I wanted information on replacing a monument with a new one and never got a response. I was in…read moreIowa and wanted to see what the cost would be since I my sister died and I wanted to place her remains in the Peoples Township Cemetery in Boone County. I thought it might not be a location the Winterset Memorials would service??

Sometimes you meet the absolute best when life is at its absolute worst…read more Before I get into specifics, I'd like to say that this company is top-notch. From their showroom reps to the their behind the scenes artists, craftspeople and installers. And I don't pay this compliment lightly. I am a very particular person with high expectations. These folks knocked it out of the park. Every single step of this project was met with the utmost patience, care and professionalism. I never felt I was imposing when I asked questions or made requests. And no request was too big. In fact, one of my design asks lead to a road block. They could have easily let the situation ride, and that would have been the end of that. But they didn't. Instead, they came up with a very creative solution. The end result? Spectacular. Creating a forever tribute was extremely difficult for me. I had already faced too many end of life realities; made too many decisions that no one should have to make. And I was ... weary. To make the situation even more daunting, I knew I had to get this right the first time. Mistakes in stone are permanent. I searched both the internet and local cemeteries for inspiration, but nothing stood out to me. I worried I was going to have to settle for ordinary. Discouraged, I visited the showroom of Des Moines - Winterset Memorials on University, a business I have passed by a million times; always with a glance, but never a need ... until now. With low expectations, I passed through their trademark front yard cemetery and entered their showroom. Within moments I was standing in front of what would become the gravestone I was searching for. I could not believe they had what I was unable to locate online or spot in the wild. I began to feel hopeful. With the floor manager's help, I made an appointment to meet with a rep, and returned a couple of days later to discuss the stone. That's when I met Tony, Des Moines - Winterset Memorials' sales representative extraordinaire. From moment one I knew I was in the right place and in excellent hands. Tony explained where and how the stone was quarried, shaped and polished, as well as the technique the artisans used to create the beautiful, three-dimensional detailing. From there Tony invited me into a comfortable meeting room where we discussed the memorial details: the words and imagery that would adorn the stone forever. This creative phase had its own unique challenges and ultimately took weeks to finalize, not because of Tony, but because of me. And the man has the patience of a saint. Not only did I have more words than a gravestone could possibly hold, I wanted to incorporate design images from my deceased grandparent's gravestone that was made 50+ years prior. And this is where Team Tony really excelled. While I worked on whittling down the pros to a more realistic count, Tony; unbeknownst to me, visited the family grave and literally traced the images from the 50 year old gravestone, which he turned over to the graphic designers to use as a template for the new stone. To say that I was touched that Tony did this is an understatement. The Big Reveal A couple of weeks later I received an email from Tony. The stone was complete. In fact, the stone was installed. After almost five years of plotting, planning and postponing, this project; this chapter, was coming to an end. I was a wreck. As I stood in front of my mother's grave, I was dumbfounded. The headstone was ... perfection. It was everything I had hoped it would be and more. I was so taken seeing my mother's headstone for the first time, I actually felt joy; an emotion I had not associated with this unbearable loss until that very moment. I smiled from ear to ear. And I marveled at the exquisite reproductions made from the old gravestone to the new, thanks to Tony and his tracing paper. I am proud of this accomplishment. I am beyond grateful to Team Tony and Des Moines - Winterset Memorials for their outstanding craftsmanship and their kind and thoughtful hearts.

Nice helpful understanding staff. I thought my grandmother's stone was wearing off and they…read moregraciously checked, took pictures and shared that it was the style she chose and it was not wearing off. I agreed and appreciate how it was handled. Highly recommend.

I went out on this Memorial Day to lay wreaths on my families graves in the Masonic Cemetery. The…read moresection was overgrown with weeds and grass and quite obviously had not been cared for while across the road at the Glendale portion, beautifully maintained. I was so disappointed to see this... very disrespectful to our loved ones buried here and very disturbing to see this happening particularly over Memorial Day weekend. Why isn't this being maintained? Those who maintain this place of rest should be ashamed.

