Maybe things have changed greatly since 2006. Yet I had a great cremation service from Salas Bros. for both my father and mother in 2006, at different times. Prior to their deaths I had done my due diligence and found them to be the most reasonably priced in Modesto (500-600 dollars less). As I had handled another cremation in 1998 in Sacramento I also had something to which I could compare my experience. Salas Bros. did not let me overlook placing a local obituary in the Modesto Bee (North Sacramento Funeral home forgot to mention it to me...and I didn't think of it. It was my first planning of a funeral). All in all...I was provided great service for cremation (body pick-up was timely from my parents home, ashes ready for pick-up within days). I can not speak to all the other funeral frills since I handled the remainder myself. They provided exactly what I wanted-- an inexpensive cremation (900usd in 2006). read more

Beware of this place. These people are crooked! DO NOT use them. DO NOT recommend them! They charge you for things you never authorized. They picked up a family member from the hospital BEFORE their business hours WITHOUT asking our family permission nor did the hospital tell them to do so, as they claim! They charged an extra $600 for that. After all was said and done, our family was also charged for other items that we not necessary nor approved from family. This review is from 2026! read more

They treat people terrible. They lack all empathy and compassion, they lie and they charge more than other similar companies and then provide sub-par service and make losing a loved one even harder. read more

Salas Bros Funeral Chapel - Funeral Services & Cemeteries Near Me - Modesto, California

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They don't pay their contractors plain and simple. Happened again today!! A friend of mine has been ripped off twice working for them over the years. They are crooked, they do what they want, not what grieving family members want. Over priced. They don't do Pre-pay for future funerals. They think they have the SDA monopoly in Modesto, but know this, There are far better places in town to take care of your loved ones. Go somewhere else. I do NOT recommend Salas's, from past and present experiences. Word of mouth goes far. read more

I had to leave a star in order to leave the review but this funeral home would get negative numbers if I could. They don't answer the phone, take messages but never return calls then accuse you of leaving a loved one. John Salas (apparent owner) is a rude entitled jerk who wants money more than helping with your loved ones. The over all experience was horrible. This place sucks, do your loved ones a service and don't send them here. read more

The quality of service our family received from Salas Brothers (surprisingly after years of service) was horrible. They asked us how we wanted our mother presented (we gave a photo per their request) and they couldn't deliver and didn't ask for our help. We were prepared to do (specifically my mother's Hair) or have done, my mother's hair (her signature) and Salas Brothers failed us horribly. We paid for services we did not receive 100 % and will never use them again. We do not recommend them at all sadly. Years ago they were a wonderful company and did great work. read more

It was very nice and professional . It was clean and it served its purpose . I didn't handle to business aspect of it . I just attended a viewing and it was clean and presentable . The staff was courteous. read more

John Salas funeral home has done the most horrible thing. Mr. Salas has cremated. My husband's remains against my wishes. I am the next of kin Mr. Salas had the audacity to tell me that Robert was paying my husbands bill and therefore Robert was his next of kin. I have reported them both to the health department, corners, department and vital statistics in both San Joaquin county and Stanislaus county. I have been trying to contact them they hang up on me or do not answer my calls at all if you do not believe this by all means contact to them and ask them where is Mr. Burnley? read more

Not even worth your time when your family member passes you expect a funeral place to have some kind of compassion. Going with this place is not the answer. They were horrible to my family. Prices were outrageous. They picked up my grandma at 3 am and we planned to have her body moved to another place by 9 am and they charged our family $890 fees they we were not told about. A transporting fee and holding fee. She wants even there 12 hours. read more

My mom passed away on the 8th of March 2022 @ 12:06 am, she was taken to doctors hospital where Salas Brothers picked up her body @ 2:03 on the 10th. So because Salas Brothers decided to pick her up @ 2:03 am we had to pay 175 for after hours pick up fee which We did not request. They never called to inform us they had the body until the 15th of March, which they then informed us they charge 75 dollars a day storage fee, we went down, couldn't get inside they are still locked down due to Covid. I was rudely spoken to informed they would pass some papers out the door we had to fill out. They let my wife in to sign and fill out these papers, they reminded us of their 75 dollar a day fee which we were being charged while waiting on them. This is the third time in recent years that we have used Salas Brothers. The first two times were fine, but this time, the experience was horrific. I highly suggest to anyone in need of funeral services, find any place but here. If you need to, read the other reviews. There is a reason they only have a 2 star rating read more

