Testimonials
From start to finish, Ännika was absolutely amazing. When my mother went into hospice, I contacted Ännika to help us make all of the arrangements. Before mom even passed, we had the peace of mind of organizing her cremation, so that we wouldn't be stuck making important decisions in the throes of grief. When mom passed, someone came and transferred mom to the funeral home. It was done with such love and respect.
When I met with Ännika shortly after mom passed to go over the final details, she graciously provided us with information on what to do next, canceling bank accounts, applying for death benefits, etc. She walked me through all of the details so I could pass it along to my father.
Initially I had said I would plan moms celebration of life and once the time came to do so, I was lost. I mentioned that to Ännika and she explained a new service they are implementing, wherein they arrange the entire celebration of life even if it is outside of the funeral home.
Her fee was more than fair and she worked so hard on our behalf. She arranged and organized everything for us in such an efficient and professional manner. We had our vision of what we wanted, which was a little unorthodox, and she made it come to fruition beautifully.
The day of the service, I was beside myself and not much help, but Ännika and her team arranged and executed everything beautifully and professionally. I can't imagine having to organize this event without them. Our family is forever grateful to Ännika and her team.
I want to share an amazing experience I had today…
My Wife and I have been talking about getting our affairs in order for a number of years and today we prepaid for our Funeral and Cremation Services with John Romeyn at Alternatives.
I have known John for going on 35 years now, and I knew he was the one I would be calling to get things arranged.
If you are like us, and you are in your mid-50’s, it’s time to take care of getting things arranged for down the road.
You never know when you will need these services, and it’s not an easy subject to talk about, but taking care of things in advance, and having your wishes known and paid for in advance makes nothing but sense.
The best part is prepayment means it is inflation proof. What you pay is what you pay.
If you are contemplating getting your affairs in order, and you want to make sure your family has an easier time with things, then please go see John.
He has been doing this for 22 years now, and is so professional, it makes the situation so easy.
10 years ago, Alternatives helped us with the death of my father. We just buried my mother yesterday. The family is grateful with the service provided to us by Alternatives. We were happy that our parents had pre-arranged all this before they died.
The two people I worked with at Alternatives were compassionate and efficient -- very helpful. They reached out long after the arrangements were done to see how I was doing after my Mother's passing. It was so kind. My friend’s Mom passed a few months earlier – no one followed up from their funeral home and they were ridiculously expensive. Lower cost does not mean lower service! I recommend Alternatives as my experience was very positive. Thank you Elizabeth and John.
Alternative Funeral & Cremation Services was highly recommended to me and I am extremely happy I went with them. Losing someone you love is one of the hardest things in life, yet during the entire process, the staff at Alternatives were there for me, and they were all so kind, patient, and extremely knowledgeable. I also want to commend Alternatives for their checklist and letters to help guide me through the administrative process of taking care of my loved one's estate; this was incredibly helpful as well. Thank you so much Alternatives! I have recommended you to a number of people already.
Alternatives have been amazing! So quick, compassionate, and helpful. Nothing hidden. Online forms easy to fill out. No high pressure sales tactics like we experienced a few years ago with a different organization when my father in law passed. I highly recommend Alternatives!
Losing a loved one was difficult but dealing with Gaymond and the entire Alternatives staff was a very nice and comforting experience. We felt very supported in the decisions we made. For me personally, the experience felt like I had a friend helping to guide me through the process, step by step.
They came highly recommended to me and I recommend them highly to anyone looking for funeral and cremation services.
Alternatives was so supportive and helpful when my close friend passed. They took all of the burden off me and made sure all details were taken care of so I didn’t have to worry. I was not in the mindset to deal with such things, and their caring and amazing staff took over and made sure the hard stuff was dealt with in a tender and respectful way. I would recommend them to everyone.
