ComplaintsforLegacy.com

• Initial Complaint

  08/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My father just passed away so I sent an obituary to my local newspaper, The ************* The cost included a Legacy.com link that would allow us to share the obit on social media. The next day the obit was printed in the paper with no issue, but we learned that Legacy.com had modified our obit on their link. A line was added which was clearly an advertisement by a paid sponsor. Here is the how the obit should end..."In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to **********************************************************************."Here is how the obit ends on the Legacy.com link..."In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to ************************************************************************* plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.Published by ************ on Aug. 21, 2024"(with Sympathy Store being a link to the advertised business)We discovered this when a relative told us they had 200 trees planted in my dad's memory. While a very nice gesture we asked how they chose that way to honor him. They said that it was in his obituary and thought that was what we wanted. It was NOT.I have 2 parts to this complaint...1) The "Sympathy Store" add is placed immediately below the actual obit with the clear intention of making people think that it is part of the family's wishes.2) The "Sympathy Store" add is also placed above the line "Published by ************ on Aug. 21, 2024" also clearly meant to make people believe this is part of the family's obit. This ad was NOT published in the *************I have attached supporting pics.If this is Legacy.com's standard practice I can only imagine how many thousands of dollars they have stolen from the desired charities of grieving familes and diverted to their paid advertisers.I have not determined my next course of action, but this has "class action lawsuit" written all over it. I did let The ************ know about this but the real culprit here appears to be ****************.

  Business response

  08/27/2024

  Regarding the line, To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store. First, we have removed this from the obituary as a proactive measure. We are able to remove it upon request and happily will do so anytime it is requested. The line in question, however, was not added after the fact. It was displayed to this user in the digital preview prior to purchase and publication so they either did not review their online obituary preview or chose to ignore it. I have attached two screen shots that show what this user would have seen had they previewed. 
  
  We appreciate that ******* took the time to send us this feedback, as its critical for us to hear from users. We have since taken the feedback in its entirety and shared it with our product team so that we can enhance and improve the user experience for all. 

  Thank you,

  Legacy.com Support

  Customer response

  08/28/2024

   
  Complaint: 22193309
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I approved nothing from Legacy.com.  The only proof I approved was one sent by **************** (shown in one of my original attachments) and it clearly does not show the "tree ad".  My complaint is not only that the tree ad was added, but that it was placed to clearly deceive the reader.  It was placed above the line "Published by ************ on Aug. 21, 2024" when **************** did NOT publish the ad.  I have no problem with them placing an ad somewhere else on the page, but do NOT place the ad where the clear intent is to make people believe that is what the family wants.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Business response

  08/29/2024

  When placing obituaries in this newspaper, consumers receive a free Legacy only obituary. When consumers reach the preview step, there are two previews displayed: One for the newspaper to show exactly how it will be placed in the print paper and One to show how it will display exactly on Legacy.com. Mr. Huene is correct in that the preview for the obituary placed in the ************ did not display the "To plant trees..." sentence as the text displayed in the newspaper preview is identical to what will be printed. However, ************** was in fact shown the Legacy.com obituary preview where this sentence was included as seen in the screen shot examples. It seems as though ************** did not review the Legacy preview which caused the confusion.

  These two examples are what a user would see when placing in the ************. Planting trees in memory is a low cost way to honor those who have passed and we're always more than happy to remove or modify this upon request as we have done here. For confirmation of this, please review the attached screen shot or visit this link: ************************************************************************************************************1hi6h5y*_gcl_au*MjA0NTQ4NTkzNy4xNzIzMDU1NjQ4 

  We deeply apologize if this caused any issues.

  Thank you,

  Legacy.com Support

• Initial Complaint

  08/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My brother died on July 19, 2024, at 69 years old. I was to handle the obituary, so I found legacy.com and did my best to write the obit and publish it in our small local paper in *******, ********. I was given a bill for over $500, which I paid immediately, to get the announcement in the paper. Today, I received a crumpled certificate regarding a tree that was planted for my Brother. When I contacted Legacy, I found out that I had PAID for this tree, which was the first I heard of that. I also found that the obit in the local paper was over 3x what it would cost to place directly. Why? None of this was even mentioned during my process on the website. I feel like they are taking advantage of people at the hardest time of their lives, and I am furious they ripped my sister in law off; they had no life insurance and every ***** matters. I could find NO WAY to sign onto their website to view a bill or my account. This was the first time I have seen a receipt with detail.

  Business response

  08/12/2024

  Hello,

  The customer did write to us as well, and we responded.  We refunded 2 of the items in full, including the memory tree and the memorial links.  We also expedited a new tree certificate to replace the damaged one received.  Lastly we refunded 10% of the cost of the obituary.  We were not able to refund in full, for the obituary did appear in the paper as it was ordered.

