Funeral services: be careful with the quote

As part of an investigation by officials from the Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention Service (CCRF) attached to the DEETS (Directorate for the Economy, Employment, Labour and Social Solidarity) in Guadeloupe, the “La Paix” funeral parlour was fined €3,200.  The issues at stake included the failure to display general information for customers to see, as well as defects or non-compliance in the labelling of coffins displayed to the public, quotations and order forms. These breaches were deemed to be detrimental to consumers. Indeed, funeral directors are required to provide a written, detailed and standardised quotation and to supply mandatory funeral services, which include a mortuary shroud in the event of transport prior to placing the body in the coffin, the provision of a coffin with four handles, the identification plate, and the burial or cremation service, including the urn. Only internal and external accessories and the provision of additional services, which are left to the families’ discretion, are optional.