If you're looking for thoughtful, quality service, stop looking and go to Russell's,…read more Congratulations on finding the right place to serve your trophy and engraving needs. Another reviewer rightly noted they are a 10-star operation. Herb Strentz

I wanted to personalise a couple of gifts for some friends. Yeti mugs with their nick names on…read morethem. When I took them in I was expecting old school engraving. Not here, there guys are state of the art laser engraving. The glasses turned out so well I'm going to get a set done for the little woman and myself. If I ever had the need to do some advertising, this is where I'd go. The guys are super friendly and suggested type sets for a his and her look. They engrave just about anything you have from iPods to jewelry. Not to mention they're a trophy shop as well. Made me want to buy a trophy for every hero in my life!!

I work for this company 10 years ago and I worked for the company for 3 years. A year ago I came…read moreback to the company and it has been absolutely wonderful. They value their employees and the persons they serve. They show they care about their employees. I wish I never left 10 years ago but I am really glad I came back. I don't plan on going anywhere.

This is one of the most unprofessional agencies i have ever seen, and I have been in the field for…read moreover 3 years. The way they treat their employees and their clients is simply disgusting. I'm surprised the company is still open with the amount of incidents they have had. They under pay their employees and give them loads of work. One person will sometimes be supporting 3+ individuals, which is simply unsafe for the person served. I would never allow anyone i cared about to be associated with this company. There is so much more I could say about the irresponsible things that occur in this place, I'm surprised the state has not yet shut them down!

Her appraisal was so conservative, it was not in my best interest to use her services. She…read morereclassified the color of my stone, decreasing its insured value by $5000. I had to get it reappraised, wasting my time and the $125 she charged.

A+ A Great experience in all aspects. They were competent and confident from the detailed…read moreexamination through the concise well written and thoroughly documented appraisal. It's nice to work with someone that has the experience and knows their trade. 5 STARS

i own my own business and i destroy my clothes in the process. i used to throw away clothes that…read morewere ripped or ripped seams or pulled pockets or broken zippers or tears or heavy stains etc... they never turn me away and do their very best to complete my requests. sometimes it isn't always possible but they give me solid reasons. i am elated as to how i am treated and the pricing is very fair for the service i receive. kelly is a godsend for me!

Our local nonprofit hosted a dinner for Prostate Cancer Survivors. Since we only have the dinner…read moreonce a year, the tablecloths needed to be pressed and presentable for the evening. We paid over $200 for 20 tablecloths to be pressed at Crown cleaners on university Avenue. I picked them up on the Monday before the dinner. I had no reason to look at them until 3 PM in the afternoon when we were setting up the tables. The dinner was at 5 PM When I contacted the owner Mary, she said that this is normal . She also stated that it is because of the fabric and that they needed to be folded. Since they are the professionals, I should've been told ahead of time that this was the best they could do. I told her how disappointed we were in the end result. I never asked for a refund or compensation from her. The reason is because from the very beginning of the conversation, she said this was normal. That is so hard to believe. What do you think?

They were very hard to contact to set up rental and after a year we didn't need the storage…read moreanymore. once again, very hard to get communication out of. Tried leaving messages, no response. Finally was able to get in contact with them and was told I was given two keys and couldn't stop renting until I gave them the second. Was given no other option and she was very short with us... On the bright side, at least the unit was clean and well taken care of. No signs of theft or break ins.

Had a little trouble getting a hold of the place to do a rental. Found out it was just a bad week…read moreand the manager was out of town. We finally got a hold of them and things went smoothly. They have an office in Des Moines they operate out of so there's not someone onsite for assistance. Over all It's a decent place from what I have been able to access in my many visits in the last week. The units are maintained well. No rust or broken doors I could see. They do provide several sizes for your storage needs. The insides of the units were clean. The bonus is they provide you a lock and key. You don't have to provide your own as I am used too. The area inside is also clean, no junk laying around and all units seem to be well taken care of outside. The prices seem about standard and there's no other storage places for several miles so sometimes you have to pay a little more for convenience. On the down side, they are really hard to contact. We had difficulty calling and emailing. Our calls were rarely returned.