   

• Initial Complaint

  08/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Unable to use website all week due to pop *** that you cannot close. Pop *** are from all types of business Altice, McAfee and other companies offering scanning services

  Business response

  08/12/2024

  Hello,

  We have reached out to the customer via email, to obtain more details so we may assist with the situation they are having.

• Initial Complaint

  08/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I ordered flowers on 8/8/24 for a funeral. When placing the order the subtotal-$108, delivery-$12.98, tax-$7.45 for an Order Total of $128.43. Within 30 minutes, I receive the confirmation email and it says subtotal-$108, delivery-$21.98, tax-$7.84 for an Order Total of $137.82. This is a difference of $9.39. I agree that it does state "*Estimate-only. Local taxes and delivery fees vary based on delivery address." My complaint is how far off the estimate is from the true cost. Clearly, the system knows what the accurate delivery cost is if it can calculate it and charge my card immediately. This is very deceptive and a bait and switch model they are using to make people think they are paying less than charging more after you've entered your credit card information and placed your order so there is nothing you can do about it.

  Business response

  08/13/2024

  Hello,

  After researching this order, we found that the address was not entered at the time of purchase, and our company had to confirm the delivery address before actually placing the order, the charges where applied at that time. We always note that prices are an estimate.

  Customer response

  08/14/2024

   
  Complaint: 22111131
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the business states that they needed to confirm the delivery address. However legacy.com has all funeral information from the family in their system before flower orders can be placed. The family pays to post the obituary and funeral location information for attendees. This answer they provided is unsatisfactory and unacceptable. Again this is a bait and switch sales method to uncharge grieving consumers. They have the address in their system as it is in every obituary they post and claim that they need to confirm it to charge more. Flower orders should not be able to be placed unless a delivery address is confirmed with the family who post the obituary. This is an unethical practice that they are using to charge each customer more money and make more profit. I will never use this website again and will be placing flower orders on my own due to their unethical business practices. There is no reason one flower order is $20 shipping when all orders for one funeral go to the same location.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Business response

  08/16/2024

  Hello,

  We have responded to the customer with our apologies.  Due to the dissatisfaction with her experience we have refunded her order $68.31 which is 50% of her total order. 

   

  Customer response

  08/16/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I recently went on the local funeral site of my husband *********************** obituary and saw that they are selling keepsake memorial videos of the photographs displayed at his viewing. Since these are personal photos that include other people, and were only to be used during his private service I want them removed for purchase. I do not remember agreeing to the sale of this item and if I did it was during a time of confusion and grief. Please have this item for sale removed.

  Business response

  07/30/2024

  Hello,

  The customer also wrote to us on 7/25.  We replied to her on the same day.  The obituary page on Legacy.com did not have the video in question. The obituary she is referring to is located on the Funeral Home's page, we suggested she reach out to the funeral home directly. We also supplied the link to the page she was speaking of for her reference.  

  Customer response

  07/30/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  This website let someone post a fake obituary for ********************************* without our families permission. They purposely made fun of my mothers name putting asscraft instead of ********. In this tough time the company refuses to do anything because it was paid for. This is slander and should not be allowed to print an obituary without the family or funeral homes consent. We posted our own obituary and now this fake one shows up during searches. Horrible unethical way to run a business.

  Business response

  07/05/2024

  We informed the customer that the obituary in question was sent to Legacy.com for online publication by the newspaper and that we post the content exactly as it is received. The contact information for the newspaper was provided to the customer for them to directly reach out to them to discuss further. We also offered the customer a complimentary online obituary. We received a response from the customer that they would like to post an obituary for online publication.

  Customer response

  07/08/2024

   
  Complaint: 21936220
  
  I am rejecting this response because: my mothers name is still spelled wrong on an obituary from someone he didnt know. It is spelled as asscraft instead of ******** as a joke. Someone grieving real funny. Either remove her last name or fix it. You said you could do that with privacy concerns. I appreciate you letting me put the real obituary up, but when you search ****** theirs is the only one that comes up. Gave the cheap version so no one even sees ours. Pretty messed up. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

  Business response

  07/10/2024

  Legacy explained to the customer that paid obituaries cannot be modified unless it is at the request of purchaser or the newspaper hosting the obituary. The customer was provided the contact information for the newspaper. 

• Initial Complaint

  06/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  ****** posted my father's obituary and his photo with links to charities without our consent. Not only is this a copyright infringement, but they also claim it was posted by our funeral home, which is false.