Unfortunately, we had the misfortune of dealing with this business, and not in a positive manner. My 102 year old great uncle, who was a World War 2, 3 Purple Heart, Bronze Star recipient, was cremated by Salas Bros Funeral Chapel. The reason being is my uncle went in and prepaid for his services, basically had insurance to cover all costs involved. When my uncle passed away on November 26th, 2021, Salas Bros was notified. My uncle passed away at the Menlo Park Veteran's Administration long term care housing. The VA contacted John Salas to advise him of my uncle's demise before I could. The administration clerk advised me that John Salas treated her rudely and was abrasive toward her. When my cousin and I contacted him, he couldn't have been nicer. Of course he assigned blame to the VA clerk, but we moved forward with the plan to have my uncle cremated. That was the last conversation with John. To make matters worse, my Mom had just been recently diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer and I had to get her to Houston asap. We had to put off my uncle's funeral to a later date. Before I left for Houston, my uncle had not yet been cremated, so I left his sister, my 89 yo great aunt to pick up his remains. Nobody from Salas ever called her to let her know when to pick up her brother's remains. So she called, and was told they were ready and to come get them, in which she did. A few days later she called to see if the death certificates were ready, and she was transferred to John Salas. My aunt said he was extremely rude and abrasive to her, stating he was never paid for retrieving my uncle's body, that he was "stiffed" and not paid. Of course that really upset my aunt. She told Mr. Salas that her brother had insurance and why was he trying to get more money. John told her that the insurance didn't cover that. Well, that isn't true. Unfortunately, John Salas has a very bad reputation in Modesto. I called his father, Frank Salas who started the business and who I thought would be fair. When I called Frank, he didn't answer, but called me back asap. He assured me that he would get the death certificates "overnighted" to me in Houston so that I could handle business. It's truly disturbing and despicable that this business would treat anyone this way; especially a family that has gone through and still going through!!! BEWARE AND STAY AWAY!!! I see why they have such a poor reputation!!!! read more

Minutes before the whole family gathered and started getting ready to head out to the viewing. The people at the Salas Bro's funeral decided to call and request the rest of the money or else they aren't going to give her up for the funeral tomorrow. We could of easily made the money over the last few days but they assured we could pay it some time after the whole ordeal. So we scraped up 1000$ just to make sure everyone that came near and far would be here for her. They might as well of just put a gun to my head and walked me to the nearest ATM. So please please from our family to yours never ever use this place for the people that matter to you the most. read more

Salas Bros Funeral Chapel - Who the hell holds a loved ones body hostage - Funeral Services & Cemeteries Near Me - Modesto, California

My sister had made advance arrangements prior to her passing and paid for it. After her passing, they NEVER called me back as requested to confirm ANYTHING. We didn't know if they had picked up our loved one from the hospital for cremation. The director NEVER returns phone calls. We experienced better and more follow up from our dog's crematorium. read more

The staff were incredibly accommodating and helpful when my husband passed away. They picked him right away and did a great job. They listened to every concern that me and my children asked, the girls Marrissa and Dessire did wonderful job communicating. They did a great job with the service listening to everything and accommodating 130+ people who attended, Jon Salas was very helpful during the service. He was very reassuring that after the service my husband would be taken care of he was cremated and i picked him up a week later on July 1,2022. This was the most stressful time of my life and they treated me, my children and my deceased husband with the most upmost respect. read more

There was a discrepancy on the final bill for the cremation of our father, and when it was made known to Salas Brothers had refunded the difference on the spot. read more

This funeral home is the worst! They don't care about anyone but there own selfishness! My father passed and they didn't care about anything but their own schedule. read more

