7 On Your Side: Son waits more than a year for dad's grave monument

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (WABC) -- A New Jersey man paid top dollar for a bronze cemetery plaque, a monument to his dad.

But a year after paying and getting nothing, the business is gone and the son's anguish turned to action, as he asked 7 On Your Side to get his cash and some closure.

When Andre Dubuisson visits his dad's grave, a makeshift marker is all he sees.

"Every time I go to the cemetery I feel a big hole, something is not closing. Something's not right," says Dubuisson.

His dad, Vales Dubuisson, was a towering figure in his son's life. And when he lost his battle with throat cancer last fall, "It was a big loss, a big loss," recalls his son.

Andre chose a beautiful plot to lay his father to rest, contracting with Memorable Monuments and paying $3,100 to the salesman and business owner who came to his home. It was all for a bronze monument to mark his dad's grave.

The job was supposed to take about a month. The owner sent a text promising it would be "in the cemetery by October." Then in late spring, it was promised by the end of the month. Finally, it was promised by August 20th.

The owner of Memorable Monuments blamed it all on the headstone manufacturer. But Andre wasn't buying it. Next, came an an ominous sign: the owner went silent and stopped answering Andre's calls.

So we went looking for answers, traveling to Hamilton, New Jersey, and found the shop was gone. Instead, we found a pool company where Memorable Monuments once was.

So we started calling the owner and after weeks of going back and forth, Andre got back the full refund - $3,100. His full deposit was delivered in cash.

"If 7 On Your Side was not on my side, I would definitely lose that money," said Andre.

The owner of Memorable Monuments apologized, saying it is now out of business and no longer taking customers.

The big takeaway here - before picking a monument company, do research online. This company had a slew of complaints and an F rating by the BBB

Next, pay a visit. You'll see the quality of the work first hand and be able to assess how stable their business looks.

And finally - document the purchase and all the payments - and get promise dates in writing.

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