So, we had a beloved pet die late Tuesday. My wife called him first thing in the morning. She said she felt good about the place because he bragged about how long he had been in business and how the Navy trusts them with their service animals.
Monday, I showed up at 10:00 on the dot. Front door is locked, side door is locked. A garage bay door is partially open, i look in it and see no one. I call. He picks up, i tell him that I am locked outside. He says he was in the bay but will come up front and let me in. He does, telling me that he was in the bay working, again. I told him I looked in the bay and saw no one, that is why I called. We again walked straight to the desk, he shows me a box with remains and a card with various memorial papers in it, asked me to sign for receipt, hands me the items and I am back out the door. No handshake, no thanks, no sorry for your loss, no mention of the credit that he told my wife he wanted to provide.
They're motto is ' Because They Loved Us". I personally think that if you pet spent be whole life loving you, then you should really consider that when determining who is going to handle their remaina.
Let me start by saying that I've read some of the reviews on the internet and I must say that in no way, shape or form did I have any negative experiences with Jacksonville Pet Crematory. In fact, it was completely the opposite. My story is long, but I want to show what an amazing job he did for us, My cat, Cyclops (yes, he had one eye and was absolutely an amazing dog-like cat) had spent his last 4-5 months battling large cell lymphoma, complete with surgery, needle biopsies of his liver pancreas, and spleen, and chemotherapy on top of the 7 different medications he was on daily (some of them twice daily). By reading his treatments, it should be understood that this little guy was more than just a cat, but more like our child. On November 14 2011, he passed away on the way to the ER. While at the ER/specialist's office (they're in the same building), I had concerns about where his remains were going for cremation. Because I had seen Jacksonville Pet Crematory there during our many visits, I assumed that it would be that company. I called JPC and left a message about my worries about actually getting my pet back and not random ashes. I got a returned call within the hour, and Jimmy, the owner, was kind and patient enough to explain the procedures he practiced. After some discussion, it was determined that Cyclops was going to be transported by another company all the way to Apopka for cremation which was not acceptable to me, as I did not want him taken that far by a company that does an abundance of pet cremations from across the state. Although it was about 4pm, he did not bat an eye about going to pick up my boy immediately. Because I'm a worrier, I drove to the specialist's office just to meet him. From previous observation of his work at the vet's office, I knew he was always pleasant and respectful of the remains. He was kind enough to let me go ahead and follow him to his office to make arrangements instead of following through with the appointment we had scheduled for the next day. I explained that the last time I had seen Cyclops he looked horrible. Jimmy went above and beyond by giving my husband and I a little viewing of him before his cremation, where he had prepared him to look as if he was sleeping, wrapped up in a white blanket lying in a little white casket. That experience meant the world to me. I also purchased a necklace with his nose print, and Jimmy made numerous casts of his little nose to send to the jeweler. He also kept his remains until the jeweler said the casts were good. Total, JPC had his remains for about a week before his cremation, but that was because of his viewing and nose print. When I returned to pick up Cyclops, Jimmy offered to give me a tour of his facilities (I’m the kind of person that needs to know the ins and outs of things, so this was something that I embraced). I got to see his operation and tagging system to ensure the pet to be cremated is the pet you get back, but out of respect, he did not let me see any of the remains of other pets. His facility was very well organized and spotless, and next to the crematory was a huge board filled with pictures of pets he’s taken care of over the years. It was slammed full of sweet pictures with little notes from the “parents.” At the end of this terrible time in my life, Jimmy was amazingly compassionate and he made it all easier to handle. I can’t say enough about the concern he showed for us. Needless to say, I’d recommend him to anyone.
On Sunday, around three o'clock, I hadn't heard from him, so I verified on the internet that they were open until five that day. I then called and got the voicemail, in which I left a polite message asking about the availability of the remains for pickup. About an hour later, my wife called. He picked up. He said that they closed at two, not five. And asked where we got that information. My wife told him that it was on the website. He informed her that it was not correct and not to worry, he would be fixing that as soon as he got off the phone. He also told us that the remains were ready, but we could not pick them up that day, but would have to wait until our 10:30 appointment on Monday. My wife then set an appointment for 10:00 on Monday after cancelling the mysterious 10:30 appointment that neither my wife or I had made. He also said that he would like to give us a credit towards a future cremation...gee, cremating my next pet, that is something I want to think about.
This company billed itself as a 24-hour, 7 day a week facility and service. We just lost one of our cats and we called the company looking for help in our time of need. Our phone call went to a paging messaging service. We have yet to receive a phone call and pursued other options. I would discourage from using these people just based on the fact that they misrepresent their level of concern and care for pet owners.
I first got the paging service when I called, but I got a call right back. It's the owner that actually handles the calls. He was very compassionate and easy to deal with. My situation was a "touch and go" for a couple of days and he was very patient and understanding. What I especially liked about this service is it is LOCAL and INDIVIDUAL. As much as I loved my vet's office, they dealt with a cremation service that was in Apopka, FL. I just didn't want my loyal friend either being shipped out there or picked-up with dozens of other animals in the area for a mass cremation.
We set an appointment with him for the same morning. I showed up with our deceased pet and met with him. There was no handshake, there were no introductions, and zero compassion in his voice. It was straight to his desk, to fill out paperwork. It felt like i was at a car dealership filling out a purchase agreement. In fact, the first and only time he asked the pet's name was when he needed to write it on the paperwork. Once I signed, he told me three to four days, and I was out the door. I told my wife about the awkward encounter.
Later that day, while I was at work, I had some concerns about specifics...how the ashes would be handled, etc. I contacted my wife and asked if she could call. She did, and got clarification for me. She apparently brought up interaction to him during that call. He blamed it on me! He also told her that the remains should be ready for pickup on Saturday...Sunday at the latest.
The owner has an issue in the compassion department. He also becomes very defensive whenever there is an issue. Customer concerns follow second to him defending his business or himself.
I walk out the door, and on the sidewalk, walking to my car, I shake my head...just glad to be done with it. This dude, runs to the door, comes outside and asks me if there is a problem. I said I am just glad we are done and want to leave. He then says, that he saw me shake my head and asks me again if there is a problem. I told him thay actually there was. I said i had been through this process three times now (the other two were in different states), and this was absolutely the worst of the experiences. Do you think he wanted to know why? Do you think he wanted to make things right with the customer? No, he just said, "Well, thank you", and then stepped back inside, locking the door behind him.
This service was prepaid and was supposed to take 4 to 5 days and it took 8 days. Other then that I am very satisfied with the services they provided, I recommend it.
Jacksonville Pet Funeral Home Pet Crematory is a US Funeral Home based in Jacksonville, Florida. Jacksonville Pet Funeral Home Pet Crematory is located at 4969 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32207, USA.
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