Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:Mr. M[redacted]’s response to my continued concerns regarding our grave site in Hawaiian Memorial Park Garden of Reveries is unacceptable. While Mr. M[redacted] stated that he encourages me to speak directly with Manager Justin S[redacted], no one at Hawaiian Memorial Park (HMP) is taking responsibility for not mailing us the documents as promised at the time we were speaking to them to arrange my mother’s inurnment. Instead, Mr. M[redacted] said in an earlier response that they found no record of me ever speaking with the HMP staff and in his most recent response saying that HMP is unable to provide a specific response to my “claim” that the documents were not received as promised because the employee I spoke to is no l[redacted]er working for them. These are excuses and does not show a willingness that HMP accepts responsibility for the oversight. According to the Memorial and/or Base Order form that I finally received on September 16, 2016, the counselor that I discussed my mother’s nameplate placement was Monique Burgess, employee number 1041194. The form confirms that my mother's nameplate was supposed to be placed below my father's name instead of to the right. This was the document that Ms. Burgess promised that she would send to me.Regarding the ant and mosquito problem, Mr. M[redacted] stated that they cannot “guaranty a complete eradication of insects in this climate” and that their administration office keeps repellent on hand for visitors to use. Spraying our bodies with repellent is toxic and is not a healthy alternative to HMP resolving the ant and mosquito problem by consulting with a professional pest control company as I requested. Instead, HMP is leaving it to the discretion of the maintenance crew, who are not licensed in professional pest eradication. My wife and I also recall discussing the ant and mosquito problem with Ms. Burgess and she showed us a note she wrote on the side of the form regarding the ant and mosquito problem. That information is not on the form that I received. For the record, we complained about the mosquito and ant problems and other maintenance issues on numerous occasions prior to 2015 via text message to and from sales representative Cathy W[redacted] and she told us each time that she would report these problems. In addition, during the initial consultation, Cathy W[redacted] should have been more truthful in disclosing the entire amount that it would cost and the problems with the grave site, including ant and mosquito problems in that area. She gave a verbal quote of between $12,000 - $14,000 for two plots that will hold eight urns but did not disclose the cost of other merchandise or services, because she wanted to make the cost seem reasonable and make the sale. This quote was far less than the actual closing cost of $29,280.88. In addition, we paid $4,350 for five additional nameplates on September 13, 2012 and $1,094.24 for my mother’s nameplate on March 14, 2016, for a total cost of $34,725.12. During the initial purchase, as Cathy W[redacted] assured me that prices for merchandise does not go up that often, we opted to not purchase the additional nameplates at that time. The cost of a nameplate in 2012 was $870 vs. the $1,094.25 that we paid in 2016, for an increase of $224.25. HMP has a responsibility to the customer to disclose the true costs that may be incurred, including giving a current price list of merchandise and services.Regarding the broken vase, while we are glad that the vase was replaced, there was no reason given about how the vase could have been severely damaged. In his earlier response, Mr. M[redacted] stated that HMP Management spoke to the maintenance crew regarding “the need to take more care with maintaining landscaping as well as immediately repairing any damaged areas when heavy machinery was used”. However, no mention was made that Management spoke with the maintenance crew about immediately reporting damaged merchandise to the supervisor regardless whether the damage was caused by heavy machinery or other reasons, e.g., vandalism. Even if the maintenance crew did not cause the damage, it is their responsibility to report damages truthfully and immediately instead of waiting for a complaint. How can we be assured that this will not happen again and if it does, who will be responsible for paying for the damage? The fact remains that HMP still needs to address the following issues: 1) Make procedural improvements to prevent oversight errors and documenting of complaints, e.g., not mailing forms as promised, 2) disciplinary action for the employee’s failure to follow the Memorial and/or Base Order form indicating where my mother’s name should have been placed, 3) make improvements to maintenance crew procedures regarding reporting of damages to the grave site merchandise regardless of vandalism or employee responsibility, 4) consulting with a licensed professional pest control company on the ant and mosquito problem rather than leaving it to the discretion of the maintenance crew, who are not currently licensed professionals in the field of pest control, 5) revise procedures for sales staff to include disclosures on the true costs and any problems with the grave site, e.g., pests.Until these issues are addressed, we have no confidence that anything will change. Due to the continued issues with the ants and mosquitoes, visiting our loved ones at HMP is not the pleasant and enjoyable experience that we had anticipated and we regret making the purchase. Sincerely, [redacted] and [redacted]
