This should be zero stars. This site stole my mom’s obituary WITHOUT consent. I will not be sending an email, I need a customer service line. There’s no reason that my mom’s obituary should be on a we... Toon meer
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This should be zero stars. This site stole my mom’s obituary WITHOUT consent. I will not be sending an email, I need a customer service line. There’s no reason that my mom’s obituary should be on a we... Toon meer
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I had to ask twice for this company to remove my uncle’s incorrect obituary. They refused both times and both responses were unprofessional at best and exceptionally unkind to a mourning family member... Toon meer
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Somehow an obituary has appeared for my Aunt on your platform without our family’s prior authorization or knowledge. What’s written makes no sense. I hope no one falls for this “light a candle” bs. Sh... Toon meer
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I was able to send flowers in lieu of attending a family member’s funeral. I refused to attend due to tensions that arose between extended family members and didn’t want a fight to break out as well a... Toon meer
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I had to ask twice for this company to remove my uncle’s incorrect obituary. They refused both times and both responses were unprofessional at best and exceptionally unkind to a mourning family member. Finally, I had to help my elderly, grieving father request the removal as they wouldn’t accept my request on his behalf, despite having the same family name and being listed in the original obituary. Shady and really disrespectful to those who have lost loved ones.

Antwoord van Echovita
This should be zero stars. This site stole my mom’s obituary WITHOUT consent. I will not be sending an email, I need a customer service line. There’s no reason that my mom’s obituary should be on a website from Canada and I live in California. This is NOT okay to do to families that are grieving for you all to make money from our loss. This is disgusting. Any obituaries on there need to be deleted. Shame on you guys

Antwoord van Echovita
Somehow an obituary has appeared for my Aunt on your platform without our family’s prior authorization or knowledge. What’s written makes no sense. I hope no one falls for this “light a candle” bs. Shame on you.

Antwoord van Echovita
RE: I don't know how this started. Just that while I was looking on different obituaries online, The name Kirk *** D**** showed up for Olympia WA. who I was looking for. So I bought a lit candle at $7.99 + $0.14 so that is $8.13. I was confused what happened to the candle after the page left the screen.

Antwoord van Echovita
In my experience, Echovita operates a parasitic business model. It aggregates and republishes obituaries without meaningful consent and layers monetization onto that content…profiting from grief it did not create or steward. It’s found a legal loophole by rewriting to avoid copyright infringement. Presenting obituaries with similar information (not always accurate) written personally as if by a family member. This is not a neutral memorial service…it is a commercial intermediary inserting itself into moments of loss for financial gain.
The lack of transparent consent mechanisms is deeply troubling. Families navigating bereavement should not discover that a loved one’s obituary has been re-written on a third-party platform designed to generate revenue (which is listed in the millions in 2020 on google). The structure of the model allows monetization to occur without families’ knowledge or explicit authorization. That dynamic is opportunistic and ethically indefensible.
Platforms operating in end-of-life spaces carry a heightened duty of care. A consent-deficient, extraction-based approach that capitalizes on vulnerability falls WELL below that standard.
Response to your follow up echovita management
***I didn’t mean to write eulogies in the review. My apologies. You don’t write eulogies.
Thank you for clarifying your terminology.
My concern remains straightforward: my loved one’s obituary appeared on your platform without my prior authorization or knowledge. Consent that is exercised only after publication via removal or edit tools is not the same as proactive consent before posting.
Whether monetization is structured through flowers, trees, or other commissions is secondary to the fact that commercial features are attached to memorial content that families did not directly choose to host on your platform.
You may operate within the law. My concern is ethical, not legal. Families navigating grief should not have to discover third-party postings and then manage removal or authorization retroactively.
That remains my position.

