- Report: #1170473
Complaint Review: Greenwood Memorial Park - New Kensington PA - New Kensington Pennsylvania
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Greenwood Memorial Park - New Kensington PA
104 Melwood Drive New Kensington, 15068 Pennsylvania, USA
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412-337-7631
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Greenwood Memorial Park - New Kensington, Pennsylvania Removal of Flowers after Promising Not to Remove them, then Lying about it New Kensington Pennsylvania
Greenwood Memorial Park removes floral displays from graves regularly. They give you a week after holidays like Mothers Day and Fathers Day, so if you buy new flowers for the graves for those holidays, they are thrown away shortly after placement. They have been doing this despite verbal promises that only flowers outside of park approved vases will be removed.
They repeatedly use the excuse that "wild animals" must've taken the animals, or "we have students working for us who didn't know better", or "the flowers were probably stolen" - it is the same three excuses every time.
To make sure "wild animals" or "thieves" didn't steal the flowers from my parents' graves, since 2006, I have been anchoring them down with heavy-duty wire fastened below the vase. I have also printed the last name of my parents' on their floral displays with permanent marker, thereby, making these flowers non-usable by anyone else.
Yet, this past Father's Day, in spite of a phone call to the office and being assured by Greenwood - once again - that as long as the flowers were new and in the vase, they would remain undisturbed, the flowers were once again removed (wires cut) - however, another relative nearby with flowers on her grave since last spring, still has her flowers. It seems only "seasonal" flowers were removed. My Father's had a "Happy Father's Day" banner around them.
When a complaint was filed, Greenwood lied about it and said, once again, it must be wild animals, thieves, etc. My family has had plots there since the 1950s and they have always destroyed flowers shortly after placement then lied about it. Can't something be done???
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Nick2000
Los Angeles,California,
Similar Problem
#2Consumer Comment
Mon, August 18, 2014
I am on the West Coast and have had a simliar problem with a cemetery out here (my grandparents' graves). Ignore the last poster. If they disagree with honoring deceased loved ones with floral decorations, that is their perogative, but no one should tell you what is best for you.
When cemetery plots are chosen it is usually with a lot of care and forethought. Flowers are a "living" memorial to the deceased and remembering loved ones on special days can bring great comfort to those that are left behind. Most cemeteries provide vases with their markers for these floral displays thereby implying acceptance. Flowers personalize the memorials.
I have never understood why a cemetery would want to leave graves barren and impersonal instead of a beautiful, welcoming place for the survivors. As long as decorations do not interfere with landscaping and are not tattered or worn, they should be respected by the cemetery/business.
Tyg
Pahrump,Nevada,
Honestly...
#3General Comment
Mon, August 18, 2014
Why waste the time, energy, and money?? Flowers are for the LIVING and NOT the dead. The dead dont care, THEY ARE DEAD!!! These types of places tend to look down and those graves with tags on them. What it shows OTHER mourners is that any specific grave hasnt been visted since XX day. I.E. Mothers Day, Fathers Day, ect. Which means that shortly after a holiday they remove these flowers. In order to ensure an orderly and pristine look, they remove "old" flowers. I would suggest that when YOU place flowers that YOU do not get flowers that have salutations on them. Just get regular flowers. Im sure your dead family member would understand if you didnt put "Happy whatever" on the flowers. I would also suggest that you stick with plastic or artificial flowers. They are a bit more expensive. But NO ONE is bending down to smell the flowers on a grave.
Remember these things YOU are doing are for YOU. You family member is beyond caring about such paltry and mundane events. By placing flowers YOU are honoring that family member. But you do this for YOU and of course anyone else who happens to look at that family members grave.
