Funeral homes slow to put prices online
Even as consumers increasingly shop and compare prices on the web, one group of businesses remains slow to put cost information online: funeral homes.
The Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule requires, among other things, that funeral homes give prices over the phone and provide detailed, written price lists in person. But the rule, which took effect in 1984 and predates the internet, doesn’t require disclosure online.
A new analysis from the Funeral Consumers Alliance and the Consumer Federation of America, which looked at more than 200 funeral homes in small and midsize state capitals, found that just 16 percent of homes with websites included their full price lists online. About a quarter posted some pricing information — typically information about packaged services rather than an itemized list.
“Few funeral homes are disclosing meaningful price information online,” Stephen Brobeck, executive director of the consumer federation, said on a call this past week about the study.
Providing information online, he said, would help consumers comparison shop. A full-service funeral typically costs more than $7,000, excluding costs for cemetery plots and other related fees, but prices vary widely. Consumers are often at a disadvantage, Brobeck said, because they are usually in mourning when they shop for services and may not feel capable of being assertive about seeking price information.
“It is time for the FTC to bring the regulations into the digital age,” the report concluded. Posting price information online shouldn’t be burdensome, it said, because funeral homes already have to create price lists in print.
The alliance analyzed information gathered in November and December in the capitals of 25 states that lack any online pricedisclosure mandate. The study also included Sacramento for comparison, because California is the only state that requires funeral homes with websites to provide pricing information online or to list services and note that prices are available upon request.
Of 211 funeral homes surveyed in the 25 cities, 193 had functioning websites. Just 30 posted their complete price list online. Fiftythree, or more than a quarter, posted some pricing information online.
The National Funeral Directors Association, a trade group, said it left the decision about whether to post price information online to its members. Walker Posey, a spokesman for the association and a funeral director in North Augusta, S.C., said directors wrestled with how to convey differences in personal service, not just price, that can affect a customer’s experience.
“It’s hard to communicate value with just a number,” he said.
One funeral home, for instance, may charge a lower price, Posey said, but that doesn’t indicate whether the home’s vehicles are clean, whether the reception area is well maintained or whether the embalmer is skilled. “Will Mom look good?” he said.
Service Corporation International, the largest chain of funeral service providers in North America, said it fully complied with the Funeral Rule. “In the U.S., we are posting prices online in certain markets,” the Houstonbased company said in an email. “However, we strongly believe in the importance of having a personal conversation with families to understand how they envision honoring their loved ones.”