Eddie Robinson III used bait and switch tactics to secure the release of my brother in law's body to his funeral home. He agreed to do the funeral service for 995.00 and then tried to charge the family considerably more.
1. Did not provide a general price list before performing services or when we visited the funeral home.
2. Agreed to one price to secure the release if the body to his funeral home and then attempted to charge another price.
3. Very Unprofessional
- Told the family that if we placed the body in the casket that came with the 995.00 funeral package, the casket would explode and the body would fall out. He then asked if we would like to see a body that had exploded out of a casket.
-Never once offered condolences to the wife of the deceased.
4. Never presented a casket price list, but charged for an upgraded casket.
5. Would not accept the forms of payment listed on his website and contract (check, credit card, money order), and would only accept cash.
6. No itemized statement of costs.
7. Said that the upgraded casket would be given at cost (1630.00) but later admitted that the casket cost was 1300.00. He did not adjust the price.
8. Disclosed to other parties, including other funeral homes, financial details of the contract.
9. Would not release the body for burial or to another funeral home unless he was paid the full contract price (which included services, casket and burial) in cash.
10. When we confronted him about his practices, he offered to release the body to another funeral home for free, but then tried to charge the full contract price for the release. It took a call from the state board of funeral directors to make him honor this agreement.
11. Acknowledged violating several parts of the FTC funeral rule but refused to renegotiate the contract or honor the pricing he committed to.
12. Performed services on the body without discussing any pricing with the family.
13. Embalmed the body without ever disclosing why embalming was required.
Essentially, Eddie Robinson III held the body hostage to extort additional money from our family. The funeral could not be held because, even though we had the money (cash and check) and attempted to pay him twice, at his inflated price (and not the one he agreed to), we would not release the body or perform the funeral services unless he was paid in cash. The burial was performed by another funeral home once the state board of funeral directors called him and made him release the body. This has caused undue emotional distress and hardship on our family, when we are already grieving the sudden loss of our loved one. It is sick that someone would take advantage of a grieving family.
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