Buying a family monument

[Ed62]

I thought about posting this before, but there never seems to be a good time to do it. This is about our experience with buying a family monument for our gravesites.

We had a death in our immediate family, in Dec. 1998. We did not have the money at that time to buy a family monument, but we bought six gravesites and one individual headstone. Two years ago, we decided to buy the monument. We talked to the people at the cemetery about a monument, but we had a problem with the individual headstone we bought in 1999. They were reluctant to fix the problem at no charge. But when we threatened bad publicity for them, they thought it was in their best interest to fix the problem. Now on to the money part.

To make a long story short, we were quoted a price for the monument we were considering. Before we bought it, my wife was talking with one of our friends, who had recently bought a monument. They gave us the name of the monument company. It was in Minnesota, so I thought there was no way they would beat the price we got. But I contacted them through e-mail, and told them exactly what we were looking for. They had one in stock that was a slight upgrade from the one we had a quote on. And it was also slightly larger. After several e-mails, we ordered the monument from Minnesota. Here's the kicker. It was less than half the price (delivered) we were quoted from the cemetery (also delivered). Quality was the same. Savings well over $2,000.00. If you're considering one, do some price comparisons. Just make sure you get prices on the exact same thing from different companies.

In Indiana, and probably most other areas, you have the option on who to purchase your monuments/headstones. It does not have to be bought from the cemetery where the graves are. If anyone is interested, we bought ours from Lewiston Monuments. Here's a link http://www.lewistonmonument.com/ . We are simply very satisfied customers, with no other affiliation to the company. They were easy to work with, and answered every question we had.

I think it's a sin to take people for everything you can, at a time when they can't even think properly.

Ed

[DUD]

Ed I agree with You on sticking it to people at a time of loss. I have 6 plots, but I am in no hurry to buy a monument. Bill

[LCHIEN]

its kind of like buying the cables for your stereo/home theater system at Best buy where you buy the TV they'll be twice the price of the ones from the internet guys specializing in cables.

[Uncle Cracker]

I've had business dealings with several cemeteries, both in the conventional manner, and on the construction end. My BIL was also once in sales for a large cemetery corporation. Make no mistake about it, cemeteries are businesses, and lucrative ones at that. Most of them will not hesitate to take financial advantage of the opportunity that begrieved loved ones will present in their moment of need and vulnerability. However, the better ones will not hesitate to make problems right, particularly if it adversely affects visibility of their facility, since the looks and atmosphere of their places is their stock in trade.

[LinuxRandal]

Growing up with gramps and other relatives working in the funeral business, I know there is a push. There are also laws about not having to buy coffins from the funeral home, etc.

A lot of those can be found out by getting that government pamplet with all the free info (the one on tv from the gov).

You can buy scratch and dent coffins, or even coffins at Costco. Or as a woodworker, you can make your own.

BUT take care of this before something happens to you. Your family may not know your wishes, or if your wishes aren't prehandled, follow your wishes. Or their may be fights over what they think should happen, or they pay too much.

Now even though I have a funeral home that I have always thought of as my second home, like the song on Dr. Demento, "send me to glory in a glad bag, don't waste a fancy coffin on my bones, just put me out on the curb next Tuesday, let the sanitation locals carry me home".

[Uncle Cracker]

I think I'd like to be cremated and have my ashes scattered on Heather Locklear's bath water...

[rg32]

That’s a big price difference
Just curious but where was your monument manufactured?
The chances are that the your original quote was for a monument manufactured in the US and possibly even Vermont, Minnesota, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Etc and not an import from China, Vietnam, Indonesia ,Etc.
There is a big difference in both quality of the stone and craftsmanship.

[Ed62]

I can't tell you where either of the monuments were manufactured. But when it was delivered, the foreman at the cemetery was telling the guys who delivered it that he was impressed with the monument (I was there when it was delivered.). I know they talked about the possibility of having them supply monuments for them.

The cemetery is the nicest cemetery in NW Indiana, so I doubt they would even talk to them if they thought the quality was not there. Of course I've been wrong before.

Ed