McCall's Bronxwood Funeral Home, Inc.

Review: One of my sister's passed away on June [redacted], 2013. My brother, sister and myself went to the McCall's Funeral to arrange for a cremation and memorial service to be held on Tuesday, July [redacted], 2013. At this meeting we spoke with a funeral director, he presented a price list for cremation services. The Direct Cremation service price was $1570.00, after continuing this meeting he explained there would be another $427.00 fee for the cemetery. This we did not understand this. Without going into every detail the total cost to have a respectable and dignified service came to total of $4,445.00. The three(3) of us went home however we continued to discuss the amount of money they wanted to charge. We then decided to use an outside crematory and only use the funeral home for the service. The total for this service was $2,295.00. The day of the service no one from the funeral came into the room from the beginning to the end(we were charged for funeral home staff). My sister's beautiful urn was placed on top of the platform used for caskets, and the driver of the limousine left my brother, myself and other family members as he proceeded to the cemetery. No one from the funeral home came to the cemetery to deliver the cremation certificate for the ashes to be accepted. When the cemetery personnel called McCall's they said they did not have it. However later in the evening the aforementioned director called and spoke to my brother stating it was there. The day was extremely stressful and I cannot express how upset we were.Desired Settlement: I believe we should be at least partially compensated for no personnel being present at the service, no one coming to the cemetery to make sure things were in order and the additional stress of the driver leaving us at the funeral home.

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern:

The incidents alleged by this family to have occurred during the memorial service are being brought to my attention for the first time In the complaint forward by your office.

I am unable to reconstruct what services the family discussed with my funeral director that totaled $4445.00. Our total fee for the Direct Cremation about which they originally inquired was $1997.00 ($1590 for our services plus $427.00 for the crematory). In any event this is all irrelevant because they decided against using our services and, instead chose to use an outside crematory, (third party).

Thereafter, for reasons the family doesn't explain, they came to us after the cremation to rent our funeral chapel for a memorial service. And we were gracious enough to provide our facility although we played no part in, nor were we in anyway compensated for anything to do with the removal, handling or disposition of human remains. Accordingly, we charged the family: Chapel rental ($375.00), supervision of memorial service ($400), prayer cards ($165.), limousine ($455.00), organist ($125.00), Basic Arrangement ($775.00). Total of $2295.00.

No one from the funeral home went to the cemetery to deliver the cremation certificate because arrangements for entombment like, the cremation, were handled by the family on their own.

The funeral home was neither asked to nor retrieved the cremains from the "Outside Crematory" because the family had done that on their own and brought the cremains to the memorial service.

The funeral home was neither asked to nor supervised the limousine, nor were we provided with a list of the persons who belonged in each car.( Frankly, l believe the limousine took to the cemetery the same passengers it brought to the funeral home). If the family had intended to add passengers and noticed they weren't in the vehicles one would expect something to be said before the car left the funeral home.

When the family arrived for the memorial service my staff greeted and directed them to the chapel they had rented. Similarly directed supervised, were other family members and guests as they arrived

The family hired their own clergy; began and ended the ceremony, disassembled, got into the limousine and proceeded to the cemetery on their own; The family was responsible for getting the cremains and all authorizations, certifications, etc., to the cemetery.

Business

Response:

Per your request attached is a copy of the check stub No. [redacted] for the payment made to [redacted] in the amount of $200.00

Consumer

Response:

Please be advised I did receive a check in the amount of $200.00 from the funeral home. I certainly appreciate all of your efforts in trying to resolve my problem.