All of the staff I spoke with and saw were absolutely wonderful. So caring and helpful. Made sure we could have our viewing before our sons dad had to leave for a very extended work trip. Called after to make sure we were handling things ok. I’m so appreciative of all the help and promptness extended by Alternatives to help with our loss and grieving process. Myself and my family will be forever grateful.
This was the 1st family member we lost and I didn't know what to do but thanks to Juliana and her team at Alternative the process wasn't stressful at all. Once my father passed I gave Juliana a call right away and they dealt with everything. Great, quick, stress free service. They go above and beyond. Highly recommended.
My daughter passed away unexpected. Alternative Funeral & Cremation could not of been more kind and professional in my time of despair. They are natural caregivers while informing me of all the choices and necessary documents I would/will need . Each staff members are truly interested in helping you through this ordeal . I am so thankful my niece had used their services for her mother recently and told me about them and how they helped her through her grief .
Gaymond and the staff at Alternatives helped us through an extremely difficult time and we would not hesitate to recommend them. This was our first time having to make arrangements for the passing of a loved one and we found comfort in knowing we were in good hands. As we dealt with the sudden passing of our dad and the funeral arrangements, from start to finish, Gaymond showed compassion, responsiveness to our questions and attention to detail. Thank you, Gaymond!
This is the second time our family has used Alternatives Funeral Services, once for our father and recently for our mother. We would like to thank Andre and Elizabeth for their dignity, care, compassion and follow-up. We highly recommend Alternatives Funeral Services.
Erik
I am so grateful for Alternatives Funeral & Cremation. Called them at 2am when my mom passed in long term care and they responded immediately and handled everything for me. Especially John. I would highly recommend them. Many thanks
Alternatives made my dad's final arrangements a seamless experience. I called on a Sunday and was contacted the next day by them to go over any questions or concerns I may have with the process. There were a couple of hiccups following my dad's death in dealing with the cornor (nothing to do with Alternatives) but they made getting around everything smooth and were always available when I called. We opted for the simple cremation package as my dad did not wish to have a service. We were very thankful that there was no pushy sales people trying to upsell services or product. I will definitely return to them when the unfortunate time comes that I need to make final arrangements again.
Alternatives was utmost polite, through and professional. I felt that I was apart of the Alrernatives family, Gaymond was a very down to earth person, quite often we would talk about things we had in common. To me when one can share a part of one's personal being, that tells me I came to the right place and they care. I would highly recommend Alternatives to any one else.
I recently worked with Annika to coordinate the details of my Mother's memorial service and reception. I'm a fairly organized person but there is an extra layer of personal stress with this type of planning, and in addition, I had to do it all from 2,000km away. Annika was there for me, with her calm assurance and expertise, every step of the way. There were some surprise details to deal with and Annika always had a ready solution. She is the perfect mix of efficiency, reliability, and caring - both professional and personable. At such a sad time it was a great comfort to work with Annika.
Compassionate people (Gaymond and Annika), did not try to push higher cost choices, keep us informed, gave advice on next steps - there is also good advice on their website. Will recommend to friends. Helped during a difficult time.
Pastor Layton conducted my grandmothers interment service yesterday. My family and I cannot speak highly enough of him. He made the process seamless and his words at the service were poignant and comforting to the whole family.
My husband passed unexpectedly from his fight with Cancer. He was in Lions Gate Hospital, and we live in Squamish. I did not want to transport him back here, so I had my daughter look for services around North Vancouver, Alernatives Funeral & Cremation caught my eye. I read the information about them and was very pleased someone would come to my home and discuss the services with me. Well I had the Great Pleasure of meeting Gaymond, he graciously walked me through the process easily, and efficiently for making plans for this is Not easy on anyone. Gaymond explained everything and I mean everything thoroughly and I was able to pick out what my Husband requested with ease. What is also great about the Staff of Alernatives, is they have called, texted and emailed me to see if There is anything I Need Help with, or any Support they can offer. This goes up and beyond any Funeral services I had to use in the past. Also they offer while I am still here any package I might want at today's pricing so my Children can have a piece of mind that I have taken care of this part for them.
