A MAN has lost out on hundreds of pounds after buying a headstone for his father’s grave from a company which has closed – leaving him ‘absolutely devastated’.
Father-of-three Derek Anderson, of Bryn Road, Towyn, paid a £475 deposit for the memorial in November – only to learn weeks later of the demise of Lincolnshire-based Simply Memorials.
Mr Anderson, 43, said the company cashed the cheque on December 11 - the anniversary of his father, William Anderson’s death.
He only found out about Simply Memorials situation after it became a national story.
“The family are in shock - we are just absolutely devastated,” he said.
“We have had to wait 12 months before ordering the stone to let the ground settle - but now we're going to have to wait even longer.
“I only found out when I looked in the paper.
“The company must have taken the money knowing they were going down - it was just over a week before they cashed the cheque.”
The Journal contacted Simply Memorials but the company is yet to respond.
Mr Anderson said he, along with his two disabled sisters, Paula, 49, and Sandra, 51, would now have to come up with a way to raise the funds for the headstone.
“I've been online to look for help,” he said.
“There's a Facebook group and it shows thousands of people have been affected.”
Scores of people have taken to the Facebook group which is entitled Simply Memorials Rip Off.
Mr Anderson’s father, who was known to friends as Billy, died of a heart attack in his Kinmel Bay home in December 2011.