We feel it is important for all involved to be realistic with respect to funeral costs. We do not want your choices to be more than is affordable nor less than what meets your needs and those of your family and friends.

During the arrangement conference, you will be making selections of merchandise and services presented to you by your funeral director. The charges for these selections are fully disclosed in our General Price List, and you will receive an itemized statement of all charges that must be approved and signed by the person(s) responsible for making arrangements.

As a local, family-owned business we are completely dependent on those we serve to pay all charges promptly. Our payment policies enable us to keep costs down and insure all are treated fairly.

Our payment policy requires payment in full of all charges prior to services being rendered or merchandise being provided. Payment may be made with cash, local bank check, money order, cashier’s check, or major credit card. Alternate options are discussed below.

PREPAID ARRANGEMENTS

         Our firm will file all necessary claim forms for payment of prearranged funeral policies originating with Strode Funeral Home. Charges for all items not pre-paid must be paid prior to services being rendered.

LIFE INSURANCE PROCEEDS

         At our discretion, we will accept assignments of verified life insurance proceeds to pay for all or part of any contracted amount. Because we are no longer able to obtain information concerning the validity of insurance policies due to federal privacy act provisions such as HIPAA, insurance assignments are processed by a third-party provider that charges a fee of 3.9% of all monies assigned. In the event proceeds are not available for any reason the individual(s) who sign(s) our Statement of Goods and Services will be responsible for immediate payment of any balance due.

MONTHLY PAYMENTS

        Those wanting to finance all or part of the balance due may wish to apply with third-party lenders who are responsible for all credit-granting decisions. Our funeral home is unable to extend credit for monthly payments, as we are not a financial or credit-granting institution.

Should you need to arrange for any other third-party financing (i.e. banks, credit unions, etc) we will supply whatever information is necessary (copies of contracts, etc.) with the permission of the person(s) legally responsible for making arrangements.

 ESTATES AND PROBATE

        We regret we are unable to wait for settlement of estates, sales of assets, or other legal proceedings for payment of accounts. In these instances, we require payment in full from family members, attorneys, or personal representatives who then may seek reimbursement from the estate.

FINANCIAL HARDSHIP

         We understand that many families are unprepared for the financial responsibilities incurred when making funeral arrangements. If you are dealing with limited resources, please do not hesitate to tell us of your circumstances and we will do everything we can to tailor an experience to meet your needs and fit your budget.

AND FINALLY

        We can think of nothing more disturbing than sending those we serve a monthly reminder of a death in the form of a bill or collection notice. As a service institution, our mission of caring and support is severely compromised when we are forced to become bill collectors or have to turn bad accounts over to a collection agency. These types of actions alter the relationships we have developed with our families, and we try to avoid such situations at all costs.