The staff was incredibly accommodating to our needs. My 87 year old aunt passed and they did a wonderful job preparing her for the funeral. They were very flexible with our plans as many of our relatives were coming in from out of state.. The entire process was as smooth as it could be and they understood the amount of stress I was going through in planning this. read more

4 stars because ten years ago they handled my mothers funeral well at a reasonable cost . We had no issues & yes she had her services paid beforehand. We only had to pay a little more due to some changes in services. read more

Beware of their technology for DVD presentations, it is unreliable. It broke halfway thru our video tribute a year ago for my father's service. Today I was there for a coworkers spouse funeral and flat out didn't work at all, ruined their service. They really need to get their act together because those presentations are a lot of work and are important to family and friends. Your taking your chances with their technology at this chapel. read more

If I could give a -10 stars I would. My husband's grandmother paid for her funeral expenses and her casket about thirty years ago, my mother in law was with her when she made her arrangements and picked out her casket. Her expectation was that she had paid for use of the chapel, the opening and closing of the grave, and her casket among a few other things. Years later, many of our family moved out of state including her. As I said, all of these arrangements for her funeral were made around thirty years ago, before she had ever considered leaving California. After she moved, she made arrangements with a local funeral home for transport back to California to Salas Brothers, as she still wanted to be buried in California in her family plot next to her husband and siblings. She recently passed and now Salas Brothers said her casket was not included in her payment. The chapel was not included and the opening and closing of the grave was not included. They demanded an extra almost $2000, IN CASH by the way, before the person digging the grave would even open it. My husband's Aunt found a very nice casket online much cheaper than Salas Brothers. The way she was treated when finalizing the arrangements, she feels that if she hadn't had her son with her, the man helping her would have tried to squeeze her for an extra fee because he appeared to be upset when she told him she wouldn't be paying him for a second casket. He tried telling her, "well it's all part of a package and now you've messed up the package". How can he say there was a package when according to them her money paid for almost nothing. All Salas Brothers did was store her for a couple of days and take her to the grave. All of that money she paid they just kept and can't say where it went. We would have complained more and tried to pressure them to show where the fees went but then I read some of the reviews here about someone being told to go elsewhere when Salas Brothers still had their grandmother. The way they behaved is disgusting. DON'T USE SALAS BROTHERS BECAUSE YOU WILL PAY AND YOU WILL GET NOTHING FOR IT. They have you over a barrel when you have made previous arrangements and they know it. Exploiting families in this time is low, disgusting, and should be criminal. read more

Just attended a funeral viewing or a wake this afternoon, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Couldn't believe it! It's a disaster, an unsatisfactory service by the Salas Bros. Funeral Chapel. I know we're still in this Covid 19 pandemic. The venue was outside a small patio, right beside the wall of the chapel. Basically no accommodations, or maybe there were (the cheapest ones). No canopies, tents, or umbrellas. No chairs, just three of those small stone benches. The grieving husband, and the two children were sitting on those picnic canvas lounging chairs (next to mother's casket). Sun shining hot, everybody trying to find shade. There's a small boombox for sound and a small TV provided by the family. The lectern was if it was thrown to garbage and picked up by Salas Bros. There's no social distancing, 'coz there's no distanced chairs, nor 6' apart notations for people to line up. I took a lot of pictures. There was a big tall guy overseeing this for the Salas Bros. I politely complained to him. He said, "This is what the Governor wanted." I also asked him if this is the kind of service they give to the "whites and blacks" 'coz I don't think they will accept this kind of service. We're Asians, he said, "yes". I don't think this was what the grieving family paid for. There's no RESPECT for the dead, nor for the grieving family. Somebody should report this to the CDC, and to the OSHA. read more

John Salas, Nancy and David went above and beyond the call of duty in caring for our family. John personally drove my father's casket to sfo so he could be transported to another country where he wished to be buried. Nancy and John expedited the paperwork to ensure this would happen. I cannot say enough about them. read more

Horrible place which should not be in business!!!! Committed fraud, they charged extra for nothing!! When confronted by our council they got mad and refused further service while they still had my late grandmother. read more

