Family and friends of Eusebius McKaiser accuse Avbob of marketing hijack

Family and friends of the late media personality Eusebius McKaiser want answers from Avbob after they were disappointed by how the funeral home handled his memorial and funeral services last month.

In a letter sent by McKaiser’s partner Nduduzo Nyanda, family and friends, they accuse Avbob of delivering shoddy service and of attempting to use the memorial and funeral services for their own marketing, without consultation.

This “manic level of branding” extended to an engraved Avbob logo on McKaizer’s tombstone.

At the memorial service on June 6 at Empire House in Johannesburg, Avbob’s two area managers apparently interfered with the set-up and resisted when asked by McKaiser’s family to reduce visible branding at the event.

“These people had no clear role at the memorial other than, we assume, a marketing role,” the letter said.

The evening before a funeral in Mkhanda, McKaiser’s cousin apparently had to give her own lip gloss to the mortician to cover up “second rate” cosmetic work which left his lips looking dry and cracked.

The lining of McKaiser’s coffin was also branded with a prominent embroidered Avbob logo.

Avbob apparently continued with the mass marketing campaign at the cemetery where, without permission, Avbob branded tents, tissues, water bottles and other paraphernalia were placed without discussion or debate.

At the gravesite McKaiser’s loved ones were further disheartened by the quality of service from the company, they said.

“Pallbearers could not place the casket properly on the scaffolding as the scaffolding was not made to the correct size by Avbob, and this created a chaotic and undignified struggle right at the beginning of proceedings. This was eventually remedied by mourners who took matters into their own hands, as Avbob staff were stumped, not knowing what to do.

“When the casket was finally placed on the scaffolding, the support structure failed and instead of being buried with dignity, the casket with our friend and relative inside crashed to the bottom of the grave, bringing parts of the scaffolding, graveside carpeting and flowers tumbling in after it, to the immense distress of the congregation.”

McKaiser’s partner requested a meeting with Avbob’s regional manager to get a report on what happened, but this never materialised.

The family and friends are demanding the headstone be replaced with a replica that does not have Avbob’s logo on it. They also request a full refund to Nyanda for the funeral costs and a public apology admitting the mistakes made by the funeral home.

“Our position is that your company exploits this vulnerability to sell financial services to the living and you provide neither comfort nor empathy.”

Avbob told TimesLIVE it was only able to secure a meeting with Nyanda on July 21.

The company confirmed receiving the letter and said its service at the funeral is being investigated.

“We are again making sure of all the facts. Any concerns around a funeral are always extremely sensitive and we should like to satisfy Mr Nyanda’s concerns as our first priority. Once this is accomplished, and with his consent, we will respond to your inquiries. Please allow us the time to handle this matter with care and sensitivity,” said GM of corporate affairs Adriaan Bester.

TimesLIVE

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