Business ProfileforNational Memorial Planning Company, Inc.

Worst experience with a vendor ever. Ordered and signed contract for our deceased mother's headstone August, 2020. Due to incompetent and ever changing personnel, it took 4 months for them to finalize the design and place the order for materials. Told me it would be 6 more months to get the headstone installed at mom's grave-site. Ended up taking 13 more months! I always had to call them for progress updates: "Not sure when your stone will come in", "That person no longer works here", "We can't rubber stencils to do your job", "Our person in the shop died", "Covid, covid, covid" and then "I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do." Don't use these people ... find someone (anyone) else.

As an owner of the business, it is extremely disturbing to read this kind of review. We are sorry for the circumstances that led to delays in his installation and apologized to him for that. However, there are some factual inaccuracies in his review which I would like to address related to the time line of the order and what he should have been told to expect in terms of delivery.

He contacted us for a quote in early August 2020, and on August 12, 2020, we emailed our quote to him. He told us he wanted to proceed with the order, and we mailed him a contract on August 18, 2020. We did not receive his signed contract and down payment check back until September 24, 2020. We sent him a scale drawing for approval in November 2020, and he requested changes to it. We resent him another approval drawing, which he signed and returned to us on December 17, 2020. His granite was ordered January 5, 2021. Because it was Forest Green granite, which is an exotic color imported from China, he never should have been told that it could be received in 6 months. The estimate that should have been given based on what we knew at the time was 9 months for receipt of granite and 30 to 60 days to get it engraved and installed after that. We received his granite on October 25, 2021 and installed it on January 4, 2022.

When we received the granite in October, we were hopeful that we could get his granite installed before the end of the year. We called him to let him know that. However, our shop foreman experienced a personal tragedy in late October, losing his son in a terrible accident. He took 2 weeks bereavement leave, during which time very little engraving was done in our shop. We were also dealing with other supply shortages, such as the rubber stencil required to sandblast granite in our shop. We can't do any of our work if we don't have the granite to engrave or the supplies necessary to do the jobs.

The years 2020 and 2021 were very challenging years. We are a small company with the equivalent of 6 employees, in addition to me. (Two people share a full time job here in our San Angelo office, and two share the office job in our Canton shop.) Initially Mr. ******* was dealing with someone who had worked for me for 8 years and her replacement that had been in training since January 2020. (The first person was completing a two-year degree program; the second person had worked one-on-one with her for 8 months by the time Mr. ******* contacted us.) Unfortunately, the second person moved to San Antonio in early October 2020, and I had to find and train a replacement. Mr. ******* may have been given routine answers to questions, reflecting pre-COVID conditions, rather than the more realistic time frame that evolved during the pandemic.

We are aware when we enter into contracts that it will be a long wait on the final product, and that is covered in our contract. That is why we request 70% down, with the balance due on completion of the job. Although installed on January 4, 2022, Mr. ******* did not pay the balance due on delivery until January 19, 2022, after we contacted him for payment. At no time throughout this process did he request to speak to a manager or owner of the business. I could have discussed his order in greater detail and possibly could have allayed some of his concerns.

All of our contact with Mr. ******* was by mail, email and phone. He never met with us in person and was not present at the installation in Big ***** TX, when we completed the job. He may not realize we are a small, family-owned business with little to no control over our suppliers and their shipments to us. We have apologized to him on several occasions, as well as completed the job. I am not sure what more we could have done under the circumstances.

It's sad that I have to spend more time to address the inaccurate and missing information in the owner's response. An owner of this business should be extremely disturbed by what happened and take action to ensure better service in the futureinstead of making excuses. Here is the factual timeline demonstrating the incompetence of this ill-managed operation:

