As someone who was diagnosed with a terminal cancer diagnosis two years ago, I had considered making preparations for my end of life care. After attending a luncheon seminar hosted by SMART Cremations, all my questions were answered and I learned the benefits of pre-planning. My goal was to remove the burden of those decisions for my spouse at a time of grief and major life disruption. The person I worked with (Tracy Allen) at SMART Cremations was very knowledgeable and showed great respect for my needs. I was given several options and feel like my choice will fully meet my family needs. To top off the level of service, the company highly respects veterans and helped provide all the necessary documents in advance that would be needed for VA burial benefits. Having peace of mind knowing that my family won't have to make these decisions is a great relief to me, just wish I would have done it sooner. read more

My grandfather purchased Smart cremation to ease the stress on the loved ones that will be handling everything and it has been nothing but stress and no communication. You would think it would be an easy thing to handle and handled with compassion but with horrible service it's making it really hard. Buyer beware it's not what's advertised. Check out BBB reviews and that will help you make your secession on not purchasing what they are selling. Pretty shotty company if you ask me. read more

I can't say I would recommend this company. We used them when my grandfather passed away. And from the first moment we were pulled along. There were delays in every step of the process, a severe lack of communication with my grandmother, the woman handling our case left the company and no one contacted us, and a constant (and irritating) delay in scheduled things. He was not cremated until almost 3 weeks after his death, even though we were diligent to carry out the necessary items on our end (they even collected his body the day he passed and waited THAT LONG to cremate him). They then promised us we'd have his ashes 2 days later and we didn't get them until 5 days later. It was after the 3 week anniversary of his passing that we FINALLY received his ashes and were able to lay him to rest. Losing a loved one is difficult enough as it is, no one should have to fight with a funeral service company for their relative's remains. It added so much frustration and difficulty to an already incredibly challenging time. It's inexcusable. read more

It took 20 days to get the Florida location to return our initial money and 10 calls emails and getting our credit card company's involved not sure but I think they are brokers just check them out before u buy read more

I went to a luncheon last week in Scottsdale, Az for information on a cremation. It was held in a small room with one table. My friend asked him if he was vaccinated. He said no. We asked him to put a mask on. His sales pitch was like a car salesman and he put down other cremation facilities. Why would I pay someone a commission who isn't vaccinated and will probably end up in a hospital. By the time my salad arrived, I had totally lost my appetite. I was extremely disappointed. read more

After calling local funeral homes in Shasta County, Cremation Simplicity and Neptune Society, Smart Cremation was, by far, the best, in value and quality. My husband and I chose the basic plan and it exceeded our expectations. The compassion and understanding which is delivered at every step, after a loved one's death is impressive. And this company is so concerned about the fairness of their product, they offer a money back guarantee should you change your mind or have a problem with the cremation arrangements. Kevin Sullivan, their representative presented the plan with absolutely no pressure. He was so friendly but professional and knowledgeable about the industry. We felt well informed and extremely comfortable and before he left, we purchased two plans. And we have never had any second thoughts. I highly recommend this company and recommend you hear about the plan from Kevin. read more

I've been in business development, marketing & sales for 40 years. When training people, I always try to show how they first need to understand a customer's need before they can fill it. For instance: When selling a car, the best answer to the question, "Does this car come in green?" isn't "Yes" or "No." The best answer is, "Do you want it to come in green?" So, I've never understood junk mail. How does one achieve understanding & connection by sending a piece of garbage through the USPS? I was kind of surprised to find in today's snail mail a manilla-colored envelope addressed to my dad with a stamp about "Veteran's Benefits" on the outside. Dad was a vet, but... Inside was a legal-sized letter on beautiful coated paper with full-color pictures & some attractive graphics. It was signed by some guy who claimed "USMC" under his name, and it was from a company in Rancho Mirage called Smart Cremation. It was an offer for a discounted end-of-life package that's available only to veterans. A little bit of research reveals that this company may not operate crematoria; it's some kind of brokerage. I am disgusted. What a crass & opportunistic way to generate revenue. I'm doubly-disgusted because my dad's been dead & buried for 20 years, and he never lived at my address. Ick. I need to go wash now. read more

