HOUSTON — A Houston woman says a monument company has not replaced her mother’s damaged grave marker months after removing it, leaving the burial site without the memorial she paid more than $5,000 to install.
Patrina Marshall said she paid Headstone World $5,455 for a memorial ledger at her mother’s gravesite in Golden Gate Cemetery.
Marshall said the company delivered the memorial several months after the purchase, but the marker arrived damaged. She said Headstone World removed the damaged memorial and has not installed a replacement.
As a result, the space where her mother’s marker should be remains empty.
“We don’t know what is going on,” Marshall said. “We just know that we are out over $5,000.”
Marshall said the delays have added to her family’s grief.
“It’s sadness. It’s a little bit of anger,” she said.
After months without a resolution, Marshall sought help from local consumer advocacy program 2 Helps You.
The station reviewed Marshall’s records and contacted Headstone World for a response. Owner Mai Le declined an on-camera interview but acknowledged Marshall’s case, according to the station.
Marshall said Le contacted her after the station’s inquiry and promised to install a replacement memorial within two weeks.
Marshall said she does not believe that timeline.
“I don’t believe her. I don’t,” she said.
Marshall also said Le had not contacted Golden Gate Cemetery to complete the site preparation required before the memorial can be installed.
“I asked her if she had even reached out to the cemetery to let them know they have to remark it and make it ready to place it,” Marshall said. “She said, ‘No, I haven’t.’ So I don’t believe her.”
Marshall said she wants the company to install the memorial she purchased to honor her mother’s life.