• 8/12/20 - Received a quote for the headstone from ****** N at National Memorial Planning.
• 8/18/20 - Sent ****** our jpg photo mockup of the headstone desired. Other than stone color and edge texture, it accurately depicted the style and wording we wanted. Not once did ****** mention that we would need to approve their shop drawing before they begin the job.
• 8/21/20 - Purchase contract arrives via US mail. It clearly states that our headstone would be installed within 120 to 180 days, regardless of Covid.
• 9/22/20 - After receiving clearance from the state guardian for funding, we signed the contract, and reluctantly paid the required 75% (not 70%) down payment. They assured me they could do the job in no more than 180 days.
• 9/29/20 - Stated again that we'd like to be there for the installation, but needed 2 weeks' notice to ask for work time off and a 4-hour one-way trip to the grave.
• 12/17/20 - 3 months after signing, ****** sent an email saying I must approve a drawing (which I did that day). Did not receive an email about a drawing in November, nor was I aware that they required one to begin any work.
• 1/4/20 - 2 weeks later, I receive a response back from ******* Granite wasn't ordered, and would be another 120-180 days before the install. I asked if I could cancel the order. She said no. Did the owner decide to call me at this point? No.
• 4/1/21 - No status updates of any kind for 3 months. So again, I ask for an update.
• 4/9/21 - ****** replies (after 8 days) ... still waiting for granite from their supplier. No idea when it will arrive.
• 6/6/21 - Two more months ... no contact. So again, I call. Spoke with ******. Apparently, Hayley is also gone. ****** has no idea what is taking so long. June should have been our revised, delayed install date.
• 6/21/21 - Took over 2 weeks for ****** to reply. Supplier doesn't know where stone is, or when it will arrive. Said she would try to get job done ASAP. I was upset, and asked if I could cancel the order. She said no. Did the owner decide to call me at this point? No.
• 8/26/21 - Two more months ... no contact. So again, I contact them for an update. Now been over 1 year since the signed contract and 75% down payment.
• 9/16/21 - Took another 2 weeks for response. Now have granite, but don't have any rubber stencils for engraving. No idea when they will have the material in stock.
• 11/11/21 - Two more months ... no contact. So again, I contact them for an update. Stencils have arrived, but can't sandblast the stone because only employee capable is out. Still no date for install.
• 12/15/21 - Another month ... no contact from. So again, I contact them for an update. Talked with ***** ... no idea what happened to ******. Stone is engraved and ready for install. We could attend the install if it happened during the Dec. holidays. But no ... it must be scheduled with other orders for delivery and installation in that area. Plus, they're short of staff. So now, will not be installed until January. No exact date is available, and I repeat my request for a 2-week lead time.
• 12/30/21 - They called ... installing the headstone on Tuesday, 1/4/22. Only 5 days' notice ... not the 14+ days I requested multiple times. No way we can be there on such short notice and a work day. Tremendously disappointed at their lack of concern. At no time during call did they discuss remaining balance due or payment process.
• 1/4/22 - Install finally completed, 469 days after contract signing and 75% down payment. 289 days late! They took 3 months to provide a simple drawing for approval ... not me. Even using delayed date, were still ~200 days late. Did the owner decide to call at this final juncture? Did they offer any compensation for all = hassle, suffering and extreme delays from contract stipulated timeframe? No. Instead, received call two weeks later from staff person demanding final payment, which I promptly provided.

CONCLUSION: If your company is too small and poorly managed to meet deadlines, handle employee staffing issues, maintain adequate supplies, coordinate supplier resources, and constantly failing on promises, then get out of the business and find something you can actually do.

BUSINESS REBUTTAL TO ADDITIONAL COMMENT:
Mr. ******* states our contract began when he received the contract in the mail on Aug. 21, 2020. That is not correct. Our contract does not begin until we receive a signed contract and down payment, which in his case occurred on Sept. 24, 2020.

The full wording in our contract states that installation "shall occur within approximately 120 to 180 days after this contract is paid in full and final approval drawing has been received." For due on delivery contracts, we disregard the fact that the contract is not paid in full and begin our production process with drawing approval. His final drawing was approved Dec. 17, 2020 and granite was ordered Jan. 5, 2021.

Our contract has a "Contingencies" clause, which states, "All orders are accepted subject to future contingencies, such as inclement weather and soil conditions, strikes, labor troubles, delays in transit, etc., over which Seller has no control." That would cover global supply chain issues resulting from Covid. We are not the only monument company experiencing delays because of supply chain issues. The monument industry has been overwhelmed during this pandemic. One only needs to perform an internet search to obtain information on how wide­ ranging the problem is.

