My husband and I buried both of his parents at Augusta Memorial Park. The memorial park itself is truly in a beautiful location, situated on a quiet country road and surrounded by idyllic pastures. When my father-in-law passed away in 2008, my mother-in-law purchased plots for both her husband and herself. The result was that my husband and I were forced to be subjected to the same callous treatment by the staff when she passed away in 2013. \r
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The office assistant was abrupt, rude, and completely unprofessional. However, her demeanor of hostility did manage to soften to indifference upon hearing of our loss. Later, when I called with follow-up questions, she was unable or unwilling to answer a single one of them. When I asked to speak with the manager, the phone was abruptly disconnected.\r
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The other members of the staff were tolerable enough, but far too concerned with turning a profit. They attempted to sell us unneeded and unwanted memorabilia at a time when all we wanted to do was survive the day. False notes of care and concern rang in their voices, as they attempted to maneuver us into providing them with the names and contact information of friends and family for marketing purposes. Through the guise of providing us with a funeral guest book and sending our guests sympathy cards and maps of the cemetery, they shrewdly attempted collect an ever-widening pool of potential clients. This was a crafty business maneuver, geared toward preying upon victims in a moment of vulnerability.\r
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Thankfully, the grounds are maintained and manicured well enough—certainly better than Riverview Cemetery in Waynesboro. However, my mother-in-law passed away in November and, now in March, the mud from where her grave was dug has yet to be cleaned off of the headstone. Dead flowers are only removed from vases twice a year, which means they remain an eyesore the other 10 months of the year. The American flag that sits atop the hill in a crumbling base is tattered and faded, looking quite battle fatigued. I put in a maintenance request with the grounds-keeping crew and will be pleasantly surprised if it yields any positive results. \r
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Augusta Memorial Park is currently owned by Cornerstone Family Services LLC in Pennsylvania. According to online reports, the company has an average yearly income of $75 million. Therefore, one would think that they could afford to keep the memorial park grounds in immaculate condition and hire professional staff capable of effectively maintaining an air empathy with the grieving. \r
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