FTC Finds 39 Funeral Homes Violating Pricing Rule in Undercover Probe

Violations include failing to provide itemized price lists and misleading consumers about embalming requirements, amidst rising funeral costs.

39 funeral homes across the U.S. have been found to violate the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Funeral Rule, which requires them to provide customers with an itemized price list and pricing information over the phone.
One funeral home misrepresented a local public health code, falsely claiming that a body must be embalmed if a certain number of people want to view it.
The FTC conducted an undercover phone sweep of over 250 funeral homes, during which 38 of them either refused to answer questions about pricing or provided inconsistent pricing for identical services.
The FTC has sent warning letters to the violating funeral homes, stating they could face a fine of up to $51,744 per violation.
The violations come as grieving families face rising funeral costs, with the median price for a funeral with a viewing and burial being $7,484, up 6.6% from 2016, and with viewing and cremation being $6,970, up more than 11% compared to five years earlier.