Funeral homes warned after FTC undercover phone sweep reveals misleading pricing

(CNN)– The Federal Trade Commission is warning at least 39 funeral homes across the U.S. to stop misleading bereaved customers or face hefty penalties.

During an undercover phone sweep of more than 250 funeral homes, the agency found 38 of them either refused to answer questions about pricing or gave inconsistent information about other funeral services.

According to the FTC’s Consumer Rights call the “Funeral Rule”, funeral homes must give customers a general price list and customers have the right to choose which services they want.

The funeral homes that received warning letters range from Texas to Philadelphia.

If they don’t comply they could pay nearly $52 thousand per violation.

According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the median cost for funeral services is around $8 thousand.