This was my first time visiting Ballard Mortuary as I am not a resident of Hilo. It is located in Hilo town with easily accessible parking to the side and rear. A covered portico allows for dropping of family and items needed to celebrate a life. The main gathering area is surrounded by a covered lanai on three sides with the restroom and kitchen area to the left. The outdoor area provides ample room for approximate 40 people to sit and eat comfortably. The restrooms have 2 stalls in the women and I'm assuming the same in the men's room. The facilities deserve 4 stars, the aunty who officiated deserves 3. She was pleasant however on multiple occasions did NOT know the name of the person whom was being celebrated and resorted to looking at the floral arrangements and needed assistance in pronouncing the last name. Shameful on such a solemn day filled with grief. Otherwise, overall 4 stars. read more

Ballard Family Mortuary - Hilo - Mortuary Services Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Every interaction with Ballard's was A-1 from picking up my mother (so very respecful were those two young men), to working with Adam to select a casket, date for the service and telling me what I could expect from Ballards on the day of the funeral. Adams explanation of fees was very detailed and I never had to question a charge. Then Adam out me in touch with the printing specialist Donnienne Kalehuawehe to prepare Mom's funeral program. i had chosen a design, background and program format. Donnienne called me a few days later concerned that the background I had chosen would clash with the pictures I had submitted and was wondering if she could run an idea pass me that she had for the background. Her concern about Momʻs program not looking pono was absolutely on target and with her help the program turned into a beloved keepsake. Donnie, mahalo for caring enough to give me a call when the appearance wasnʻt what it could be. That was going the extra mile and for that I am so grateful. Keep up the good work and your services will definitely be recommended to all our friends in need of a loved ones program for their Celebration of Life. Mahalo nui. read more

I'm so irate that I don't even know how to start this review off eloquently. We were forced to use this mortuary because my recently deceased grandmother had set up her funeral plans several decades ago, before dodo mortuary even existed. One star is too many for how HORRIBLE the customer service, attitude and efficiency was of this branch. The review is not for the Ballard brand however, because I have not had to deal with all of the branches. It very well, may only be the employees of the Hilo branch who have an utter lack of capability and tact. Before I continue, I must explain that not only was I her ONLY grandchild and her ONLY caretaker (for the past 20 years until putting her into an Alzheimers home facility), I am IMMEDIATE FAMILY and although not power of attorney, a direct kin of said person. I had the pleasure of dealing with Joey Lee, who was extremely unprofessional and incompetent. I had reached out to him via phone and email regarding the publishing of her obituary, and although he humored me by saying he read and received my email and changed it, the obituary I sent (which got confirmed by the power of attorney, her two children) was not even LOOKED AT, and INSTEAD, he submitted the obituary that my aunty (who is ONLY related by marriage and has been estranged for decades) submitted. That should be upsetting enough, but to make matters worse, HE SENT ME an obituary to read over and confirm, which I did, and didn't even use it. WHY EVEN PUT UP THE FACADE If you KNEW you weren't even gonna submit it? On top of it, it took days for him to even reply to the initial email and then when I tried calling, he disconnected his phone number!!!!!!!!!! UNPROFESSIONAL doesn't even come close to describing this employees tactics and work ethic. Ok fine, so the obituary is written by someone who had no say in the first place and wasn't immediate family. So let's move forward.... because to be honest that wasn't even the worst part!!!!!! The day prior to the funeral, I stopped by her cemetery plot at Alae graveyard to visit my grandpa as well, and I thought it was weird that NO HOLE WAS DUG. The funeral and burial was the following day at 8am. I was AT the cemetery at 6pm the night before WITH NO HOLE DUG. In a panic we call the mortuary and there is a SEVERE MIX UP. They send grave diggers to dig a hole AND ITS NOT EVEN THE RIGHT FRICKEN HOLE!!!!! SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?!!??? Like losing my mother and the person who raised me isn't enough, they are FRANTICALLY digging the hole even when we arrived with her body TO THE DAMN CEMETERY!!! I can't. Sorry, the idiocracy and stupidity of all of this is mind blowing ON TOP OF SUCH A MAJOR LOSS. Death is expensive I get it, but what kind of crappy ass humans with NO taste or shame work here. At least PRETEND TO GIVE A SHIT when you're literally taking thousands of dollars over my dead body. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE and find people who are actually human and considerate and caring ESPECIALLY DURING A TIME OF LOSS. read more

