Monumental Designs Major Delay in installation of Headstone, and once set was set backwards among other things done wrong. Paducah Kentucky

In March of 2012 My aunt ordered a joint Headstone for my father (who was still living at the time), and my Uncle who had passed in June 2011. She paid in full for the headstone, the date of death to be added for my dad when he passed, as well as to have it set at the cemetery. During the month or so that it took for the headstone to be made numerous family members checked in on the progress, and were very pleased with the quality of work, and how beautiful the headstone turned out. Once the headstone was completed my aunt was told that it would be set in a few weeks time.

Those few weeks came and went, and the headstone was still not set. She tried contacting them by phone numerous times only they would not answer from her phone number. She then called from her work phone and they answered. She asked when the stone would be set, and was giving a story about how his transmission had blown in his truck and that he could not get out there to set the stone when he said he was going to but then again promised to have it set by April 24th. April 24th comes, and the headstone was not set.

My aunt then went to monumental designs to get a concrete date as to when it would be set. He again told her that it would be within another 2 weeks. Those 2 weeks went by and it was still not set. Finally my aunt had to send a certified letter threatening legal action if they did not get the headstone set in 2 weeks from the date of the letter. They called a few days before the 2 weeks were up and said they would be going out there to set the stone a few days after the 2 week time frame to set the stone she agreed that was reasonable, and they did go out and set the stone.

HOWEVER they set it backwards. It took them a week to come out and turn it around the right way, and the man was hateful and rude when he was asked to turn the stone around the correct way. Said he had all these years experience and he knew what he was doing and that he set it the wrong way. Well he did not and my aunt demanded it be set properly. It was finally done and we thought that was going to be the end of the trouble with them. Fast forward to the last week of March 2013. My dad passed in Feb. 2013.

Exactly one month after he passed I contacted Monumental Designs to have them put his date of death on his headstone. I left a message receive a call back later that day and was told that once he heard from the subcontractor that does that (it would be sometime during that week) that he would be in touch with me with a date they would be out there to do it. I never heard anything back. The following week I contacted them again left a message, and received a call back a few days later being told that they had left numerous messages with the guy that does the lettering, and he had yet to call them back, but just as soon as they heard from him he would contact me.

Several weeks passed and at this point it was the last week of April. I contacted them by phone again and did not receive a phone call back until 5 days later. They did not have any information that I had provided them (what cemetery, my dad's name, his date of death, NOTHING). I was still told they had not been successful in making contact with the guy that did this but they were going to call him again and leave another message. I did not hear anything back from them so on May 1st I went to there office. I explained how poor business practices that they have, and that it was a shame because the quality of the work was great, but it was not acceptable to further play on peoples emotions when they are already in a fragile state from losing a loved one.

I told them then if they did not get the guy out there to have it taken care of within a reasonable time frame that they were going to issue a check to a company of my choosing to pay them to go out there and take care of it. They then called the guy while I was sitting there left him a message, and told me they would call me when they heard from him. I left and in the time it took me to get home from there I had a call from them. I was told then that the guy had called they were emailing him the order, and that he would be out there in the next 2 weeks to take care of it.

Today May 13, 2012 2 days before the 2 week time frame the guy did it. Out of curiosity I asked the guy when he was first contacted about my dad's headstone, and he told me May 1st. These people should not do this to people. I mean it is hard enough on a family having to pick out a headstone, and finalize all the details from losing a loved one, and then to have to deal with additional stress on top of it is just unacceptable.

Take notice if you deal with this company be prepared to have to demand them to finish the job that you paid for. Be prepared to have to constantly call and stay on top of them as they seem not to really care about their reputation. I will say this even though they gave us all the trouble that they did the quality of the work is great, and they are really doing an injustice to their business by doing their customers this way. Word of mouth is a great thing, and I can say I will never recommend them to ANYONE unless that person is willing to wait until the company is ready to install the headstone