A couple of recently filed lawsuits regarding a funeral that allegedly went horribly wrong really make you think about the exorbitant cost you’re paying.

In one, an 85-year-old woman died and a Franklin funeral home in charge of her service allegedly put the wrong corpse in her casket. Her relatives walked into the first viewing to find a stranger wearing her jewelry. They were led out of the viewing room and after half an hour allowed to return to see the good loved one.

But, according to a lawsuit filed by the family, his body was “disheveled and bruised”.

In another case, a funeral home in Manalapan is accused of burying a deceased woman in the wrong cemetery and in someone else’s clothes. An exhumation was to take place.

Many called these mistakes appalling. But what is really appalling is the money demanded for funerals even when they are beyond reproach.

New Jersey is the 9th most expensive state for funeral expenses. The average funeral in the Garden State is $9,712.

The biggest expense at a funeral is usually the casket. And the markup is disgusting. A 500% markup on what the funeral home paid is not uncommon. So that $3,000 coffin you bought for grandma? Yeah, it could have been as low as $600.

It seems wrong to do when a family is grieving and has to make quick decisions and is not likely to shop around.

But you don’t have to pay it. Did you know there is a federal law that says funeral homes must accept outdoor caskets? Yes, even Costco sells them or you can buy a casket online and a funeral home has nothing to say about it.

It seems preposterous that families in New Jersey spend nearly $10,000 on average on a sad event that no one wanted to have and are sometimes directed into unnecessary and lavish spending.

Don’t be a victim. Here’s a great Federal Trade Commission website that explains your rights and how not to be taken to the bank for funeral expenses.

The views expressed in the above post are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

Incredibly expensive divorces