cryptic

A few months ago the Everest Corporation, Houston, Texas decided to build a nationwide data base of funeral home GPL items. They contracted with a call center to call all funeral homes and get the pricing on their current GPL. Some funeral homes resisted because they did not think it a valid inquiry. A closer check of the rule reveals that a request from anyone must be honored.

Apparently enough firms declined to give the information that Everest went to their friendly FTC staff person for help. Lately, Everest has faxed a letter from an FTC staff person that explains that Everest is fulfilling the FTC’s intent that funeral pricing be made available to anyone who requests it. The letter also cited the appropriate sections of the rule.

In the fax cover letter Everest made it plain that it was their intention that all funeral homes should abide by the rule and everyone will reply to their request. The implication being that they would report those that had declined to the FTC as rule violators.

I was puzzled as to why they would even want our prices. The operator indicated it was Everest’s intention to sell funerals nationwide. I told the call center person that we would not be interested in servicing funerals that they might sell.

A colleague told me this week (mid-September) that Everest planned to market funeral service packages to corporations. How and under what circumstances is unclear to me. Employee benefits? An EAP service? Funerals sold at need? Preneed? Would this conflict with some states’ preneed or licensing laws?

It irks me to think someone else is making money off our proprietary information. And what of the FTC—would they regulate Everest? Obviously I know little of what I’m writing about. Maybe the FTC should maintain their own database of national funeral prices and we merely e-mail them changes as they occur. Hmmm…would it go as smoothly as the internet death certificates are expected to flow?

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