Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  08/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I am a kidney patient and back in December. I was trying to make arrangements for my Death with callFfuneral Directors life. I gave the sales person who came to my home a deposit of$500. I was given a written receipt The agreement was that I would Have a Payment of $ 32. 00 each month. Some months went by, and I noticed that there were no payments Drawn from my account. I kept calling the company and getting voicemails. About three months ago, I got a live person to answer the phone. They found the account but also looking to get $300 from me for past payments not made by me. Not only my kidney patient, but I’m also on disability.. I asked for my $500 back. All of a sudden, I got a phone call from a sales person.named *** ********** He came to visit and said that he person who started the account was fired, and that he would fix everything and that I did not owe the money that they were talking about. He promised to send the Paperwork and start the payments immediately to be drawn from my account. Neither has happened to this day. I sent a text to **** asking what’s going on after months. He sent me a draft of the agreement with numbers. I had no idea what they mean. The document does not reflect the $500. I Reminded Sal That I’m a person with kidney disease And with Dialisys and doctors appointments I have no time To keep going backwards I was hoping to get this matter settled eight months ago. I asked him for my money back. He said someone will call me this was. August 16, 2024. No one called so I called them. I was told you’re not getting your money back that I signed a waiver of some sort that says that I agree that I don’t want the money back. I Asked for a supervisor I was then connected to **** ***** ******* . Again, **** **** said that I signed an agreement saying I don’t want my money back. I told her that that would be impossible and that I need to see a signed agreement stating that. She sent agreement that was signed electronically, , not by me.

  Business response

  09/06/2024

  In response to the complaint received from Mr. **** ******** regarding contract *********, here is Funeral Directors Life’s response:
  
  Mr. ******** signed a 2 year policy with Palmetto Cremation Society on December 15, 2023.  He did put $500.00 down which would make his monthly premiums $31.85.  Mr. ******** elected to receive his monthly statements via email, and we sent those out monthly, until it lapsed due to non payment, to *******************. 
  
  Mr. ********** contract lapsed on February 19, 2024.  We didn’t hear from anyone regarding the lapse or not receiving the monthly statements until June 19th.  We explained that in order to reinstate the contract, we would need all past due premiums.  At this point Mr. ******** stated he wasn’t able to make up the past payments and wanted his money back.  Our records indicate that the contract was emailed to Mr. ******** and he electronically completed the contract.  The IP address was recorded and associated with Mr. ********** email address of *******************.  His contract is irrevocable and cannot be cancelled.    
  
  We would be willing to roll over the $500.00 Mr. ******** paid into a paid-up contract where he is not losing any money, but the money will remain with FDLIC until the time of need and we will pay that amount out to the servicing funeral home. If he is interested in this option, he would need to contact *** ********* to write a new contract.
  
  If he would like to continue with the plan he initially signed up for, we would need all past due premiums in the amount of $286.65.  This amount does include the September payment and would make him due next on October 15th.
  
  We are disheartened when a customer is dissatisfied with our services.  We do strive for excellence in the service we provide to our customers.  If we can assist in any other way, please let me know.  We are here to serve you Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Time

  Customer response

  09/10/2024

  
  Complaint: 22217176
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  As a person on a fixed income, I would never sign anything that will relinquish money that belongs to me. The Document that I have attached Was electronically signed it’s not my signature. I never saw this document before  in my life. The Attached document was emailed to me on August 16th 2024 after I asked for a refund. The $500 was  a deposit paid in cash given to One of their sales people  whohas since been fired. 
  I have been trying to contact the company since December 2023 when I paid the deposit. None of the monthly installments to pay off the balance for funeral arrangements were taken out from my checking account  As a person suffering with kidney disease, I was trying to make arrangements for my death. The Last thing that I need is to deal  with Such an unscrupulous company. 
  

  In short, I cannot afford to lose $500. I would never agree to relinquish those Funds

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

  Business response

  09/16/2024

  After review of Mr. ********** response, we have determined that we will refund the down payment Mr. ******** made in December 2023.  We are concerned whenever a contract holder feels they have not been served well or are not clear about the contract that has been executed.  Once we receive the attached signed cancellation form, we will process his request.

   

• Initial Complaint

  08/21/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  see Attached document
  Click here to Get the File - use the Password: 7F3C580A
  *****************************************************

  When i applied for Funeral Service Insurance i agreed to pay $145.07 a month by mail W/a $1000 down payment.  Funeral Directors would not send me a monthly bill saying i was paid until April 2020. When i called billing May 2021 i was told i owed back payments for Jan, Feb, March and April 2020. And i was coerced into doing automatic funds transfer for the amount of $161.95. I was told the face value of my policy was $8200 and that my policy would be paid up 8/06/2026. Since then i have paid $9555.05 to date. I called them 8/01/2024 and informed them to stop payment as i could no longer afford groceries. I was told payment would be stopped as of 8/06/2024 and a surrender of benefit sent to me. 8/07 i received papers to close my account and a surrender of benefit of $3708.62 would be sent to me. I am not at all happy with the surrender amount and i want my money back!! Please help and thank you for all that you do.

