Have you ever had to make Funeral Arrangements for a loved one? If you have, didn't you just want to get the necessities out of the way and get out of there?
We recently had to make funeral arrangements for a very close family member. The family members chose Lord and Stephens Funeral Home in Athens, Georgia. Since my husband and I live out of state, we knew nothing about this particular Funeral Home.
The family arrived to make the arrangements at the appointed time of 1:00p.m. We were seated in a room with a table and chairs (much like a dining room setting). That was comfortable enough to do business. It was almost like sitting at our own dinning room table.
The funeral director (one of several) began taking information such as decedent's name, address, age, schooling, places of employment, etc. All information that was necessary for the death certificate and for the obituary notices for newspapers. However, every now and again he would add a comment in about "when I worked for...." or "I did........ such and such".
This began to be annoying. He was writing the information incorrectly and every time he read it back to us, he had made some mistakes. When we finally thought everything was correct, we then were taken into the "casket room" to choose a suitable casket for "mother". This guy started babbling on about himself and where all he has worked and where all he has been, etc.
It took us 3 hours and 26 minutes to conclude this business transaction.
It was very inappropriate for someone who was supposed to be helping us plan our mother's funeral to be boasting about himself. He should have been offering condolences and helping us get through this sad time without all of his "self" comments.
I believe that this particular "funeral director" (better described as a "SALESMAN") for Lord and Stephens Funeral Home (Athens, Ga.) should act more professional when dealing with grieving families.
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