Warning to Funeral Homes Perhaps Should Be Nationwide

Elder Couple at Home with Bills

Funeral homes face many regulations. However, sometimes they don’t meet those requirements.

The Attorney General of Washington D.C. has been investigating funeral homes in his jurisdiction and has found there are many problems, as WTOP reported in “DC funeral homes put on notice after attorney general investigation.”

The problems includes not letting customers know they could purchase caskets somewhere besides the funeral home, telling customers they did not have the right to cancel pre-planned funeral contracts and charging more than the allowable statutory fee for a death certificate. Problems were found at nine of the 38 funeral homes in Washington D.C. and warnings were issued.

This is most likely not just a problem in the nation’s capital.

Among the issues are that buyers of funeral home services do not always have many options. They are often in the process of grieving.  As a result, unscrupulous funeral homes can take advantage of them.

The exact rules vary from state to state but funeral homes are often not allowed to keep customers ill-informed of their various options and legal rights.

If you find yourself in need of funeral services, it would be helpful to research the laws in your state, if at all possible.

Reference: WTOP (Dec. 5, 2017) “DC funeral homes put on notice after attorney general investigation.”