Shandong 4-year-old child passed away, controversy sparked over the nearly 14,000 yuan fee charged by the funeral home for 8 flower baskets. On July 14th, “Media Criticizes Jinan Funeral Home for Overpriced Flower Baskets” trended hotly online. Netizens were in an uproar. Many expressed mixed feelings and questioned, “The deceased has passed away, should the living be crushed by sky-high fees?”
On July 9th, the cancer-fighting child “Little Apple” passed away in Jinan, Shandong, and a netizen posted that the Jinan Funeral Home charged the family 13,800 yuan for 8 flower baskets, sparking discussions.
According to a report by the Beijing News, on July 10th, the mother of “Little Apple,” Lin Jia (alias), revealed that in February 2023, “Little Apple” was diagnosed with late-stage neuroblastoma. After undergoing multiple treatments, he sadly passed away on the morning of July 9th. She arranged for 8 flower baskets at the funeral home for “Little Apple,” with the provided receipt showing that the price for “hall flowers” was 13,800 yuan.
She said, “The initial price was 18,800 yuan, but after a discount, they charged 13,800 yuan. Even so, I still find it hard to accept this price. After numerous negotiations with the funeral home, it was decided to charge 3,000 yuan.”
Searching for funeral flower basket prices on e-commerce platforms around Jinan shows that the selling price of a “large flower basket” is generally between 100 and 400 yuan.
Lin Jia’s encounter with the exorbitant price of “hall flowers” shocked numerous netizens. The average price of each flower basket reaches up to 1,725 yuan, far exceeding market prices and costs. Netizens questioned why the flower baskets were turned into “golden flowers,” it was excessive! This isn’t about selling flowers, it’s blatantly selling “gold bars”!
Netizens criticized: “Living people can’t earn enough money, now even the ‘wreath money’ for the deceased must be fought over?”
Netizens lamented: Can’t afford to “die” anymore!
Netizen A shared their bitter experience: During the pandemic, their father passed away, everything was kept simple, and they couldn’t even organize a decent farewell ceremony. Not to mention the soaring prices of funeral supplies, it was simply multiplied. The netizen found an affordable cremation urn online, saving a significant amount.
Netizen B mentioned that their mother-in-law passed away, and amidst the pandemic, even cremation became a challenge. It took 43 days and the storage fee skyrocketed to over 20,000 yuan! This amount, no matter where it is placed, is a huge sum, especially during a time of grief.
On the afternoon of July 10th, staff at the Jinan Funeral Home stated that the incident was under investigation.
The staff on duty at the Jinan Civil Affairs Bureau’s office mentioned that they have received numerous calls reporting the situation. It is currently uncertain whether the investigation into the related issues has begun.