ComplaintsforOakwood Hill Funeral Chapel & Cemetery

• Initial Complaint

  12/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The business is under new ownership in the last 3 months or so . The business put restrictions on entering cemetery . No one is allowed after 5 pm . Most people work 9-5. My mom recently passed and I want to bring flowers and talk to her because it helps with grieving . They didnt let me in because I showed up at 5. I understand there are limits but 5 pm is not reasonable . It is cruel for people in grief .

  

  Business response

  12/26/2022

  **********************,

   

  We're sorry to hear that you are unhappy with Oakwood Hill Cemetery.  To ensure you have the best information possible, we'd like to respond:

   

  1.Oakwood Hill Cemetery was sold in April 2021 to a local family owned company.

  2.Prior to the sale, the previous ownership left the cemetery unattended 24 hours a day.

  3.There was no gate and vandalism and crime were routinely taking place on the grounds.

  4.We installed a gate and instituted regular on-site staffing for the security of our guests and their loved ones.

  5.You'll find the vast majority of cemeteries during the Fall and Winter months close at dusk, which is before 5pm.

  6.While our posted hours indicate we close at 5pm you'll find the cemetery regular open up unto 7pm which again dovetails with many other cemeteries.

   

  We're sorry you feel we are acting in a way contrary to our clients' best interest.  We welcome the opportunity for a conversation so that we can ensure your needs are being met.  Our staff is always available at ************ to listen to your concerns and come up with a workable solution.

• Initial Complaint

  02/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I paid Oakwood Hill Cemetery $1900 to "inspect" 2 headstones for any improper symbols or wording. ******, the funeral director, said the charge was so high because I didn't purchase the headstones from Oakwood and Oakwood Hill needed to make money. Oakwood had the headstones on site and ****** confirmed he had read them and they were cleared to be installed by **************** but only after I paid the inspection fee of $1900. Initially, ****** quoted me $1900 and then he said he misspoke and it was actually $390 / $195 per headstone. I called 4 times to make the payment and when I finally insisted ****** take my credit card number he said "oh and by the way, the price is now $1900." I then contacted *** at the ******* Group, the company that purchased the cemetery in April 2021. *** said he would look into it. After a few weeks I called him to follow up and he said agreed with what ****** said as it is stated on the website. The website does not list a price for inspection only installation. Oakwood Hill has refused to install the headstones. So I paid $1900 for ****** to read 2 headstones. This is extortion and absolutely outrageous.

  

  Business response

  04/03/2022

  We're sorry that you feel you were not fairly treated.  To be clear, both monuments prior to your complaint with the BBB have been installed in our cemetery.  The inspection fee you are referencing is a standard fee that cemeteries charge for to ensure that when a monument is ordered by a third party and not through our cemetery that our rules and regulations are complied with.  This fee is included in all monuments that are ordered from inside the cemetery, typically at a substantial cost savings from working with an outside vendor unfamiliar with our rules and regulations.

  Our website lists a range of cemetery and funeral home fees so that website visitors can have an understanding of a broad range of what is necessary.  But we do not post all 12 pages of our cemetery price list because it is best gone through with the family and one of our cemetery professionals.  This consultation offers a great deal of value due to everyone's situation and needs being fairly unique and specific to their wishes.

  The inspection fee is charged to all customers and you were not singled out in any way.  While we're sorry for ****** misquoting you an incorrect price at one point, the price was correctly listed on our cemetery price list the entire time.  If you simply would have enlisted our cemetery for help with your loved ones' monument, you could have saved a significant amount of money while also supporting the maintenance of the grounds where your loved ones will rest for eternity.

  Customer response

  04/05/2022

   
  Complaint: 16817835
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the Oakwood Hill Cemetery employee, *******************************, directed me to purchase the monument from the 3rd party Premier (see the attached document for 2020) which is why I purchased the monuments at the direction of the cemetery employee.  Oakwood Hill Cemetery is scandalous giving misinformation and then charging additional fees for a breach of their policy. This is nothing short of criminal.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  

  Business response

  04/08/2022

  Again, we're sorry you feel the way you do.  But the facts do not at all back up what you are claiming.  The email you yourself provided from ******* discusses **************** as a vendor, never once mentioning them as you needing to call directly.  Nowhere in the email are you directed to work strictly with ****************.  In fact, ******* was discussing the process of designing, sourcing and getting a monument into production with ****************.  She asked you multiple questions assuming that you were enlisting our help for the monument to be placed at your loved ones' ******.  You decided that you wanted to work directly with ********************, which is your right to do so.  But engaging a third party other than the cemetery for any monument triggers an inspection fee, which was collected from you and the monuments were set.

  This matter is closed and 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. ↩