You are entitled to prices on the phone
The FTC Funeral Rule requires providers to give price information over the telephone to anyone who asks. You do not have to give your name, your address, or the name of the person who has died. A provider who insists on those before quoting is not complying, and that alone tells you how the rest of the conversation will go.
You are also entitled to a written, itemised General Price List when you visit in person, before being shown anything for sale.
The four questions
One. What is your basic services fee? This is the non-declinable charge and the cleanest comparison between providers.
Two. Is that quote all-inclusive for a direct cremation, or are transfer, container, refrigeration and return of ashes priced separately?
Three. Which charges are pass-through from the county or the medical examiner, and do you add anything to them?
Four. What is the total that will appear at the bottom of the statement for a direct cremation with no extras?
Two answers that should end it
A refusal to quote by phone. And a quote that arrives only after a home visit is scheduled. Neither is illegal in itself, but both mean the price is a negotiation rather than a published figure, and a grieving family is the weaker party in that negotiation every time.
Compare like for like
The comparison only works if both quotes cover the same service. A $995 headline that excludes transfer and container does not finish lower than an all-inclusive $1,750 — it is a different product described in a way that makes it look like the same one. Write the four answers down for each provider before deciding.