Brooklyn, NY – Close to 100 city funeral homes received violations Tuesday after a two-month investigation found that many of them were scamming customers.
The Department of Consumer Affairs says it inspected 579 funeral homes and found that 87 of them failed to provide customers with complete pricing information, as required by law.

In total, 275 violations and $230,000 in fines were issued by the DCA. In Brooklyn, 26 percent of its parlors received citations, along with 15 percent in the Bronx.

The following is from the DCA:

Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Jonathan Mintz today announced the results of a two-month long investigation of the sales practices of funeral homes throughout New York City. In the comprehensive enforcement sweep, which included undercover investigations, DCA completed 579 funeral home inspections and issued 275 charges to 87 businesses that received violations for a compliance rate of 85 percent. The charged funeral homes could face more than $230,000 in fines to the City.

Manhattan funeral homes had the highest compliance rate, with only 5 percent of businesses receiving violations, while Brooklyn had the lowest compliance rate, with 26 percent of businesses receiving violations.

“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. We urge New Yorkers to call 311 if they believe a funeral home is taking advantage of them in their time of need.”

“Commissioner Mintz has raised awareness of a deceptive practice that takes place during what can be an unexpected and devastating period in one’s life,” said Lois Aronstein, AARP New York State Director.  “There are steps that consumers can take to avoid being victimized, such as pre-planning their funeral and comparing funeral homes before making any decisions.”

(YWN Desk – NYC)