After meeting with David, Sales Manager with Smart Cremation, and listening to his presentation I was convinced that I need this service and that Smart Cremation is the company I can trust to take care of these matters after I am no longer here to do it myself. I am confident I have made the best choice I could have. Thank you David and Smart Cremation. read more

One star based on many poor reviews on Yelp; sales pitch made sense in theory, but was a bit too slick and high-pressure. Appropriately it was held at Sizzler, but sorry, no steak, only the salad bar. Personally I don't like the idea of being burned to a crisp. read more

My father passed away almost a month ago and we still don't have his remains or death certificate. He invested in this service so we would not have to deal with the logistics of his death, on top of the grieving process. My Smart Cremation representative has not been very responsive: if I receive a response at all, it is days after I reach out. I finally had to make multiple calls myself to the funeral home and hospital to get the death certificate signed and move the process along. I do not feel confident that any progress would have been made, had I not gotten involved myself. My father would have been disappointed to know that all the money he invested to make things easier on us was a waste and we could have gotten things done more quickly and efficiently had they not been involved at all. I definitely would not recommend this company. read more

Not overly impressed with Smart Cremations. My experience has been like some of the other reviews to be found here. My father passed and after the initial phone calls for setup and payment we haven't heard another thing from them. I had to call many times (after the 15 working days) to see when we could expect my fathers remains to be returned. I had to send messages twice to find out if the Death certificate info had been sent to the county and was finally assured it was. To date none is found with the county. I have sent two messages regarding how and with who to file with for death certificates but have heard nothing back so far. I'm not impressed with these people so far.... read more

we attended a seminar it was high pressure for an important decision we purchased 2 cremation plans. after thinking about it i had serious questions about our decisions and after reading the descriptions of what the procedure is for cremation of the body there is no way i am interested in that. also the fact that some remains from the person cremated before could be mixed with your ashes when they sweep out the oven. i just felt it was very impersonal to the remains of the decedent, i wrote the letter to ask for my contract to be cancelled via email to the company just have asked for a confirmation that they received it. they just cant seem to answer my email. i am still waiting. they have my 499.00 and my husbands 499.00 dollars they say they will return it i want them to let me know they are cancelling policies read more

Don't use these guys. This is what I'm dealing with: my parents put all this together in an attempt to save money. My dad passed, we call. They say they will call me back, but they don't. I call back, but they have no record of me calling. They call me an HR later(father's been dead for 3hrs) and say they are working on it, but there isn't much they can do because it's out of state. Wtf!!?? "Duh, you have all of our personal info. You're telling me you don't work on putting together contracts with any funeral homes until someone dies"? Anyways, this is a shady organization and I would highly discourage using them. BTW, still now call back, but of course, it's a prepaid service. read more

This company is ridicules. They keep sending mail for my mother to go to a seminar. The problem is my mother passed away almost three years ago. They need to check and make sure the person they want to attend their seminar is still alive. I also don't know why they send their mail to my house (I'm her son) when she had her own home. It's bad enough going through the holidays with out her and then on top of it get this kind of mail. They should have sent it before she passed away, not after. If this is smart cremations way of trying to educate elderly people about cremation after they die. I guess they don't have many people who attend their seminars. read more

I purchased this service for both my mom and myself at a lunch seminar. I was a bit skeptical but reviewed the company online as the company rep spoke. I was able to finance both accounts at zero interest until paid off. I paid it off within a year. My mom passed in March 2020, and Smart Cremation was called by the nurse. They came out within two hours to retrieve the body. They kept in contact during the whole process, and due to Covid restrictions, the ashes were FedEx'd to me instead of me picking up. It was a smooth process and a great relief to have. The grieving was overwhelming enough to have to deal with services, so having this prepaid was such a relief. read more

