| Autor: |
Mosbergen, Dominique (AUTHOR) |
| Předmět: |
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| Zdroj: |
Wall Street Journal (Online). 2/6/2024, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p. |
| Abstrakt: |
A recent investigation by the Wall Street Journal has uncovered that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has permitted unethical funeral homes to conceal their violations of fair-practices rules from the public. This is due to a deal made between the FTC and the funeral industry over 25 years ago, which allows funeral homes that violate transparency and fair practices rules to participate in a remedial program run by the industry's lobbying group, keeping their names hidden from consumers. Critics argue that this arrangement has allowed unfair and deceptive practices to flourish in the industry. The FTC is currently considering changes to the Funeral Rule, including a requirement for funeral homes to post prices online, as a recent survey found that around 60% of funeral homes in the United States do not provide price information online. Critics argue that the current system is insufficient in protecting consumers and that funeral homes often employ aggressive sales tactics to upsell customers. Some question the effectiveness of the National Funeral Directors Association's program, which allows funeral homes to avoid lawsuits for violating the Funeral Rule. Funeral consumer advocates argue that the industry should not be responsible for regulating itself and that the current arrangement undermines public trust. [Extracted from the article] |
| Databáze: |
Regional Business News |
| Externí odkaz: |
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