 Funeral Home Denies Mishandling Bodies (huppstiverson)
posted Fri July 3rd 2009 @ 12:59 AM
A Falls Church funeral home that allegedly mishandled numerous bodies over the past year has denied wrongdoing. Its attorneys wrote to a Virginia regulatory board that the company has not violated any laws or industry standards and that it treats all remains with "the utmost dignity and respect." Attorneys for National Funeral Home, which serves as a regional embalming and storage facility for Houston-based Service Corporation International, wrote that allegations of impropriety were unfounded. They said an internal investigation has turned up "credible, independent evidence that refutes the principal allegations" that surfaced when current and former employees and customers complained publicly this year. Read More »
 Grieving Families Pressured to Spend (huppstiverson)
posted Thu July 2nd 2009 @ 3:59 PM
Kevin Hartley has been in the funeral industry for 20 years. He has worked in Tamworth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. But it was his tenure at a large operation in Sydney's south-west that really opened his eyes to the subtle yet sure-fire sales tactics funeral directors can throw at grieving families. "You have a position of power when you enter the house that can be easily abused," Mr Hartley said. "People are emotionally fragile, they're in unfamiliar territory, they have to make a series of decisions in a short period of time and they have to be good decisions, because they've only got the one opportunity to get it right." Read More »
 Robin Heppell Show You How To Be an Industry Expert (huppstiverson)
posted Thu July 2nd 2009 @ 11:00 AM
I received a email yesterday from Robin Heppell announcing a new video tutorial he did for FuneralFuturistU.com. The video shows you how to create your own "wire service" so you can be the industry expert in your community. As always Hepp does a brilliant job and really packs a lot of great information into a short video tutorial. I recommend you check it out! Robin shares: As a follow up to the Funeral Facebook Formula class in May, I showcased my “Information Gathering Dashboard” and I promised that I would make a video on how you can create one for yourself – here it is… Read More »
 Red-Light Camera Tickets Funeral Procession Drivers...Opps (huppstiverson)
posted Wed July 1st 2009 @ 12:05 PM
Funeral processions are not an exception to laws governing stop lights, public officials say, but some drivers had to learn that the hard way. Cindy Rittenberg ran a red light during a procession at the intersection of Carrollton Avenue and Earhart Boulevard.Rittenberg said the officers monitoring that intersection left but she continued to follow the car in front of her through the intersection. Weeks later, a ticket from the red-light camera at that intersection made it to Rittenberg's home and she attempted to dispute it with the City's Public Work's Department. Read More »
 Free One-Day Expo Only Pass to The NFDA Convention 2009 (huppstiverson)
posted Wed July 1st 2009 @ 8:27 AM
That's right, NFDA and ConnectingDirectors.com are offering you a free expo only one-day pass to this year's NFDA Convention in Boston, MA October 25-28. Please follow the link below to download and print the registration form. You have until July 31, 2009 to turn in your registration form, after July 31st the registration fee rises to $99. Do not miss this opportunity, if you think you might be able to attend please fill out this form. For more information about the most exciting funeral service event of the year, go to http://www.nfda.org/index.php/2009-convention-home. Or call an NFDA member services representative at 800-228-6332 (outside the U.S. call 262-789-1880). TO DOWNLOAD THE REGISTRATION FORM CLICK
Read More »
 Funeral Planning Assistance is a New Perk at Workplaces (huppstiverson)
posted Tue June 30th 2009 @ 1:09 PM
Companies don't roll out new employee benefits in recessions. But one exception to that rule can be found in some employer-provided group life insurance plans this year.Employees at a small but growing number of companies are gaining access to funeral planning services. With the help of a funeral concierge, they're able to make arrangements years in advance or at a moment's notice. Insurers such as The Hartford and ING have begun to offer the end-of-life services to employers as part of their group life insurance coverage. Both companies are partnering with Everest, a nationwide funeral planning and concierge service headquartered in Houston. Read More »
 Batesville Casket Company Receives Favorable Ruling in Antitrust Lawsuit (huppstiverson)
posted Tue June 30th 2009 @ 9:41 AM
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has denied a petition by the Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) to appeal a federal district court order in its antitrust lawsuit against Batesville Casket Company, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hillenbrand, Inc. (NYSE: HI) , and three of its funeral home customers. The FCA, a self-styled consumer advocacy group, had sought class certification in a lawsuit alleging that Batesville Casket Company and its three named customers had violated antitrust laws. A U.S. District judge in the Southern District of Texas denied certification on March 26, 2009, and the appellate court denied the subsequent petition for appeal on June 19, 2009. The FCA plaintiffs now have the option of dismissing their case or proceeding with individual claims. Read More »
 Funeral Industry Getting a Reality TV Show? (huppstiverson)
posted Mon June 29th 2009 @ 3:16 PM
No your eyes did not fool you, the title of this post is correct. The funeral industry is going to be getting its own reality TV show and you could be apart of it. The authors of "Grave Expectations: Planning the End Like There's No Tomorrow", and fellow members of ConnectingDirectors.com, Sue Bailey and Carmen Flowers are preparing a reality TV show based on their book. Working with an accomplished and acclaimed producer the ladies are going to build a reality show around people planning out their very own funeral detail for detail. If you have read the book or even pieces of it, then you know we are not talking about normal funerals. Grave Expectations challenges you to push the envelope and make your funeral a personal celebration/party. Sue and Carmen are reaching out to the members of ConnectingDirectors.com to help fill a very important void... Read More »
 Funeral Director Operated a Decade with No License (huppstiverson)
posted Mon June 29th 2009 @ 9:30 AM
As the family of the late Ada Young searches for answers, public records show that Willie B. Hardy, the funeral home administrator who left Young's body in a shed when his business changed locations this month, has a criminal history including felony theft. Officials from the Texas Funeral Service Commission said Hardy has not had a state funeral director's license since 1998. His expired license's status was listed as “revoked,” but a commission official could not say why it was revoked. Read More »
 BREAKING NEWS: TSA EXTENDS KNOWN SHIPPER DEADLINE TO AUGUST 1, 2009 (huppstiverson)
posted Fri June 26th 2009 @ 4:04 PM
Funeral homes, shipping services, and trade associations across the country have been working diligently over the last five months in order to meet the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) Known Shipper Mandate deadline of July 1, 2009. Due to backlogs existing within the airline and TSA application approval process, we are happy to announce that the Transportation Security Administration has granted an extension of the mandate deadline to August 1, 2009. Read More »
| 
