In April 2024, df walter2 said:
Lilies was recommended to us by an Indian friend, who told us they specialised in overseas repatriations, and I am very pleased to say they did not disappoint.
We lost my sister-in-law, who is from India, and it was very important to the family that she be repatriated and laid to rest in her mother's grave back home.
Firstly, Lee Solomon, one of the owners, took the trouble to come personally all the way to our home to meet my wife.
We appreciated hugely that he did, as it was a much-needed personal touch to anyone who's been bereaved, and showed he cared.
Secondly, both he and his business partner, Nathan Scully, were extremely kind and helpful to my wife, which is very important when one is making funeral arrangements for a loved one.
Thirdly, Mr Solomon very kindly offered to fill in all the forms himself, to submit to the Consulate, thus saving my wife the stress and hassle of having to fill in numerous forms, and worrying that she may not have filled them in correctly.
I must mention here that this was in complete contrast to a number of other repatriation companies, all of whom insisted that my wife fill in the forms herself.
Fourthly, all the arrangements and paperwork with the Indian Consulate at Birmingham were done very efficiently and speedily.
Mr Solomon had earlier told my wife that he and his colleagues had a very good relationship with the Birmingham Consulate, who had even invited them to their Diwali celebrations.
This is very important, as it shows that Lilies are well-versed in repatriations, unlike many other Companies purporting to be so, but who in reality are fairly clueless.
The fact that they have an excellent relationship with Consular officials means that they do high volumes of repatriations (and hence know what they're doing), and also that they are efficient and honourable (otherwise Consular officials are unlikely to be so helpful).
Overall I would say that Lilies made the process smooth and streamlined and stress-free, which is what one really wants from a funeral/repatriation service.
Finally, I must contrast their entire working style and functioning (to their credit) with that of some of the better-known repatriation Companies that we had approached before we came to know about Lilies.
These big Companies offered us a lower rate (by £250 to £500 or so), but their attitude and demeanour were in complete and utter contrast to that of Mr Solomon and Mr Scully.
Unlike Lilies, they were cold and unhelpful, and would not (and/or could not) answer any questions put to them.
They appeared to think we should hire them despite their appalling lack of courtesy and knowledge.
We did not have a good feeling at all about placing my sister-in-law in their care.
They also made the entire process seem unnecessarily complicated and convoluted.
Mr Solomon, in stark contrast, patiently answered every single one of my wife's questions and doubts, which contributed to hugely allaying all of her worries and fears.
He made the whole process simple and easy, and completely put to rest all of her anxieties.
This last is very important to us as a family, as my wife has been seriously depressed ever since her sister's demise, and has had to be put on a high dose of antidepressant medication by her doctor.
Mr Solomon's kind attitude and help, therefore, made the whole process much less stressful and unhappy for her than it otherwise would have been.
I am very grateful to Lilies for this, and would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone seeking to repatriate their deceased loved ones overseas.
Indeed, I have already recommended them to several of my friends and acquaintances, who likewise have been very pleased with their service.
Source: google.com