COPIED FROM FCA OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA’S WEBSITE.
What We Do
We contract with local, independent mortuaries so that our members receive death goods and services at affordable prices. We also engage in consumer-education outreach and advocacy.This includes group presentations, printed materials, personal consultations and membership benefits. Every year in the fall we conduct an annual meeting for members and the public.
Our History
The Funeral Consumers Alliance of Northern California was founded in 1959 as the Sacramento Valley Memorial Society by individuals concerned about consumer rights and protections and the high cost of funeral services. Since then we have changed our name to the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Northern California to allign ourselves with the national organization. We have always been affiliated with the national organization, Funeral Consumers Alliance, Inc.
Josh it seems a tad disingenuous that the FCA has nothing to do with Local Funeral Homes and is totally supported by 501(c)(3) organizations unless you mean all of the national organizations revenue comes from it’s chapters. That may be the case. Yet the local chapters make arrangements with local funeral home providers so that they may receive referrals from the FCANC. I am confident that these local funeral service providers are somehow compensating the FCA for to be part of this referral network.
Your advice and opinions are heavily weighted toward local brick and mortar funeral service providers and severely negative of optional providers such as Neptune, etc. The average cost of cremation in 2009 was $2600. It would seem that the optional providers are priced less than this average. This average is driven by these brick and mortar, traditional providers.
I think it would be difficult to maintain a truly independent opinion, if your funding is coming from those being evaluated.
Just one man’s humble opinion.
