Frequently Asked Questions

Name: A Basic Cremation Inc.
Address: 592 Clearwater Way, Coquitlam, BC, V3C 5W4, Canada
Telephone: 604-488-9839

Browse the list of our most frequently asked questions. If you have other questions, you can call us at 604-488-9839 or email us at abasiccremation@telus.net and we’ll be happy to help you.

How are you different from other cremation providers?

A Basic Cremation Inc. costs up to 80% less than most funeral homes. A Basic Cremation Inc. is privately owned by Preston Webb and family and are unlike some other cremation providers, who use words and phrases like “when all you want is a simple cremation, we come to you, come to us and save, an affordable cremation, lowest cost cremation guaranteed, no service by request, family-owned, arranged directly or deal directly with the crematorium, when that’s all you need, because that’s all we do and just cremation” in their names and ads.

Unknown to the public, these cremation providers are actually owned by or affiliated with traditional funeral homes who practice what we call 2-tier or double-standard pricing. The price depends on whether you call the
parent funeral home’s number or their cremation service number, and sometimes whether you go to their office or they go to you. Their funeral home price typically starts from 3 or more times as much as their cremation service price, with higher additional charges to go to your home. If you think the parent funeral home price is too high, they might refer you to someone they know. However, this person is often one of their staff members at a different phone number and you’re still dealing with the same people. This is not the case with A Basic Cremation Inc.

Some of these parent funeral homes will offer to match a lower price such as ours. This means they could have offered you the lower price first but chose to try and charge a higher rate beforehand. This is double-standard pricing.

At A Basic Cremation Inc., we have only one flat price, which includes meeting you anywhere in Greater Vancouver that is convenient for you. We will first come to make the cremation arrangements and subsequently to deliver the ashes and death certificate(s) to you when everything is ready, about a week after the arrangements are made.

Alternatively, you can make these arrangements by email (or fax) – all you need is a printer and a scanner or a fax. You don’t ever have to step into the crematory unless you choose to.

We are also different from other cremation providers in that:

We do not use cardboard cremation containers to cremate your loved one’s remains in. These containers are flimsy and don’t give the respect or dignity your loved one deserves. We only use rigid wood-based cremation containers which will not collapse or bend when your loved one’s remains are placed in them. Please note that these containers are good for up to a maximum of 300lbs (136kg). In excess of this weight, we use a heavy-duty cremation container at an additional cost.

We do not require or demand payment up-front or a deposit when making the arrangements, as most of our competitors do. In fact, we actually prefer that you not pay us until we complete everything and deliver your loved one’s ashes and the death certificate(s) back to you. You are entrusting the care of your loved one to us, surely we can trust you to pay us when we return!
Where are you located?

A Basic Cremation Inc.’s registered office is in Coquitlam but we will meet you anywhere in Greater Vancouver to make the arrangements and to deliver the ashes and death certificate(s) when ready. The arrangements comprise of completing the cremation contract and cremation authorization, taking between 20 – 30 minutes of your time.
Where do you take our loved ones’ remains to?

Your loved one’s remains are transferred directly to the crematorium to await the necessary documentation for cremation. The cremation can only be done after 48 hours have passed from the time of death and all the necessary documentation is in place. However, the remains will be transferred to the crematorium as soon as possible.
How long does it take?

Under normal circumstances, we deliver the ashes and death certificate(s) to the family in about a week from the day the arrangements are made and your loved one is released to us. Sometimes a delay in the hospital or coroner’s release, issuing the medical certificate of death required for death registration, or a coroner’s investigation into the death will delay delivery accordingly.
What are the costs?

A Basic Cremation Inc. costs significantly less than most funeral homes, please see our basic package. Optional extras such as the purchase of an urn, viewing, dressing, witnessing the cremation start, transfer from a private residence (for an expected home-death), rush transfer, after hours transfer (4pm to 9am–Monday to Friday, weekends, govt. stat. holidays), heavy-duty cremation container and extended cremation fee (for individuals 300lb and over), or sea scattering of the ashes do incur optional additional fees. We will gladly quote additional items over the phone and will mail or email our current price list to you upon request.
What if we want to have a viewing or witness the start of the cremation?

This can be arranged with sufficient notice. In this instance, you would have to go to the crematory and additional fees for viewing or witnessing the start of the cremation will apply. Viewing involves additional work and the use of the viewing room, and witnessing the start of the cremation does interrupt the crematorium’s busy schedule. Within a short time, we expect to have our very own, centrally-located crematory which will eliminate some of these additional fees, but for the moment, the crematory we use exclusively charges these additional fees.
What if we don’t want the ashes back?

You can authorize us in writing during the arrangements to scatter the ashes permanently on your behalf, for a very nominal fee as this is an optional, extra service. The ashes will be scattered at sea in our own time.
What about burying or shipping the ashes?

We can provide you with a list of cemeteries for you to deal directly with. As an extra service, we will deliver the ashes directly to any cemetery in the Greater Vancouver Area for you at no extra charge. In the case of shipping, we will package and ship the ashes for you pre-paid. All shipping, packaging, and handling costs plus tax are additional.
What if we want to have a service?

A Basic Cremation Inc. is mainly for families who do not wish to have a service or who prefer to arrange a memorial service or celebration of life on their own. You can arrange this directly to have friends and family gather in your home, church, local community hall, rec hall, or another facility for a reception and celebration. You can also search online for a suitable hall or reception facility in your area. We can, however, recommend a minister or celebrant for the service.
What about newspaper death notices?

We find that most families prefer to place obituaries and death notices directly with the newspapers themselves so we do not offer this as part of our service. Remember to prepare the obituary notice before you contact the newspaper and have your credit card number ready for them. They tend to prefer that you email or fax the notice in rather than do it over the phone but call their classifieds to find out first.
Why aren’t you a member of the BBB?

The BBB neither licenses nor regulates A Basic Cremation Inc. or the cremation and funeral industry. A Basic Cremation Inc. replaces any funeral home and is fully licensed and regulated by Consumer Protection BC. If you need to confirm our good standing, legitimacy, and license status, please contact Consumer Protection BC since it is they, and not the BBB, who license and regulate A Basic Cremation Inc. and the entire cremation, funeral and cemetery industry. Please contact Consumer Protection BC to confirm our credentials, good standing, and licensing status.

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