Q&A: Monetary Overcharging
Monetary Overcharging
Question
Hello, I came across a phenomenon that seems to me to fall under the definition of monetary overcharging: a burial society sells burial services.
There is a significant gap in the cost of the services depending on whether the person ordering them does so while still alive, or whether the services are needed after his death and are requested by his heirs/family. In the case I encountered, the difference was fourfold.
Would you define this as monetary overcharging?
Answer
This may be extortion, but not monetary overcharging. There is no market price for this service. They themselves provide it, and they differentiate between different situations (and I also don’t know whether there is a real difference in costs between the two situations. Reserving a grave requires a procedure and deferring others, etc.).