- Report: #1126358
Complaint Review: Dignity Memorial - Alexandria Virginia
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Dignity Memorial
6600 South Kings Highway Alexandria, 22306 Virginia, USA
Phone:
703-765-3800
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Dignity Memorial Mount Comfort Cemetery, Alexandria, VA Mismanagement of cementery property Alexandria Virginia
Mount Comfort Cemetery in Alexandria, Virginia is completely mismanaged. Recently, I visited my mother's grave site there, and was appalled at the overall condition of the property. It was the latter part of February 2014, and Christmas decorations still littered the property. I cleared the debris from my family's site (including a dead Christmas wreath and dead foral arranagements) and proceeded to take them to a nearby trashcan. The trash receptacle was literally over-flowing. I am 5'6" and the trash was higher than my head!
When I questioned the 'management' of this facility, I was told that due to inclement weather (our area received snow one day, and it lasted about three, before melting) and a high volume of interments, the facility was unable to empty trash cans (!) and clear the property.
There are also literal sink holes throughout the property, missing vases from markers (which were reported over two years ago), and markers that have cracked and bowed due to the soil settling.
When I approached 'management' with my concerns, two representatives have been combative, argumentative, and have actually given inaccurate information relative to their mismanagement of this property.
Would not recommend using this facility.......
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Concerned
ALEXANDRIA,Virginia,
Concerned
#2Consumer Comment
Tue, February 10, 2015
Responding to the message about the alarm at arriving at the cemetery and seeing Christmas decorations on some graves; and in her case specifically, this was originally a live decoration which had died and remained on the grave site in question.
I have a child buried in this cemetery. When the loss is a child, you will frequently find that burial site is visited far more frequently than other family relations. Maybe not always, but in my experience, that has been the case. My Christmas wreath was artificial and selected specifically because I thought my son would have liked it; and I could re-use it next Christmas. I also added christmas balls (5) that I hand painted, tied to silver fringed ribbon, and were hanging from a shepherd's hook within the boxwood hedge alongside his grave. He is not buried in a single site, but an "estate" that accommodates 4 people and it is all the way at the back of the cemetery.
As opposed to the person with the previous message about being appalled that a dead wreath remained on her loved one's site, mine was artificial. I understand her concern. When I went to retrieve my son's things, they had been removed by management, placed in a dumpster, and thrown out. I am equally upset as the previous person. Most of the time, the people within the office are kind, considerate and compassionate. The general manager, who manages 3 cemeteries and isnot physically there very often, is not. I keep garden tools in the trunk of my car as well as large trash bags and I routinely visit, polish the granite headstone and bench, rake, weed, pick up trash, etc. My final comment is my extreme disappointment that in 8 years, this is the first time anything has been removed from the grave of my son by management. I rarely leave live things because I visit frequently and use silk flowers or artificial things. Live arrangements can be beautiful, though.
