118 reviews
And if you want to cremate? Its the less expensive route, right? Not here- that will run you about $300 less than a full burial since they have to refrigerate the body until they are ready to cremate (3-7 days)! My husband and I left with sticker shock, even more questions then when we'd arrived and a feeling of utter disbelief after being given a quote of a little shy of 12k- that's right $12,000 not $1,200 to bury his father- or cremate him in the cemetery where he had already pre-purchased a plot and a vault!
Our first thought was, since my father in law was a vet and we wanted to have a military funeral for him, having this ceremony would respect his wishes and would help to cut down on cost- When we asked about this, we were told that though she couldn't go into specifics about how to save costs using this service, she did know that the military gives you a plaque (bronze) for free but in order to mount the plaque, surprise surprise...you'll have to purchase a granite block from Woodlawn, and guess how much that will be? A cool $2,000!!!
When we asked Stephanie what people do that don't have $12k laying around for a rainy day, she told us that this price was the best that she could do but not to worry, she has a payment plan you can go on if you don't have $12k just sitting around!!
My husband and I declined to sign the paper on the spot because we wanted to read the form first since we were already in a state of shock and could have been easy targets. When we told her we wanted to take it home to read it, she became very angry and said that no one had ever walked out without signing the form and since she already had my father in laws body, we had to sign the form. We respectfully declined and got he heck out of there- Luckily we found another funeral home that helped us bury our loved on in dignity and for around 1/3rd of the cost!
The worst part was that Stephanie tried to bamboozle us into signing an agreement stating that we would exclusively use Woodlawn and would agree to be responsible for all costs for the funeral, storing of the body, etc. under the guise that it was an authorization to pick up the body from the home.
1.0 star rating 11/30/2017
Let me start by saying that my husband and I had the misfortune of coming here when my father-in-law passed away. Since my father-in-law had purchased a vault and gravesite, his body was taken to this location on the morning he passed. My husband and I flew in from CA and met with the funeral director the following day, after learning that his remains had been picked up by Woodlawn.
Andy did a fantastic job helping my family at such a devastating time, he made everything clear and easy to understand. Took great care of my dad, the services were very beautiful. Thank you all so much for your kind hearts and hard work. ~The Imson Family
As soon as we walked in, we were quickly escorted to the what I considered to be main sales floor (a room with gravestones, plaques and a large computer screen to show us all the prices and add-on's we could purchase for our loved one). Stephanie the funeral director quickly began giving us a hard sell on what "needed" to be purchased in order to bury my husband's father "with dignity" and assured us that she'd "give us a good deal" since we would need to pay for all costs out of pocket. After talking to her about options, we quickly found out that everything at this cemetery comes with a hefty fee- from the car you have to rent to bring your flowers to the grave site 500 feet away- "that'll be $200 dollars please" to opening the grave- "that'll be $2200 please" to moving the body to said gravesite in a hurst- "That'll be $575 please" to using the cemetery that you have a pot in -"that'll be $1200 please!"
Unprofessional, predatory and devious are all words that come to mind when I think about the service (or lack there of) that I received from this place. If you've lost a loved one, I am so sorry for your loss- don't make it worse by putting your trust in Woodlawn and their team.
Mom
WE visit was comforting
DO NOT use these people please!! They are predatory, devious and capitalize on the loss and pain of others. I am so sorry if you have gone through a loss like we did and I hope this review prevents you from having to suffer further pain and hardship.
How this place has maintained for as long as they have is beyond me. My father, who is recently deceased, purchased a plot and vault from Woodlawn more than 30 years ago. So naturally when he passed we thought Woodlawn would be the logical choice. Wow, were we wrong. Upon meeting with them, Stephanie proceeded to wheel and deal me into an "affordable" burial. It became very clear that she was selling me as much as she could get away with. After a terrifically horrible 30 minutes with Stephanie, she advised that $12K was the very cheapest she could do our funeral for. When asked about Military options, etc she claimed she knew nothing. When asked about cremation she said it would only be $300 cheaper. When asked any questions that could lead to her giving us options that didn't suit her commission, she referred us to the funeral home and crematory... What? I said that is what I thought you were? She advised she was from the Memorial dept. They intentionally compartmentalize the departments which makes the process even more confusing. Finally, she tried to get me to sign a liability statement to ensure I would be responsible for all charges. I could not believe my ears. I ran out of there so fast. The entire experience reminded me of a really bad used car dealership. Awful. Luckily I found a family owned establishment in D.T Hampton. They saved me $8K, and the process could not have been more professional. The takeaway is that very few people know anything about the burial process. Please please do your research, and do not use this business.
Woodlawn Funeral Home And Memorial Garden is a US Cemetery based in Norfolk, Virginia. Woodlawn Funeral Home And Memorial Garden is located at 6309 E Virginia Beach Blvd, Norfolk, VA 23502, USA.
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