  Business response

  08/27/2024

  please see attached response for Ms. ********

  Ms. ******* signed a 7-year policy with Patton-Schad Funeral Services on 9/6/2019.  She did put $1,000.00 down which would make her monthly payments going forward – every month, at a discounted rate of $145.07.  We give monthly credit for large initial payments which does push out the due dates based on what their premium “should” be based on the terms of the policy.  This doesn’t mean they aren’t due until that future date; they are due the next month.
  To keep the discounted premium, we needed a monthly payment in the amount of $145.07.  Due to Ms. ******* not making her scheduled monthly payments, we did increase her monthly premium to $161.95 as she stated.  As of today, I show that she has paid a total of $9,516.97, $9,414.05 applied in premiums + an additional $102.92 that cannot be applied to her policy until I have enough money to make a full premium. 
  We did mail her policy packet to her on 9/17/2019 where it shows how cash value is calculated.  I have attached the policy for your records.  At the end of year 5 we pay out $424.46  per $1,000.00 of coverage, and since we haven’t hit the anniversary for this year, it is prorated for 2024.  The surrender benefit we sent Ms. ******* was  $3,708.62, please note we do indicate that this amount is subject to change as it is just an estimate until we get the signed paperwork back in the office. 
  When we spoke with Ms. ******* on 8/1/2024, we did tell her she would not get all of the money she paid in back but that it would be cash value.  We did stop her automatic draft as requested as she told us she could no longer afford this anymore. 
  We do have an early payoff option available for her, if she is interested.  It would be changing her policy from a 7-year term to a 5-year term and the amount needed would be $2,040.49.  This amount is good for 30 days (until 9/26/2024) and is preferably paid in a one lump payment, however as long as the full amount is received within the 30-day window, we will take it.  After 9/6/2024 – there is not early payoff option available
  We are disheartened when a customer is dissatisfied with how our policies work.  We do strive for excellence in the service we provide to our customers.  If we can assist in any other way, please let me know.  We are here to serve you Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CST.
  
  
  Thank you,

  Customer response

  08/29/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 22169704, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* **** *******

• Initial Complaint

  05/10/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  When u want to paid the loan off they quote u more even though u have paid on the loan 2 years and too pay off with your credit card they want a 2% fee to process it my credit card company don’t charge a fee but they do to put more pay out on the loan someone should check into their financial practices this place is ripping people off at a time of grief.

  Business response

  05/19/2024

  I have attached a letter for our response as well as copies of the contracts for Mr. & Mrs. ****.  One page 4 of the contracts you will see the total amount they agreed to pay over the term of the contracts.  We did get a few requests for early payoff quotes and the family paid in full in May 2024. 

   

  Please let me know if you have any further questions or if you would like any other information. 

   

  Thank you,

  ****** *******

  Customer Service Supervisor

• Initial Complaint

  03/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On 1/23/2024 , I mailed a check for $15,955.62 to pay off policy *****8761 and *****8762 (**** *** ******** ******). The check cleared my bank on 1/30. FAI drafted my account on 1/31. I contacted them on 2/1 and ******** in customer service said a refund check would be sent about the 21st. Since then I have talked to C****, M**** and B**** in customer service and left a voice mail for for **** **** ******* (Customer Service Supervisor) for which I have not yet received the courtesy of a return call. I feel 37 days to correct their mistake is way to long. The BBB shows them with an A+ rating, my experience say a grade of F would be more accurate. Any assistance the BBB could provide would be appreciated

  Business response

  03/12/2024

  We strive to always serve our customers in the manner we would expect to be served. However, from time to time, human error occurs in spite of our best of intentions. After researching this complaint further, we determined that the refunds to the ******' had, in fact, not been processed. This clearly is a mistake on our part, and we are very sorry for the oversight!

  On March 7th, after we received the BBB complaint notification, we processed two refunds, in the amounts of $300.49 each. These amounts were deposited into the ******' account the following day, March 8th. The tracking numbers are: (for ****) #****2257 and (for ********) #****2234. 

  Thank you for making us aware of this issue. Should Mr. ****** have any further questions or concerns, he can contact our Customer Care department at ###-###-####. 

  Customer response

  03/13/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 21398346, and find that this REFUND is satisfactory. 

  However, the five people I talked to in February just blew a bunch of smoke my direction. But when the BBB got involved, Halleluya, you saw the light in ONE day.

  Good news though, we will not have to deal with each other again.

   

  Sincerely,

   

  John Hillis
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  $1,540.00 was withdrawn from bank account without authorization.

  Business response

  01/08/2024

  Please see the attached response to the complaint.  We believe the issues have been resolved.

*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. ↩