UPDATED: A dear friend close to me who I took care of for many years who was my entire life, passed away and wanted me to have his ashes. We even shared a home. We had a DPOA for him. Anyways, after about 2 weeks I called to get an update and they kept telling me they'll call me back. Near week 3 I called again to no avail. They called the DPOA to tell him I was calling but they can't give me any information, whereas instead of lying to me and saying you'll reach out to me with the intentions of not doing so, she could have easily just told me she can't give me any information, so then I'm not sitting around waiting for a response that was never going to come. It's insane to think they could have his ashes and refuse to give me any information despite the fact his ashes are meant to go back to our home with me as per his wish. Rachel, I believe her name is, is the one who refused to update me on anything. Finally after exactly 3 weeks I got them. The DPOA had to retrieve them. I wasn't even asking to pick them up myself. I just wanted a timeline. So I could have some closure. Rather than not knowing when he'd return home where he belongs. I had to call another service Trident just to figure out how this all works. They were informative and told me my rights regarding remains. They were sympathetic and helpful. -EDIT- When I first posted this review on Google, someone, I suppose Rachel, contacted the DPOA regarding my review, sent him a copy to get a response from him. Idky they felt the need to get him back involved when this is my review based on my experience. It's not like I'm a child and he has authority over me lol. Just seems like gossip. If you didn't like MY review, why contact someone else? read more

I have dealt with Smart Cremation in San Bernadino County. IDK if this is the correct one but I have dealt with Amanda Woodard and let me tell you if I could give her 10 stars I would. She is by far the best person to deal with in making final arrangements. She kept in touch with me every step of the way. She checked on me often and took care of everything. All I did was make a $21.00 payment for the death certificate and she did the rest. It was the best. Since I have never dealt with this before I was very nervous and she helped me with EVERYTHING! All I did was await the ashes and mourned. TY Amanda I am so happy it was with you that I dealt with in this difficult time. read more

We checked other places and found Smart Cremation. We had Mike Steen handle our family's future loss. He did everything we could have asked for with kindness, compassion, understanding and professionalism. He informed us of all the aspects we were facing and answered all our questions and concerns. I'm satisfied that we planned for the future with him. A burden we all will ultimately face was made lighter by his patience and availability. read more

Markea put the wrong date of death on my dad's death certificate. It has taken 5 months to get it corrected. She promised that she would order and pay for 2 more death certificates since I had already paid and then noticed the date of death was wrong. She admitted that this was her error. Now she is blaming the family for not making sure everything was correct!!!! How sad to put a grieving family through this. Shame on them! They are over priced compared to where we had our mother cremated. Don't use them unless you want errors and false promises!!! read more

I put off making this phone call for 6 months to avoid having a conversation about death. I am a sales manager and never look forward to having to negotiate anything once i leave my showroom. Expecting a run around and high pressure tactics i was surely surprised with the conversation i had with sales representative Martha Franco. She was knowledgeable, patient and comforting regardless of how many questions i was asking, (there were many) i was looking for a reason not to do it. No pressure, felt very comfortable so i asked her to call me back the next day so i had time to discuss it with my wife. Martha did call me back at noon the next day. i had already made up my mind but felt I had to do my due diligence and call around and asked her if she would give me the weekend and call me again Monday at noon. I was expecting some push back at that point however to my surprise she said sure, have a good weekend. i called 3 other places, sales people were high pressure, rude, could not answer all my questions only to find some were just making things up contradicting what i knew to be true. Martha called me at noon on Monday and i made arrangements for my wife and myself. I applaud you Martha for making me feel comfortable doing something i was not looking forward to. I have high appreciation for a person who is able to do sales with integrity. Thanks again. read more

i never bought anything at a lunch seminar. Made an exception this time. Martha was a good presenter. I checked out things that she said - BBB rating, read the contract on the spot, etc. Figured there are two things we can't get out of in this lifetime - paying taxes and death. May as well take care of it instead of burdening my family. So, when Martha followed up with me, I bought it. Will see what happens next. read more

