Beware of the scam many funeral homes endorse.
I'm calling this a scam, which is my opinion, based on what I believe to be a misrepresentation of the offer. This offer is very likely being pitched to folks who are grieving due to the loss of a loved one. That is no time to be misrepresenting the product. The offer is likely "legal", but a misrepresentation of the end product.... i.e. false advertising.
A friend's spouse passed away and when I was visiting the funeral home's website to check arrangements, I noticed what I thought it would be a good idea. They offered that instead of [wasting money on flowers that will wilt and die in a week], wouldn't it be a better idea to plant a tree in her memory.
As can be seen in the above graphic (taken from the funeral home's website) there is not a lot of information to rely on. Quickly reading this promotional graphic, most would think of a tree being planted that could be visited by the family just the same as a headstone over the grave would be. Yes, maybe not in the immediate vicinity, but many would assume close by. At the very least in close proximity to the area where the decedent lived. It is only when you would dig deeper in the literature that you discover they plant the tree wherever they chose. In my case it was 9-hours and 20-minutes from the area where the decedent lived. Additionally as the below graphic indicated... it is recommended you don't try to visit the tree because it's location is likely inaccessible.
To me, what good is memorial tree if it can't be visited or viewed by the grieving family and loved ones. And, in my case they never added the "certificate" to the decedent's virtual memorial wall... i.e. the family would never know that my purchased tree was given. Had I know (or understood) all this in the beginning it would have been better if I bought a tree at my local nursery and planted it either in my yard, or better yet, planted it in the surviving spouse's yard.
Now, to be fair and accurate, I did contact the provider and told them of my dissatisfaction and they issued an immediate credit for the purchase. But this wasn't a money thing... it was a principal thing. Be straight forward with customers... don't hide the fact that what you are purchasing can never be viewed by either the purchaser OR the surviving family.
I also contacted the funeral home via their website and as of the date on this article they have not responded. After doing some further research on funeral home "scams" I came to learn that the funeral home likely receives 50% of the sales price, and they do nothing but place the A Tree to Remember''s text and graphics on their website. So... the funeral home has a vested interest in promoting their tree planting services. In addition, some sites addressing this tree planting issue indicated that the tree planting company only donates $1.00 towards the tree. It is assumed that someone like Arbor Day Foundation (A Tree to Remember's "partner") is likely using (to some degree) federal funds from a forrest restoration budget.
If you would like more information on funeral home scams, check out this link: https://www.usurnsonline.com/funeral-resources/avoid-these-10-common-funeral-scams/
Feel free to add you comments below, or, share any issues you may have ran into related to underhanded tatics by funeral homes and/or companies they do business with.
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