My stepson died in December 2016. We were experiencing the pangs any family would. We wanted to purchase a footstone to place at the foot of my father-in-law's grave so we could bury a portion of my stepson's cremains on the same lot, thus connecting the two on earth, forever. They shared the same name, so sharing a grave seemed perfect. Looking for the "perfect" stone online led me to Everlife Memorials because a quick google search for "laser photo inscription" brought me to their site. The site appeared well sorted, quite legitimate, and supplied with plenty of options and user ability. I felt very secure that this purchase and process would be simple and succinct. I easily placed my order online, selecting options quickly and with ease most are accustomed to, when doing business with legitimate vendors online, very much aware that my input would be of critical importance--etched in stone--, as advised on their site. Because our stone was meant to have our son's photo inscribed, I was prompted to email the photo to a specific address and to include several lines of precise information. I did all that was requested IMMEDIATELY after placing our order, checking and re-verifying the information. Our order total was over $1200 and all required info was sent within moments. I received a confirmation email immediately, and my funds were confirmed recieved. Then a week passed, another week passed. Even more time passed before any word on the end of Everlife Memorials. Eager for some notification, I called the help center/customer service. On the other end of the phone I engaged, whom I deduced, was someone barely grasping the English language. This person tried and assured me that the stone worker was very busy with other tasks, apologized for lack of coordination, and stated that our stone was next in line and I would hear back from the insriber soon for more details. Several more weeks went by. We had a very specific timeline involved that this business was well aware of from the second of our purchase. I received the "run-around" every encounter with customer service. After months of waiting without receiving the info we expected, I finally received contact with the inscriber. After that point, the process moved smoothly, although with much tension due to the redisue of uncertainty remaining from the first months of the process. Finally, the order was shipped and received by a local monument company near the gravesite. The stone appeared ABOSULTELY BEAUTIFUL in pics I received from our paid delivery recipients, as is required by this vendor. Every aspect of our order appeared the way intended thus the two awarded stars. The local company we paid set and placed the stone for us in our timeline. When our family (10+ people) drove across country to finalize our services, the stone did, just as viewed in pictures, appear beautiful. The only concern to us is how thin the inscription is. I thought perhaps that's what is required of photo inscription, however, his name, dates of birth and death, as well as his epitaph were all VERY thinly inscribed. This concerns us as erosion and other natural processes wear away at stones over time. Compared to other photo inscribed grave stones near his in the cemetery, his is BY FAR the most thinly inscribed. Our fear is that over a shorter period of time, his photo and words will wear away. Because we are not local to the grave, we cannot even take the conspicuous measures any loved one WOULD to prevent this erosion and provide exceptional care to the stone. So the review is this: overall: the product appears as intended and thankfully arrived on time. However, the heartache and worry created when dealing with this provider made the process unnecessarily difficult. I rated two stars GENEROUSLY. Two stars were well earned. Beware. read more
