Consumer Warnings!

Caskets & Coffins

"It is not recommended that you import caskets from online casket manufacturers. It may go well once or twice, but you are bound to get a bad coffin or casket sooner or later. And once they are here in Australia it is virtually impossible to do anything about it".

"Online casket manufacturers have no quality control management of their own. If you import caskets from an online store, there will not be anyone ensuring the quality of your coffin or casket, at all".

"Online coffin and casket manufacturers actually know very little about the details of quality when it comes to coffins and caskets".

Using an online Casket Store

There are websites selling cheap Asian made coffins and caskets to the general public, one such site claims that "You do not have to sacrifice quality to provide the best for your loved ones at a reasonable price"

Fortunately most people know, usually through personal experience that as price reduces quite often so does the quality.

If you still decide to make further enquiries regarding a coffin or casket from one of these websites there are a few thing you need to find out:

  • Ask to see the insurance certificate for their public liability policy (It should be for at least $10 Million)
  • Ask to see the results for the strength tests conducted on the handles and the coffin. These should be from an Australian accredited test lab and have accompanying photographs of the actual tests. (A coffin full of bricks and slung from a tree branch with rags is not considered a certified test)

Before you decide to purchase one of these caskets you then need to find out from your funeral company if they are willing to use a casket from a casket store.

In most cases the funeral director will want to sight the public liability insurance certificate and the casket and handle test results. As a business owner, your funeral director will need to satisfy him/her self that their obligation under Workplace Health and Safety law has been met. They have a duty of care to ensure there are no injuries, not only to their employees but also to the public in general and in the event the casket does cause any personal injury or damage to property, that the liability will be covered by the seller of the casket and not the funeral business.

If you can supply the above documents to your funeral director, he probably still won't decide to use the coffin or casket until he has sighted it. There are instances of these caskets being delivered with some major scratches and dents in them and the funeral director has the reputation of his business to consider.

Remember your family Funeral Director is the person who will care for your loved one, he is experienced in managing your needs at this most sensitive time and will guide you with care and compassion. His services and the products he supplies will always be of the highest quality, usually reflecting the number of years he has been in business.