A resident of Rydal filed a theft of services report with the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday against a memorial design studio in Chattanooga Tennessee.
She stated that she was contacted by Wichman Monuments after her son’s death last year and entered into a contract with the company on August 3rd for a grave marker. The complainant agreed to make monthly installments and once the full price of almost 534 dollars was made, the marker would be placed at her son’s gravesite at Oak Hill Baptist Church Cemetery in Rydal.
As of January 1st, she had paid a total of 385 dollars to Wichman Monuments, but she stopped receiving payment invoices and couldn’t reach them by phone.
The Better Business Bureau has in excess of 30 complaints filed against Wichman Monuments, each with the pattern of payment for monuments and no delivery of product. Working with the Chattanooga Police Department, they are now investigating the company for fraud.
An attorney for the company presented the Chattanooga Times Free Press with a press release stating that after 72 years, Wichman Monuments shut down the business earlier this year after rising costs and the loss of key employees to illness.
Manager Trent Wichman, who is the grandson of the founder Fred Wichman, stated that he is aware that some of their customers are upset and confused and will do his best to resolve as many of the outstanding orders as possible.
An attorney representing Wichman monuments said there are plans to contact each of their customers in the next week. The BBB is asking anyone who feels that they may have been victimized to file a complaint at bbb.org/complain or with the phone number 703-276-0100.