Funeral homes are illegally tricking New Yorkers into paying more than they should, according to a Department of Consumer Affairs investigation. In a two-month study, officials determined that 87 of the 579 funeral homes probed—or 15 percent—were overcharging customers by skirting strict city laws governing the funeral industry.
The Times reports that many funeral homes were cited for failing to list prices, failing to say over the phone the cheapest and most expensive offerings in a specific category, failing to inform consumers that they can purchase coffins elsewhere, and failing to display all of the coffins in the same way.
"Coping with the death of a loved one is stressful enough, so planning a funeral should be as simple and easy as possible," said Department of Consumer Affairs commissioner Jonathan Mintz. "New Yorkers have strong legal rights to make purchasing funeral arrangements a straightforward process, including the right to get clear and complete pricing information on a price list by the entrance to a funeral parlor or even over the telephone."
In past years, New Yorkers have complained about funeral homes mistreating corpses, and in one case allowing rats to chew on remains.
