Extra charges surprise daughter after mother’s death

WATCH ABOVE: Evelyn Peplow died last week thinking she’d paid for the cost of cremation. But as Sean O’Shea reports, her daughter says the funeral home hadn’t collected enough money and left her with a bill.

TORONTO — Evelyn Peplow of Toronto was 89 when she died last week. Three years ago, she went with her daughter to a funeral home to pre-plan and pre-pay expenses that would come up when she died.

“She was a thoughtful person, ” said Ruth Gilmour, 59, her daughter. She says her mother wanted nothing more than the basics after her death: to have her body picked up by a funeral home, to be cremated, and to have her ashes delivered to Gilmour.

Above all, Gilmour says her mother wanted to have the plans in place and the money paid out in advance.

“She didn’t want things for her kids to have to scramble for in the end,” said Gilmour, still mourning her mother’s loss.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "She didn't want things for her kids to have to scramble for in the end," said Gilmour, still mourning her mother's loss.

But when Peplow died Sept. 1, Gilmour got a surprise: the funeral home said that, despite the pre-planning and pre-payment, there would be an additional charge of almost $700, explaining that the cost of the actual cremation hadn’t been paid for.

“I was very angry because I thought we had everything done,” said Gilmour, who contacted Global News because she wanted to warn others who have made pre-planned arrangements.

Peplow paid about $4,500 for services to the McDougall and Brown Funeral Home in Scarborough. Her contract — which included a list of disbursements — did not mention payment for cremation, even though Peplow had purchased an urn.

“We itemize all agreements so a consumer knows what they’re paying for … everything is disclosed,” said Gary Carmichael, vice president of Arbor Memorial Inc., Canada’s second-largest funeral home company with 90 locations.

Carmichael declined to speak specifically about Peplow’s case, although he offered to speak to Gilmour about her concerns.

Asked about whether Peplow and Gilmour might have been given incorrect information when arrangements were made, Carmichael said it could have been a misunderstanding.

“In any line of endeavour, confusion can arise and we are not immune from that either,” he said.

“Don’t sign until you know what you’re getting and the price you’re paying for it.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Don't sign until you know what you're getting and the price you're paying for it."

Gilmour says there was enough money in her mother’s estate to cover the additional costs; but she’s concerned the same might not be true for other consumers in a similar situation. She advises people to ask a funeral home a question that could save trouble later.

“Will there be any possibility of any extra charges at the time my loved one has passed?”