Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/01/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I contacted Smart Cremations June 2023 after my brother passed away and spoke with ****** about cremation of his remains and to be buried with honors at the veterans cemetery on Forest *******************. She then told me about the crematory process and I decided to go with there services. She took my brothers body and told me it would be about a month before they could cremate him. He was already with them so I had to go with this. In the meantime she asked would I be picking his ashes up and I told her no and reminded her that he was to go to the Veterans cemetery to have the ceremony with honors. The Veteran cemetery requires the cremation certificate and the DD214 discharge paperwork in order to assure he can be buried there. She sent me an email confirming that she had gotten the discharge papers and would take care of it. The beginning of ****** spoke with ****** to find out if he had been cremated and she said no and i reminded her of the paperwork for the 3rd time after she asked again if I would be picking him up. I also reminded her that the service would be at the cemetery. She indicated that she would send the papers and get the honors set up. She didnt in stead she took his ashes and dropped them off at the cemetery along with the papers which is not allowed because she had not spoken with the cemetery or gotten the service set up. She called me and told me I needed to go to the cemetery and sign paperwork and that is when I found she hadnt done what she was supposed to. She had to come back and get him and setup the service and honors, she called me to reassure me she was taking care of this and the funeral would be at 11am on 7/24. So the family and friends show up for the funeral and my brothers ashes were not there. The flowers were. I called ****** and she said no it is at 4pm. It was not so she brought him to the cemetary and he was buried with out a service or honors. She screwed up giving him his final wishes and made the whole family upset.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/04/2023

  The family of Mr. ************************* ******** had him picked up from ************ in *********, *********** by another funeral home.  I am not sure of the circumstances but they decided not to use that funeral home.  He died on Friday, June 23, 2023.  We sent for him on June 26 (Monday) at 1:11 p.m.  We reveived permission from the ********************* on June 28 at 2:03 p.m.  We cannot do the cremation without their permission and appropriate permit.  The paperwork was turned in. The cremation was completed on July 6, 2023.  We received a $50.00 Courier Fee from the family to deliver him to West Tennessee Veteran's Cemetery.  We let the family make two payments to accomadate their financial needs. We do direct cremations at Smart Cremation. We clearly communicate from every step of the way, we are not a full service funeral home. We try to meet the direct needs of the family regarding cremation only and do not have the staff or the facilities a full service funeral home can provide. This keeps our prices affordable so we may serve any family in the tri-state area that needs inexpensive cremation. While we do have two licensed funeral direcors on staff, with a combined fourty two years experience, and a courier service, you will not find the options here that larger funeral homes can provide: ****************** releases, embalming, floral services, bag pipers, etc. We tried to accomodate this family by delivering their loved one to the place stated on the consent form.  *********************************** was delivered to the West Tennessee Veteran's Cemetery well before a service was planned or coordinated with that facility(this is the courier service the family paid for additional ). He was delivered by a licensed funeral director on July 17,23 and taken into the care of ****************************************, the administrator over West Tennessee Veteran's Cemetary(as per the contract the family signed and paid for). The family then called stating they wished for us to please return to the West Tennessee Veteran's Cemetery (without paying additional for a couirer) and retrive ******************** and bring him back to Smart Cremation, which we complied with this request the very next day. Also listed on the consent forms are two family members that are allowed to pick up the cremains directly from Smart Cremation. Both of these family members declinded to pick up from Smart Cremation, and stated later they wished for us to return once again to the West Tennessee Veteran's Cemetery a second time with the cremains (without paying for a courier) to return him to the same represenative from the facility a second time. As a small provider of direct cremation only, while we did comply with the family's addidional and unpaid requests to make more trips to this cemetary, they remained unhappy with the services.  They were also unhappy with the services of the cemetery.  We provided transportation, refrigeration and the professional sercives that were needed for the cremation of ********************. We made additional trips to the cemetary to retrieve him after his original delivery to assist this family in their needs. They then asked that he be transported directly back to the same place we retrieved him from and there WAS an error in communication (I will take fault on this) as that is not something we typicaly do (making multiple trips to the same location to deliver and then retierve a person and then re-deliver back to the same location).  I was in direct contact with the family of ******************** and the staff at West Tennessee Veteran's Cemetery and tried to accomodate the needs of both the family and the legal requirements for delivering him to the cemetary in this unusual situation and even personaly delivered him myself.  The sister of the decedent had my cell phone number and sent numerous texts and phone calls inquiring about doves and butterflies and military honors.  I am very sad that we were unable to satisfy them.  I have lost sleep over this matter and feel there is nothing I can do to make this particular family happy.  I am known for taking care of folks and this is just one family that I will always remember and love in my heart but I am UNWILLING to provide a full refund. Perhaps at some point down the road, ******* will allow me to talk with her.

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