FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  July 29, 1988 
 
 
   FTC CHARGES NATION'S LARGEST CASKET MAKER WITH MAKING FALSE 
      DURABILITY CLAIMS; CONSENT AGREEMENT PROHIBITS FUTURE 
          MISREPRESENTATIONS AND UNSUBSTANTIATED CLAIMS 
 
 
     The Federal Trade Commission has charged the nation's 
largest casket manufacturer, Batesville Casket Co., with making 
false claims about the length of time their caskets will keep out

air, water, and other gravesite substances.  A consent agreement

settling the charges prohibits future misrepresentations and 
unsubstantiated claims concerning casket durability. 
 
     According to trade sources, Batesville has annual sales of 
more than $300 million and a 30 percent share of the casket

industry.  The company, which has been in business since 1879,

advertises and sells its caskets throughout the United States. 

Batesville's protective metal caskets retail for $1,500 to

$5,000.  The company also sells nonprotective caskets, which are

substantially less expensive.



     According to a complaint issued with the consent agreement,

through its warranties and advertising Batesville has misrepre-

sented that its caskets would ordinarily remain protective for

the warranty period, in some cases 50 years.  In fact, according

to the complaint, the reasonably expected protective period in

most soil conditions was significantly shorter.



     The complaint also charged that Batesville made these long-

term protective claims without having a reasonable basis for

them.



     In addition, according to the complaint, Batesville falsely

represented that the Commission had approved or endorsed the

company's warranty program and product design.



     The consent agreement, which has been placed on the public

record for comment, prohibits future misrepresentations and

unsubstantiated claims concerning casket durability.  Under the

consent agreement, whenever Batesville offers a warranty for a

specific time period for a casket, it will be considered a claim

that the casket will remain protective throughout that time,

unless the company states otherwise.







                                (More)
…Under the agreement, Batesville also must have a reasonable

basis, consisting of competent and reliable scientific evidence,

for any claims it makes about the expected durability of any

casket.



     The agreement also prohibits false claims that the

Commission or any other government agency has endorsed

Batesville's products or warranty or programs.



     Batesville must notify all media outlets in which it

advertised last year that it was incorrect to interpret the

company's pre-1988 warranty duration as an indication of the

expected protective life of the caskets.  The company must also

provide that information to any funeral providers and casket

showrooms that bought a casket or received marketing material

from the company in 1987 that have not yet received the

information.



     Batesville is located in Batesville, Ind.



     The consent agreement is scheduled to appear in the Federal

Register today.  It will be subject to public comment for 60

days, until Sept. 27, after which the Commission will decide

whether to make it final.



     Comments should be addressed to the Office of the Secretary,

FTC, 6th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.



     A consent agreement is for settlement purposes only and does

not constitute admission of a law violation.  When the Commission

issues a consent order on a final basis, it carries the force of

law with respect to future actions.  Each violation of such an

order may result in a civil penalty of up to $10,000.



     Copies of the agreement, the complaint and an analysis of

the agreement are available from the FTC's Public Reference

Branch, Room 130, 6th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington,

D.C. 20580; 202-326-2222; TTY 202-326-2502.



                              # # #



MEDIA CONTACT:  Dee Ellison, Office of Public Affairs, 

                202-326-2177



STAFF CONTACT:  Rachel Miller, Bureau of Consumer Protection,

                202-326-2463



                

FTC File No. 842 3076



[batesville]