So sad, it has been WEEKS since the death of my father in law and not until 2 days ago were his remains delivered. They had "lost" his remains. His remains were picked up March 26th & were not delivered until April 22nd after 6 pm. The story was they are moving, they have no phone service, just cell phones. Messages were left, no return calls. It wasn't until there was a threat of a police report and Better Business Bureau report. Do NOT use this company....so sad that we ahve to grieve & then go through this disgusting service. There was no ern, just a box. This was horrible for the family. read more

David and I want to thank Smart Cremations´ Connie and Patty for their wonderful assistance in taking care of our friend Bettye JY, who recently passed away. Both ladies were highly helpful in every step of the way to minimize this stressful time from the very first visit to inquire for information and up to the final delivery of remains. Their kind attentions and thoughtfulness is priceless. We do not regret meeting them through this experience as it proved to be right time to meet with people who cared enough to ease our grief, again, thank you! read more

Seems like an easy plan to use and a good value. The company is very solid and unlikely to go out of business. You can also get your money back at any time read more

Losing a loved one is most difficult and melancholy. Connie Swain is kind, compassionate and very efficient. She streamlined the process of Military funeral arrangements and cremation of my brother. I definitely recommend Smart Cremation in time of need. Jack W. read more

Took my Dad to the free lunch seminar today In Wildomar. Trust me...it was very hard. My parents received an invite and they wanted to go. I didn't know what to expect, but once Adam started the presentation i started to feel comfortable. He gave a Great Presentation, very detailed, Great scenario's and answered all our questions at the end. We did not feel pressured or obligated to purchase a plan. My Dad did purchase a plan for himself and my Mom. I teared up when my Dad was signing...because he looked at me and told me he felt relieved that he won't be a burden when he passes. Thank you Adam for being so patient with us and thank you for bringing my Dad folder home after hours . I forgot it at the Venue‍. Thank you!! read more

My good friend John F. made his arrangements with Smart Cremation back in 2010. Several years ago he told me where to find the paperwork in his office. But when he died last month in the hospital, several years had passed and when I was asked by the hospital staff who to call about funeral procedures, I misremembered the company and told them it was the Neptune Society. A couple days later I found his contract with Smart Cremation in his office. I called the hospital and tried to correct the error, but nobody seemed to be in charge, and I could not be sure that the correction was made. So I called Smart Cremation and talked to Tonda. She handled the correction with the hospital without difficulty and made the whole process simple -- the cremation, the paperwork, obtaining the death certificate, and even calling the county's Vital Records department to find out whether I, who merely had John's Power of Attorney for Healthcare, was authorized to order more copies of the death certificate. My friend's ashes were delivered at the scheduled time by a very courteous, sympathetic man. I am very glad that John chose Smart Cremation. read more

I have the smart plan for my mother in law and feel a weight has been lifted off me. I am so impressed with what is included and the price.

Update: Thank you Alisia Maya for hunting me down and making the most since apology I have ever had from a business referring to a poor review. I was totally impressed by your principles. You were totally on the side of the customer with the bad experience. Thank you again for the nice gift and the card that came with it. Thank you again for going the extra mile. I've never experienced a more greasy, sleazy sales pitch since my last used car purchase. I had already done my shopping of their competition and already new their pricing if before talking with Smart Cremation. The salesman (name escapes me) right off the bat started to bad mouth the competition, and would give me the four reason SC was better and why our pricing is far better than others. He proceeded to tell me what everyone else was leaving out of the pricing. I just wanted basic cremation, no service, no flowers, no burial, no scatter. His pitch went on for 35 minutes without letting me in once. When he finished his basic price was $8,000 for cremation. BUT just for me they had so special pricing that would bring it down to $2,600 I could make payments at 9.9% interest. (All others off zero % interest) Then here's the kicker, just until the end of June they had a Special offer called " The COVID-Stimulus Package" which would bring the price down to $2,400. That they could off at zero % interest. OMG what a cock & bull sales pitch. I felt I need a shower when his was done. WORST experience I've ever had, it was totally what I expected, so I was not surprised. I will be going to your competition where I was totally cared for and sold at read more

