Surrey cemetery forces family to pay for prepaid funeral

A Richmond family is considering legal action after their grandmother was buried in the “wrong” casket.

Ester Verdant lived a long, happy life. When she died last summer, at age 95, she had little money. But she told her family not to worry because she paid for her funeral years ago.

“I think that was her gift to us, by not being a burden. To be able to do that on her own – for someone who had never worked a day in her life,” said granddaugher Thelle Kim.

In early July, days after Verdant died, the family went to Valley View Funeral Home & Cemetery in Surrey. It should have been a quick meeting because everything had been pre-arranged – or so they thought.

With no records of their own, and trusting the funeral home, the grieving relatives used Verdant’s meager savings to pay for a small service. She was buried July 9 in a simple, cloth-covered casket.

The funeral over, the family’s grief was about to get worse.

“Mom was going through grandma’s files and she discovered a contract for funeral services.”

Not one, but two contracts. One for the funeral arrangement – the other for a nearly $4,000 oak casket, which Verdant began paying for in 2002 – at 9.6% interest. Kim said Valley View offered an apology – and a sales pitch.

“One of the directors had contacted my mom, apologizing once she had discovered the contracts on file. In the end, she said, ‘Would you like to apply that refund to a plot here at Valley View?’ And I was just shocked.”

Repeated attempts by Global News to get Valley View to discuss the family’s complaint failed.

Verdant’s family is not satisfied with the refund offer. They want compensation for “emotional distress” and may take the matter to small claims court. They have advice for families looking to avoid a similar nightmare:

“Stay on top of everything. When you’re grieving, the last thing you want to think about is having any difficulties planning a funeral,” said granddaughter Grace Carrion.

“A lot of people overlook it and assume that funeral homes are fully taking care of them, but that’s not always the case.”