Sincerely,
[redacted]
September 14, 2016 [redacted]
[redacted]
[redacted] Re: Complaint against Hawaiian Memorial Park Cemetery Case No. [redacted] Ms. [redacted], This letter is to follow up with Mr. [redacted]’s continued concerns. To begin with, Mr. S[redacted]’s email address is [redacted]; however, I would encourage Mr. [redacted] to also speak with Justin personally, as we strive to develop a relationship with all of our families. I hope that this personal connection will rebuild Mr. [redacted]’s confidence in us. To address Mr. [redacted]’s continued concerns regarding insects on the grounds, we do understand that insects can be a nuisance, and we continue to do our best to control their intrusion of our families’ visits. We will be treating the area again when the weather breaks, and are continuing to cutback the overgrowth nearby. However, even with our best efforts, we cannot guaranty a complete eradication of insects in this climate. Our administration office keeps repellant on hand for any of our visitors to use, and I encourage Mr. [redacted] and his family to use this service whenever they visit. It is unfortunate that the employee Mr. [redacted] spoke with no l[redacted]er is with us, so we are unable to provide a specific response to Mr. [redacted]’s claim that he did not receive an invoice that he was expecting. However, we can state that when a memorial or other merchandise is purchased at the time of need, there is no invoice sent to the family, as the item is paid for at the time of the arrangement and then ordered for delivery. Typically, once a payment is made for a name plate and ordered, for example, on average it may take up to four to five weeks for the item to be custom-made and delivered. In response to his request, Justin S[redacted] will be mailing a copy of all of the purchase documents to the contract purchaser. I appreciate your time, patience, and understanding, and again apologize for the dissatisfaction that Mr. [redacted] has experienced. We thank Mr. [redacted] for voicing his concerns as this will provide us with an opportunity to improve our customer service. If you have any further questions, or wish to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Jay M[redacted]PresidentHawaiian Memorial Life Plan, Ltd.
Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because: While I appreciate that the company resolved some of my concerns, e.g. 1) placing my mother's nameplate below my father's nameplate, 2) replacing the broken vase and 3) replacing the weeds around the grave marker with grass, two of my concerns were not addressed. While Mr. M[redacted] stated in his response that the grounds crew addressed the ant and mosquito problems, this treatment plan has not been effective. When we visited the grave site on September 6, 2016, there were still live ants crawling on the marker and mosquitoes followed us to our car. We were there for approximately five minutes. As there seems to still be mosquito and ant problems, how will Mr. M[redacted] address how the area would be maintained in the future in regard to the mosquito and ant problems? Also, Mr. M[redacted] mentioned that there was no documentation that we contacted their staff regarding the mailing of the January 2, 2016 documents to us and the mosquito and ant problems. On that date, we filled out the forms for the burial arrangements, which included stating where my mother's nameplate should be placed and also complained about the mosquito and ant problems. The representative wrote on the side of that form about the mosquito and ant problems and assured us that she would report this. We also requested that the bill for my mother’s marker be sent to us, which we never received. She did not give us a copy of the document at that time but stated that she would be mailing us a copy of that document and the bill for the marker. We never received document and the bill and called several times about this. Because she did not send us the bill, the payment was delayed, which caused a delay in their mounting the nameplate in time for the burial on February 2, 2016. We also called before the burial that my niece needed a letter for her employer excusing her from work to attend the February 2 burial and the staff did not call me regarding the status of the letter even after calling twice. Mr. M[redacted] suggested that in the future, I call HMP Manager Justin S[redacted] if I had future concerns and gave me his phone number. However, in order to avoid another situation regarding undocumented calls, please have Justin S[redacted] provide us with his email address to address future concerns.In summary, please have Mr. M[redacted] address the unresolved concerns regarding the continuing mosquito and ant problems, send us the January 2, 2016 documents and Justin S[redacted]’s email address.