I'm not sure why Mr. ******* has no record of our drawing sent to him in November. We sent him a letter along with the approval drawing. We received Mr. ********** drawing revisions by mail on November 30, 2020, in which he requested that we reduce the last name font by 25% and change the lettering from black to white. We spoke with Mrs. ******* on Dec. 16, 2020, explaining why the lettering was black in the name panel. The drawing he approved was the second one we sent.

We do not call people while we are waiting for granite to come in. We do, however, field calls from customers about their orders and answer their questions to the best of our ability. We can only provide estimates about when something may come in because we have no way of knowing for sure until we actually have it. Our suppliers also have no idea when their overseas imports will clear customs and finally be received. All we can do is check the status of an order with them as well.

I found no references in our call notes or email exchanges about Mr. ******* needing two week's notice to be able to attend the installation. Our jobs are scheduled on a week-by-week basis, one week before installation, based on weather conditions. According to his statement, we told him on Dec. 15, 2021 that his monument was engraved and ready for installation. lf he had asked about installing over the Christmas holidays, we would have told him that, with multiple people on vacation and the short holiday work week, that isn't done for locations 400 miles away. (Our shop is in Canton, Texas, which is 70 miles east of Dallas.)

At every turn we have been polite and respectful with Mr. ******** and we have apologized to him on multiple occasions. No one called him "demanding payment." We simply requested payment and he obliged. The job was completed.

I called Mr. ******* on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022 to discuss his concerns. According to his wife, he was unavailable. I left a message about who I was and why I was calling, but he never returned my call.

Mr. ******* states our contract began when he received the contract in the mail on Aug. 21, 2020. That is not correct. Our contract does not begin until we receive a signed contract and down payment, which in his case occurred on Sept. 24, 2020.

The full wording in our contract states that installation "shall occur within approximately 120 to 180 days after this contract is paid in full and final approval drawing has been received." For due on delivery contracts, we disregard the fact that the contract is not paid in full and begin our production process with drawing approval. His final drawing was approved Dec. 17, 2020 and granite was ordered Jan. 5, 2021.

Our contract has a "Contingencies" clause, which states, "All orders are accepted subject to future contingencies, such as inclement weather and soil conditions, strikes, labor troubles, delays in transit, etc., over which Seller has no control." That would cover global supply chain issues resulting from Covid. We are not the only monument company experiencing delays because of supply chain issues. The monument industry has been overwhelmed during this pandemic. One only needs to perform an internet search to obtain information on how wide-ranging the problem is.

I'm not sure why Mr. ******* has no record of our drawing sent to him in November. We sent him a letter along with the approval drawing. We received Mr. ********** drawing revisions by mail on November 30, 2020, in which he requested that we reduce the last name font by 25% and change the lettering from black to white. We spoke with Mrs. ******* on Dec. 16, 2020, explaining why the lettering was black in the name panel. The drawing he approved was the second one we sent.

We do not call people while we are waiting for granite to come in. We do, however, field calls from customers about their orders and answer their questions to the best of our ability. We can only provide estimates about when something may come in because we have no way of knowing for sure until we actually have it. Our suppliers also have no idea when their overseas imports will clear customs and finally be received. All we can do is check the status of an order with them as well.

I found no references in our call notes or email exchanges about Mr. ******* needing two week's notice to be able to attend the installation. Our jobs are scheduled on a week-by-week basis, one week before installation, based on weather conditions. According to his statement, we told him on Dec. 15, 2021 that his monument was engraved and ready for installation. If he had asked about installing over the Christmas holidays, we would have told him that, with multiple people on vacation and the short holiday work week, that isn't done for locations 400 miles away. (Our shop is in Canton, Texas, which is 70 miles east of Dallas.)

At every turn we have been polite and respectful with Mr. ******** and we have apologized to him on multiple occasions. No one called him "demanding payment." We simply requested payment and he obliged. The job was completed.

I called Mr. ******* on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022 to discuss his concerns. According to his wife, he was unavailable. I left a message about who I was and why I was calling, but he never returned my call.