I went to a seminar , it was very helpful information . I went ahead and signed up . The price was very reasonable. I got a payment plan for $35.00 per month . It was very easy to do . I have peace of mind knowing that I won't be a burden to m y loved ones when I pass . read more

Smart Cremation is not a local business and the cost is NOT lower. They are a cremation brokerage company. When your loved one passes you have to go through an 800 number. I recently had a very negative experience while trying to help someone whose family member passed away. I called the 800 number and provided the contract number. The Smart Cremation employee could not find the deceased person's name in their system. I was put through the third degree. After 30 frustrating minutes on the phone, they finally found the person's name. Then the Smart Cremations employee said she would dispatch a local funeral home to pick up the deceased person. If the family had a plan through a local funeral home, everything would have been taken care of with one simple phone call. Keep your business local!!! read more

Received an invitation in the mail for this company for a pre need information. It was local so I made a reservation and met Alyssa. I had been interested in Smart Cremation for 10 years based on my former congregants experiences. Alyssa from the Rancho Mirage office was knowledgeable, professional and personable. I'm happy to have purchased my pre-need from her. It was extremely affordable an a relief to have it done. I can't recommend this company enough. I thank you and my family thanks you. read more

My mom had the good sense to arrange and prepay for her cremation years before passing. Smart Cremation, specifically, Markia was wonderful to work with. She provided a timeline as well as relevant information over the phone, then followed up with an email to confirm. Markia was very patient with me, even while asking the same question more than once. It took awhile for pick up to arrive, however, that was due to traffic in the Bay Area at 5:00 pm. The driver was very caring and gracious. The gentleman that delivered the ashes arrived promptly within the promised window of time. read more

Yelp reviews are not really my thing, but I wanted to give a little redemption to the bad reviews given to Smart Cremation. My father passed away in my home on March 25, 2015. We had already set up the cremation service with Smart Cremation for both my mom and dad in April of 2014 so we had the phone number and a handy card with instructions from Smart Cremation. It was very easy to get in contact with the company and we spoke at length about what needed to happen. Tonda Stewart-White was very caring and answered all my questions. We started an email chain that helped immensely since you can only talk to so many people after the loss of a loved one. I appreciated having the option of handling some of the details in this manner. When the company arrived to pick up my father, at the time we requested that day, they were professional and kind and gentle. Most importantly, my mother was very pleased with the care they took in taking away her husband of 58 years. That means the most to me. Also when the ashes were delivered 2 weeks later, the same gentleman who took my fathers body was the one to deliver the ashes, which again gave my mom comfort and peace of mind that the company cared. They were respectful and reverent and gave their condolences. It has been only one month now and I just received what is probably the last email we will have. Tonda wanted to let me know that they received the one original death certificate that they filed, and that it was already mailed out to us I appreciate the professionalism and care that was given to us. I am relieved to know it went smoothly and know what to expect when we have to deal with this delicate situation again. read more

