I was pretty much in shock when I contacted First Avenue Funeral Service in October from another state to make arrangements for a funeral. From the start they were compassionate, gentle and kind. There was no attempt made to upsell their services. They quickly took possession of my brother before I arrived in New York and it was a comfort to my family that he was no longer in the city morgue while I flew out to NY. They made the entire process of his wake and cremation as simple and gentle as possible. Mr. Lee was the one who prepared my brother for viewing. Mr. Lee is an artistic genius, due to throat cancer my brother did not look as he once did but Mr. Lee worked a miracle and despite the circumstances of his death my brother looked as if he had just settled down for a nap on my sofa. I half expected his ankles to be crossed as was his habit in life. While searching for a funeral home I found out that the one my family traditionally used was having legal issues over quality and was forced to look elsewhere to arrange funeral services. I'd contacted several funeral homes before deciding to go with FAS due to their location and was surprised to find that they were the least expensive out of all the funeral homes I'd contacted. They were budget friendly without being skimpy. Located in an area with several funeral homes, they are small, not so flashy and easily overlooked but they provide wonderful service and are kind and compassionate. I highly recommend them and will use them again should the need arise. read more

Used this funeral home in 2013 when my mom passed as it was affordable and received excellent service. Then in 2019 when my uncle passed we went back thinking we'd get the same quality service we received before, boy was I wrong. The moment we walked in we were met by pure ratchetness. Dudes that looked like they belong elsewhere eating wings and a so called funeral director (not the same one I dealt with in 2013) just as ghetto. No tact no empathy. I requested a change of casket since the one my cousin chose wasn't up to par and I was told it couldn't be done bc allegedly the body was already in the casket which I suspect wasn't true. Finally the morning of the burial they were over an hour late to pick him up and go to the cemetery. No reason given just kept telling us they were on the way. Unless this place has changed management and staff in the last 7yrs I would not use this place. I'd rate them no stars but that's not possible. read more

We called to setup an appointment to talk about buying a future service for my elderly aunt who is in hospital. The woman we spoke to was like no appointment needed just walk-in. As a family we went over in afternoon walked up the stairs when a woman who said she did not speak us on phone asked us to have a seat in office and she will be back. The office was Filthy empty boxes ,floor dusty needed a vacuum, the caskets they were selling hanging on the wall cheaply (even though they cost in the $1k) etc. after sitting in that room for 20 minutes waiting to be told because we didn't have a funeral plot where we want our loved one buried she could not help us until we figured that out. We were being dismissed ; there were other people waiting I guess they were more important than us. If we were told that on the phone when we called we would have been better prepared! read more

this funeral home is the dollar tree of all funeral homes, you know exactly what you are going to get at a dollar tree store, garbage! you get what you pay for. first avenue funeral home is the lowest of the lowest! read more

My family and I loss our dad in the ending of November 2021, first time dealing with a personal death and having to make funeral arraignments, my siblings and I called to get information from this funeral home the person we spoke to took the information as well as my dad information to where they had him, we was told to come in the following day to discuss what we wanted and prices. To our surprise the First Avenue Funeral Home sent for my dad body to get picked up without speaking to us to when we wanted him to be transfer. We continue with the arraignments, for the viewing Music box wasn't fully charger it cut off while playing music, the lady who works at the funeral home talking on her phone while helping with the music box, the writing on the ribbons looked like a 5 yrs old wrote it, the casket top part when closing wasn't aligned, was rushed even though we paid for over time, at the burial ground we was rushed as well because the burial ground workers had to dig a hole right next to my dad for another family burial. THE WOMAN WHO WORK AT THE FUNERAL HOME WE DEALT WITH WAS UNPERFESSIONAL WALKING TALKING ON HER PHONE, HER PHONE RINGING LOUD WHILE OUR FAMILY HAVING THE VIEWING. PLEASE PEOPLE DO RESEARCH BEFORE CHOOSING THIS OR ANY OTHER FUNERAL SERVICE FOR YOUR LOVE ONES. MY SILBINGS AND I ARE SO DISGUSTED BY THIS PLACE. read more

The staff was extremely informative and helpful with the service arrangements for my niece's mother-in-law, which we needed shipped to Santo Domingo they handle everything efficiently and with the upmost care. Our family is forever grateful at how First Avenue Funeral Service took care of our family, during such a sad time. read more

