What was the outcome?
Approxiamtely ten days after the letter was received and signed for, I received a follow-up call from a polite and considerate lady. She was very apologetic and explained that my letter would be treated as an official complaint. I clarified that my intention was simply to bring the matter to the attention of senior management, not to lodge a formal complaint. Interestingly, it turned out the managing director, to whom my letter was addressed, had delegated the matter to her, which, while not entirely unexpected, felt like an avoidance of responsibility.
The lady and I had a constructive conversation during which she confirmed that the offending call did indeed originate from their branch - I already knew this! She also asked if I could recall the name of a female staff member who, years earlier, had been visibly upset in my presence after being left to deal with a complex situation alone. Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember her name but expressed my concern that this issue might indicate a pattern of behavior by this male toward female staff members.
The call concluded with her assuring me that she would follow up with a written response outlining the results of her investigation. I told her this wasn’t necessary, but she insisted. Now, almost three months later, I have yet to hear anything further. While I assumed she was either still investigating or had forgotten, I didn’t mind too much, as my primary aim was simply to highlight the incident.
Fast forward to a few days ago when Chris had to deliver to this funeral directors where he got chatting with a member of staff about my grieveance. It transpires the rude man was clanking about for a few weeks like a bear with a sore head - what a great way to react around your fellow members of staff! The bit which has actually really got my back up though (I do only have this on hearsay) is the allegation that a female staff member was reprimanded for not having addressed the issue initially, even though she had no responsibility in the matter. If true, this development is deeply concerning and has left me feeling even more disappointed.
I now feel compelled to follow up with the lady who originally contacted me to seek clarification on how the investigation was handled.
To provide additional context, let me recount a separate but related incident I mentioned in my original letter.
I was asked to dress the wicker casket of a lady who had passed. It was a bitterly cold November day, not unlike the weather we have been having this week - the nice cold frosty parts; not the damp dismal stuff. We'd had a low temp of mins-four the night before, a high of just plus-four throughtout the whole of the day so it was cold. I had contacted the funeral directors the week prior to find out when would be convenient for me to go down and do what I needed to do. I was informed I needed to be there at a set time of 09:30.
Upon arrival at the appointed time, I was greeted by a clearly overwhelmed staff member, a young woman who informed me "She's not ready yet". Ok, not ideal as I'd had to close the shop, delays are understandable. Having sat waiting for twenty-five mins I made my way to the door which connects through to the room where the caskets are usually waiting and shouted out, just to remind her I was still there. I know myself how easy it is to get distracted.
She returned shortly after, in tears, explaining that the individual responsible for sealing the casket had left without completing the task. She had been attempting, unsuccessfully, to seal it herself. Realising she was not going to be able to do it alone, she had telephoned the individual to inform him she was unable to complete the task. She was asking for his help, only for him to tell her he wouldn't be returning until it was "time to load the casket" into the hearse, adding if she wasn't adept enough to get it done he would do it upon his return! She responded by letting him know I was there to dress the casket where he informed her that wasn't his "problem".
I found myself then in bit of a dilemma, with two options before me. One, I don't bother to do the job I was there to do, and I let down the family who had paid me a lot of money to dress their Mum's casket, or, I offer to help the staff member to see if between us we can seal the coffin. There was no way on this earth I was going to let my customer down.
It actually took me a lot more persuading than you would think; I found out why she was reluctant when she asked me to walk around the side of the building, to meet her in the garage. I won't lie to you all; the shock I felt when I realised that there wasn't just the casket I was there to decorate abandoned in the garage, amongst all the stuff you'd usually expect in a garage, but to find there were four other coffins dotted about the area as well took the wind out of my sails a little bit. To think five grieving families believed their loved ones were being cared for inside the building, when the reality was they were just doted about a garage area was so much more than being disrespectful. The anger I felt when I moved one of the other coffins aside so I could get to the casket I needed, to find it held the body of one of my favourite customers who had recently passed, was immeasurable. I understand the garage area was cold - so very cold (I love the cold when dressed for it but I thought I would be inside the building so I was wearing just a t-shirt) and I could see they were obviously busy - the door to the room where they keep everyone was open and I could see at least six people staring back at me - but that still doesn't excuse just abandoning people in a garage.
Anyway, I was there to do a job, and in order to do that I had to assist in getting the casket lid secured and sealed. Unlike a traditional wooden coffin which has screws, the wicker caskets have toggles, just like those you find on duffle coats. As you will often find if you have them on your coat they can sometimes not be the easist things to do up. This was the problem we faced. We could get two of the eight in without any issues; the remaining six would not help us out. We tried doing one on the side, one the other side, and one at the top; nothing. We tried going both ends but were only ever able to get one end in at a time. After thirty minutes of us exhausting every option we could come up with, I realised the only thing left to do was for me to climb on top of it, using my weight to help push the lid down.
Yes, you read that correctly. I climbed up and laid myself on top of this poor ladies casket. I did have a chat with her as I did so, apologising profusely, whilst also being aware of how perilous my position was. I had no idea if the gurney/trolley was going to take the weight of both of us. In my head I saw it collapsing before the lid was sealed, and the fall-out from that would have been horrendous. Thankfully though, with some care, a bit of rolling from side-to-side added to a touch of brute force, we managed to get all eight toggles closed, I was able to get the casket dressed, and the poor girl who had been left to deal with it all was eventually able to compose herself and go about her day.
I mention this because I cannot help but wonder if the man who left her alone that day, was also the same one who was rude to me. If so then I feel the company has far bigger problems they should be dealing with, especially with funeral directors being scrutinised closely right now due to the issues with the company up in Hull, and one a bit closer to home as wll, not actually laying the people to rest and keeping them in coldstore for many years.
I know the old saying is "no publicity is bad publicity" but I think in this instance it could be very damaging for them!
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