Alternatives Funeral & Cremation were fantastic throughout the whole process while going through a tragedy. The process was seamless and the level of support offered is second to none. Thank you!
The Memorial Society of BC referred me to Alternatives Funeral & Cremation Services. The Director, Melissa, asked if I wanted someone to come in person to my home to discuss arrangements or if I preferred to do it on line. I chose to do it on line and it took me one hour to fill in all the paper work. They offered for me to either pick up the remains in person or to deliver to my home within 7-10 days. About 10 days later Henry came to my home to deliver the remains. I asked him to review the paperwork (original death certificate and the notarized copies, and there was an itemized invoice for the cost of every service). Henry gave me very useful advise about dealing with Service Canada and applying for the Death Benefit.
I am eternally grateful that my Dad was a member of the Memorial Society of BC. It made tending to all the necessary arrangements effortless on my part. I feel that this was the final gift from my Dad to me.
Andreas and the staff at Alternatives Funeral Home were so very helpful, compassionate and so kind when my Father-in-law passed away in September 2021. When when my husband passed the following month, they did so much for us, and helped make the next stage a bit easier to navigate through, by answering so many questions from our family. They, again were so kind and patient with all our requests. And of course, when my mother passed away in February, they were one of the first calls I made. They are very professional and trust worthy. Thank you so very much for everything you have done for myself and my family.
Carol
We recently had a Celebration of Life for Marie Tingskou/ McNair
We asked Annica to set everything up. We wanted a Hawaiian & a Cannibis theme. That is what Marie wanted We had never done this before.
I was completely lost on where to start We met Annica with Alternatives Funeral Services We explained what we wanted
About 50 friends & relatives . We all dressed in casual Hawaiian shorts, Annica with our kids set up decorating, Food, a Narrator (Who was terrific ) We had our vision taken care of 100%
including a 420 Celebration in Marie's honor. We enjoyed The Celebration of Life completely knowing it was taken care of properly. I want to say thank you very much to Annica & her Team. This to me is the best way They did a great job
Best Regards Tony Tingskou
Very nice and compassionate people & good customer service, but I was not told about engraving of the urn. It would be nice to have my daughter’s name, at least, put on the urn. Other than this omission it is a beautiful urn.
Alternatives deserves a five star rating. They were compassionate and budget friendly. They never tried to upsell services to a grieving client and travelled to me. I recommend them highly.
Annika and staff were amazing showing kindness and compassion. Questions were answered right away. I was very comfortable when making arrangements for my mom.
While not their primary business, this group offers a 6kw EV charger for use onsite as a customer, and after 5pm opens it to the public (good faith priority system win). This is rare in Aldergrove, I really appreciate it Guess I know about your services and location for next time it's needed.
Everyone at Alternatives were so helpful, and kind, I felt that they really cared about me and my loss. I really would recommend them to anyone who needs their services at a very difficult time
Lovely helpful staff who made the process so easy & went out of their way to make our family feel comfortable during a very stressful time. We are so appreciative.
Our experience in dealing with Alternatives Funeral Services has been very positive. Gamond was available to give help and encouragement and his knowledge aided us to manoeuvre through all the necessary steps and details in a timely and efficient way. The facilities are well maintained and the staff surpassed our expectations in their care and attention to details.
Highly recommend. Alternatives was extremely professional, caring, and thoughtful while helping us deal with this emotional process and hard time in our lives.
The kindest people that we dealt with after my mom passed. So compassionate and caring. Gave us all the options and gave us time to make decisions. Highly recommend them for all of your needs!
I found the whole experience seamless. Loosing a loved is traumatic and you are numbed , unable to think clearly. I had made Funeral arrangements only months prior to my husband's death. I opened the folder provided by Alternatives, phone numbers and directions helped me during this difficult time. Within the week I met up with Funeral Director , Gaymond Wong. He provided everything I needed in the way of paperwork and advice. I highly recommend Alternatives Funeral & Cremation Services.
