I agree with you! Wherever there is a buck to be made, people will stoop pretty low. BUT...in all fairness, the biggest ripoff artists are the funeral homes themselves. I compare them to some of the con artist car salesmen I've known over the years. When you're at the worst time in your life with grieving over a lost loved one and not thinking to clearly, they will try to steer you towards their "Cadillac Coffin" before they show you the cheaper model. Then they will try to sell you on a bunch of nonsense items that really don't mean anything to you or your family, but they make tons of profit on these little extras and before you know it, you're looking at a huge funeral bill! And they do it all with a big smile and a show of genuine concern!
I personally know the biggest funeral director in my town. He and the wife are constantly traveling all over the world every summer and they have a couple of really nice homes, not to mention, the nice set of cars in their 5 car garage! As you can tell, I've been through this to many times and I cut right through their BS right from the start and tell them this is what it's going to be. They don't like it, and once they know that I'm not falling for the sales pitch, their whole attitude changes.
Priced a funeral lately???