Patronizing funeral coordinator. Unsympathetic despite meeting people in their most dire of situations. Unreasonable pricing, gouge the loved ones and offer nothing for those who don't have much of an income. I am a reasonable person and I understand business, but when you work in a business such as this, you need to have an attitude that caters to the grieving. The coordinator puts on a show but talks to you like you're an idiot when you ask questions, just because he speaks in a soft tone does not mean he's being sympathetic. When asking him direct questions, at times he would answer with a patronizing underhanded answer and other times he just looked at you like you're a moron with this "I feel sorry for you" look on his face. He wasn't helpful and this felt like a cold business transaction and nothing else. I found this experience to add more grief to my situation of losing the most precious person in my life. Fast forward to picking up my father's ashes, I was sitting there upset and anxious and the director proceeded to ask me what I wanted to do with my mother (who was sitting right next to me) when she dies. He proceeded to explain paying for my mom's cremation ahead of time can save money and they offer payment plans, and talked as though my mother wasn't in the room. I thought he was going to say something compassionate but he gave me a sales pitch during one of the saddest times of my life. read more

We have been through a lot with Salas Brothers. Lost our Mom & Dad, many friends & they are always so professional & helpful! It's one of the saddest times of your life & they show such caring & love as if you were part of their family. Thanks again Salas Brothers for getting us through some tough times! read more

One of the most dignified and professional funeral chapels in Modesto. There are others that claim to be more affordable, only by one hundred dollars from my personal experience, the extra money was so very worth every penny and then some. I felt that my family was treated with respect and not taken advantage of financially or emotionally. We had limited funding but were able to have the same caring, genuine service as a family paying ten times the amount. I am only doing this review to help others in the same situation, had I been able to find some reviews we would never have wasted time calling anywhere else. read more

If I could give no star, I would. This is what Salas Brothers Funeral did to my family: I pray that I will be able to hold my composure when I confront Salas Brothers Funeral Home today for their "clerical error" by providing my mom with a cheap styrofoam casket that looks like an ice chest. This is a major disrespect to the dead, my community, our friends and my family because everyone came together to do their part in contributing, helping us with their every available energy to honor our mom with a decent memorial service. However, I encourage the Khmer community to no longer utilize Salas Brothers Funeral Home for any needed future services. They were not accommodating as far as trying to correct their "error". But rather asked us to reschedule this event that we've already spent thousands of dollars toward, all the available time our friends and family has to assist during preparation, so that we can afford them the opportunity to correct their "error". They asked me if I could wait until Monday to speak to David Barton, who processed our transaction, after my mother's service, after the disappointment, after the disgrace we had to deal with in displaying our mother to our friends and community, who've come together to help us in making the memorial service happen. read more

My family was treated horribly by the staff at Salas Brothers. They did not order the right coffin for my mother and did not take any responsibility for it as well as refused to do anything about it untill after the funeral. They also tried to rush her ceremony at parts. Our family is Buddhist and there are certain things that need to be done so a loved one can rest properly and they were not sensitive to this. I also got to hear them say how they need to wait for the people to drop flowers on her, close her up and hurry and get her out of the chaple. This was very rude. When saying good bye to a loved one you don't want to feel rushed. I would never recomend this place to anyone. read more

My brother in law passed away a few weeks ago. I went with my sister to help make arrangements at Salas Brothers for his cremation. When we arrived, we had to walk to a locked door and call for someone to let us in. A woman answered the phone and said she would be right out to open the door. Fifteen minutes later, she finally opened the door for us. She left us standing in the hallway while she went to get a packet for us to fill out. While waiting, we could hear the owner in his office arguing with a customer like a used car salesman with an unhappy customer. We should have listened to our gut instinct and called another funeral home to pick my brother in law up from this one, but we didn't. The woman returned with the packet and proceeded to tell us to fill it out at home and return it. We refused and told them if they didn't show some sort of compassion, we would go elsewhere. They allowed us to fill it out there. My sister ordered the urn, which was on backorder, and also requested that some of the ashes be put in a separate box so we could scatter them . They said that was fine. My sister picked up his ashes today and all were in the urn. They told her that we had never requested to have a separate box. I would not recommend this place to anyone! They were horrible, especially at such a difficult time in someone's life! You would think that in their business, regardless of covid, which was their excuse for not letting us in, they would be a lot more compassionate and show some empathy for a grieving family. They showed none whatsoever!!! I would never use them again!!! The only reason I gave them a star is because Yelp would not allow me to post this review if I didn't select at least one!!! read more

