Question: Do I have to buy a casket if I am going to be cremated?
Answer: No. There is no federal, state or local law that requires a casket for direct cremation. Under federal law, funeral homes that offer cremations must inform the consumer (whoever is planning the funeral) about the availability of less expensive alternative containers, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
These cheaper alternatives may be made of unfinished wood, pressed wood, fiberboard, cardboard or some other inexpensive material, and would be cremated along with the remains of the deceased.
For people whose loved ones prefer to have a visitation or funeral service before the cremation, rental caskets are usually an option. The nice-looking rental casket would be on view at the service but not be incinerated afterward; the body would be placed in the simple alternative container for cremation.
According to the FTC, funeral directors who offer cremation are not allowed to say state or local law requires a casket for direct cremation, because none do. Funeral directors who offer cremation must disclose in writing the right to buy a cheaper alternative container for cremation and must make such a container available.
A casket may be the most expensive item in a traditional full-service funeral, according to the FTC, which advises consumers to resist high-pressure sales tactics and choose the alternative that is best for their loved one and their budget.
Q: Are tourists allowed to light fire pits in the sand on a public beach? They take a million pictures at night, I guess for Instagram.
A: No. Bonfires are “prohibited due to fire hazard, danger from leftover pallet nails and harmful impact to marine life,” according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Report violations using the DLNRTip411 app, which you can download at the Google Play Store, iTunes App Store or dlnr.hawaii.gov/docare; or call the DLNR enforcement hotline at 643-DLNR or 643-3567.
Q: Does the Lemon Law cover mopeds? I bought it new.
A: No. Mopeds and motor scooters do not qualify for arbitration under Hawaii’s Lemon Law, according to the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. The law focuses on helping consumers resolve complaints about new cars that remain under warranty and were sold with defects that substantially impair the car’s use, market value or safety.
Q: Do I have to have a licensed electrician install an alarm system?
A: It depends on the type of security system. A licensed electrician is not required to install an alarm system on a car, boat or airplane, or for a home-alarm system that has no hard wiring, according to the DCCA. These types of home-alarm systems would include wireless, plug-in-type systems; pre-wired systems that plug into an existing outlet; or a system with a pre-manufactured “pigtail” connector that requires no hard wiring.
By contrast, an alarm system with any hard wiring, “even one single wire connected to a control panel or keyboard,” needs to be installed by a licensed electrician, according to the DCCA’s consumer guide to security alarm systems.
Mahalo
Mahalo to all the teachers and students who made St. Francis School a special place for many families for so many years. Coaches, too. We will miss everyone so much. I wish it didn’t end this way. — Sad alumna
Mahalo
Please express endless gratitude and respect to the military veterans who sacrificed their lives in service to our country, the United States of America. That is who we truly honor on Memorial Day. We should remember them every day. — Hawaii veteran
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
