TORONTO -- Grieving families in Ontario often face "pressure tactics" and "misleading information" from funeral homes, according to the province's auditor general, because of a lack of proper protections from the Bereavement Authority of Ontario.
Bonnie Lysyk's annual report identified a number of issues families might face during one of the most significant and emotional periods in their lives, including lack of transparency, high costs for services and aggressive sales practices.
The Auditor General sent mystery shoppers into 100 licensed funeral homes in July -- during the first wave of COVID-19 when families were faced with the burden of making decisions in a physically distant manner -- and 50 per cent reported being given misleading information or pressure to sign a contract.
For example, while washing or disinfecting a body is not mandatory, 19 per cent of funeral home operators said it was a requirement, at a cost of between $150 to $600 for the optional service.
Another example saw a mystery shopper charged $595 for embalming despite the practice not being legally required in Ontario, and a request to remove the service did not alter the overall price being charged by the funeral home.
One of the auditor's mystery shoppers reported being subject to "pushy" sales tactics that would leave the average consumer unable to "get some basic information for their funeral planning."
"He gave me three quotes on cremation within 10 minutes, the first was around $500, then it suddenly jumped to $4,000, then jumped again to $10,000," the mystery shopper said.
The auditor general also noted a lack of industry standards for families, including information on services and pricing listed on websites which could leave consumers feeling disoriented in a time of grief.
"It can also make it very difficult for a consumer to compare between two companies to see which has better options that suit their needs in terms of price, types and quality of products, and services," The report found.
The auditor is calling on the provincial government to work with the Bereavement Authority to develop effective strategies to increase transparency and to standardize the presentation of price lists and to conduct unannounced inspections to "deter upselling or unethical practices."
