United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office General Government Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-09-23 monographic deposited born digital 76 p. GA 1.13:GGD-99-156 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GGD-99-156 P0b002ee18037540d f:gg99156 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-GGD-99-156 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GGD-99-156 GGD-99-156 Noncompliance Consumer protection Sales Data collection Surveys FTC Funeral Rule California Florida Maryland New York Texas Letter Report GGD

Comprehensive information on consumer complaints about the funeral industry is unavailable. One reason is that consumers can complain to various organizations about funeral-related issues and can lodge the same complaint with more than one organization. Another reason is that no one organization or combination of organizations collects and compiles all complaints into a single database. Although organizations GAO contacted were able to provide some data, the number of complaints about the funeral industry was generally low compared to complaints about other types of consumer issues. Among the reasons these organizations gave for the relatively low number of complaints was the personal or emotional component of the death care situation. The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Funeral Rule requires that funeral providers give consumers accurate, itemized price information and other disclosures about funeral goods and services. During the last five years, FTC has taken steps, including distributing compliance guides and working with the funeral home industry, to promote compliance with the rule. FTC maintains that compliance among providers covered by the rule has risen "substantially" over the years. However, FTC lacks a systematic or structured process for measuring funeral homes' compliance. A GAO analysis of a limited sample of funeral homes found that compliance was indeed high for the rule's core requirement--giving consumers itemized price lists early in their meetings with funeral home staff--and somewhat lower for the rule's other elements. However, it appears that FTC did not always act against funeral homes that may have violated the rule and did not always document the reason. GAO also reviewed the approaches used by five states--California, Florida, Maryland, New York, and Texas--to protect consumers who deal with funeral homes and cemeteries and make preneed arrangements. Differences were most notable concerning the five states' regulatory structures and the requirements that these states place on death care providers. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GGD-99-156/html/GAOREPORTS-GGD-99-156.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GGD-99-156/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GGD-99-156.pdf GAO/GGD-99-156 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GGD-99-156 Letter Report GAO/GGD-99-156; Funeral-Related Industries: Complaints and State Laws; Noncompliance Consumer protection Sales Data collection Surveys FTC Funeral Rule California Florida Maryland New York Texas Title 15 Section 46(g) Title 15 Section 57a(a) 15 U.S.C. 46(g) 15 U.S.C. 57a(a) Title 315 Section 45 315 U.S.C. 45