Clear Instructions Ignored and Very Poor Communication Our experience with Spalding Mortuary was extremely disappointing. From the beginning, we made it very clear that no makeup was to be applied to my mother. Carmen acknowledged this before the contract was signed and again during the signing. We specifically asked that she be presented naturally, the same way they had previously done for my nephew. After payment was made, communication became very difficult. Phone calls often went unanswered. Even our florist had trouble reaching anyone at the mortuary and ultimately chose to deliver the flowers directly to the church instead. My mother was flown to Los Angeles wearing a hospital gown. I sent my nephew to the funeral home simply to check her condition after transport so we could determine whether any touch-ups were needed. Later we were told that this visit would be considered our only viewing, even though she had not yet been dressed. The night before the funeral we brought her clothes and again clearly stated no makeup. Carmen allowed us to come in for a final viewing after she had been dressed. When we saw my mother, she had heavy makeup applied anyway, despite our repeated instructions. For many families, that final viewing is the last memory they will ever have of their loved one. Seeing the exact opposite of what we had requested the night before her funeral was deeply upsetting. We also paid for funeral services that included staff support, yet at the funeral itself only Daniel was present to officiate and direct the service. Lisa and Carmen were not there. Families deserve clear communication and respect for their wishes when trusting a funeral home with someone they love. I hope sharing our experience helps another family avoid going through the same situation during such a difficult time. read more

These are all bunch of scammers . They said they are church people but apparently they bunch of devils. Dont trust them at all . At first they assist you properly and after they stress the hell out . Make sure to think before you give them money because the moment you regret the service they only give you back $25.00 from $3,400 . And check back with the hospital if they pick a relatives body because they dont notify you at all even if there is a contract they be lying . At first they talk to you sweet and the service is full of shit . Trust me they are bunch of scammers .. never thought this is the kind of service they have in my neighborhood. If you need to record while doing a contract i suggest you do . read more

I recently had the unfortunate task of arranging funeral services for a beloved family member, and I chose Spalding Mortuary based on Spalding Staff. I had the pleasure of working with Carmen who I am grateful to work with her because she provided my family and I exceptional service during this difficult time. She answered all my questions and provided professional and funeral director was kind and attentive. Thank you Again read more

My mother purchases pre-needs... Service - done Casket - didn't need because she was cremated. Embalming - didn't need because she was cremated. The pre-need insurance increased to well over the cost of cremation and service. Also the delay in scheduling the service, per them , I was going against my mother's wishes by cremating her...WELL I didn't have the money to bury her as she wished. due to the delay, they charged refrigeration each day waiting on my brother and I to sign for cremation. My brother was out of town. These people wouldn't give us the remaining funds from her policy to purchase a death certificate nor to help us bury her cremated body. They KEPT it all concealing the funds as refrigeration. No matter how many times I requested an itemized cost sheet they IGNORED me. I wouldn't recommend this establishment for a deceased DOG. read more

This was my first time planning a service myself and I am glad I went with Spalding Mortuary. Mrs. Spalding was incredibly patient and helpful. She guided us through everything from flowers to programs and the cemetery, even helping me plan the mass and rosary. The rest of the staff was also very nice. Highly recommend! read more

Spalding Mortuary provided a thoughtful and meaningful service for my family. The minister at their chapel was comforting and accommodating- and their memorial tribute allowed us to share all the wonderful memories of our loved one with the rest of our family. read more

This is ABSOLUTELY the worst mortuary EVER‼ off top, the building is completely run down. 2nd, EVERYONE, except the man who greets you and escorts you to the restroom are VERY rude read more

A couple of weeks ago our family lost my Auntie to cancer. The entire Spalding staff was kind & professional. They were really comforting at such a devastating time. We were very pleased with our services from Spalding. read more

Few weeks ago we've lost the love one we found this mortuary for service at their chapel in Riverside and cremation in Perris the staff is very friendly Brendon helped us through out the funeral service and went above and beyond thankful read more

Run far away. This place is not licensed and is the worst. It seems like a scam. My friend had this place listed as her mortuary when she passed and it has been horrible dealing with them. Thank god we were able to get her body away from them and now into a better mortuary. read more