I would never recommend anyone to this place. They are friendly and nice UNTIL they get there money. The service is rude and unprofessional they rush the whole funeral services they take the body away as there talking you that you have to leave. That's time you will never get back ever! and when a costume has a complaint they don't return your phone calls. I regret deeply that I chose this place. Please check all the bad reviews before settling for this funeral home. Your loved ones deserve way better love then here... read more

I wish I could give 0 stars. So disappointed in Salas Bros. In our time of grief they increase their prices and take advantage of people. We made arrangements prior to the death of my grandmother. We were quoted a price and after she died their price increased by $600. You would think in their occupation they would have respect for the deceased and their family members...it is just sickening. read more

Salas Brothers used to be the trusted resource in the area. My Aunt prepaid for her cremation and other expenses based upon that reputation and my Mother's recommendation. As my Aunts POA handling the cremation I was told that taxes and other fees were not included as she had chosen the plan where the fees weren't fixed. Fine, I can deal with that, it is just money. But I no longer live in the area and so the forms that needed to be completed I couldn't sit down with the director to sign, they needed to email them to me. THEY WERE BLANK. Confusing documents, nothing was completed for me at all, I had to navigate them on my own. When I returned them 2 days ago I said they were confusing and that if I had missed something necessary to let me know so things could move forward. It is the holidays and the idea of her awaiting cremation due to botched paperwork was not pleasant. NO CALL, No response. When I called 48 hours later the 1 person who can answer my questions has "left for the day". I would not recommend Salas Brothers to anyone any longer. I only hope my review made now while I am awaiting their "help" with my loved one doesn't result in further unfortunate service like some mix up where her ashes don't go to the cemetery where they will be interred. That place (in San Francisco) was an entirely different experience. Also prepaid services but they engage in kind, helpful communication. It really showed what well run versus poorly run funeral homes are like. read more

If your loved one passes and they purchased a PREPAID burial at SALAS Brothers in Modesto dont expect to get what your loved one prepaid for. The business does not abide by their prepaid contracts. They tried to tell me that dead bodies emit covid. My mom did not have covid. She refused to go to the hospital at the end 1. she did not want to be grouped as a covid death. 2. She knew she would have died alone. There are no do overs in death. Shame on you!!!! Bring your business to Lakewood. They accommodate their patrons. Just a few weeks ago they has a outdoor service with an open casket for my dear friend Michelle. My mom paid in full for an open casket. They were paid and she did not receive one. In fact Dave put the rosary offf on out church. He told us they would do it but he never confirmed with the priest. The priest said he would have done it if he was asked but Salas brothers never finalized anything. A prearranged funeral means you arrange it and pay for it in advance to keep the morning family from doing it at the time of death. When I sat in the chair my eyes were inches above the desk while looking at Dave at Salas Brothers. This is a power play. At the othe side of the desk sat Dave. His head at least 12- 18 inches higher than my own. Shame on you! Salas Brothers! read more

I would never ever recommend this funeral home to anyone. My mother past away 2 weeks ago & she had prepaid for her funeral with Salas Bros 5 years ago. They didn't do anything she had paid for & were very rude to me, her daughter, when I questioned them about her casket not being the one she picked out & charging me extra for casket to be brought to cemetery when she already paid for it. Also they would not give me her death certificate as they are suppose to do, instead I had to pay $21 to the county to get my copy. They are not to be trusted & take advantage of people during a very emotional time. read more

