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Are funeral service contracts transferable if I move? Modify your funeral prearrangements with the help of Funeral Services Quotes! |
Are you thinking of canceling a prearranged funeral contract you have purchased?
A prearranged funeral services contract is a legal agreement contracted by a living individual with a funeral services company for services and goods to be provided at the time of death.
Wishing to amend or cancel this type of agreement happens in an area as complex and confusing as funerals. However, changing your mind about a prearranged funeral or burial contract can come with its share of difficulties and costs.
To change or cancel a pre-arranged funeral services contract comes with its share of difficulties and costs! Funeral Services Quotes presents details below to guide you because we want to help you plan the type of funeral service you want.
Follow these tips to modify or cancel your contract and connect with us using the short online form below for free quotes!
Can you change a prearranged funeral services contract?
Let’s get right to the heart of the matter – amending a pre-arranged funeral and burial contract.
What you need to know is that a pre-arranged funeral and burial contract can only be changed if the funeral services company, whether it is a funeral home or a cooperative, agrees to the proposed change.
Does this mean you can’t change your pre-arranged funeral contract? Not at all! Although the funeral home’s consent is required to make the change, obtaining this consent is rarely a problem and most funeral homes will accept the proposed change.
Why would a funeral home agree to change a pre-arrangement contract if it is not required to do so? For the simple reason that the terms of cancellation of such a contract are very flexible and favorable to clients. Therefore, if the funeral company refuses to modify the contract, it runs the risk of losing a client who will exercise his right to cancel and sign a new contract with a competitor.
Do you want to modify your pre-arranged funeral contract? Talk to a Funeral Services Quotes partner consultant who will evaluate your existing contract and advise you accordingly!
Is modification not an option after careful consideration? Here’s how you can end your contract while respecting the law and your obligations!
Procedure for canceling a pre-arranged funeral contract
Sometimes, it is better to make a clean break than to try to modify a fundamentally flawed agreement. Since consumer protection laws are geared towards restoring fairness between the vendor and the client, funeral service contracts can be canceled by following the procedure outlined below.
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*Source: Office of Consumer Protection
The cancellation of a prearrangement contract when concluded at the funeral home does not enjoy the benefit of a 30-day grace period for canceling the agreement but it is still possible by paying a penalty of 10% of the cost of the prearrangements.
As for a burial services contract, the protections are less generous! In fact, a burial services contract can only be canceled unilaterally by the client if it was concluded someplace other than at the funeral establishment, and this, within 30 days of receiving a copy of the contract.
How do you cancel the contract? Because the law wants to make it as simple and easy as possible to cancel a pre-arranged funeral contract, it requires vendors to provide the consumer with a cancellation request form attached to the contract. All you have to do is fill out the form and send it to the funeral home for the cancellation to take effect.
How long does it take to receive a refund? Since funeral establishments are required to hold the amounts paid in a trust account, the funds must be readily available. They are required by law to give the refund within 45 days of receiving the request for cancellation.
Are funeral service contracts transferable if I move?
Over the years, funeral homes across Quebec and Ontario have heard an impending relocation as the reason for not making funeral prearrangements. The consequence of this excuse: thousands of people deprive themselves of such a service for fear of having to move and waste their money.
You should know that those days are long gone! Funeral homes and co-operatives have signed a reciprocity agreement allowing them to honor prearranged funeral contracts regardless of where they were signed in Quebec.
This means that you can move anywhere you want at the end of your life and your prearranged funeral contract will remain valid and in effect! All the more reason to choose this service now!
Funeral will vs. Pre-arrangements: What's the difference?
Do you think that planning your funeral from scratch before your death is a bit too much? At the same time, do you fear leaving your loved ones without any indication of your final wishes at your death? An ideal compromise might be the option of depositing a funeral will with a funeral home near you.
This document is not as exhaustive as a funeral prearrangement contract, but it still contains guidelines, instructions, and final wishes relating to the funeral for the benefit of the relatives responsible for planning the ceremony. It is, therefore, a way of guiding your loved ones without going as far as a prearranged contract.
Interested in this type of funeral service? Funeral Services Quotes can help you submit your funeral wishes to a qualified funeral home in your area. Just fill out our application form and get it accomplished without delay!
Top tips to avoid modifying or canceling a prearranged funeral contract
Of course, as you may have gathered from the previous sections, a prearranged funeral contract can be modified simply and without penalty within 30 days. However, the best contract is not the one that is easily modified, but the one that never has to be!
So that you can take advantage of such a contract and, consequently, have peace of mind, follow the few tips we present below.
Compare and shop around for prearranged funeral services to see your options.
One of the most common reasons for changing a prearranged funeral contract is finding better services elsewhere. However, by adequately comparing the different service offers from the start, it’s a safe bet that you would have found what you were looking for from the start. Compare and do your due diligence from the start to save you time and headaches later!
Discuss the funeral process with your loved ones.
Another frequent reason for cancellation or modification is when a discussion with loved ones put decisions made in question. Since family members will be involved in your death by force of circumstances, taking the trouble to discuss it with them to inform them of your decisions will prevent such scenarios in the future.
Analyze the contract carefully and get advice!
Misunderstanding the actual content of a contract is an eternal problem of consumer law. Indeed, contracts are sometimes written in intelligible, complex, or simply ambiguous terms. Such agreements put you at risk of signing a contract that you simply do not understand. So, to avoid this, make sure you are accompanied by a loved one you trust when signing the agreement to make sure you have understood the contract well.
Check the quality of the funeral home contacted
As in any industry, the funeral services industry has many players with enticing offers to be competitive on the market. It is in your best interest to compare the different providers from the outset to ensure that the funeral services company you are signing up with is worthy of your trust.
Would you like to have a prearranged funeral services contract that you won’t need to modify or cancel?
Put the odds on your side by trusting the partners of Funeral Services Quotes in your area! Just fill out the short online form on this page to receive high-quality offers to compare, free of charge.
Modify your funeral services contract with the help of Funeral Services Quotes!
Would you like to change your funeral prearrangements? All you have to do is implement the procedure explained above. However, you will need to receive the help of a qualified counselor from a reputable funeral home in your area!
Funeral Services Quotes has partnered with leaders in the funeral services industry in Quebec and Ontario. Fill out the form at the bottom of the page and you’ll receive a free quote from a funeral home in your area!
