Do not choose cremation services in Pittsburgh based solely on low price.
Instead, choose a firm that is focused on integrity, high cremation standards, and not low cost.
When you decide to make your cremation arrangements in Pittsburgh, other factors pertaining to the cremation provider are far more important than price.
Factors, such as experience, having a highly trained staff, and reputation should be considered as well.
Above all, choose a firm with high cremation standards.
This pertains to how you would want the firm to care for you, your spouse, your parent or your child.
Cremation Standards
All people should be treated with the same dignity and respect no matter what type of service they choose. Whether they choose a traditional funeral service with embalming and burial or a direct cremation, the same level of care should be provided.
The best advice is to question how they handle a person when a direct or simple cremation is requested. Ask if they will bath, position, shave (if needed), and dress the person just like they would if there was embalming.
Experience
Make sure you choose a reputable firm that has years of experience caring for families.
Find out how long they have been in the business. This is a business where experience matters.
Do a little research. Ask local members of the clergy. If you belong to a local church or synagogue, ask your priest, minister or rabbi for a recommendation or two.
Choose a firm that has been serving families that prefer cremation for many years. In this profession, a compassionate staff makes all the difference when your family needs it the most.
Member of the Cremation Association of North America
Find out if the firm is a member of the Cremation Association of North America.
CANA members commit to abide by the Cremation Code of Practice.
In the practice of cremation, CANA members believe:
- In dignity and respect in the care of the deceased, in compassion for the living who survive them, and in the memorialization of life;
- That a Cremation Authority should be responsible for creating and maintaining an atmosphere of respect at all times;
- That the greatest care should be taken in the appointment of crematory staff members, any of whom must not, by conduct or demeanor, bring the crematory or cremation into disrepute;
- That cremation should be considered as preparation for memorialization;
- That the dead of our society should be memorialized through a commemorative means suitable to the survivors.
Highly Trained Staff
Choose a firm with highly trained staff members who care for families and their loved ones with respect.
According to the CANA Code of Practice, the greatest care should be taken in the appointment of crematory staff members. Ask how many cremation operators they have and what type of training is required. Are the operators CANA certified? Ask the cremation operators if this is their primary job responsibility?
Service Guarantee
Does the firm offer a service guarantee? Do they guarantee that if you are not 100% satisfied with any aspect of their service, they will make every effort to correct the situation, or give you a refund?
It can be tempting to choose low cost cremation services when you decide to make your cremation arrangements in Pittsburgh. But other factors, such as experience, a highly trained and compassionate staff, and reputation are far more important.
Choose a firm that is focused on integrity and service beyond expectation and not on low cost. As the old saying goes, “You get what you pay for.”