The worse experience ever. I selected them based on references from 10 years ago, everyone gave high regard... folks do not go there now unless you want to deal with defensiveness, argumentative arrogant, in my opinion, insensitivity and incompetence. I was told a method of payment over phone by owner and when I got there I was told something different. Shopping for caskets felt like dealing with a used car sales con artist. Each casket I selected the "counselor" had to go to the back room to check and see if it was in stock. I did two rounds of this (each time price increase of $400) to be told my choice was not in stock. Third round she told me we can't give you the selected casket but we can give you one which is an upgraded version at the selected casket price. There was NO price listed on the upgraded casket she showed me, so I asked her "How do I know it's an upgrade? What's the price difference?" So I declined any further casket shopping there and bought one from Same Day Caskets(excellent service by Scott). Next fiasco occurred when I was told my Dad's remains was retrieved from the hospital on the Saturday after I'd met with the "Counselor". Well I get a voice mail message on Sunday morning (I saved it) stating, "there was a mixup with the paperwork and we did not retrieve your Dad, and I'm sorry the Driver made an independent decision to call you". I was alarmed as I had NO clue what type of mixup occurred. I received a personal phone call from Mortuary on Sunday morning, right after phone message, with "counselor" explaining that she thought I'd called the hospital and told them not to retrieve my Dad. Fact is I had not done this! Furthermore, why was I being called on a Sunday morning when I was informed that my Dad was already in the care of the mortuary on that Saturday. Gets worse .... we were told to bring my Dad's Clothing and everything that he would wear in daily life. I asked if that included his dentures. I was told by counselor "yes". When my brother took all clothing including dentures, all clothing was accepted. But the dentures were not used, and my Brother was told that "formers" were used and that my Brother needed to take the dentures back home. Yet another screw up of information.... The worse part of this is what transpired regarding securing the death certificate for my Dad. Mind you my Father passed on 1/12/2021, Centinela hospital confirmed with me that the correct procedure to request certification as to cause of death did not occur until or about 2/4/2021. The mortuary had the wrong number for making the request for the death certificate processing as I confirmed this when someone named Sean from Mortuary "death certificate department" recounted the number he used and sure enough it was wrong! I immediately faxed this information L. Spalding (who in my opinion has the manners and customer service skills of a farm animal). The hospital executive secretary of the Chief medical officer explained to me that the mortuary had never appropriately requested the death certificate in a timely manner. The mortuary kept saying the hospital would not take responsibility for the cause of my Dad's death and because of this my Dad's case may turn into a coroner case because hospitals wouldn't accept responsibility for the cause of death. I texted mortuary to get phone number to file a complaint against the hospital.... my text was misinterpreted and the mortuary became defensive and/or paranoid and thought I wanted to file a complaint against them. So my issue was "elevated" to L. Spalding without clarification as to who I wanted to lodge the complaint against. This L. Spalding was completely defensive and told me that the mortuary knew what it was doing, and without me ever asking her she told me she had a degree in Public Policy from USC and some other type of degree from UCLA. In essence, she knew what she was doing ... BS. L. Spalding misquoted law stating my Aunt needed a power of attorney before she could contact them and assist me with information; a power of attorney is Not needed for anyone who is deceased. It is only valid during the life of an incapacitated individual. Stop misquoting the law. Also fix your contract. It says you are open for business hours on Saturdays. So if one is paying a final payment within 72 business hours that should include your Saturday (day of business). If it does not put it in writing, on page one of your contract. I have 3 degrees 1. University CA - Social Ecology 2. University of Rochester NY - 1985 - Alfred P. Sloan Fellow and Full Scholarship recipient/ Co-Founder of Coalition of Minorities in Public Policy COMPP (this organization has now evolved into The Public Policy Institute Association PPIA) 3. UWLA- School of Law - Juris Doctorate There is NO justification for the incompetence and arrogance you displayed ... I don't care how many degrees you got. You failed me on so many levels. read more

Exceeded My Expectations!  My father who lived in LA passed away @ Christmas and I live on the East Coast, so I had to rely on online reviews and brief phone interviews to select a mortuary.  Prior to reading the reviews for Spalding I had a conversation with Mrs. Kathryn Spalding & it was her kind patient demeanor that had me sold.  She wasn't pushy and rushing to the next client call as did another mortuary.  She exuded empathy, listened to my questions & repeatedly advised me to take my time.  It was after that conversation that I read the Yelp reviews...DO NOT BELIEVE THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS.  The negative reviews did not match the warm & fuzzy convo I had.  Though I still wanted to move forward with them I did call Mrs. Spalding to ensure my family and I would not encounter the concerns highlighted in the negative reviews. She wasn't defensive at all, she was reassuring...just as she had been in our initial convo and went as far as to send me copies of their license. Sadly death brings out ugliness and contention in some families; however, the Spalding staff was able to navigate through all of that & remained professional and objective. Thank you to Mrs. Kathryn Spalding & the Spalding staff for guiding me through this emotionally challenging time.  NO REGRETS in selecting Spalding Mortuary. read more

I'm writing this review three and a half years removed from the passing of my brother, but the raw feelings of the death of my brother are as fresh as the day he died....what makes me smile and comforts me is the care, love and attention to detail Spalding Mortuary gave to my family. It is not uncommon to run into somebody who attended my brothers service and still receive glowing complements and sending him off right. My brother Jeff had a big personality and Spalding made sure that his service reflected his life...what a blessing. Spalding Mortuary was tasteful in each step of the process, starting with receiving his body at the hospital (to avoid a trip to the LA County morgue) to viewings (public and private) memorial service, repast (in a park), cremation and spreading of the remains. All legal forms completed and filed along with total class and care. It is often said that first impressions are very important, this may be true in the living, but when saying our final earthly words, it's our last impressions that live in our hearts and minds. Spalding Mortuary made my brothers last earthly impression epic. From the bottom of my heart and everyone in the Johnson family, thank you Spalding for all you did to honor my brother. #269Love4Ever read more

Spalding Mortuary - Thank you for sending Jeff off with type of style and class. Wonderful job Spalding Mortuary. - Mortuary Services Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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My recent experience at this Mortuary was terrible. First of all I was assigned a Funeral Assistant that was going on vacation as soon as she got the check/payment for services. My next encounter was a woman by the name of Tonya. Tonya is not familiar with their policies, therefore she cannot answer any reasonable questions one might have pertaining to anything of substance needed to have the funeral at this Mortuary Aside from the fact she is lacking in normal communication skills, Let alone Customer Service or empathy, which I assume should be an imperative in this type of business, but she has the attitude of a Part Timer at a Crocodile Ranch. The gentleman who opens the door and directs you to wash your hands for Covid is nice and friendly, a true professional thankfully. Everyone in need of this type of service, take my advise, please, for your hearts sake, avoid this place as if its promoting the current Covidv19 Pandemic. read more

Making arrangements for a loved one is never easy, no matter how many times its been done. The Spalding staff treated us with the utmost respect and professionalism. Carmen walked the very of line of keeping it all business while tending to our hurt feelings and made us feel appreciated as a customer at a difficult time in out lives. read more

Some of the most unfriendly people I have had the pleasure of doing. Came in today to see about doing a service for a loved one. Trying to ask questions about the different services they do they got upset with me asking for prices and ask me to leave. read more