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:Mr. M[redacted]’s response to my continued concerns regarding our grave site in Hawaiian Memorial Park Garden of Reveries is unacceptable. While Mr. M[redacted] stated that he encourages me to speak directly with Manager Justin S[redacted], no one at Hawaiian Memorial Park (HMP) is taking responsibility for not mailing us the documents as promised at the time we were speaking to them to arrange my mother’s inurnment. Instead, Mr. M[redacted] said in an earlier response that they found no record of me ever speaking with the HMP staff and in his most recent response saying that HMP is unable to provide a specific response to my “claim” that the documents were not received as promised because the employee I spoke to is no l[redacted]er working for them. These are excuses and does not show a willingness that HMP accepts responsibility for the oversight. According to the Memorial and/or Base Order form that I finally received on September 16, 2016, the counselor that I discussed my mother’s nameplate placement was Monique Burgess, employee number 1041194. The form confirms that my mother's nameplate was supposed to be placed below my father's name instead of to the right. This was the document that Ms. Burgess promised that she would send to me.Regarding the ant and mosquito problem, Mr. M[redacted] stated that they cannot “guaranty a complete eradication of insects in this climate” and that their administration office keeps repellent on hand for visitors to use. Spraying our bodies with repellent is toxic and is not a healthy alternative to HMP resolving the ant and mosquito problem by consulting with a professional pest control company as I requested. Instead, HMP is leaving it to the discretion of the maintenance crew, who are not licensed in professional pest eradication. My wife and I also recall discussing the ant and mosquito problem with Ms. Burgess and she showed us a note she wrote on the side of the form regarding the ant and mosquito problem. That information is not on the form that I received. For the record, we complained about the mosquito and ant problems and other maintenance issues on numerous occasions prior to 2015 via text message to and from sales representative Cathy W[redacted] and she told us each time that she would report these problems. In addition, during the initial consultation, Cathy W[redacted] should have been more truthful in disclosing the entire amount that it would cost and the problems with the grave site, including ant and mosquito problems in that area. She gave a verbal quote of between $12,000 - $14,000 for two plots that will hold eight urns but did not disclose the cost of other merchandise or services, because she wanted to make the cost seem reasonable and make the sale. This quote was far less than the actual closing cost of $29,280.88. In addition, we paid $4,350 for five additional nameplates on September 13, 2012 and $1,094.24 for my mother’s nameplate on March 14, 2016, for a total cost of $34,725.12. During the initial purchase, as Cathy W[redacted] assured me that prices for merchandise does not go up that often, we opted to not purchase the additional nameplates at that time. The cost of a nameplate in 2012 was $870 vs. the $1,094.25 that we paid in 2016, for an increase of $224.25. HMP has a responsibility to the customer to disclose the true costs that may be incurred, including giving a current price list of merchandise and services.Regarding the broken vase, while we are glad that the vase was replaced, there was no reason given about how the vase could have been severely damaged. In his earlier response, Mr. M[redacted] stated that HMP Management spoke to the maintenance crew regarding “the need to take more care with maintaining landscaping as well as immediately repairing any damaged areas when heavy machinery was used”. However, no mention was made that Management spoke with the maintenance crew about immediately reporting damaged merchandise to the supervisor regardless whether the damage was caused by heavy machinery or other reasons, e.g., vandalism. Even if the maintenance crew did not cause the damage, it is their responsibility to report damages truthfully and immediately instead of waiting for a complaint. How can we be assured that this will not happen again and if it does, who will be responsible for paying for the damage? The fact remains that HMP still needs to address the following issues: 1) Make procedural improvements to prevent oversight errors and documenting of complaints, e.g., not mailing forms as promised, 2) disciplinary action for the employee’s failure to follow the Memorial and/or Base Order form indicating where my mother’s name should have been placed, 3) make improvements to maintenance crew procedures regarding reporting of damages to the grave site merchandise regardless of vandalism or employee responsibility, 4) consulting with a licensed professional pest control company on the ant and mosquito problem rather than leaving it to the discretion of the maintenance crew, who are not currently licensed professionals in the field of pest control, 5) revise procedures for sales staff to include disclosures on the true costs and any problems with the grave site, e.g., pests.Until these issues are addressed, we have no confidence that anything will change. Due to the continued issues with the ants and mosquitoes, visiting our loved ones at HMP is not the pleasant and enjoyable experience that we had anticipated and we regret making the purchase. Sincerely, [redacted] and [redacted]
