ComplaintsforElmwood Funeral Home & Memorial Park

• Initial Complaint

  09/07/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Under contract as a perpetual care cemetery, the funeral home is responsible for maintaining all areas of the cemetery grounds, for example the fountain where our plot sits. Since December of 2020, the funeral home has done nothing but neglect the cemetery grounds surrounding the plots I own. The fountain has remained unmaintained, inoperable, and is so neglected that it is offensive to me and my family. There are other areas and fountains in the cemetery that are operable and being maintained, of which I have photographic evidence. As a perpetual care cemetery, maintaining some areas of the cemetery while neglecting others is a clear breach of contract. I have been trying resolve the issue by phone and mail for months, with no success. As the contract states, the fountain should be maintained and functioning in the original state as when the plots where purchased.

  

  Business response

  09/22/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2021/09/22) */ From: ***** ***** <******@legacyfuneralgroup.com> Sent: Tuesday, September 21, XXXX X:XX PM To: Stephanie Norris <*******@abilene.bbb.org> Subject: from Elmwood case #XXXXX Let me know if this is appropriate to post on the site as a response? ***** ***** General Manager ******@legacyfuneralgroup.com www.elmwoodfuneral.com September 19, 2021 RE: Complaint of Mr. *** ***** Please accept this correspondence in response to the complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau by Mr. *** ***** regarding the care of the grounds of Elmwood Memorial Park. To give you a little background, Elmwood Memorial Park has been caring for the remains of the loved ones of Abilene for 75 years. Mr. ***** and his family have trusted us with their loved ones for many years. In this time, the park has changed ownership and has gone through many changes. The fountain of which Mr. ***** speaks is (almost) sixty-five years old and, in recent years, has experienced failure of the plumbing and electrical systems supplying the fountain. Because of its location in the cemetery, away from the main lines, it has been very difficult to maintain up to its original condition from 65 years ago. Elmwood has been working and communicating with Mr. ***** to resolve his concerns prior to his letter. Unfortunately, we have had delays in the project. We responded directly to Mr. ***** and expressed our regret that our plan for the removal and redesign of the old private estate fountain has taken longer than expected as we have experienced unforeseen delays. We have removed some plants and had the entire fountain pressure washed to clean up the area. We also just completed the project of removing the old office building at the front gate, across from the private estate section, and the rock on the front entrance is also being cleaned. We strive to always care for and maintain Elmwood to the highest standards; however, the park is 75 years old and despite our best efforts, there are items that will show their age. In order to address Mr. *****'s concerns, we will begin as soon as possible, hopefully within the next two weeks, to remove the fountain, clear the area, and place down sod to create an area consistent with similar areas in the Park. We hope to have this completed within a month. One item that needs to be clarified from Mr. *****'s complaint is that Texas law requires cemeteries to maintain their grounds, a responsibility which we are proud to undertake. Texas law does not, however, require any cemetery to keep their grounds unchanged. We apologize for the delay in undertaking this, and we thank our families for their patience as we undertake this project. If anyone has a question about their loved ones at Elmwood or if they need any other information, please feel free to reach out to me. Thank You, ***** ***** Elmwood Memorial Park

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