The funeral director, John, was very friendly and helpful, before, during and after the burial of my mother.
Can't recommend Alternatives strongly enough. Our father passed away a year ago, we "shopped around" and selected Alternatives based on reviews and cost, and they provided all the support and services we needed at that time. Just recently, our mother passed away and we immediately went to Alternatives - same level of service and support. Outstanding company.
Very good service and not pushy . I have had to make arrangements before for my mom from a different company and they just would not leave me alone . Alternatives is a great company and very good staff !
Very helpfull and professional. Price was the best. I recommend Alternatives.
Very helpful and caring staff during difficult times. Were very helpful and accommodating with follow up to see how the grieving family is copping
These people were so helpful; professional in all aspects answered all my questions and were s compassionate during awful time in my life . I thankyou so much
They have supportive and capable staff and do their services fast and efficient.
Thank you for making this difficult time less difficult for us and for all your advice and help!
Everyone was great today and very welcoming. First time going to a veiwing and they made me feel very comfortable. wish I caught there names but was funeral director and another wonderful lady. seriously thank you again for all that you guys do <3
When in a time of need, you need people around who are compassionate, caring, personable and who have your best interest at heart. Alternatives checks all of those boxes. Their attention to detail in planning and preparation is key, and the affordable options that are offered are unmatched in this industry. I highly recommend Alternatives to friends and family members looking to pre-plan their funerals or who are in time of need.
The Alternatives team fully customizes unique and thoughtful memorials for surprisingly affordable prices. It's by far the best choice when deciding how to plan a memorial for a loved one.
Also - their funeral directors are non-commission. You can rest and know someone is looking out for the interests of your family.
My experience was totally satisfying in all aspects from start to finish. Great team.
I was very fortunate to have Alternatives Funeral & cremation services to assist me through this difficult time , I had no idea what to do and they provided me with all the information on what needed to be done , the literature they supplied me with made the entire process much easier for me
The staff there is like family, you will feel like you are taking to a family member and they are willing to go to all levels to help you through a very hard time. I’m sure you will not find anything, you can ask and not get an answer there are all pros at there jobs . Thanks again to all the staff , Helge Horning
Alternatives Funeral & Cremation Services provided us with competent, professional and extremely compassionate service
Funny thing was I thought I was calling a different place when Gaymond came to sit with me and my family. Even tho we were thinking of going with another place he sat with us and gave us so much information and what to look and not at/for and gave us numbers and really supported our needs. After being in touch with the original place my daughter and I felt it was cold and we ere just another client not people so we ended up going with them. Gaymond was so much help and always there if we had anything to ask or do. This was the most difficult time of our lifes, I am greatfull for the help and caring support we got from them!
Our family was very pleased with the services provided. It made a difficult time a little easier on us all. Thank you to all the staff.
Very kind and compassionate. Willing to go the extra mile.
Affordable options with the personal attention that a family needs during a time of loss. The owner and team's willingness to go the extra mile to ensure every detail is looked after is a help when needed most.
Alternatives made everything so easy during a tough time.
Very positive experience in dealing with Alternatives. We highly recommend them.
They were efficient, compassionate and so helpful.
Their care and attention to detail is amazing. I highly recommend.
Alternatives staff displayed responsive, compassionate and comforting care to me and my family from the day we lost our mother. They have been, and continue to be with us during our mourning, and for this they have our deep appreciation.
I found Alternatives Funeral & Cremation very helpful & professional
This is (sadly) the second time using their services. When I received the phone call, to hear from caregivers that my elderly loved one had passed away, I knew exactly whom to call. The young person who replied was able to help me navigate the primary bits of necessary information required by them and the care facility. Within a few hours there was a funeral director that oversaw the transfer on the body to the proper facilities. Within reasonable length of time, I, the funeral director, and another staff member discussed all the details for upcoming cremation.
