ATLANTA - eTradeWire -- A recent study by the Funeral Consumers Alliance, Inc. and the Consumer Federation of America surveyed 85 funeral homes with websites around Atlanta and found that only five (5.9%) had their General Price List (GPL) posted publicly on the internet. In contrast, of the same 85 funeral homes studied in the FCA-CFA report, we found that 48 (56.5%) were available to view for free on www.FCAGa.org allowing for easy price comparison at home prior to contacting any funeral provider directly or speaking with a salesperson. For the first time ever, the consumer has easy access to over 300 GPLs for funeral providers throughout Georgia.

The federal law requires an actual physical copy of the GPL be given free of charge to consumers before any discussion of the cost of goods and services. However, the federal law does not require the funeral home to mail by physical mail, email, or post the GPL on the internet for the public to view.

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At the time of "at need" funeral planning, the consumer is uniquely vulnerable, owing to the taboo nature of the topic, urgency to make decisions, the secrecy of the funeral industry with regards to pricing, but perhaps most importantly to the emotion involved. In 1984 the Federal Trade Commission enacted the "Funeral Rule", designed to protect consumers. This law requires that funeral providers keep a General Price List (GPL), an itemized price list of all common funeral goods and services offered. A good example of why this is important is found at www.fcaga.org/mom-died.

About FCAGa
The Funeral Consumers Alliance of Georgia, Inc. (FCAGa) was founded in 2017 with the support of the Memorial Society of Georgia, Inc., founded in 1973 as a nonprofit to serve Georgia residents with trusted information about planning and managing funeral-related services best suited to their individual circumstances. FCAGa is an organization of volunteers relying on donations and grants without any direct or indirect financial ties to the funeral industry.

For more information about Funeral Consumers Alliance of Georgia, Inc., please visit www.fcaga.org or write P.O. Box 842, Scottdale, GA 30079.