HOUSTON – A Houston family says it took nearly three years, countless emails, and eventually help from KPRC 2 News before they received a refund for a headstone that never arrived.
Linda Bell-Robinson says her family paid more than $6,000 to Paradise North Cemetery for a headstone for her brother, Nathaniel Andy Bell, who passed away in 2022. Despite paying faithfully and paying off the balance within a year, Bell-Robinson says the headstone was never installed.
“December came, no headstone. A year later, no headstone,” Bell-Robinson said. “It’s been a three-year journey.”
Bell-Robinson says she repeatedly contacted the cemetery through emails and text messages but was met with delays and excuses.
“Customer service was poor,” she said. “Until you got involved, there was no customer service.”
After hiring an attorney and still getting no resolution, Bell-Robinson reached out to KPRC 2 News Reporter Rilwan Balogun. Balogun contacted the corporate owners of Paradise North Cemetery, who acknowledged an internal error.
Within hours of that contact, Bell-Robinson says she received a phone call from the company, followed by a refund check the very next day.
“The young man did bring the check to me,” Bell-Robinson said. “I’ve already taken the check to go get another headstone, not with them, because we really want my brother to have a nice headstone.”
Ken Lambert, the Funeral Negotiator, says families often don’t realize they have options when it comes to funeral and burial purchases.
“People just don’t think about the price, but a funeral is a car dealership,” Lambert said. “They’re nice people, but they’re car dealerships.”
He recommends families shop around before purchasing headstones, noting that going directly to a monument company can save thousands of dollars.
“You’ve got so much more variety and the cost is usually better by thousands of dollars,” Lambert said. “You can easily save a couple of thousand dollars just by going to a monument company but check them out.”
Lambert also urges families not to rush decisions during a time of grief.
“It’s going to be two to three months before they can put the headstone down anyway,” he said. “What’s your hurry? Take your time.”
Bell-Robinson says she hopes her experience serves as a warning to others.
“People want to honor their family members,” she said. “And you’re not letting me honor mine because you’re dragging your feet.”
She says her son is now helping her purchase a headstone from another company, and she’s optimistic about finally honoring her brother properly.
“I feel like we can go somewhere else in this city and get better service,” she said. “There are people out there who don’t have the resources that I’m proud to say I have.”
Paradise North Cemetery statement
In a statement, Paradise North Cemetery said:
“It is always our goal to serve the families we care for with compassion. We regret that it has taken some time to get this issue resolved, but there was an error in our system, and the refund is being processed. The refund should be available to the family by the end of the day tomorrow.”