I recently had an experience with an Internet Cremation Service doing business in Florida that leads me to believe they may possibly be defrauding the public and legitimate funeral homes.
In early May I did an internet search for funeral service providers offering low cost cremation. One of the resulting links from the search took me to the web site for Cremation Options, LLC. I filled out an online form and was then contacted by them via E-mail quoting a price that was substantially lower then what I had received from local funeral homes.
When I contacted Cremations Options LLC to verify the quote they had provided, I spoke with a person who introduced herself as Roe (no last name provided even when I ask her to provide it). Roe presented herself as very helpful, courteous and professional. Roe stated the price they had quoted was indeed accurate however there might be a few extra but minor fees added by the local funeral home. I then had Roe proceed with making the arraignments with a local cremation provider in Wisconsin. True to her word the additional fees for a ME, filing fee and for the death certificates Roe quoted back to me did not seem excessive and were in line with what I had been quoted by local providers. However when I was told that under no circumstances should we contact the local funeral home directly, I became somewhat concerned. However I set aside my concerns and proceeded to setup the arraignments with Roe. Roe when on to state I could call them at any time 24/7 and that a Joe or AJ would take the call if she was not there and everything would be taken care off.
When my mother passed the Hospice organization handling her in-home care contacted Cremation Options, LLC has I had instructed them to do. The local funeral home that Cremation Options, LLC had contracted with responded very quickly and professionally. At this point I felt a little more confident that maybe my earlier concerns were unfounded.
However I became very concerned when I was contacted by Roe and was asked to overnight immediately a check for the entire amount agreed to, to Cremation Options LLC 5834 Sterling Rd. Hollywood Fl. 33021. It has been my personal and bitter experience that when a firm asks for funds to be sent overnight, does not take credit cards or does not volunteer references something is amiss.
An Internet search using Cremation Options LLC main phone number (877) 989-9090 pulled up a link to this web site. At first I was not terribly concerned because the name of the company being reported was AAA Alpha And Omega Cremation Center. However when I read through each of the complaints, one of them specifically mentioned the names Joe, Roe and AJ as the people they had dealt with. Needless to say this caused me tremendous concern. I then contacted Roe about my concerns and once again she demonstrated a very professional and courteous manner. I explained to her my trepidation after reading the comments on usacomplaints.com Considering the large difference in cost available through Cremation Options LLC I asked her if one of the companys officers would contact me and provide me references of other cremation providers they have contracted with previously.
Later the same day, Roe called me back and added a gentleman who identified himself as Joe (again no last name provided when asked directly to do so) to our call. Joe was both defiant and belligerent. Joe repeatedly stated that their firm was on the up and up and had been doing business for several years. He went on to say that if I was so worried about his firm I should go ahead and contact the local provider and pay their exorbitant fees. When I calmly asked Joe to provide me contact information of other cremation providers they have contracted with previously so I could inquire if the other firms had and any issues with his firm he became even more bellicose. Joes demeanor was similar to what I have experienced from used car salesmen trying to close the deal on a clunker.
Because I was concerned about Joes reluctance to provide any sort of references and that my family could possibly wind-up paying for the cremation twice or have other issues I did contact the local funeral home directly. While the costs from the local provider were significantly higher they were not as high as those Joe was so adamant that I would pay from a local provider. Also the local provider was both courteous and straight forward about the costs. There was no demand for immediate payment. They stated they would work with us on the payment or payments if necessary.
As I stated in the beginning of this posting I am not directly accusing or stating that Cremation Options LLC is guilty of fraud. My intent is to inform the public that my recent experience with them lead me to question their methods and practices and not to do business with them. I am deeply concerned that my suspicions are indeed correct and these people are taking unfair advantage of families who are in distress with the loss of a loved one.
I have sent messages similar to this posting to the American Cremations Society and the Florida state CFO's office.
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