This company knows the difficult and emotional business of dealing families and those dealing with end of life losses. They manage it deftly.
So helpful and kind in a time of great sadness and helplessness.
Thank you to John and all of the team at Alternatives for guiding us through the difficult business of organizing a funeral service for our beloved father. You offered a professional, friendly, personal and eco-conscious option. This was exactly what we were looking for and I highly recommend your services.
Dear Gaymond Wong,
On behalf of my family and I thank you for your helpfulness, kindness and compassion right from the first phone call. You are an answer to my prayer. Not only was I dealing with the sadness of my mom's passing but I was also overwhelmed with the daunting task of planning her funeral. I had no idea what to do and so when you advised me with each step to take, you lifted the weight from my shoulders. I am forever grateful.Anyone who has the pleasure of meeting/talking with you is most certainly blessed.
MW
I would like to thank Alternatives for the amazing service I received while planning my Aunt’s funeral. Gaymond was such a big help, I don’t know how I could have done it without him. He was there from start to finish and also provided me with all the information I needed as executor of my Aunt’s estate. The funeral service in their chapel was very well done, our family was so impressed. Thank you Gaymond for your sincere kindness during this difficult time.
Gaymond Wong was excellent the service was up and beyond I would recommend these folks anytime, and will. Price for my basic cremation package was more than fair.
Hello Martin,
I would like to thank you so much for the excellent care that you have given to my friend Terry LeMoigne after the recent death of her husband Alain.
From my first call to Alternatives from Peace Arch Hospital, I was greeted very compassionately by your staff. They quickly made the arrangements for Alain's body to be picked up. Then, a kind offer was made for Terry to call back to have someone come to her home to discuss Alain's Arrangements. Once home, we decided to call right away and you were able to come over.
Your warm and compassionate approach was so very much appreciated. At a time when Terry's heart was so raw and mind so shocked, you were able to present her with all the necessary details and took lots of time to answer her questions.
Afterwards, she felt so relieved to have met with you so quickly and have the Arrangements put into place. What a heavy load you were able to take off her shoulders.
I was so pleased with our visit and learned so many things from you. If I didn't have my own Pre-Arrangements in place, I definitely would have made them with Alternatives. I have already highly recommended your company and will be very please to continue. I also really appreciate your reasonable pricing.
With much appreciation,
Becky McCaffrey
I would like to express my gratitude for the excellent service we received from Alternatives Funeral & Cremation Services in Cloverdale, BC. From my first call onward the staff were amazingly kind, compassionate and helpful in tending to my needs. The care towards myself and family by Megan von Bergermann was completely outstanding. She made things a little easier for me to deal with at a very devastating time in my life. Her warmth, care and concern shone through consistently with every dealing I had with her. Attention was paid to meet all my needs and in a timely fashion. She truly was a pleasure to deal with. Martin Scholz whom I only dealt with once, was also very pleasant, caring and thorough.
It is nice to know that in a time of such sorrow, pain and grief, people like this are able to step up to help make an uncomfortable situation as palatable as possible.
A sincere thank you,
Debbie Hidber-Tivers
When my sister died suddenly last month, despite the disbelief, I was grateful she had made prior arrangements with Alternatives caring representative in her home. The call to advise of her death and arrange for her transfer was received with warmth and compassion, along with scheduling a meeting next day with their Funeral Director, Cody Baker. As I was the only one who saw my sister the day she died, Cody set up a private viewing for my nephews and me on the weekend a few days later, returning after her cremation with her ashes, death certificates and documentation needed to go through airport security for her son.
While the above speaks to Alternatives and Cody's diligence with details, what we experienced were services from a company that offered gentle concern, blended with professionalism.
I highly recommend Alternatives for their personal, optional 'no frills' touch, particularly holding meetings at one's home. For a private person like my sister, her viewing honored the simplicity of what we knew she would have wished, yet provided warmth and dignity with candles and soft background music. It is a very stressful time, but knowing her wishes were in place had value beyond measure.
