Billboard slams ‘rotten bank’ FNB
First National Bank (FNB) is the latest corporate in South Africa to feel the heat from a disgruntled customer, who set up a billboard in North Joburg to express his dissatisfaction.
Nico Niemand has alleged that he tried to cancel an auction after he was able to sell his property in 2009. He claims that FNB went ahead with the auction, despite his pleas to cancel it.
“The property was sold and I lost R550000 from my own personal sale,” he said.
Niemand set up a website with the url: http://rottenbank.co.za while also creating a banner, slating the bank.
The banner reads: “In the interest of the public – FNB’s slogan sucks – when FNB stole, lied in High Court and committed fraud I asked for help… No help given!!”
FNB said it could find no merit in the allegations.
Shaun Chelin, head, FNB legal, said: “Mr Niemand approached FNB in 1999 with a product known as “Talking Windows”. He now seeks substantial damages from FNB for business dealings that failed to materialise in subsequent years and in particular in 2010.
“However, no formal claim has been presented to FNB through legal channels or via an impartial party such as the Banking Ombud.
“We have held meetings with him to resolve the matter and have fully investigated his complaints. We can find no merit in his allegations.”
Mobile operator, Cell C, also recently experienced the frustration from one of its customers.
Following what he felt was bad service from Cell C, George Prokas erected a large billboard and the World Wear shopping centre on Thursday 6 November 2014.
This billboard, which cost R61,000, claimed that Cell C is “The most useless service provider in SA”.
Aki Kalliatakis, managing partner of The Leadership LaunchPad, a customer service consultancy,warned that South African service providers can expect consumer backlash “to get bigger and angrier” if nothing is done to improve their standards.
He said that consumers are becoming increasingly antagonistic.
More on South Africa
CEO breaks silence over anti-Cell C billboard
“Most useless service provider” banner: Cell C mulls appeal
Cell C court case costs more than “most useless” banner
Anti-Cell C billboard vandalised – now says “We love Cell C”
Headline image by Fungayi Kanyuchi (@Kanyuchi_GP)
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