Funeral services went well, so I give the one star, but overall I do not recommend this business. Having them complete the monument part of the contract was extremely stressful and they did not fulfill the full order, so they try to make it so that you lose some of your money. The owner also owns Effie's Monuments and if you look at those reviews you will see the very poor business ethics of the owners. Save yourself additional grief and spend a few more dollars for a place that will complete the services you pay for. You will save yourself from the anguish of having to follow up constantly on something you wish to put to rest. They drag out a process that one never wished to experience in the first place. read more

If you want to give your love ones a memorable and honorable send off, DO NOT CHOOSE THIS FUNERAL SERVICE. First Avenue Funeral Services is not deserving of even a fraction of a star. For starters, the services of two limousines were purchased in the weeks prior, but only one limo showed up this morning! The other limo driver was quoted as saying, "9:00 is too early for me. I don't usually start work that early." So we were stuck with one limousine that had to make two trips to the funeral home. Ridiculous! Secondly, First Avenue Funeral Services is cockroach and roach infested. Anytime you have to kill a variety of bugs in a public establishment while waiting for service, there is obviously a problem. The viewing of my grandmother was to begin at 9am - 10am. Rev. Larry Graham (who I have nicknamed Rev. NoGood) was entrusted with officiating the ceremony at 11 am but called to say he was stuck in traffic and would arrive at 11:15am. He disrespectfully showed up a little over 40 mins later, just as guests started to leave. Rev. Larry Graham was initially unapologetic, and arrived with a huge smile on his face, and with no bible in hand! After stopping in the main office to speak with the funeral home owners, Rev. NoGood steps up to the podium and offers a lame apology to the congregation of people in attendance. His apology went a little something like this: "I apologize for my tardiness, the cab driver drove me around the block like 3 times. Please accept my apology. I'd like to now read the arbitrary..." Lame. Liar. (He was seen walking towards the funeral home from a block away, so where'd his cab drop him off exactly we wondered!). Rev. Larry Graham read through the obituary with such difficulty, I felt embarrassed for my family, for the close friends in attendance and for him! He struggled with every name listed in the obituary, common American names such as Geraldine! He lacked the necessary literary skills to even attempt to sound out the names phonetically. And this is someone who calls himself a reverend, an occupation where reading and speaking is commonplace! To add insult to injury, the Rev. Larry Graham spoke for a full 7 mins before he announced, 'this concludes the services..." ARE. YOU. SERIOUS?! We waited an hour to be subject to a horrible 7 minute discourse?! Where's the comfort in that?! Never ever have I encountered such unprofessional practices at any funeral home. Our family requested to be compensated for our inconvenience at any level but First Avenue Funeral Services REFUSED. First Avenue Funeral Services may want to reconsider the contractual relationships they have with their limo drivers and the clergymen with which they do business. Clearly these relationships are NOT WORTH ruining their reputation. I would NOT use this funeral home to bury my dog. I would also advise you to save yourself the embarrassment and heartache by staying clear of First Avenue Funeral Services - DO NOT USE; at least not for anyone you once cared deeply about. read more

After we promised good service. We were taken for our money. The casket they use on my best friend was a use casket. They were willing to do all the work once they through there was a life insurance. Once they found out they couldn't use the life insurance. The funeral manger was rude and very cold hearted. My family and friends have been using this Funeral parlor since 1986. When they had different owners. They use people grief to rip you off. Don't use their services. They SUCKER big time. read more

I must write about the disappointing service we received from this funeral home. We arranged to ship our aunt to them to deliver to the cemetery for us to view and have a service. They were over an hour late. This caused many people to wait, caused a delay in our pre-arranged reception time. When they did arrive the vehicle she was in was not road worthy. It was smoking, had the tail pipe dangling from behind and rusted in the rear. It looked worse than a Halloween prop. Yes they were affordable compared to others, but I should know you get what you pay for, even in funeral service. In my opinion this company should not be allowed to have a license. We trusted them to care for our loved one and they deeply disrespected her and our guest along with the entire family. read more

If i could give it a zero, a zero i would give. I have never witnessed and experienced what i saw today. During a grieving and mourning viewing session from 4-9. The funeral home staffers bring a body on a stretcher at 6pm wrapped in a blue velvet bed blanket, rolling it down the block and right into the front entrance. While mourning family and friends are standing there. It was unbelievable! The lack of respect for both the deathly departed and their families and friend. I have never ever seen this. Still in shock. read more

