Document 9A

SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES

These reports, and the material in other Documents, provide the findings and comments of reporters who had time to look carefully into the industry -- and may well indicate what reporters will find happening unnoticed in most communities. These reports give information about many subjects that should be looked into in EVERY community. (color photos in Documents 9B and 9C.)

• "Funeral Costs," John Gebhart, 1928 (results of an intensive study of more than 15,000 funeral invoices, sponsored by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company)

• "The American Way of Death," Jessica Mitford, 1963, 333 pages (famous expose book about the funeral industry)
  (Ms. Mitford is currently doing research for a new book about the industry.)

• "The High Cost of Dying," Ruth Harmer, 1963, 256 pages (another famous expose book about the funeral industry)

• "Death, Here is Thy Sting," Coriolis, 1967

• "The Cost of Dying and What You Can Do About It," Raymond Arvio, 1974 (Starting co-op mortuaries)

• "Funerals: Consumers' Last Rights," Consumers Union, 1977, 334 pages

• "The Principles and Practice of Embalming," Strub and Frederick, 1986, 712 pages

• "Caring for Your Own Dead, a Final Act of Love," Lisa Carlson, 1987, 343 pages

• "Funeral Industry Practices -- Final Staff Report, Proposed Amended Trade Regulations Rule," Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC, June 1990 (report on the 1988-89 FTC hearings on the effect of the 1984 Funeral Rule regulations)

• "Embalming: History, Theory, and Practice," RG Mayer, 1990

• "Product Reports:"
  "Funeral Goods and Services"
  "Pre-Paying Your Funeral?"
  "Cemetery Goods and Services"
  "Prepaying your Funeral: Some Questions To Ask."
  Free from: American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), Washington, DC, 1992, 1990

• "The Truth About Funerals: How to Beat the High Cost of Dying (An Insider's Perspective)," Donald Flynn, 1993, 137 pages, Funeral Consultants International, Inc., Burlington, Ontario, Canada.

• "Dealing Creatively With Death: A Manual of Death Education," Ernest Morgan, 13th ed., 1994,

• "Death to Dust," Kenneth Iserson, M.D., 1994, 709 pages (covering all aspects of death, care of the dead, embalming, cremation, funerals, cemeteries, cannibalism, history, etc.)

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Videotape:

• "Understanding the Tricks of the Funeral Trade: Self-Defense for Consumers," Lisa Carlson, 1995, Funeral and Memorial Societies of America (FAMSA) (1-800-356-9315)

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Investigative articles: (Reverse chronological order)
• "Fraud In The Funeral Industry," Consumers Digest, October 1995. (See Introduction of this document for a list of report's topics.)

• "Funeral prospects," Forbes, September 11, 1995. "Can Service Corp. International's Robert Waltrip export the American way of death?" (to England, France, etc.)

• "Life's last buy requires plan and patience: Funeral costs vary widely," "Growth of chains has led to rise in funeral prices," Boston Globe (two-day series), August 27-28, 1995. (See Introduction of this document for a list of the series' topics.)

• "Survey shows high funeral prices," Phoenix [AZ] Gazette, February 16, 1995. (IFIC publishes 1995 Mortuary Price Comparison List and consumer advice.)

• "Undertaking Profits," Houston Press, February 17, 1994. "The 'death care' industry booms and consolidates -- led by Houston-based giant Service Corporation International"

• "Fight against funeral ripoffs goes national," National Catholic Reporter, October 30, 1987. (Extensive article about national and local situations; IFIC; National Coalition for Fair Funeral Prices)

  A box in the article emphasizing a comment about morticians' meetings in Denver by the funeral director in charge of the Archdiocese of Denver's mortuary.

• "Mortician agrees to alter wording of advertisements," Phoenix Gazette (AZ), November 24, 1986. (Re: Fraudulent ads designed to scare senior citizens)

  . (Fraudulent ads designed to scare the elderly. These were used by the mortuary which won the national "Pursuit of Excellence" award of the 15,000-member National Funeral Directors Association. It used the ad during the same years it won the Second Place award. It then won First Place in 1988 - an indication of the decadence of the industry.
  . The ads stated FALSELY: "Senior Citizens: Social Security benefits are DIMINISHING. These affect you. We have a plan that can help you PRESERVE these benefits before they DISAPPEAR ENTIRELY."
  . Perhaps ads like these and their abuse of the elderly and other consumers, and the deceptive literature published by the national association, such as its "Funeral Costs" booklet, indicate what NFDA directors and/or its members consider "excellence.")



• "Angling for funeral referrals challenged," Arizona Republic, July 7, 1984. (Mortuary/clergy bribery) Companion articles in the issue: "Mortician assails strategy common with profession" and "Diocese unclear on how to handle prices of services."
  This editorial cartoon, 6.3" x 11.5", one of the largest seen in a major newspaper, appeared on the front page of a section of the newspaper, accompanying the group of articles about mortuary/clergy relations which were uncovered. It depicts a mortician secretly handing a kickback or bribe to a clergyman.
  