  Business response

  06/17/2024

  Thank you for contacting us and we apologize for trouble and added stress during a difficult time. We do see the obituary has been removed and should not be appearing online. We have also submitted a request to ****** to correct any search results. If you have any additional questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to us at *************** 

• Initial Complaint

  06/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I've made a purchase of the star - ******************** from Legacy for my friend who unexpectedly died in the accident. The purchase in the amount of $217.91 was made on 6/7/2024 and I've received the confirmation with the order #. The purchase was made by phone and my credit card was provided to them also. I was told that tin 24h I'd received the code and I can name a star and accept the print pf all documents. I didn't receive any other emails from them. The money was taken from the account on 6/10/2024. I called them and ask for this order and was told that they do not have any orders like this. They can't locate this order under the order# or my name or even the card. When I've asked for the supervisor to speak with the representative ***** told me that there is no available person to talk to me but in 24h someone will get back to me. And of course nobody call me back. I'm attaching the order information I've received from them.They are not trying to help you in any way and it looks like it is a scam they take your money but do not provide the product

  Business response

  06/24/2024

  Thank you for reaching out to us and we sincerely apologize the certificate has not arrived yet. We do see the order for the physical certificate and have reached out to our vendor for additional information on the shipping status. We're so sorry for the delay and will follow up with you as soon as we have an update. Please let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns by contacting us at ***************. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/29/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My father, ****************************** died last weekend and we wrote his obituary for ******* Memorial funeral home requesting that in lieu of flowers the family would like donations made to a well regarded non-profit that supports home caregivers (caregiver.org). We learned that Legacy.com has posted my father's obituary without our consent and omitted his chosen charity and instead edited the obituary to state that our family asks that donations be made to one of the advertised services on the site. Family and friends have contacted us and seem confused that we would make a request that they buy an expensive memorial tree instead of support the network of home caregivers that he had wished to honor. It is shameful and disgusting that this website is monetizing my fathers death and exploiting the grief of his elderly friends and families in an effort to turn a profit, not to mention reduce the amount of legitimate donations to a honest and worthy non-profit organization that actually cares for people in need. I expect a website administer to contact me immediately to facilitate removal of my father's obituary from the site. I would also like to warn other grieving families about this predatory website which has a business model to turn the death of beloved family members into cold, hard cash and add to the sadness and loss we are experiencing at this time.

  Business response

  04/04/2024

  Thank you for contacting us and we sincerely apologize for this trouble during a difficult time. We do show the obituary has been removed and we also requested to have it removed from ****** search results. We're so sorry again for this inconvenience. If you have any additional concerns or questions please feel free to contact us at ***************

  Customer response

  04/11/2024

   
  Complaint: 21506952
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I had requested communication from legacy.com to explain why my fathers obituary was posted on the site without our consent. The obituary was removed but I remain concerned about this companys practice of taking advantage of grieving families and want to know that they are taking measures to discontinue such practice. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  04/15/2024

  Thank you for following up with us and we apologize again for the trouble. We host online obituaries for Funeral Homes and Newspapers across the country to ensure friends and family are notified of a loved ones passing. We understand families want obituaries only hosted by certain Funeral Homes or newspapers and we will always honor a request to have it removed if it was not authorized to be online with us. We're so sorry again for the trouble. 

  Customer response

  04/16/2024

   
  Complaint: 21506952
  
  I am rejecting this response because the business stated that they remove obituaries that are not authorized to be posted with them. The funeral home we worked with stated that they have no partnership with Legacy.com and did not authorize my fathers obituary to be posted anywhere except on the funeral home website.  I want Legacy.com to recognize that they have a problem with whatever algorithm they are using to scrape unauthorized obituaries from the internet in an effort to monetize the death of beloved family members. I want them to end the practice of posting unauthorized obituaries so families who are already distressed do not have to make them remove unauthorized postings. This seems like a common sense and ethical practice change. I am still waiting for a representative from Legacy.com to contact me directly.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  03/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  ****** took my father's funeral info from a site Tribute who works with the funeral home *********************. legacy had no permission to make an obituary with my father's name ***************************** and started asking for gifts, or flowers, that they would collect to send for my dads funeral! They had no right at all!! I have complained and Legacy responded that they were ************ by making another site to help. How? They did not have any permission from me, nor has anyone made this account for my dad! The site itself looks at funeral homes postings and they themselves make another posting collecting from family members that do not know where to send the gift. ********************* also called and complained to the site, stating that Legacy always does this and if not checked, they illegally take whatever gifts are sent and charge for a release!! This site and company should be taken down!!! My father's name is still showing!!! Thats invasion of our private info!!!! How dare they keep posting my fathers name!! I got a response saying it was taken down, but it still shows!! They lied!! So how many other obituaries have they made without other people knowing!!! How much money have they collected!! I had to pay for the online book for my dad's service, so are they still doing it without Permission!!

  Business response

  03/07/2024

  Thank you for reaching out to us and we sincerely apologize for any additional stress this has caused. We host online obituaries that offer a sympathy store for any loved ones who would like to purchase gifts or remembrances for the family. We work with vendors across the country to ensure these items are delivered on time and will always be happy to assist if any issues arise. If you are still seeing the obituary online and would like it removed please reach out to us at *************** and we'll be sure it is removed as quickly as possible. We apologize again for the trouble.  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