The only bright spot in our experience with Anderson-McQueen Funeral and Cremation Centers for my…read moremother's services was Archie. He is truly an angel. Unfortunately, Bri could not have been worse--cold, unprofessional, and lacking compassion. I honestly cannot give this company even one star.
From the beginning, I had to correct errors in the paperwork. While they were minor typos, it was upsetting to deal with mistakes while grieving. More concerning was that I was not presented with options during planning; I was guided toward specific choices, and only when I asked questions were alternatives mentioned.
When I brought in my mom's clothes and belongings, other staff greeted me kindly. Bri did not. I had to introduce myself. She showed no warmth, said nothing about taking good care of my mother, and focused only on reprinting a contract--twice--because it wasn't correct. When I left, there were no reassuring words about the service or my mom being in good hands.
Two business days passed after I forgot my credit card when updating paperwork, and no one called. Then, after 5:00 p.m. on Friday, I received a message asking me to call back quickly to make payment before they left. There were no words about the upcoming service--only about money.
The church service was beautiful. However, when we arrived at the cemetery (after lingering slightly at church), my mother had not yet arrived. We waited a long time before the hearse finally came. We were given no explanation.
At the gravesite, some male family members helped with the casket, and Bri spoke to them in an abrupt, directive manner, as if she did not realize this was their grandmother. She then asked me--at the gravesite--if we planned to stay for the lowering of the casket. That question should have been addressed during planning, not at that moment.
When it was time to lower my mom, Bri began picking flowers off the spray we had purchased and handed them to us to toss in afterward. It was upsetting to watch her dismantle the arrangement in front of us. That could have been done beforehand.
After the burial, she approached me--not to offer condolences--but to ask if I could come in Monday to settle the account.
Over the weekend, we looked through sympathy cards and realized no one could find the guest book. On Monday I emailed Bri asking if the funeral home had it--no response. Tuesday morning I emailed Archie, who responded immediately. Shortly after, Bri called to say she had the guest book and I could pick it up when I came in to settle the account.
We had been searching for it all weekend. She had taken it and never informed us. When I expressed my frustration, she did not apologize. Instead, she said she felt she had not been treated well at the service. I reminded her that we were the grieving family and that her role was to support us.
She refused to deliver the guest book to my father and said I would need to pick it up when I came for the death certificates (which are still not ready). When I later asked about flower order cards from their website so we could properly thank people, she said she had those as well and that I could pick them up at the same time.
It feels completely inappropriate that we must retrieve these meaningful items ourselves, especially after they were withheld without communication.
Archie was kind, gentle, and compassionate--but one good employee cannot make up for Bri's rudeness, lack of empathy, and unprofessional conduct. She is in the wrong profession, and I sincerely hope management provides her with proper training so no other family experiences what we did.
I also do not understand why there is an additional $10 charge per death certificate on top of already substantial funeral costs.