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Two extensive community investigations: (Reverse year order)
• "Profits of Doom," Sun-Sentinel (Palm Beach/Ft. Lauderdale, FL), November 5-7, 1989. Three-day series reports on six-month investigation
  • Nov. 5: "Consumers fall casualty to funeral competition,"
    "Casket markups" chart,
    "Prepaid growth" chart,
    "Prepaid vs. investment" chart,
    "Trust fund violators" chart,
    "U.S. concedes its rules are ignored,"
    "Funeral Rule" chart,
    "State examines 293 complaints,"
    "Loved one's final resting place can bury the living in expenses,"
    "Widows unified by grief,"
  • Nov. 6: "Parlors wage war for clients"
    ("Prepaid funerals focus on big sell," "Before the undertaker, sellers come knocking"),
    "Creative business people find niche in face of death."
  • Nov. 7: "Racial bias lingers in S. Florida funeral industry,"
    "Black boycott produces casket-maker's pledge."

. .

• "The Death Merchants: Sun-Times probe uncovers vast funeral fraud," Chicago Sun-Times, May 10-19, 1981 (This nine-day series reports the findings of a six-month investigation of the Chicago area funeral industry by 20 reporters. "Vast funeral fraud" was the description of the community's industry after the reporters' extensive look inside.)

  Includes these articles and charts:

  • May 10: "Fraud, lies a shortcut to big profits"
  • May 11: "Embalming ripoffs -- road to easy money,"
    "Body protection: fact vs. fiction"
  • May 12: "Funeral homes 'hold bodies for ransom'"
  • May 13: "Cremation?: Grisly tales discourage it,"
    "Several states bar deception about caskets; Illinois doesn't"
  • May 14: "Funeral lobby buries tougher rules,"
    "Newest FTC regulations -- compromise with morticians"
  • May 15: "Burial profits: one funeral, two fees,"
    "Burial insurance: 'pay 'til you die'"
  • May 17: "Selling burial lot, a 'game of wits',"
    "Offer of 'free' cemetery lot has one major catch"
  • May 18: "Honest funerals: true peace of mind"
  • May 19: "Funeral alternatives: low-cost dignity"
    Editorial: "Stopping the ghouls"

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TV investigative reports and series: (Reverse order)
• BBC-TV "Public Eye" program, England, "Pay Now ... Pay Later", Feb.27/96. Expose of the English funeral business and the tactics families may expect from the Houston-based SCI (Service Corporation International) funeral chain which has moved into England.

• Channel 2 (KPRC), Evening News, Houston, Feb.3/96. Expose of the funeral industry in Houston. (Offered to viewers a "Mortuary Price Comparison List" of the Houston metro area's 120 mortuaries -- prices varying from $1,495 to $9,900 for the lowest-priced metal casket and minimum "traditional" funeral services, and from $450 to $3,795 for the same Direct Cremation). (color photos in Document 9B.)

• ABC-TV News "20/20", November 3, 1995.(color photos in Document 9B.)

• KNXV-TV (Ch.15, ABC), Phoenix, Evening News, November 3, 1995. (Offered IFIC's printed MORTUARY PRICE COMPARISON LIST and ADVICE to viewers for SASE)

• CBS-TV "This Morning", October 1995 (Regarding "Affordable Funeral Services" mortuary [See Part 5 -- Mortuary Prices, above])

• CNN-TV "Headline News", January 14-15, 1995 (Regarding "Affordable Funeral Services" mortuary) (color photos in Document 9B.)

• WJBK-TV (Ch.2, CBS), Detroit, Evening News (five nights), November 1993.

• KARE-TV (NBC), Minneapolis, Evening News (five nights), November 1993. (color photos in Document 9B.)

• NBC-TV "DATELINE-NBC", (two segments), February 2, 1993. (color photos in Document 9C.)

• NBC-TV "Closer Look with Faith Daniels", September 19, 1991.(color photos in Document 9C.)

• NBC-TV "TODAY" show, January 3, 1991. (Offered IFIC PRINTED MATERIALS to viewers for SASE)

• KUSA-TV, Denver, Evening News (five nights), May 4-8, 1990. (Offered IFIC's printed MORTUARY PRICE SURVEY of Denver area for $2) (color photos in Document 9C.)

• CNBC-TV Network "Steals and Deals", February 1990. (Offered IFIC PRINTED MATERIALS for $2) .(color photos in Document 9C.)

• KPNX-TV, Phoenix, Evening News (three nights), February 21-23, 1990. (Offered IFIC's printed MORTUARY PRICE SURVEY, WHOLESALE CASKET PRICES and other IFIC materials for $3)

• WFSB-TV, Hartford, Evening News (four nights), March 15-18, 1989. (Offered IFIC PRINTED MATERIALS)

• ABC-TV "HOME" show (two-mornings), February 16-17, 1989. (Offered IFIC's first public CASKET WHOLESALE PRICE LIST and other materials via show's newsletter) (color photos in Document 9C.)
  • This was the FIRST TIME in U.S. history that confidential CASKET WHOLESALE PRICES and MARKUPS were ever made available to the media and the public.

• AARP Video News Release, September 1988.

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