Sincerely,
[redacted]
September 14, 2016 [redacted]
[redacted]
[redacted] Re: Complaint against Hawaiian Memorial Park Cemetery Case No. [redacted] Ms. [redacted], This letter is to follow up with Mr. [redacted]’s continued concerns. To begin with, Mr. S[redacted]’s email address is [redacted]; however, I would encourage Mr. [redacted] to also speak with Justin personally, as we strive to develop a relationship with all of our families. I hope that this personal connection will rebuild Mr. [redacted]’s confidence in us. To address Mr. [redacted]’s continued concerns regarding insects on the grounds, we do understand that insects can be a nuisance, and we continue to do our best to control their intrusion of our families’ visits. We will be treating the area again when the weather breaks, and are continuing to cutback the overgrowth nearby. However, even with our best efforts, we cannot guaranty a complete eradication of insects in this climate. Our administration office keeps repellant on hand for any of our visitors to use, and I encourage Mr. [redacted] and his family to use this service whenever they visit. It is unfortunate that the employee Mr. [redacted] spoke with no l[redacted]er is with us, so we are unable to provide a specific response to Mr. [redacted]’s claim that he did not receive an invoice that he was expecting. However, we can state that when a memorial or other merchandise is purchased at the time of need, there is no invoice sent to the family, as the item is paid for at the time of the arrangement and then ordered for delivery. Typically, once a payment is made for a name plate and ordered, for example, on average it may take up to four to five weeks for the item to be custom-made and delivered. In response to his request, Justin S[redacted] will be mailing a copy of all of the purchase documents to the contract purchaser. I appreciate your time, patience, and understanding, and again apologize for the dissatisfaction that Mr. [redacted] has experienced. We thank Mr. [redacted] for voicing his concerns as this will provide us with an opportunity to improve our customer service. If you have any further questions, or wish to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Jay M[redacted]PresidentHawaiian Memorial Life Plan, Ltd.
Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because: While I appreciate that the company resolved some of my concerns, e.g. 1) placing my mother's nameplate below my father's nameplate, 2) replacing the broken vase and 3) replacing the weeds around the grave marker with grass, two of my concerns were not addressed. While Mr. M[redacted] stated in his response that the grounds crew addressed the ant and mosquito problems, this treatment plan has not been effective. When we visited the grave site on September 6, 2016, there were still live ants crawling on the marker and mosquitoes followed us to our car. We were there for approximately five minutes. As there seems to still be mosquito and ant problems, how will Mr. M[redacted] address how the area would be maintained in the future in regard to the mosquito and ant problems? Also, Mr. M[redacted] mentioned that there was no documentation that we contacted their staff regarding the mailing of the January 2, 2016 documents to us and the mosquito and ant problems. On that date, we filled out the forms for the burial arrangements, which included stating where my mother's nameplate should be placed and also complained about the mosquito and ant problems. The representative wrote on the side of that form about the mosquito and ant problems and assured us that she would report this. We also requested that the bill for my mother’s marker be sent to us, which we never received. She did not give us a copy of the document at that time but stated that she would be mailing us a copy of that document and the bill for the marker. We never received document and the bill and called several times about this. Because she did not send us the bill, the payment was delayed, which caused a delay in their mounting the nameplate in time for the burial on February 2, 2016. We also called before the burial that my niece needed a letter for her employer excusing her from work to attend the February 2 burial and the staff did not call me regarding the status of the letter even after calling twice. Mr. M[redacted] suggested that in the future, I call HMP Manager Justin S[redacted] if I had future concerns and gave me his phone number. However, in order to avoid another situation regarding undocumented calls, please have Justin S[redacted] provide us with his email address to address future concerns.In summary, please have Mr. M[redacted] address the unresolved concerns regarding the continuing mosquito and ant problems, send us the January 2, 2016 documents and Justin S[redacted]’s email address.
Sincerely,
[redacted]