ComplaintsforOlson Burke/Sullivan Funeral & Cremation Center

• Initial Complaint

  07/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On May 14, 2023 we had a family memorial for my mother, which was a disaster: nothing worked properly, although ***************************, VP of Olson *****/******** had promised that EVEN IF SHE PERSONALLY WILL NOT BE PRESENT, all will be set and taken care of by the person who will be present. My brother and I called her right after the memorial, explaining that we were very disappointed that people could not hear almost anything, and those who had joined by zoom even less, plus at some point not long after the beginning of the ceremony were totally cut off! My daughter had prepared a few beautiful pieces of music to go with the slide show that nobody could hear. It appeared that there had been a wrong electrical connection between ceiling lights switches and the wall outlets (for the electronic devices), which is illegal. We had a 2 hours time slot, but the first half hour was wasted as several knowledgeable guests tried along with my brother to fix the problems but only to have the ceremony started because within about ***** min sound disappeared. The so-called on duty Olson ***** technician told us that he didn't even know how to set the monitor for the laptop, therefore he was of no use whatsoever. Explaining all this to ***** she said she understood and was sorry for everything but when I mentioned she should refund us $1000 (of the total of $6432 we had prepaid), then only $500 for the disaster her company had caused to our memorial, she became defensive and tried to justify it all by blaming my brother, who had indeed said at our pre-funeral mtg. that he will manage as he preferred to bring his own laptop for the zoom instead of the streaming that Olson ***** offered to provide, not knowing of course that there were a few defective, even illegal, aspects of the electric installation. To add insult to injury, she sent me a $100 gift card! So all I am asking is the $400 she said she will think about...more than a month ago.

  

  Business response

  07/21/2023

  *************************** ******** typed: I would like to start by expressing my sympathy for **** and her frustrations she experienced on the day of her mothers service. I felt I was sympathetic towards her in our conversations after the service and my handwritten note and gift card was sufficient in expressing my sympathy for the technical difficulties her family experienced during the service.
  I hope my explanation can further help the BBB understand where my sympathy was coming from.
  My point of contact was *****, the son of the deceased and brother of ****. He was traveling from out of the country and had many ideas regarding his mothers final services.  
  I met with both ***** and ****.  They wanted to have a full-service visitation for their mother. They were referencing our website which only talks about private family viewings. This service is much different than a public visitation.
  Private family viewings consist of a small intimate number of family members (up to 10 individuals) gathering to say goodbye to their loved one for a total of 30 minutes at the cost of $295 (we require minimum preparation and embalming of the deceased for a private view, for a total cost of $1285). ***** was looking for a two-hour service where more family (about 20 total) could come and say their goodbyes ($800 plus minimum preparation and embalming, for a total cost of $1790).
  We went back-and-forth on the timing and price points and settled on a discounted price for the two-hour service of $495 (instead of the full $800).
  For your reference, Ive attached the contract highlighting that charge along with our general price point that outlines the actual price of a two-hour visitation at $800.
  ***** also wanted to zoom his service. We offer a live streaming service at a cost of $295 that ***** was not interested in paying for. He felt he could set up his laptop and connect his own zoom account and speak with his family from overseas. During our arrangement, he connected his laptop to our guest Wi-Fi and used our internet with no issues.
  At the conclusion of our arrangement, we went into our chapel where I situated our smart TV and showed him how to plug his laptop into our smart TV via a HDMI cord where he can easily connect to zoom for on the day of the service.
  I let him and **** know that I would not be present that day. ***** was confident when he saw the smart TV set up and felt the technology we had would be fine for him to broadcast his zoom service. 
  On the day of the service ***** did experience some technical difficulties with his zoom connecting. He did eventually get it to work. However, from Olgas perspective the volume was too low, the zoom participants had trouble hearing the service and it eventually failed. Our director who was present that day was unable to assist as he was not familiar with ****** computer system.
  Regarding the lighting in the room, when **** and I spoke about this she was not happy with the reflection the lights were having on the television screen. We have never had issues with our lighting reflected on our television so I cannot speak on this issue. I did apologize to **** for this issue and let her know our electricity is up to code.
  When ***** and I spoke after the service was over, he said the issues were on his end. He was not disappointed with the viewing. ***** was also present the day his mother was cremated (**** was not). He spoke highly of all the services he received from Cremation Society of Illinois.
  When **** and I originally spoke about her dissatisfaction she asked me not to bring it to her brothers attention. I told her going forward so this doesnt happen to other families we serve; I would stress the importance of using our technology from start to finish. If it was our technology that failed, we would have refunded that portion.
  When **** and I spoke after I sent my note and $100 **** gift card, she felt she deserved $1000. I explained the cost of the service was discounted at $495. She said I should send her another gift card for $400 or else she would go to websites and complain about our services.
  I told her I was not going to send her additional gift cards and if she needed to go to websites and complain further that was up to her. She said she would send back the $100 gift card and make her complaint, or I could send her $400 so she doesnt have to make a trip to the post office.
  I did not feel right about this negotiation as our company provided several services to the best of our ability within our control. ***** has not reached out with any dissatisfaction, and we have yet to receive her $100 gift card.
  In conclusion, I do feel sympathy for **** that her mothers service did not go according to her vision. This is never the outcome we want for our families.This is what prompted me to write her a card and send her a gift of sympathy.  I strongly believe if they had decided to pay for our streaming services their experience would have gone much smoother. 

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