Order of Resolving Complaints

(each step may result in resolution so you could stop there)
 

1. Contact the Funeral Home (FH) or Cemetery (CEM) with your concern. 

Expressing Complaints 

*Be specific, friendly/relaxed and brief, then you are more likely to be heard and understood.

Also Tell them what you wish THEM to do (what would satisfy you).

 

2. Negotiate with FH or CEM with your entire case written out, letting them know you are prepared to submit the complaint to the appropriate authorities if they can't resolve your concern; (such as the AG's office, the FTC, your states' Funeral Licensure Board, the BBB and of course an online review, which will highly motivate the FH or CEM to pay attention to your complaint) See "expressing complaints" tips in yellow box below this list.

 

3. Submit complaint to Utah's Office of the Attorney General (AG) email: uag@agutah.gov

 

4. File your complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/?orgcode=FCA =>click on "something else" as the category for a funeral/cemetery complaint since there is no specific category on the ftc site for "Funerals" but the FTC truly WANTS to collect these Funeral related complaints. "They spoke in a rude tone" is not a violation. A complaint won't go far on that. See what violations are applicable in the free PDF of the FTC's "Funeral Rule" 

Although the commission cannot resolve individual problems for consumers, it can act against a company if it sees a pattern of possible law violations. 

 

5. Leave a factual online review of the business. (This may cause them to reach out to you, in hopes you will change your review.)

6. File a complaint with the Licensure oversight Board of your State (this will not get your complaint resolved but could get the FH investigated and censured):

 

7.  Ask for a review of your case, in hopes that the  association will censure their member:

-International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) https://iccfa.com/ccsc/ 

-National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) 800-228-6332 or https://tinyurl.com/nfrmy98m 

-Monument Builders of North America (MBNA) (800) 362-2546 or info@monumentbuilders.org 

 

8. Tell the media (TV show, podcaster, any kind of social media), just get the word out. 

 

9. Go to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) site in your state and leave a report

 

10. Tell your State Legislative Representative your idea for a Bill to prevent this from happening to others. Be concise in writing/telling your story. Don't approach them when they are in the middle of a legislative session, unless a bill is on their current docket that relates.

 

Complaint Filing Tips:

General Tips from the FTC: https://consumer.ftc.gov/media/video-0054-how-file-complaint-federal-trade-commission

General Tips from FCA: https://funerals.org/?consumers=filing-a-complaint

Some states have Cemetery Oversight Boards. Most do not.

If your problem is with a rural cemetery you can reach out to your county or show up to a County Commission meeting.

If it is a city cemetery, tell the local media and show up to a city council meeting and speak during public comment period.