A Bronx-based funeral home chain has been accused of preying on customers for years, doing such shoddy work and posting ” He also presented the body of a man “sitting inside a plastic bag.”
At least 48 customers have complained about RG Ortiz Funeral Home in the past five years, including one who said their loved one smelled of decomposition and another who said her grandchild’s eyes “wouldn’t stay closed.” , it opens and moves throughout the viewing experience.” According to the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
RG Ortiz violated city ordinances and is obligated to pay unspecified damages to customers, DCWP alleged in the document. File a complaint against a company with the Office of Administrative Trial and Hearings (OATH).
The chain is also accused of refusing to tell families where their loved one’s remains were. Improper handling of corpses. misrepresenting or concealing prices or failing to provide paid materials or services;
The company has eight different funeral homes in five boroughs and primarily provides the following services: spanish speaking community.
The city said it often took much longer for remains to be returned to families than RG Ortiz said.
According to the OATH petition, a woman was told that her 5-month-old baby’s cremated remains would be picked up within two to three weeks, but it took two to three months.
Another customer was told he would receive his father’s ashes within three weeks, but he had to wait nine months to receive them.
A grieving family sued a Bronx funeral home in 2018, claiming it had lost their sister’s remains.
The newspaper previously reported that the funeral home had ruined four memorial services in a matter of hours, handing over coffins with the wrong person inside.
DCWP is also seeking various civil penalties against RG Ortiz for code violations.
“Grieving the death of a loved one can be the most difficult moment in our lives, and no one should be exploited by predatory business practices during such a vulnerable time,” Consumers said. said Vilda Vera Mayuga, Secretary of the Ministry of Human Services and Labor Protection.
RG Ortiz did not respond to a request for comment.