This funeral home really deserves zero stars. My brother was buried from First Ave. Funeral in late January of 2017. Since my father had been buried from there, we were familiar with it, however in the intervening years, things have changed. Firstly, we were informed by the person who answered the phone that the only viewing room available was on the second floor and that the elevator was out of service, so we should inform any guests that couldn't navigate the stairs. We didn't have concerns about this. So we contracted for services. The viewing room was in disrepair, with water stains on the ceiling, ceiling tiles missing and a threadbare carpet. No comforting touches like tissues, or hard candies/mints. Staff was helpful when asked, but we never knew who was in charge. The staff room was on the second floor also, and the door was closed. But when staff entered it or left it we could smell the cigarette smoke coming from there. Thought that's illegal in NY? The most disrespectful part happened the next day when the church service and burial were scheduled. Turns out the elevator that was out of service was the FREIGHT elevator, the ONLY elevator they have. Not only is it used to transport visitors, it's used to transport the body of the deceased. So, how was our brother going to be brought down to the first floor? Well, his pallbearers!! We had been advised to try to find our own pallbearers since it would cost more money to hire (about $175 per pallbearer). We had 6 men who agreed to do this honor. Imagine having to navigate a heavy coffin down a flight of steep and quite narrow stairs. Some of them backed out- it was unsafe for them. Yes, some staff members also carried (again-we never knew who was in charge, no one directed us- isn't that what a funeral "director" is supposed to do?) Thankfully my brother was safely brought down. No apologies, no director present. This lack of direction continues throughout the remainder of church and cemetery service. We wrote a letter of complaint and sent copies to the owner E. Filipoussis and the 2 funeral directors-NO RESPONSE from anyone. We charged the service to a credit card ($6000. plus). We decided to dispute a portion of the charges due to the elevator issue. First Ave. Funeral's response to the dispute was that they provided the services contracted for, and the credit card company agreed with them. They should never had offered the second floor viewing room under the circumstances. Had they told us we would have to carry the casket downstairs, we would NEVER have contracted with them. This a poor excuse for a funeral home -don't bother even checking it out!! read more

It's is so unfortunate to have to give a funeral home a terrible rating but I don't want anyone else to have to go through a disrespectful un professional experience at a time when your mourning your love one..first they weren't available for any questions we had to call a number then a girl approximately 18 years old would come speak to us there we no cups for water Kleenex funeral stickers for the cars or any of my grandma cards available then we realize they were sending my grandma to the wrong crematory and then refuse to admit it was a mistake on their part then wanted to charge 800 more dollars to correct their mistake..PLEASE NEVER USE THIS COMPANY TO LAY YOUR LOVED ONE TO REST!! they continued to remind my family that this is a business with an attitude and no compassion AT ALL for our grieving family members and friends read more

I had the very unfortunate pleasure of dealing with this place to bury my brother. From the very beginning we were nickel and dimed and everything was extra. All we wanted to do was bury my brother with a little bit of dignity so we said yes basically to all of the extras. ie: Metal casket, priest coming to pray, limo for the family, not to mention it was extra for them to pick up the body??? Really the body??? The day before we getting ready to view my brother ( February 6, 2016) we were called and told that they never procured the church and if we wanted the church that we asked for we would have to go and speak to them ourselves. We did get confirmation through the church that they were contacted by the funeral home once and were allowed to hear the only message that was left for them although we were told by Vivian at the funeral home that she tried calling them several times. Thank God we were able to get the church we wanted but this was not the end with the added extras from this funeral home. During the wake we were bombarded with paperwork that we thought we took care of on Friday ( February 5, 2016) when we went to make the arrangements (we viewed my brother on a Sunday February 7, 2016). While getting all this extra information that they should have had already gotten from us, we were told that St. Paul's which is the church that we wanted didn't send a priest because they were never confirmed and usually they send a priest for free. We had no time ever heard the word free from their mouths so I was a little confused as to why they thought the priest was free when they told me I would have to pay for priest to come and pray for my brother because it was extra. So they wouldn't upset me further my husband paid more money to get a priest to come pray for my brother and on top of that I had to go and complain because his makeup started to run and you could start to see the scars from the embalmment. And still these people weren't finished with getting money from us when asked why my brother didn't have rosary beads or cross on his coffin we were told it was extra and that if we wanted them it would be another $60 after the fact of $6200 we already paid for the entire funeral. From start to finish they treated us poorly and their service was bottom basement horrible. We weren't able just to grieve for my brother because of their poor management and lack there of of compassion when it comes to people mourning for their loved ones. I will never recommend them to anyone let alone have any of my love ones viewed at that place again. read more