My mother was funeralized at the 2265 Flatbush Avenue location.
On the same evening as my mother's Funeral Service, there was a 'Wake Only' service (not a Funeral Service) going on across the hall. The attendees from that Wake overflowed into the common lounge area causing a disturbance which resulted in chaos due to the noise level. As a result of the noise, no one attending my mother's funeral was able to mourn her properly. WHERE WAS THE FUNERAL DIRECTOR?! If a Funeral Director was present to address the issue, the problem could have been immediately rectified.
When I asked the staff member to address the noise issue, I was told that there was nothing that could be done. Although the staff member was not rude, that was the wrong answer! There was absolutely no attempt made to try to manage the crowd. I did not demand an immediate resolution because I needed to return to the chapel to tend to my mother's funeral. My reacting in a negative way at that point, could have only made a bad situation worse. The disturbance/chaos was so bad that it could have potentially led to a bigger issue. Frankly, I don't think it was professional nor safe to leave a staff member alone to handle multiple services at the same time.
When I escalated my concern to another staff member the next day, I was told that it is not the company's policy to have Funeral Directors onsite after 5:00 PM nor is it the company's policy to have Funeral Directors onsite at a 'Wake Only' service. NOTE: My mother had both a Wake and a Funeral Service. I was never informed in advance that a Funeral Director was not part of the contract. My expectation was that there would be a Funeral Director present to manage the crowd and to give direction throughout both services. My Pastor was ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED that there was no Funeral Director onsite.
In addition to the above, I had to:
1) Purchase a speaker and a mic.
2) Purchase a podium clip-on desk lamp; needed to ensure that the Pastor and the other presenters could clearly see what they wrote. Each podium should have a desk lamp attached to it.
NOTE: How does a prominent funeral home such as Andrew Torregrossa & Sons only have 1 speaker, 1 mic, 1 keyboard and no podium desk lamps for 5 chapels. That is just bad business. I should have been given ample notice. Instead, I had to find all of this out at the very last minute and scramble to PURCHASE MY OWN EQUIPMENT.
3) Extend apologies to over 100 guests for the havoc that was caused by the other service across the hall.
NOTE: I was told that the doors could be closed to cut back on the noise. However, I could not close the doors to my mother's service because it would have left a number of guests out in the lobby.
4) Gather and place additional seating with the assistance of guests. Again, the guests, my family and I could not properly mourn my mother because we were too busy doing what should have been done by the staff.
5) Make changes to my mother's obituary/program after the service was over because there was no opportunity to proofread the program prior to the final print.
To top all of this off, I was told by numerous people that some of the guests attending the Wake across the hall were smoking marijuana inside and outside of the rear entrance.
These are perfect examples for the need of a Funeral Director AND staff to be present at all times. While grieving, clients should not have to address the management of the facility.
My heart aches for final moments extended to my mother because she was not funeralized in peace.
Andrew Torregrossa and Sons Inc. has been in the funeral business for 90+ years. In my eyes, they are the elder statesmen of funeral servicing and that is why I cannot believe that I am addressing these issues! I believed that I would be provided with exemplary service. However, Andrew Torregrossa & Sons Inc. failed to meet that expectation. Bottom Line, we were left hanging with no recourse on the day of the Funeral.
These comments are to ensure that the next family does not encounter the same discomfort when trying to care for the last rights of their family members or loved ones. read more