Personal Alternative Funeral Services

“Recently, our family experienced a great loss — our father passed away. We did not want him to be cremated and instead decided to send his body home to Belarus. We called several funeral homes, but none of them had experience with international repatriation to our country — and no one could guarantee it was even possible. Calvin was the exception. He impressed us with both his professionalism and his compassion. He not only gave us hope but immediately took on this challenging task. There were many bureaucratic hurdles along the way, but Calvin was always quick to respond, contacted embassies, resolved issues, and stayed in touch even late at night. He supported us every step of the way, went above and beyond, and never let us lose hope. We chose Personal Alternatives and never once regretted it. People and professionals like Calvin are rare. We are deeply grateful to Calvin and his team.”

— Алёша

“TLDR/ Price: Reasonable, Service: Exemplary, Verdict: Worthwhile Option Losing a loved one is the most difficult time in a persons life. My husband recently lost his mother after a long battle with health issues. She was left with very little money and so we had to cover the costs associated with her death. We searched for the most reasonably priced option around our area and asked for recommendations from friends and family. Personal Alternative was both recommended to us by two different family members and came up online as a reasonably priced option. A higher cost funeral home actually recommended them to us as well. The staff made the process easy, walking us through the steps and options with regards to cremation, and how my mother-in-law’s remains would be taken care of. Even picking up her urn and signing the final paperwork was a relatively simple process that was made much more bearable by the competency and consideration of the staff on site. Don’t believe the negative reviews, they seem to have been written from a place of deep grief, and do not seem to reflect the true nature of this business. If you decide to go with Personal Alternative, they are a good option for when cost is a factor and even when it isn’t, the caring staff and expedient process can make a hard time a little less hard.”

— Cristina Miller

“A letter I sent to the Personal Alternative Funeral Services handling my Dads final wishes.....PLEASE read & share! DO NOT do business with this company! To whom it may concern, My father passed away last month and had a policy/plan with your company. I have been dealing with Melissa, at the Kent office. It has honestly been a nightmare. She has caused so much more unneeded stress to an already very difficult time. I have had to contact her not less than 8 times, and am still waiting on responses, not to mention the death certificates that I specifically asked her to send to my home in Arizona, so I could handle some of my Dad's final business while I'm back at home. I have still not received them. Now I am flying back to Washington in a week to take care of his estate, and I have no idea where the death certificates are. Either still en-route or sent to my Dad's house, I have no idea. So once again I have to contact her. (UPDATE……turns out she gave them to my nephew with the ashes, instead of mailing to me as requested and agreed upon…..more incompetence!) The last time we spoke in person she was extremely rude and condescending. When I called her on it and asked to please speak to someone else, she told me there was no one else and I had to speak to her. She continued talking to me as if I were a 2 year old. I am also still awaiting an answer to a question I asked about several times. That is if my dad had a spot at Evergreen Washelli for his ashes. He told me he did, and I cannot find any info on it. Melissa said she would find out for me and let me know. Still nothing. I will never recommend this company to anyone. Unbelievable customer service you offer for the grieving. Sincerely, Debbie A. W.”

— Debbie Whitaker