee)

• Transport of the deceased from the place of death
• Appropriate care of the remains (usually refrigeration)
• Transportation of the body to the cemetery

Immediate burial prices do not include any rite or ceremony, embalming, family’s use of the funeral home, facilities, cost of obituary, or other services of staff. 

To determine the total cost for a burial, families need to include the cost of the burial space/plot, the charge to open and close the grave, a grave liner (which is not required by law but is almost always required by cemeteries to keep the ground from sinking in and simplifying grounds maintenance), and a grave marker.  Prices vary greatly on these items, depending on the location of the gravesite and the materials used for the grave liner and the marker.  Veterans and their spouses should remember to obtain information about veteran burial benefits.  The charges for these additional costs must be added to the cost of the funeral to get a true understanding of the total cost of an immediate burial.

Full Funeral Service is a hypothetical funeral that includes 9 select goods and services.  The cost of a full funeral service that is shown on our list does not include the cost of a casket.  Instead, we have listed the least expensive casket offered by the funeral home separately because consumers are not obligated to purchase a casket from the funeral home and may choose to select a casket from a vendor of their choice.

The hypothetical full funeral service includes the following:

• The basic service fee for the funeral director and staff, including overhead costs (also referred to as the non-declinable fee)
• Transport of the deceased from the place of death
• Embalming
• Other preparation of the body, such as dressing, casketing, cosmetology
• Use of facilities and staff for viewing for at least 4 hours
• Use of facilities and staff for chapel service at funeral home
• Accompaniment of casketed remains to a local cemetery and supervision of graveside ceremony
• Hearse to transport the body to the cemetery
• Handling of flowers (service vehicle)

The hypothetical full funeral service does not include a casket, a grave space or plot, opening and closing a grave, a grave liner (which is not required by law but is almost always required by cemeteries to keep the ground from sinking in and simplifying grounds maintenance), an obituary, flowers, services of clergy, organist, vocalist, or other musicians, a police escort, or any other service or product not described above.  The charges for these additional costs must be added to the cost of the funeral to get a true understanding of the total cost of a full funeral service and burial.  

Extra costs may be incurred at some funeral homes for making arrangements for a service at a location other than the funeral home, for picking up a body beyond certain distances from some funeral homes, and for processing insurance policies. 

Least Expensive Casket

Casket prices can vary from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.  The casket price listed on the survey is for the least expensive casket offered by the funeral home as listed in their casket price range provided on their General Price List. 

The cost of the casket was not included in the price of the burial services because consumers are not obligated to purchase a casket from the funeral home and may choose to select a casket from a vendor of their choice, which may result in a cost savings. 

Corporate-Owned Funeral Homes

Corporate-owned funeral homes are defined for the purposes of this survey as those funeral homes being owned by a publicly traded corporation.  Because the original name of a funeral home is retained after it is purchased by a corporation, ownership structure is being designated to assist the consumer.  

Posting General Price Lists (GPL) on Website 

The Internet has made it possible for consumers to conduct research on their options and pricing before making purchasing decision.  Funeral services should be no exception.  In fact, having funeral service prices available online is extremely helpful to consumers for the following reasons:   

• Having to physically travel to funeral homes or make phone calls to obtain information on options and pricing at the time of a death can be difficult for families.

• Most of us will only plan a funeral 1 or 2 times in our lives and we are therefore generally unfamiliar with the available options and associated costs.
• Funeral expenses can vary widely and can be very expensive depending on the options selected.
• The person responsible for making funeral arrangements may be a home-bound elder or distant relative. 

Relative to other industries, the funeral industry has lagged behind in posting prices on their websites.  In an attempt to level the playing field for consumers, California recently amended Business and Professions (B&P) Code Section 7685, (effective January 1, 2013). B&P Section 7685 gives a funeral establishment (who maintains an Internet Website) two choices:

1.  Post on their website the list of funeral goods and services that are required to be included in the establishment’s General Price List (GPL), pursuant to federal rule, and include a statement that the GPL is available upon request.  The information shall be provided by a link from the home page of the website

OR

2.  Post on their website home page the words “price information” or a similar statement that includes the word “price” with a link to the establishment’s GPL.

While compliance with the Code can be met by meeting #1 above, it does not require the posting of prices and therefore does little to assist the consumer in conducting research from home.  We therefore reviewed funeral home websites to determine whether or not they post their price list on their website.  

Funeral Consumers Alliance of Southern California is happy to update our price survey at anytime.  If your funeral home has posted a full General Price List, please contact us at info@fcasocal.org or 888-737-9311.