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LOS ANGELES () — A grieving family says an urn they ordered online to honor their grandfather’s memory arrived with what they believe are someone else’s ashes already inside, prompting confusion, frustration and a search for answers.
They tried to contact the company after the morbid mix-up, but said they felt like they weren’t getting an appropriate response, so they contacted 7 On Your Side for help.
“I’ve never seen human remains myself like that, and I looked at them, and I don’t know what else they could be,” said Debbie Richard.
The family ordered several urns through Amazon after their grandfather passed away and was cremated. But when they inspected one of the urns that arrived, they made the gruesome discovery.
“One of the urns had ashes in it, and my grandmother was confused and asked my mom, ‘Why does this urn already have ashes in it? Did you order it pre-filled?’ And, no,” Mark Culbertson said.
Shocked and concerned, the family immediately contacted Amazon customer service, hoping the company could help determine where the remains came from and how they could be reunited with the proper family. But, they say the response they received only added to their distress.
“Amazon wasn’t working with us at all. They just wanted to give us a refund and stop right there,” Culbertson said.
Screenshots of the exchange show a frustrating response.
In one message, a customer service representative told the family, “I understand that you have received a used item. Please allow me a moment to check the available option for you.”
The family responded, “It’s not just used, it has possible human remains in them.”
Another message offered the customer a $19.99 promotional credit and told them, “You can keep or get rid of the item.”
The family says they repeatedly tried to explain that this was not a simple return.
“If it’s something that’s used, yeah, you can send it back and get a new one. It’s not just used. This could be part of someone’s loved one that they’re missing, because we never know if someone could have an empty urn that they are talking to, thinking that their loved one is there, but they’re actually not,” Culbertson said.
The family reached out to 7 On Your Side, and then Amazon responded.
In a statement, the company said, “We appreciate 7 for bringing this to our attention, and we’ve apologized to the customer. We’re looking into this and will work directly with the customer once we have more information.”
“They did acknowledge that they kind of did drop the ball,” Culbertson said
Culbertson said Amazon told him the urn came through a third-party seller, and they are contacting them to figure out if this was a return or some type of error. They now have a team trying to figure out how to treat the ashes with dignity.
“I even told her, ‘We don’t want to send them back to you and be sitting in a warehouse. We want answers. We want them returned to the family,'” Culbertson said.
The family says Amazon assured them the remains would be handled appropriately, and they will also offer training to the employees involved and put in a procedure in case something like this happens again.
“Thanks to 7 for really helping us out and pushing Amazon to reach out to us and get this all settled,” Culbertson said.
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