Dorothy B. Blandford (Rev.)
White Rock, B.C.
To the Staff of Alternatives,
I wish to thank all of you for the personal care you gave me this last year on the passing of my husband Leslie Randall in July and my son Thomas Randall in December. Being of senior age and living in Assisted Living residence it is harder to keep up with things in every way, and I'm lucky to know that my family will be well advised when I pass on. Thanks again.
Yours sincerely,
To The Alternative Staff,
It is with many heartfelt thanks for the emotional and physical support you offered our family. Please continue to do your wonderful work and all the best for the holiday season.
To the Alternatives staff,
With sincere appreciation and warmest thanks to you for your professionalism, your kindness and caring. Sincerely,
To the Alternatives staff, I just wanted to thank you for being so sensitive and so helpful when I needed it. You are so good at what you do and such a special person. Thank you, I won't forget.
Everything was handled very well by the Alternatives staff, and we appreciate it very much.
It was a great pleasure working with Alternatives to setup the service this year. We really appreciate your support. Thank you so much
To the Alternatives staff,
Thank you so much for everything you've done for us! You have our deepest gratitude.
Thank you for the care and respect you showed our mum.
I would like to extend our sincere thanks to the professionalism and courtesy shown to our family from your employee John Romeyn. Thank you very much John for all you have done for us at this time in our lives and helping us deal with this terrible time in our life. You made it much easier for us and took a load off of our shoulders. We did not know which way to turn or look and you John gave us room to breath and focus on what else we had to do to focus on our dear Daniels arrangements like contacting friends and so fourth.. and please John thank you to your daughter as well... thank you for all. For Johns employer please i would highly recommend John for his performance above and beyond.
Dear Mr. Little,
We would like to thank you for your kindness and generosity to our family. When both John's mother Sylvia, and Ann's mother Aase passed away in 2014, we were blessed to have Zane take care of their final arrangements. Everything was handled beautifully, far beyond our expectations. It was a difficult year for our family, but you and Zane made it less so.
Hi Danny, I can't possibly thank you enough for your kindness and attention today with my family in helping to make the arrangement for our mom. It went so smoothly, thanks to you.
Thank you very much for handling the remains of my precious husband with tact and class. It made it easier for myself and family.
I feel no hesitation in recommending your services to others. Coming to our home made a trying time more comfortable and frankly the cost was more realistic than a funeral home
You were courteous, helped us understand the procedures and showed compassion. The home arrangement was beneficial and convenient for our family as we were all together. The cost was lower in comparison to other services. We were totally satisfied and recommend your services to others.
When my husband was terminally ill at home, we heard through the home care nurse of another family pleased with Alternatives. They were glad to come to our home and talk to the family. We were so impressed. When my husband died, they came the same morning and was arranged in our home. The cost was reasonable and we would highly recommend them.
On behalf of the estate and the members of the family, I thank you very much for the exceptional quality of service you provided.
Thank you so much for all your help. You made it so much easier in planning Mom’s service. We couldn’t have done it without you.
I cannot speak highly enough of your Funeral Director’s kindness, sensitivity, and quiet assurance that all will be taken care of, and professional service. You are fortunate to have such a dedicated person working on behalf of your company.
I was so pleased with your services. Don't know how I would have managed by myself. They helped so much during a difficult time.
Thanks,
From the moment we called Martin at Alternatives, all sense of uncertainty was alleviated one question at a time while he guided us through the process after the passing of our mother. We had some timing challenges that he solved with creativity and compassion. He had a remarkable way of connecting with us that immediately lowered the stress. He managed everything perfectly, working with the hospital, Catholic church, and cemetery. His caring nature and attention to detail was much appreciated by everyone in the family. We would highly recommend his services and that of Alternatives to anyone.
Thanks so much,
Larry Joy & Linda Johnston