The Trident Society Missled me into paying $1,562.50 for a $35 wood box.

On 10/12/17 Mr. Jesse Ridings of the Roseville office of the Trident Society visited me at my home.  I had already decided to purchase a cremation contract.  He told me the cost would be $2,233.22 .  I made him out a check and signed several papers.  About two weeks later I found a package left in the rain by a delivery person.  It contained an unharmed attractive cherry wood box (made of mdf).  It was my Trident urn-box.  It also contained a number of cards and company info.

About the end of October I received a couple of receipts from Trident.  One was for a "Preneed Funeral Agreement".   That agreement included: transfer of body from place of death to a holding facility,  Any needed storage,  the actual cremation, and sending the ashes to my brother in Hawaii.  The charge for these services was $670.72 .

The second receipt was for a "Retail Merchandise Agreement".  This was a charge for the cherry finished box, 25 thank you cards and a cardboard frame for a picture I'd want to use.  The charge for this was $1,562.50 .  When I saw this . . . I hit the roof!  The next day I drove for 1.5 hours to the Roseville office.  Handed them the cherry finish box and asked for my money back for the Merchandise Agreement.

Mr. Ridings (my salesman) ushered me into a private room.  He told me that while the separate receipts made it appear that these were separate transactions . . . it was really all one single transaction.   As I seemed highly skeptical, he called in his manager.  The manager said that it was confusing only because California requires them to put enough to cover the cremation into a trust.  That $670.72 was the amount that they had to put into the trust.  And, it had to be billed separatly.  He said that they could not break the contract in two.  If I rejected the Merchandise agreement, then they would have to cancell the entire cremation agreement. 

Still feeling ripped off, I walked out without cancelling.  I strongly suspect that the state of California knows that it only costs about $670 to move, store and cremate a body.  I'll be that that includs a 15 to 20% profit.  Even if a profit is not included in the amount put into trust, They'd only need to charge $35 for the cherry box, and $134 for a 20% profit.  Not $1,562!  They give you 30 days to cancell.  I will look hard for another outfit during the few days I have left.