Etched In Stone Design

AVOID ETCHED IN STONE AT ALL COSTS! My father passed away from a tough battle with cancer back in 2015. My sister and I wanted a special headstone for our father so we decided not to go with the places that the mortuary offered. Instead we came across Etched in Stone which is owned by Wallace Burnside (we unfortunately didn't do any research prior). He promised us that he would make in incredibly special and showed us some of his work. He did mention that it would take at the most 6 months because he does the engraving himself. We decided that it was worth the wait and paid him up front $1,300 for the marble and the flat bronze for the headstone per Evergreen Cemetery guidelines. The 6 month mark came and went and Wallace had NOTHING to show us! We heard every excuse in the book! He didn't have enough help, it was too cold, he was sick blah blah blah! Finally 11 months later I was so upset that I constantly called and texted him! My sister and I had family wondering why we didn't care enough to get the marker completed. Mind you my sister and I are very young and this was a very hard loss for both of us! In those couple weeks leading up to the 1 year mark since his death Wallace put me through hell! He said that he was in the hospital for a leg infection but then left me a voicemail about how he was with customers and couldn't return my calls. Finally he finished it and sent us a picture and the lettering was completely wrong! We sent him a screenshot of the proof and he was told us that he would work all night to get it changed. He said it like he was doing us a favor when he is the one that messed it up! He never had us approve anything before the bronzing was done! I mentioned in text that we had given him more than enough chances and we would like a 10% refund of $130 which he agreed to. Four days later he finally showed up at the graveside and met my family there for install. He had a fake limp and acted like he was an honest businessman. The following day after install he left me a voicemail about how I was should be happy to have It in and to have a good year. I proceeded to text him and ask when we could pick up the refund and he gave me a pitty story about how he has been in and out of the hospital for the last 2 years and has no money. He also told me that he knows what it is like to lose a parent at a young age and that is why he gave us a discount (which he didn't). He then said he never agreed to the refund so I sent over a screenshot of our previous conversation and he came back with “i can give you a flower vase that has a value of $125”. He is a lying man who makes his money of people losing loved ones. I am begging that no one do business with him. Please save yourself the trouble and avoid him at all costs! I will be calling every mortuary I can to have them warn their clients about Etched in Stone. Losing a loved one is already so difficult! It makes it even harder when someone is trying to make a buck off you while you jump through his hoops.

I have known Mr. Burnside for about a year and have worked at his business. He has donated time and product to his community, including allowing a local Bird Refuge to use 90% of his office for their non-profit organization. He spent years as a foster parent for teenage boys and was a quality worker according to one of his previous supervisors. He has had local teenage boys work for him at times and I have witnessed him paying them on several occasions. I have never once heard him call his customers "cry babies" but has the upmost respect for their difficult circumstances in losing a loved one. I have seen hundreds of Mr. Burnside's finished headstones and he is a talented artisan; well worth the wait for a personalized headstone. Ms. Swenson, on the other hand, had dated him and became upset after they stopped seeing each other. She has stalked him at his home and office. Fortunately for her, Mr. Burnside hasn't pursued an order of protection against this woman scorned, yet.

Wallis Burnside is a con-artist and should not be in business. He sells his customers a stone and then uses the money they receive as up front payment to pay bills that he is behind or or to pay employees past payments that they are due. He gets young men from his LDS ward to work for him for free, enticing them by telling them it is "community service" to work for him. He has a God complex and thinks that everyone owes him. He calls his customers "cry babies" and yet they are the ones paying him. He is a victim and takes advantage of people. He never pays people back when he owes them money. He hhas pulled his home out of foreclosure at least 5 times in the last 5 years by borrowing cash from friends or money from customers and then he never pays them back. He as filed for bankrupcy so that he doesn't have to pay back all of the numberous people he owes money too. Don't trust him. He is a slick character that will con anyone he comes into contact with. He is bad news. Stay away!