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I have the read the reviews and thankfully, I didn't have a horrible experience. I called around with the list that was provided from Hilo Medical Center. Ballard Mortuary is the first one on the list. I called to get the cost for my mom's cremation. Right off the bat, Joey was very pleasant. He gave me the cost and what it comes with. The additional cost if I decided to have a service prior to the cremation. He let me know that although my mom's ashes will come in the urn that they provide(which is a plastic box), there are other urns that we can choose from. And that...we did. He gave me the cost of the Death Certificate and how much each additional one would cost. He informed me of what I will need to bring if I do decide to go with them. The reason why I say this is because I didn't need to ask a single question except for the initial one. Which was...How much does a cremation cost? I called Dodo but the price was about a little more than what Ballard. That person was pleasant but I had to ask all the questions. (was that a deal breaker...NO) I guess it was more that the person was just "matter of fact" like. I then called Homelani, that person was rude and made me feel like I had to rush. I do have her name but I won't air that. Maybe she was having a bad day. She then transferred me to someone else and that person and myself had no idea why I got transferred and I had to repeat myself all over again. Homelani was more affordable out of all of them. But of course with what just happened over the phone, there was no way I was going to go with them. Joey was down to earth. He made me feel comfortable. He truly made me feel that he cared. I'm not an empath but I felt his aura was genuine. So of course, our choice was...Ballard. I have heard bad things outside as well but you can never judge something unless you have experienced it yourself. And unfortunately the people who gave bad reviews, that was the experience they endured. However, those bad things I heard was prior to Joey and his wife taking over. Did some people have bad experiences with them? I don't know! Maybe! Maybe there were kinks that they needed to work out. I am just grateful and appreciative that we had an AWESOME experience. Anywho, I called Joey back, made the appointment. My spouse and I went in with our children. They allowed our children to stay in the waiting area although there was supposed to be only 2 people at a time because of Covid. They gave us a tour of the place. They have an array of beautiful urns. We went back to the office to discuss the finances. He went over everything. We made payment. He let us know when we could pick up my mom. And that was it. About a week or so after I picked up my mom, I called Ballard back because my spouse and I made the decision to move to Oregon. I told them what my flight itinerary was. She told me that I will need 2 flying notices because of where I was traveling and said it will be ready in 2-3 days. 3- days later...it was ready. I hope this review helps other people rethink Ballard. I believe people/businesses deserve second chances. Thank you Joey and the Ballard Ohana for all you did. Aloha read more

Phenomenal customer service. Joey, made the planning and transition logistics for my mother very easy. Not a business you plan to visit, but if you're in need, I'd recommend them. read more

The staff at Ballard Family Mortuary are professional and compassionate. They are under new management and the facility is beautiful. Their prices are the most affordable on the island. Thank you! read more

Ballard Family Mortuary - Hilo - Mortuary Services Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

When my mother passed away the Ballard's staff demonstrated expertise that was exceptional. Freida, Joey and Naz were caring, responsive, respectful, gracious & sensitive. They managed a very difficult process balanced by compassion & professionalism. Thank you Ballards. You were amazing! read more

I Want To Thank Naz And Joey For All The Hard Work And Dedication. Ballard Family Mortuary-Hilo Made Me And My Family Feel Comfortable On Making The Arrangements For My Brother To Come Back Home To Oahu. read more

I would like to express that when making follow up calls, please keep in mind that we may not be ready to speak at the moment. Therefore, a follow up call is not necessary. Allowing the family to make decisions first is most important! Another tip, I feel it would be appreciated the follow up call come from the same person who made the initial call with the family. It is very confusing when more then one person is trying to sell products. More so it is worse especially when a employee of the mortuary have no knowledge to answer questions to a family grieving. I must stress the importance of knowing and rather than assuming. This type of service immediately pulls away my interest. read more

STAY AWAY!!! This is a horrible mortuary to deal with. Freida and her son took full advantage of our family at our lowest point. They lied about multiple things and the service they provided was not acceptable. Paid big $$$ for thank you cards which they brought on funeral day with NO NAME on it or envelopes! Ask any church and they will tell you this is the worst mortuary to deal with. It's too bad our loved ones bought a funeral plan from these losers or we would've gone to Dodo which is where you should go. Again, don't deal with this company! Read the other bad reviews about their parent company on Oahu. read more

Beautifully renovated, excellent customer service. Staff there are excellent and compassionate. read more

This funeral home is now called Ballard. EXCELLENT customer service! The manager there, Anastasia Nakila, went above and beyond to assist me with my father's arrangements. No pressure, very kind, very understanding staff. I would highly recommend Ballard. read more

They did a fine job , very matter of fact and easy to work with. The only issue is that it took almost a month and an extra phone call or 2 to get the death certificates. I don't know who was repsonsible, but it seems like a very long time. read more