Looking to honor my grandfather, I decided to surprise the family and purchase a headstone for his final resting location in Cleveland, Ohio. I did some research to support my local Columbus businesses and decided to go with Evergreen Cemetery. The representatives were amiable and attentive to what I was looking for regarding a gravestone for grandpa. After placing the down payment in March of 2021 and being told that the led time was estimated to be around eight to ten weeks, I would receive a follow-up call on the status of the stone.
While in Cleveland, where I take mom (who's elderly) up a few times a year to put flowers on her dad's grave, I decided to stop by the office to check the status of the stone. As mom and I talked to the representatives in Cleveland at the cemetery, they informed us that they had not received any correspondence from Evergreen. (Should have been RED flag) The representative in the Cleveland office provided me and mom paperwork for hours of operation, a point of contact, telephone, fax, and e-mail information, and the requirements for their process.
Upon returning to Columbus and going to Evergreen, we were informed that the stone would be back-ordered, which was okay, and in turn, I provided the information given to me by the representative in Cleveland to the representative in Columbus. In addition, the gentleman went above and beyond and called the manufacturer while mom and I were in the office to secure the work order and update the delivery status.
In the hopes of having the memorial stone laid for his December 1st birthday, which has come and gone. The final payment for his gravestone was made on September 7, 2021, and I had not received an e-mail, telephone call, or text message from the office regarding the arrival. The way I found out was driving to the cemetery in realizing that the headstone was delivered to Evergreen instead of the graveyard in Highland Hills, Ohio.
In the months after full payment of the stone, I've still received (no) type of updates via telephone, e-mail, or text of the memorial's progress. As it stands, over the past few months, I have been the one to initiate the telephone calls, visits to the office, and now a letter to follow-up on this matter.
Get this, the representative in the office informs me that their reason for lack of follow-up is "We've Been Busy" My answer to that reply was, "As a customer service representative, it is unacceptable and concerning to not follow up with the client on the status of their order or state that the reason I am unable to contact the customer is that we (my company) are "too busy" would result in some form of reprimand towards me since the customer choose my organization."
All I want is so form of follow-up communication on the status of grandpa's headstone as we approach 2022. I question, will or can this simple task be performed? I never experienced this type of service and hope the Columbus establishment can find a way to restructure its priorities. read more