Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  03/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We paid over $1600 up front for my dad's headstone, in full. I split the cost and had my brother wrote a check as payment in full. The monument company did not follow through with anything they promised. They offered no help designing the headstone. Both proofs were incorrect and the first one was sloppy with careless mistakes in spelling and date of birth and date of death, and not even close to what we asked for. What we were told could be provided was not available. Two months after the initial appointment the owner sat down with my mom, only because she happened to be in the office, and acted extremely rude and short with her. We received nothing and nothing was ordered for us and we have been refused a refund. We asked them to send us an email of the contract because my mom did not get a copy of the contract and nothing was emailed to us. I emailed the owner with no response.

  Business response

  04/29/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/04/04) */ I received this complaint from you (BBB) on Thursday, March 31. I was off from work on the 31st and April 1 and 2, we are closed if possible on the weekend, (3rd and 4th.) I am therefore just now sending the response. The Monument was purchased on Jan. 12, 2022, Our salesman, Jerry *******, has worked for us approximately 4 years now, waited on the family. He took the information they wanted on the stone, wrote the contract up they paid in full and he told them that in a few weeks we would contact them to see the design and approve it. The complaintant keeps mentioning the fact that they paid in full. At least 80% of our customers do pay in full. I don't understand why this is such an issue with them. They were also told that the stone would be ordered. (which it was). They purchased a single stone for two people due to their parents being cremated and placed in one grave. I had only done the one design for them, I had a copy of what Ms. ****** came in and picked up to take to her children. I am a licensed Funeral Director and I stay primarily at the Funeral Home. I did have an appointment with another lady that day when Ms. ****** returned with the proof and the design that one of her children had done. I do not know why this complaintant is stating that there were all kinds of errors, mis-spelling and dates were wrong. Ms. ****** was in the office when I went for the appt. that day. I sat down with her first instead of my appt. She showed me the design that one of her children had done on the computer. I told her that I could make the changes like they had on their design but could not use the American flag they had because it was to small to sandblast. I explained to her that sandblasting a design on a stone and drawing it on a piece of paper were different. She told me that since her husband had passed away that her children could not get along and they all thought she was to stupid to take care of this. When I did the first design there was room at the bottom for a verse, etc. I did place Forever in Our Hearts in that place. She said her children all thought that was funny. She wanted it removed. I told her we could do that. I told her I would work with her to make sure that it was exactly what she wanted and we would prove to them that she could do this. She was satisfied with our conversation and I told her I would call her in a couple of days to let her come in and see the changes. She seemed happy with that arrangement. I was NEVER RUDE AND SHORT WITH HER. I also have a witness, the customer that was waiting for me to meet with her heard the entire conversation and she can verify everything in this. There is a NATIONAL shortage of monuments and stencil to sandblast the stones with. We are running around 6-8 months now in getting those in the cemetery. We have signs posted in the office to that effect. The stone they purchased is not in stock and they were never told it was. A lot of monument companies are not even taking orders now because they are so far behind. If they do they are like us one monument Company in the next county from us is telling their customers one year to expect delivery. I can not magically make the monuments appear as much as I would like too. I am also not placing customers orders ahead of others just because they want to be first. Ms. ******'s daughter called me the day her mother left the office extremely rude to me on the phone. She wanted a refund on the stone. I told her to look over the contract that it states on it that the contract was signed in good faith and is not subject to countermand. She has said they do not have a copy of the contract, a yellow copy was given to her. I told her I would e-mail her one that evening. Before I could do so her brother called me and told me that they were contacting an attorney and I would be hearing from him and there would be no further contact between us. Therefore, I did not forward the contract. Today I recieved a letter from their attorney that they are suing me. I have contacted our attorney. I feel like we and Ms. ****** could work this out if the children would let us do so. I made a new design for her before I left the office that day. Unfortunately none of them have seen it. We have not been in business for almost 50 years if we were mistreating our customers in the way she has described. Consumer Response /* (3000, 11, 2022/04/07) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Our family is extremely sad and hurt for the way we have been treated by the monument company. Our mom left the monument company in tears that day when she called us. This sudden loss has has been completely devastating to us and the entire ****** family. We are not suing the monument company, we simply want a refund. We ordered and paid for another monument from another company with no problems. We did retain an attorney when the Estill Monument Company denied a refund to our family since we paid for something we did not receive. I hope they will reconsider.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