I attended a luncheon seminar in Wildomar, CA today and was somewhat disappointed with the presenter but not the service they are selling. Let me tell you why I feel this way. There was great information shared by the person conducting the seminar, Adam. All attendees were told there would be no high-pressure sales, which there was not and the service plan seems to be something that I would not only purchase for myself and my friend but would also recommend to others. However, when it came down to it I explained to Adam that I have a current unique legal situation that requires me to check with my friend and the attorney handling our unique legal situation before entering into any large purchases or legal agreements. As soon as Adam realized that I would not be purchasing the service plans today he became somewhat slightly rude, refused to finish listening to my explanation, hear my other questions and physically turned his back on me while I was speaking to him. Since I was impressed with what they are selling I left there determined to call my friend and our attorney to obtain the go-ahead to purchase two service plans and enter into an agreement for myself and my friend. However, in thinking over how I was treated by Adam when he realized that he would not be making a sale to me today has caused me to reconsider purchasing these service plans from this particular person. Right now I will not be purchasing the service plan for myself and my friend simply because of the way I was treated this afternoon by Adam. I may purchase in the future but it will not be through Adam. I realize that the purpose of sales is to try to not let anyone leave without making the purchase of the item or service. I do admit there was no "high" pressure, but I did feel pressure based on statements made by Adam about "going with dignity", etc.. I felt compelled to explain simply because of his statements why I could not purchase, sign up and pay right at that moment. Had I not been treated poorly I would be on the phone right now making the purchase albeit at a higher price for two plans. This company and this person needs to realize that word of mouth counts among the purchasing public and at this moment in time, I would not recommend this company at this location (Rancho Mirage, CA) and especially this person Adam to anyone I know. I will soften in time, I'm sure but I will not deal with Adam when I purchase this service or from this company located in Rancho Mirage. There are other locations for Smart Cremations and one of them will get my future business and that of anyone I refer. read more

We worked with Connie at Smart Cremation. She was always available and the whole process went very smoothly. It is without hesitation that I can recommend this company. read more

I had to make a fast last minute decision which local cremation service to use because my partner suddenly past away. Smart Cremation was the one jumping out of the long list of names and intuitively I choose them. It couldn't have been a better choice! Patti Weber, the lady in charge was besides sensitively informative, sympathetic and caring. She supported me in a tender way through a process difficult to deal with. She was generous with her knowledge and resources beyond her call of duty. The other ladies in the office, Connie & Tonda also made me feel cared for in the same lovely manner. Thank you again Smart Cremation for making this difficult time less hard and understanding the grieving process I am going through. read more

My mother passed away unexpectedly at age 94 at the end of August. We live in La Quinta and had seen Smart Cremation's sign on Hwy. 111, so called them right away. They arrived quickly and the drivers handled everything very professionally. I was contacted by e-mail by Connie Swain, who has stayed in contact with us throughout the process. Things became more complicated when I was notified that my mom's new doctor, who had recently seen her for her annual physical, had declined to sign the death certificate. My mother had been in perfect health --- no diseases, surgeries, hospitals or rounds of doctors, and NO pharmaceutical drugs --- ever. Apparently though, the Health Department does not accept 'old age' as a cause of death in California --- you are 'supposed' to die of cancer or heart disease or something similar, a sad state of affairs in this country. So, Connie was charged with the task of getting my mom's body to the Coroner for a 'cause of death' and back again for the cremation. I was disturbed by this necessity, but Connie handled everything perfectly --- including calling me to confirm details about a necklace my mother had been wearing, which the Coroner's office forgot to return to Smart Cremation until later. Small detail, but Connie went the extra mile to check with me if I wanted my mum to be wearing the necklace when she was cremated. It made the whole Coroner situation slightly less grueling and definitely made the whole process much more pleasant and personal. Kudos to Connie for the great work she does in an industry where emotions run high and the potential for unforeseen issues is ever present. She was a welcome light in the darkness for our family, and we would recommend Smart Cremation wholeheartedly to anyone in our situation. read more

I signed up for a "free luncheon seminar" with Smart Cremation and they didn't show up (or call and reschedule). Very unprofessional. I called 1-844-305-4531 to see why no one showed up and was told someone would be calling me back ASAP. I never received a call back. I called 1-844-222-6383, which is an automated line ~ no customer service available. I don't think I would depend on them in my time of need. read more

My Mother in Law bought her urn/package several years ago and I had the folder for when the time came of her passing. The folder was "everything" I needed to know. Extremely helpful! These people have been SO wonderful and took care of everything. Which is awesome cause when 'that time' came I felt numb and a full mental mess! They even send a copy of a book on how to handle all these emotions of loss. My husband and I plan on getting ours done with this company also. Thank you SOOO much Tonda & Nicole, and the very nice guy that delivered the beautiful Urns. You were awesome!! :) read more