Controversial headstone company closes, says it plans to resolve orders

A grave marker company that was the focus of a police investigation and several consumer complaints, including one from a metro Atlanta woman, said it has permanently closed.

The president of Wichman Monuments of Chattanooga said it plans to resolve as many unfilled orders as possible, according to the Times Free Press.

The 72-year-old business has hired a law firm to help it with the closure, and an attorney with the firm said plans are to contact each of Wichman's customers.

A Paulding County woman, Pam Dean, said she paid more than $3,000 to Wichman Monuments for a headstone for her late husband's grave. Though the check was cashed on Jan. 2, no monument was delivered.

“When I call the company, it goes to voicemail and a message that the voicemail is full,” Dean said.

Chattanooga police said they opened a fraud investigation into the company after receiving complaints.

The Better Business Bureau of Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia said it received a number of complaints “in the low 30s” about the company.

The company’s law firm said the closure was due to rising costs and losing some key workers to illness over the past month, the newspaper reported.

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