Antwoord van Echovita
Edited to add on 2Feb2026:
Echovita responded to my rating. I'm going to break it down step by step.
"We do apologize for any errors, and as you stated, we removed the obituary right away."
K: You did remove the obituary quickly and I am appreciative. Also, all your responses to one-star reviews contain an apology. Going back years! Might I suggest that a best practice might be to learn from the reviews that people post? Instead, I am left with the impression that you do not care. Do you have any idea how hurtful this is?
"As you stated, there were three people with the same name within the obituary, which most likely lead to the errors, which is not an excuse, but just an explanation."
K: There were not 3 'Karens' named in the obituary - there were 2 and even that basic information was butchered. The death of my husband's sister - shortly after birth - was something that the family did not want mentioned as it was so traumatic to my mum-in-law. I mentioned it because when family members read Echovita's 'alleged' obituary, it touched off an unbelievable amount of revisited grief and a not insignificant amount of anger.
"As humans, errors are possible."
K: As someone who spent the bulk of her career in IT - I can attest that no human being was involved in posting the Echovita obituary. A real human being would not have done such a terrible job - including an abrupt end to the obituary. So, the obit didn't include the name of the funeral home, the celebration of life afterwards or the graveside service. I cannot include a copy of the Echovita obituary as published on their site as I've hit the maximum word count allowed on TrustPilot. But, I'll be happy to create another 1 star review with the obituary and my response back to Echovita.
"You mentioned that you asked us how much money was made and we didn't respond, but oddly enough, we have no outstanding emails from anyone named "Karen," so you can reach out to us via email for a response. "
K: I'm going to do better than that and paste the email correspondence from you following this update. And, oddly enough, despite you not being able to find any communication from me - I was 'somehow' given the following trouble ticket reference: 56589.
"Also, if anything was purchased via the obituary page, you would know by simply looking at it. When someone plants memorial trees, it says so on the obituary page. If someone lights a virtual candle, it is shown on the obituary page. If someone ordered flowers, the family would have received the at the service or at the address provided by the customer."
K: Serious question: Am I supposed to take your word for this? Your company has zero credibility with me. And, apparently so many others.
The last email I received from support 'at echovita 'dot' com
Hi Karen XXX,
We have removed the obituary of Sarah X. We sincerely apologize for any errors. When obituaries are posted on the internet, we further share the basic facts only in a death notice format to inform society of who has passed away. We organize all obituaries and death notices by city, so that people can see who passed away daily in selected cities of their choice with a free subscription. We do this in an effort to create as much support as possible for families. People can share their condolences for free with the family via email or social media. Families can post full obituaries on our website for free or submit the full obituary to be shared by us and replace the pre-existing death notice. Families can then claim the obituary with proper proof, such as a photo of the death certificate to receive money raised through sales or donate it towards a charity of their choosing. Pictures can be posted to create a memorial page for free by friends and family. Any modifications, corrections, or requests for removal by the family are completed immediately upon receiving notification. We only have the best intentions and are truly sorry for your loss.
Kind regards,
Echovita support
Ticket: TrustPilot does not allow direct links - ticket number 56589
****
This company took my mum-in-law's obituary and absolutely butchered it.
I requested that they take down the 'alleged' obituary that was so flawed, it led to my husband getting a phone call to express sympathy that I'd passed away. Echovita did so and quickly. I appreciate that.
Here is the thing - I still feel victimized. I do not use that word lightly.
I have the same name as my sister-in-law (who died) and my husband's sister (who died shortly after birth). Echovita's version of the obituary referred to her husband of 60 years as her "friend". It was so flawed that it was impossible to tell these important details.
Absolutely appalling!
Shame on Echovita! SHAME!

Antwoord van Echovita
How can Echovita continue to operate?? They rewrite obits and ask for charitable donations based on a fabricated obit?
This happened to a friend of mine in Canada, which even made the National news.
This company is totally despicable and should be shut down period!

Antwoord van Echovita
What this company did to my friend’s obituary is disgraceful and unforgivable. A beautifully written tribute was hacked apart without care, respect, or basic human decency. They removed the names of his children and deleted his work history — stripping away the very things that defined his life and mattered most to his family. The result left people confused and caused unnecessary pain to a grieving family.
No ethical business treats a memorial like disposable content or a cash grab. This was cold, insensitive, and profoundly unprofessional. An obituary is a final honor, not something to be mutilated for convenience or profit. If you value dignity, compassion, and respect during one of the hardest moments of life, voice your opinions about this company.

Antwoord van Echovita
Site is an *obituary scraper*— automatically steals obituaries from funeral homes and newspapers to repost them for clicks. Disgusting! Families share these notices to honor loved ones, not to have their grief exploited by a parasite website. Profiting from someone’s death without consent is absolutely vile. Avoid this ghoulish operation at all costs.

Antwoord van Echovita
I can't think of a more predatory practice than conning those who have just lost a loved one. I wrote my father's obituary and was horrified that within an hour of the funeral home posting my words. This grotesque corporation took my father's information, that of my family, and made AI slop out of my words to try to milk money from those who loved my father. Utterly revolting.

Antwoord van Echovita
They posted my Father’s obituary without our permission and rewrote part of it as well. The even fishier part is where they take money for flowers that I’m sure never even make it to the family as evident in another persons review. Making profit off the deceased!?!? This is so beyond wrong to do to grieving families !
My cousin, Richard Aviles, passed away in August. I wanted to get details about the viewing and the funeral, so I searched online and found an obituary with details about the funeral and a link to purchase flowers and send sympathy cards to the family. They also had a board where you could post sympathy messages to the family.
I purchased flowers, but when I received no confirmation email, I tried to contact them by telephone so make sure that my order went through, and that the flowers would arrive on time. They had no contact number on their website, so I grew suspicious.
I found this site (Trustpilot) and, given the poor reviews of the company (Echovita), I phoned my cousin, who was making all of the arrangements. She had never heard of this company and, moreover, had not published an obituary, so I quickly sent an email to the company telling them what I thought of them and canceled my order. The company took down the obituary and refunded my money.
I also wrote a review on this site, explaining that Echovita published an obituary on their own, when no official review was available. Evidently, they responded on this site, saying that the funeral home lied to me.
The folks at the funeral home did not lie to me. I never spoke to anyone at the funeral home. It was my cousin, who wrote the actual obituary, that told me that she hadn't published it yet.
Trustpilot took down the review because they found the following comment to be "defamatory".
"They published an obituary when one was unavailable.
I wonder how many have paid to send messages to families that will never receive them."
My review was truthful but Trustpilot seems to be more concerned with protecting businesses that should not be in business.

