In the latest scandal to rock the funeral industry in Australia, a concerned funeral director has claimed dozens of Australian consumers are being ripped off with fake coffins.
Speaking on Channel Nine’s A Current Affair on 7 March 2019, Jeff Boyle detailed misleading coffin sales practices that is reportedly going on by some funeral directors in the Australian funeral industry and leaving many unsuspecting consumers out od pocket.
Boyle, who owns three funeral homes in central Queensland, claimed many facilities are using fake coffin tops to cover cheap cardboard coffins used for cremations.
According to funeral director reports, funeral homes in Queensland must use a sealed coffin for cremation and any violation of this practice is illegal. However, there is no mention of coffin, casket or receptacle requirements in either the Queensland Cremations Act 2003 or Cremations Regulations 2003.
“There is no way you would want to know your loved one is simply wrapped in plastic and tied to a board for a cremation,” Boyle told A Current Affair.
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These whistleblowers say the funeral home industry is rife with those taking advantage of vulnerable people, and fake coffins are just the start. https://www.9now.com.au/a-current-affair/2018/extras/latest/190307/whistleblowers?ocid=social-AC
eziFunerals comment:
eziFunerals has expressed ongoing concers about the the funeral industry in Australia. However, despite several inquiries into the industry, government regulators in Australia have failed to tackle ongoing community concerns about rising costs, misleading practices and a growing concentration of market share by two public listed companies – InvoCare and Propel Funeral Partners.
Most funeral homes in the industry do the right thing, but government regulators in Australia need to act in the interests of consumers, even when there are marketplace reasons not to do so.
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About eziFunerals
eziFunerals supports individuals and families cope with end of life decisions, death and funerals. We are an independent, Australian-owned and operated company, and are not a subsidiary of any other corporation. We are not part of any other funeral company.
