Houston residents waiting years for their loved ones' grave markers
Houston families waiting years for their loved one’s grave markers
Laying a marker on a grave is a way to honor a lost loved one. However, several people tell FOX 26 their grief for lost relatives is being compounded. Some say they’ve waited as long as two years but haven’t received the grave markers they’ve paid for.
Houston - Laying a marker on a grave is a way to honor a lost loved one. However, several people tell us their grief for lost relatives is being compounded. Some say they’ve waited as long as two years, but haven’t received grave markers that they’ve paid for.
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The owner of a grave monument business says it's been plagued with shipping delays, labor shortages, and high demand. But some customers say they feel like they've been ghosted.
Seneatha Jones is one of those customers, who shared her story as she searched for her mother's grave in the cemetery.
"It’s bad that she doesn’t have anything out here to identify her," Jones said tearfully. "She’s worthy of being identified. She’s a beautiful person. This is hard, man."
(Photo: FOX 26 Houston)
Jones says after paying Heavenly Memorials and Monuments in Rosenberg all but the last $300 of $2,300 for grave markers for her mother and brother, she says there have been delays throughout the process.
"It’s challenging," she said. "I’m trying not to get so emotional, but I’m tired."
We spoke with several more customers who showed us receipts that they paid thousands of dollars in full, some as long as two years ago.
"My mom should already have her stone," Crystal Salcido said. "You don’t understand the pain we’re going through."
These customers say they have received no markers for their loved ones’ graves and no clear answers.
"Every time it’s, 'three more weeks, three more weeks, it’s sandblasting and lasering,'" said customer Christie Soto.
Her sister, Salcido added, "So it's going to take three weeks. Then we wait three weeks. We call back, and she tells us again, 'It’s sandblasting, it’s going to take three weeks.'"
Some customers filed complaints against Heavenly Memorials and Monuments with Yelp and the Better Business Bureau.
"It’s been very emotional," said customer Monica McGee. "It hurts me that he is doing this."
"The business has an "F" rating with the BBB because it has not responded to recent complaints filed against them," said Leah Napoliello with the Better Business Bureau of Greater Houston and South Texas.
Charlene Godley is one of three customers taking the company to court.
"You only get one mother. We wanted to memorialize our mom and here we go to this person that we felt like we could trust," Godley said. "It was excuse after excuse, after excuse, and finally no contact whatsoever."
We went to Heavenly Memorials and Monuments. Owner Craig Mitchell told us they have a backlog due to many deaths in the pandemic.
"We are getting their product out," explained Mitchell. "It’s just taking us a little longer because we’re short on labor. We’ve experienced labor problems, and then we had a problem getting the product from overseas during COVID, but we are catching up."
What's causing grave marker delays for some Houstonians?
Some Houston residents tell FOX 26 they've been waiting years for their loved one's grave markers. Heavenly Memorials and Monuments owner Craig Mitchell tells Consumer Reporter Heather Sullivan in this full interview how a backlog caused by the COVID-19 pandemic played a factor.
When we asked why some have been delayed as long as two years, Mitchell answered, "It may be a long time to them, but I have to see when they placed the order because if they placed during COVID, we are experiencing those shipping problems."
The company sent us what Mitchell says is a disclaimer that they have customers sign, explaining possible delays.
One customer we spoke to showed us that she signed a disclaimer to expect at least a 9-month delay. However, other customers we spoke with say they never received a disclaimer. The business declined to show us any signed disclaimers, which also state that contracts will not be disclosed.
Meantime, these customers say the situation is adding to their grief.
"To come out here and not be able to spend time with your loved ones and to have to guess where they’re buried, it’s challenging. It’s challenging," said Jones.
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To protect yourself when buying a grave marker, the BBB recommends getting an estimated timeline and delivery date in writing.
You can also choose a marker manufacturer that's a member of the Monument Builders of North America, which requires that members follow its Code of Good Practice. Heavenly Memorials and Monuments in Rosenberg is not listed as a member.
Since we began working on this story, two customers told FOX 26 they finally received their markers.
You can watch Mitchell's full interview here: