NBC 5 Responds helps Fort Worth mom with pre-paid funeral plans

Lola Enrriques pre-purchased her memorial package through Laurel Land Funeral Home. Her son, Adrian, says she paid in full.

“She paid it all off,” said Adrian Enrriques. “And then she decided to go check and make sure everything was in order. and they told her that she was not in the system. They couldn't find her."

But Lola, a meticulous record keeper, returned with all of her proof only to be confronted with an additional problem: several of the items she'd paid for were no longer available; they told her she'd have to choose new items instead, all of which were more expensive.

"God willing, my mother's going to be here for a while still, you know,” said Adrian. “And I don't want her to be having to make payments on something all the way till, you know, she can no longer do anything."

Adrian contacted NBC 5 Responds for help. After our consumer investigation team got involved, we got an email from Laurel Land telling us:

“All of this customer’s pre-arrangements are in good order. There was clearly a miscommunication on our part."

Here's something to keep in mind if you want to pre-plan and pre-pay for your own memorial costs.

The FTC provides online consumer guides in both English and Spanish, with information about shopping for funeral services.

If you plan to pre-pay, they recommend you ask if you are protected if the firm you dealt with goes out of business, and whether you can get a full refund if you change your mind. And be sure to tell your family about the plans you've made and where the documents are filed.