Mealy Funeral Home, Inc.

Our family had used this business because we had been in Waterford for 38 years. But we had never been to this funeral home before. When you walk through the door, the first thing that you see is a sign saying that payment is expected before service. During our arrangement making session, we were never given options. Instead, we were told that this is the cremation package that you chose. We had not chosen anything at that time other than place and cremation of our son. During the meeting, I had told the person handling the arrangements that I wanted to see the area and rooms that we would be setting up. The representative apparently forgot to show us the area. I had to call the next day to ask again to see the area. The furniture and set up were extremely outdated. The employee "snapped " at me when I asked that the payment sign be removed before service. He insisted that his sign of no food or beverage be taken outside the "office/family" room. We had no where for snacks or beverages for children. We brought our own cooler for water and brought snacks for the family. During "set up" we we're give a metal floor easel that you typically see at schools and offices. I took it down and grabbed a wooden easel that was slightly better. The lighting was outdated from the 1920's. There was no TV or screen available for viewing a family produced DVD. We were told to bring a laptop. Family members noticed that when they walked in, there were no attendants to greet them or tell them where to go. Although I had written the obituary for the newspaper, We were told that they would handle it with the newspaper for $175. We had a very short paragraph with no picture. Because I am a ceramic potter, I told the employee that I would be bringing my own, personalized urn, yet we were told that we would be charged $185 for a temporary "plastic" box regardless. We were told where we were expected to stand during service and that we were not to "greet" family and friends. After the service, the handler had disappeared nowhere to be found. I had to find a "helper" to tell me what to do, where to find the boxes that I had brought, and where to find our prayer cards that came with the "package" My family had to help gather the picture boards, urn, and DVD player with the TV that we brought. Since this was the 3rd. Service that I had to attend within 3 weeks time for close family and friends, I had a comparison of price and service from other funeral homes. This was by far the most expensive and the worst service. I would never recommend The Mealy funeral home to anyone.