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Buying headstones online is a great
way to save money
Buying headstones online is a great way to save
money in your time of need. We at MonumentsUSA.com hear stories
nearly every day from customers whose cemeteries have quoted those
prices hundreds or even thousands of dollars higher than those we
are able to offer. Customers regularly ask if this dramatic price
difference is a sign that cemeteries offer higher quality headstones
than those available online, and we have two answers to that
question.
First, headstones from MonumentsUSA.com come from one of the
largest, most trusted, manufacturers in the United States, and this
company also serves many – if not most – cemeteries in the nation.
So, in many cases, when buying headstones online, customers are
purchasing the very same product that is also available at a
cemetery – for a substantially higher price.
This brings us to the second part of our answer: the reason for the
price differences is a reflection of the history of the memorial
industry. In years past, cemeteries (and funeral homes for that
matter) held a monopoly like grip on the industry by requiring their
customers to buy all accessories (headstones, caskets, etc.) from
them. The prices of the accessories, therefore, often subsidized the
cost of the traditional cemetery service and, typically, the
customer – who simply paid one lump-sum bill -- never knew the
itemized costs for each product or service.
In relatively recent years, however, the United States Federal Trade
Commission, has required that cemeteries offer customers an itemized
bill for all products and services, And cemeteries must also allow
customers to buy their accessories elsewhere – such as from online
dealers. These rules were intended to improve competition and thus
lower prices of the accessories. But the intended effect seems still
not to have taken full hold. While prices are generally much lower
when customers buy headstones online, many cemeteries still hold to
their traditional practices of charging a premium price for
accessories in exchange for “one-stop shopping” convenience for
customers.
While most cemeteries do not violate FTC laws by blatantly
discouraging from buy headstones and other accessories elsewhere,
they are also, of course, not prone to encourage customers to look
elsewhere. So many customers, wanting to dispense with the
emotionally difficult work of burial planning as quickly as
possible, never even think of buying headstones online. There is no
doubt, however, that many of these customers end up grimacing at the
final price they pay their cemetery.
By taking just a few extra moments to find an Internet headstone
dealer and buying a headstone online, you are not only saving
yourself a lot of money; you are also helping to drive prices down
for everyone. As more and more consumers begin opting to buying
headstones online at substantial savings, cemeteries will certainly
lower their prices to stay competitive.
In the end, the “one-stop shopping” convenience offered by
cemeteries who sell headstones may have a little value, but online
companies such as MonumentsUSA.com are also equally as concerned
with customer service and make buying headstones online a very
simple process. At MonumentsUSA.com, for example, a representative
works personally with the cemetery on each order to assure that the
headstone matches cemetery regulation and arrange for installation
(which is usually charged separately by the cemetery). Buying a
headstone online is typically very easy. All that’s required is,
customer taken the time to look up a dealer on the Internet. |