I'm sorry, how can a busy, modern looking funeral home in this day and age not have a web site? I've been to many funeral's here and know this is a busy mortuary and should represent themselves in this century. I was trying to find out about services for a friend, and surprise, nothing. If they're this cheap with offering such a service to family and friends of recently passed, I would assume they are cheap about other things. Went to another funeral a few months back in a much smaller town and the mortuary had a beautiful site, listing not just the obituary but a place to leave memorials. I guess Salas figures people have to die and don't need to offer something like this. read more

Went to my great uncles funeral here just last week. The parking here in their lot is horrible and very confusing. We had to park on street. The actual inside of building was very nice and clean. Service was beautiful of course besides the loud squeaking of microphone when a family member was doing her speech. We asked the employee what it was and he just shrugged his shoulders. Not to mention before we started the service, the man sat right in front row with his arm around my mom, crunching on cough drops. So rude and very weird!! Then as the service went on, our (almost) deaf family member went up to speak and someone had started the slideshow while he was speaking. Very awkward and rude. It went on for almost a full minute while he was talking u til someone finally stopped it. After our family was finished speaking, the employee got up to make a 30-45 minute speech of his own. It started out nicely but ended up being mostly about him! Very very unprofessional. I wish I would have gotten his name to leave it here. Take your business elsewhere people! I'm glad my experience wasn't ruined but it left a very odd memory for me. read more

This Business has to be the worst yet! I am new here to Modesto and thought because this is a family owned business, they would accommodate our needs. Wrong!! They are not, they are heartless, they have the youngest brother embalming bodies, and he does Not have the experience to do it. He did a lousy job on my mom who just passed, so badly done, the casket had to be closed at her viewing. That's not even the end of it, because I was going to be a few days late with their payment. They told me all of it, or they would Not perform services. To boot they took me to court and now are forcing me to pay for a lousy job done. This Business is Heartless!!!! read more

Where do I begin? My father passed away and we used Salas Brothers. All seemed to be fine when they picked him up. But that is the only part of the entire experience that was positive. One of the managers convinced us to purchase expensive cremation necklaces from them, as the amazon necklaces are cheap. When we picked them up and got home with them we pulled them out of the bag, along with a bag of cremains. They forgot to put them in. They told us we could do it, but we had paid them and quite frankly, never wanted to see the ashes. We took them back for them to do and received them over a week later. Well a month has gone by and I was wearing my necklace for the second time. It broke off and the cremains spilled all over my shirt. When I called, it didn't seem to be that big of a deal. He proceeded to ask if I put them back in and how I could seal it. I was so upset, I ended up hanging up. The day of the service, they had forgotten to take his ashes to the burial spot, so we had to pick them up and transport them. Terrible communication and terrible service from the managers. The people who answer the phone seem apologetic read more

My father passed away and they did not show up on time. After hospice called them to inquire the called us and said they were backed up. Then they asked if we had anyone strong that could help them remove the body. I was appalled at the disrespect and insensitivity conveyed and we used a different company who showed up quickly and took him with care. read more

I would never have any funeral services here! Not even my own!! My grandmother's service was on March 8, 2015 and there was a HUGE disappointment for many reasons!! First, her coffin was atop a rolling cart without any bottom curtains to hide the humongous wheels. So tacky and ugly!! Second, we were rushed out of the chapel and did not get any whole family pictures taken. Third, they claimed of technical issues because the door would not open for her cremation on time. We waited a whole hour and we had family and guests leave because of it! So much disrespect! After the the ceremony, I think his name was David, he said that I should go talk with John Salas the owner and DEMAND all of our money back and hang his feet to the fire!!! Well....we tried calling and going in to talk to him, BUT there was always a reason that he wasn't there!! I call that AVOIDANCE and POOR customer service!! The workers there say they can't do anything, but relay the message to him! BULLSHIT!! It's been a month now and I have not gotten any response or any money back!!! PLEASE TAKE YOUR BUSINESS SOMEWHERE ELSE!!! Lakewood Funeral Home was very nice and accommodating for my mother in law's service. Ugh!! I have to give them 1 star before posting. In reality, it's 0 stars!! read more