The funeral home referred questions to its parent company, Houston-based Service Corporation International. Company spokeswoman Jennifer Brandino said the families had requested the company not disclose information about the mix-up.
"We continue to work with both families involved and are committed to resolving the issue to their satisfaction," Brandino said.
Why did the quaintly named Mount Auburn Funeral Home refer questions to SCI to explain what was obviously a local mistake? Because if you're going to be owned by the country's largest funeral home corporation—it's like the Buy n Large (or maybe Umbrella Corp) of "end-of-life services"—you may as well use it to hide behind when you screw up.
"Grandmother's body switched at Ill. funeral home" [Chicago Tribune]
(Photo: Getty)
The reason that the remains get mixed up easily is because SCI uses centralized embalming in most areas of the company. When your love one dies and you call ABC funeral Home, They are not the one who comes out. It is SCI removal service and they are taken to a central location to be embalmed and the the next day taken to your funeral home. All the remains are embalmed at this location, but each funeral home in the cluster has different pricing for removal and embalming.
When you need a funeral home, please go to an independent funeral home.
SCI wants to do nothing more than seperate you from your money.
Former SCI Employee
]]>First of all, i am one of the grogan granddaughter's. I am most certainly suprised at these ridiculous comments posted here! mabybe ur all have issues. I don't know if all u have heard correctly but to all who brings up movies or should i laugh. IF U DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING GOOD TO SAY SO THEN SAY ANYTHING AT ALL!!! At least have RESPECT for my GRANDMOTHER & my family. i don't know where u all r from. obviously, thank goodness no where close to us.
]]>One time when a toddler passed away, the family went to put bows in her hair for the viewing, and the funeral home had switched bodies. In this case, the other one was supposed to be cremated.
Talk about traumatic.
]]>Thank goodness for small favors. So is it safe to assume the "non-Grogan" woman either had no friends to mourn her or a closed casket?
The whole funeral home thing just creeps me out. I'm opting for cremation after they harvest whatever they can, no wake, maybe an "ash scattering" ceremony. As low budget as you can go, since you can't exactly just leave me at the curb with the recyclables.
]]>Still people screw up, and despite best efforts occasionally you end up with a "comedy of errors" type situation.
On the up side everyone in our family gets free cremation, (or a discount on burials... though we all plan to be cremated).
]]>Perhaps I'm rather unsentimental, but what was gained by digging up the stiff and replanting it again later?
]]>@Cortina: that should be family/friends of the deceased, I got a little mixed up there.. still early in my neck of the woods.
]]>"Our premium line of caskets are waterproof and airtight
and contain extra padding for the ultimate in comfort"
Oh, and you want fries with that?
P.S. Costco sells caskets, and without the hype.
]]>SCI. Of course.
]]>I'll admit it...I generally have a terrible "giggle" response at funeral homes when I have to plan a funeral. (Think of Mary Tyler Moore at Chuckles the Clown Funeral)
When picking out my mom's casket, in the 'showroom' I had a hard time NOT laughing. I kept thinking of a car dealership....
Honestly, my first reaction would be to laugh....of course, if my mother were told that story, she would laugh too....and then be horrified that someone else was 'wearing her clothes'.
]]>"Depending how the family/diseased feels about their departed loved ones, "
That's a very Freudian homonym you used there.
]]>@Joey B:
What exactly is The Consumerist approved response by a funeral home in a situation like this?
Damage control. Tons of damage control.
Depending how the family/diseased feels about their departed loved ones, and about how badly the funeral was ruined by the mixup, and how many people had to travel long distances, it could mean a refund of the entire funeral expenses, sans casket cost, and a free additional showing upon request.
Personally, I'd rather not have a funeral home involved at all in my burial. I want to be buried under a tree. An oak one.
]]>He told me about another funeral home he had worked at (briefly) that had two bodies with the same last name. One was to be cremated and the other to be shipped cross country. By the time the shipped one got to its destination and the family noticed it wasn't their dearly departed, the other body had already been cremated.
What exactly is The Consumerist approved response by a funeral home in a situation like this?
]]>NumberFiveIsAlive:
I'm sorry you don't have loved ones and you are about to die. Maybe if you get out more you can get some friends.
That's like this film I saw, "Death at a Funeral" the coffin shows up, not his dad. It was pretty funny, but then again, I guess IRL that would be sad panda.
But the movie is 4.5 stars and 10.0 in the laugh scale in my book. "My father was a great man..."
]]>