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Don’t let funeral homes overcharge you
The last thing you need when grieving the loss of a loved one is to learn that the funeral home overcharged you for its services. Yet a sweep of 100 funeral homes in six locales by Federal Trade Commission undercover investigators found that 27 establishments had violated their obligations under the FTC’s Funeral Rule.
According to the Rule, issued in 1984, funeral homes must provide consumers with an itemized general price list at the start of any in-person discussion of funeral arrangements. Consumers also have a right to receive a price list for caskets or outer burial containers before they look at those products. Furthermore, funeral homes can’t require people to buy any item—such as a casket—as a condition for buying any other goods or services. By stipulating itemized prices, the Funeral Rule enables consumers to compare prices and buy only the goods and services they want.
To read more about how to avoid being ripped-off by funeral homes, read “Don’t Pay Too Much for A Funeral.”
The funeral homes that failed to make the required price list disclosure are in the following regions:
- Northwest Arkansas: 5 out of 16
- Bakersfield, California: 7 out of 11
- Annapolis, Maryland: 4 out of 13
- St. Louis, Missouri: 3 of 16
- Westchester County, New York: 3 of 29
- Seattle, Washington: 5 of 15
The silver lining is that all but two of the 27 enterprises agreed to enter the Funeral Rule Offenders Program (FROP) rather than face the possibility of a civil penalty. Run by the National Funeral Directors Association, FROP requires its participants agree to undergo training, testing, and monitoring for compliance. They also make a voluntary payment to the U.S. Treasury in place of a civil penalty, and pay annual administrative fees to the Association.
In addition, the FTC identified a number of homes, within the six states investigated, with minor compliance deficiencies. In lieu of law enforcement, the FTC requires them to provide evidence that they have corrected the problems.
Since the FROP program began in 1996, the FTC has inspected more than 2,900 funeral homes, and found 503 establishments with violations.
The FTC educates consumers about their rights under the Funeral Rule through a series of online articles in English and Spanish. Print or download a copy for that just-in-case file of important papers. It may not ease the heartache of losing a loved one but it will save you grief over unnecessary spending.
— Catherine Fredman
Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.
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