Antwoord van Echovita
Echovita republished an obituary for my father without our family’s knowledge or consent. The version they posted was inaccurate and not based on the official obituary prepared through our funeral home.
This practice, which some have referred to as “obituary pirating” in media coverage and public forums, raises serious concerns. Families should not have to deal with this kind of unauthorized reuse of deeply personal content.
While the company presents its service as beneficial, it is in fact a for-profit business—reportedly earning millions in annual revenue—which makes the unsolicited publication of personal and sensitive information particularly concerning. According to Wired, Echovita generated around US $5 million in revenue in 2020 by providing links to purchase flowers, candles, and other memorial products.
The president of the company, Paco Leclerc, is publicly listed, and Echovita’s model has drawn criticism from funeral professionals and bereavement authorities, who warn these practices can be distressing and invasive.
I found the experience deeply troubling during our time of grief. I reported the obituary, and it was removed. I also notified the funeral home that published the official version. Families should be consulted before such sensitive material is shared or monetized.

Antwoord van Echovita
How unethical and cruel to repost information about someone’s death and share their funeral and family details without consent. This company should be ashamed and shut down.
They have not only reposted my mother’s obituary but reworded our carefully crafted words in their own insipid way and presented it as if it was ours. DISGUSTING.
I see they’ve sent a reply. Remove my mother’s obit from your website NOW. (And btw, the CBC ran a story on you vultures - there are MANY more people like me who feel the same about your crap company)

Antwoord van Echovita
Ils ont publié un avis funéraire sans notre consentement. C’est illégal.
Lisez le texte de La Presse, vous verrez le type d’entreprise.
Allez lire dans La Presse un article écrit le 27 avril2024
“Des millions dans le dos des familles et s’enrichir avec des avis de décès”
La réponse de l’entreprise est pour le moins racoleuse…et inappropriée…

Antwoord van Echovita
Your site trolled the personal obituary I wrote for my son, ripped personal information about him and inserted it in an unauthorized obituary of my son within hours of it being posted at Bay Gardens!
It's hard enough saying goodbye without your callous use of his obituary

Antwoord van Echovita
This would be ZERO or -1,000,000 stars if your had those as options. Their web-trawler has found my son's death announcement. It has been edited for their own nefarious purposes, killed off his father and I (we are both very much alive), and added something that we do not yet know - my son's date of death.
The circumstances of his death have been deeply traumatic for us, and this vicious piece of trash just adds to our trauma.
**Edit**
"Nefarious purposes"
One of the main usages of 'nefarious' is in its meaning of wicked. If you choose to interpret that word as meaning criminal intent, then that is your choice.
Killing off my son's parents when they are still very much alive, and reading this piece of trash fits my definition of wicked.
Assigning him a date of death well before the Coroner has done that fits my definition of wicked.
Leaving my late mother without any surname effectively removes her from any family fits my definition of wicked.
Stating he had a private funeral service when in fact he had a very public service with between 400 and 500 people in attendance fits my definition of wicked.
My son's death notice should NEVER have been on your website. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER. You did not have my consent to take the death notice that I had carefully composed and butcher it for your own wicked purposes. We placed it where we as a family wanted it, and your company needs to cease and desist forthwith doing what it does. It's cruel, and vicious.
As you seem to think it is appropriate to take over part of my son's funeral arrangements, perhaps you would like to contribute to his funeral costs.
You have apologized for the errors. There were no errors in the death notice I composed.
You need to apologize for the cruel, and vicious mess you created for my son's family.
As I wrote in his death notice "Our grief is boundless."

Antwoord van Echovita
I do not recommend this company. They take obituaries and repost them on their website. They use generic impersonal descriptions for the sole purpose of trying to benefit from the deaths of these unique amazing individuals.
We ordered flowers through them (before we did a little research), but they also charged us for a candle that we didn’t order.
I am editing this and adding for fairness that they refunded our money already. Again, I don’t think it’s right to take obituaries from funeral homes and then alter them into meaningless paragraphs that show zero insight into the lives of these people. This is done for the sole purpose of trying to profit from their deaths.

Antwoord van Echovita
Echovita created an obituary for my father without permission or notice to the family. They created a page and wrote a three paragraph stock obituary which included a solicitation of donations. The obituary had nothing to do with his life. This is absolutely immoral and utterly offensive. If this happens to you, reach out to them and request the information be removed. They are obligated to remove the information.

Antwoord van Echovita
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