This article is commentary on a Dead Ringers’ Blog Post.
It’s funny how the data from Parting.com is used to argue both sides of a story. On one side, a person can look at the variance in price and say, “I can’t believe there’s such a big difference!” On the other, “Look, there’s the expected difference.”
We didn’t create Parting with the intention of forcing any funeral home to operate a certain way. Parting was born out of the necessity of trying to find and understand options quickly and easily. We never cared how outrageous a price might be because in a free market, the informed consumer has all the power.
What about a direct cremation? A direct cremation may be a guideline for the minimum amount of services required, but the final price is only a tiny part of the story. A business should be able to set pricing based on overhead, demand, marketing costs, and all the other expenses it takes to run a business. We don’t understand the need to want to add useless rules to the already heavily regulated funeral industry.
It’s quite the slippery slope when we have those with no financial obligation in a business trying to set prices for a business owner.
Yes, transparency is great for everyone. Though at what point is it the industry’s responsibility to provide that? The answer is now. In creating Parting and Parting Pro, we have seen first hand the shift in consumer’s behavior. This “new” consumer now expects businesses to be honest, consumer-focused, and provide immense value. The shift is happening NOW and those firms that relied on a veil of secrecy are losing market share.
Instead of forcing anyone to do anything, Parting Pro is here to help those innovative funeral owners that want to grow with the trends. We’re enabling those that see the future of the industry, and want to stay ahead of the game. Consumers are voting with their dollars, and we’re here to make sure our partners are winning the vote.