When calling around to funeral homes that you are considering for hire, DO NOT give them the name of the deceased and/or be too specific about the location of a body UNTIL you have decided to hire them. (How to Shop for a Funeral Business to Hire) 

 

Example: In March 2023 a body was basically stolen by a mortuary which assumed it had permission to pick up the body (the day BEFORE the family was scheduled to meet with them for "an arrangement conference" ...on a Sunday.). The Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, UT record showed that the family had "not yet decided" which mortuary to use. Despite that, the hospital released the body to the mortuary that showed up.

 

The family wanted to hire somewhere else and threatened to file a complaint with the Utah Department of Licensure. So the mortuary wisely price matched the competing  mortuary.​

 

A Serious Problem:

-There is nothing in Utah Funeral License Rules about proper protocol for Funeral Directors to perform first call pickup.

-Hospitals DO have protocols for release of a body, but they DON'T openly share that protocol, and the protocols we've seen exclude a procedure for anyone other than funeral directors or medical examiners to pick up a body, which means you are dealing with uninformed, untrained staff.​

 

Be on the Offense when Calling a Mortuary:

Use our mortuary price comparison surveys to compare prices at a glance.​

Even if a funeral home has the body already you can still change your mind and switch funeral homes if you don't like the way they treat you, or don't like the "Statement of Goods & Services Selected" given to you at the end of the arrangements discussion. Of course you have to pay for any services already rendered, but you can either remove the body (after you acquire a burial transit permit), or a alternative funeral home can go get the body.