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Buyer Beware- Online Monument Sellers

Posted on 06/28/17 | Articles, Featured
The photo above shows a monument that was not thought through and designed properly. The letters are illegible even from a few feet away. Once this stone was installed what could the family do to correct this? Did the manufacturer take responsibility for this, or is the family stuck with this?

Online Monument Sellers – Buyer Beware

Today people sell nearly anything online. Books, Groceries, Cars, Antiques, Zombie Survival Kits… and Cemetery Monuments. We could comment on the effects of online sales on local business, but often that conversation seems polarizing and political.  A more intriguing and meaningful conversation can be had regarding what you are paying for, and what you are not.

Understandably monuments are not something the average person is well educated on. The memorial industry has been infested with cost saving shortcuts from startup companies, often simply order gathering services. Online, it is very easy to find a granite memorial for a loved one for a very low price. The price is fantastic, unbeatable in our opinions, but what is it you are purchasing? and what does the higher price include?

When comparing prices, always get the details and compare apples to apples.

Questions to ask:

Where is the Granite quarried?

Will the granite be free of any deformities or blemishes?

How and where is the monument processed?

What shape is the Granite? What are the dimensions?

How is the lettering applied? Is it single or double processed?

Will it be legible from a distance? From several feet away?

How is the monument going to get to the cemetery?

Who is going to pour the cement foundation?

Who is going to set it on the foundation?

If something goes wrong, who can you contact? How will it be resolved?

Are there any restrictions or limitations the cemetery has in place?

Simply put, Memorialists like the staff at Patten Monument are not in the business of selling stone, its far more than that. It is our goal and passion to provide a permanent vessel of memory, love, affection, art, reverence, respect and symbolism. We desire a personal experience, that we can listen and learn about the life of your loved one, and use the information to help you create the monument that will pay tribute to that person. We will take care of the rest, we will contact and schedule the foundation to be put in, we will deliver the monument to the cemetery as well as setting the stone on the grave site. If there ever arises a problem with the stone we will stand behind our product and fix or replace the stone, with no charges or hassles.