On 10 November, Cell C spokesperson Karin Fourie said Cell C has taken legal action to remove the banner saying, “Letters of demand to remove the banner were issued to both the customer and the centre management at WorldWear Mall on Thursday evening. Our demands were ignored by both the customer and the centre management at WorldWear Mall and Cell C had to launch an urgent application to have the banner removed.”
She added, “We are attempting to resolve the dispute.”
The 20-foot by 5-foot banner which reads, “Cell C Perceived by the owner of this billboard to be the most useless service provider in SA – Cell C Sandton City,” was placed on the side of Worldwear Mall on Beyers Naude Drive by an irate customer, slamming the poor service at the Sandton City branch. The client also criticised company’s Sandton City franchise manager, Riaan van Rooyen and an unnamed ‘executive head’ for allegedly refusing to assist a customer.
It was unclear when the banner went up or who was behind the message, but Cell C media liaison officer, Vinnie Santu, said the company was aware of the banner.“We can confirm that there is a dispute between Cell C and the customer responsible for the banner and we are attempting to resolve the matter,” she said.
On the afternoon of 7 November, the personal assistant of the man who made and erected the billboard answered the plea of 702’s Afternoon Drive Show host Xolani Gwala to explain the reason for the billboard in detail. The personal assistant, who only used her first name, Beverley, said her boss commissioned the billboard out of frustration of asking the Cell C Sandton City branch for good service.
On the morning of 8 November, the banner was changed with black tape covering the Cell C logo.
Beverley told 702 that they were “stonewalled” when trying to get help from the branch and said her boss was concerned that more people were treated in this manner. She said on 702 that her boss sat her down one day and said he was sure that many other people had been mistreated by the store and he would put up a board and see what Cell C would do.
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