Call Kurtis: Incomplete Memorial

They were together 23 years. Her passing was tough on him.

"Before that the only thing that I ever cried for were my dogs," says Kenneth Klein

He wanted her - their - memorial to be special.

"It's my tribute to her. I owe her this. She was very good to me," he says.

But his tribute is incomplete; his love's image is gone.

"I see this big blank spot here missing the picture."

Mary Burt's photo should be on the front, in the upper right hand corner; his is on the opposite corner. Ken says monument company Mendes Memorials, in Hilmar, ordered the wrong size picture.

That was in January, three months after Mary's death.

"They dropped the ball from the beginning," he says.

"Delay" became the operative word from there.

"One thing after another when I call him, you know," says Ken. "It's here, no it's there."

Ken says Mendes quoted him four to five months for completion when he placed the original order in October of 2009.

It's now September 2010, almost a year later, and still no photo.

"She's like she's nowhere."

Ken has tried getting Mendes Memorials to finish the job he paid them over seven thousand dollars to do.

"But he doesn't return my calls; he hasn't for a long time now."

Now he worries it won't get done, and he's a little angry too.

"Well I think it's very rude and it's a hell of a way to run a business."

Our producer went looking for answers from Joe Mendes, the man in charge.

No one answered the door, but later that day Mendes did call us.

He admitted he ordered the wrong size photo. He also took full responsibility for not returning Ken's calls; he says he had nothing new to tell Ken. But he did say he was expediting the photo re-order and would install it the following week.

And Mendes stayed true to his word. Mary's photo is now in place.

"[It's] like a big weight has been lifted," says Ken.

And Ken can remember his lost love while seeing her smile back at him.

"I really thank you guys."

Joe Mendes said he had already ordered the porcelain photo and was having it sent overnight from the lab in Canada. He also claimed the early delay was due to the memorial coming from China.

Be sure to have every detail written into the order and contract. In Ken's case the timeline was only verbal.