How a simple mistake misplaced a mourning family's late husband and father

Sadiq Abdul Alim came to us for a rather different kind of consumer problem. Sadiq wasn’t having a problem with a company or a business. Instead, he needed help dealing with the final arrangements of his late father.

Sadiq’s father, affectionately called Slim by his wife of 50 years, fought cancer for 7 years. Before his passing, he had accepted Islam into his heart, and so it was critical to Sadiq to have his father buried within 24-48 hours according to Islamic tradition. Sadiq and his family found a cemetery and funeral home that were familiar with Islamic traditions, and the burial was scheduled on time. But when it came to the graveside service, it was clear someone had made a grave mistake. The limo with Sadiqu and has family took them to a spot nothing like the plots they had purchased. Sadiq bought two plots in a sunny spot facing east. This was not them. But at this point he had little choice.

After the burial, Sadiq tried to get the funeral home and the cemetery to help him fix the problem. With little progress, he called TrustDALE.

We spent hours on the phone with the cemetery and the funeral home, working on every detail to see what could be done to make it right. The final agreement was to move Sadiq’s father to another cemetery with a plot of their choosing.

This situation illustrates a common consumer tip: make your final arrangements before you're gone. Having a plan, including prepaid burial and cemetery costs, can ease the burden on your loved ones, both practically and financially. No one is in a mood to make reasoned, financially sound decisions as they mourn the loss of a loved one. And with a little planning, your loved ones can focus on family and friends instead of arranging for a funeral.