Distressing Treatment During Bereavement,

Good day,

A rocky start to 2026, I would like to place a complaint that requires urgent action.

On the 12th of February 2026 I had a horrible experience at your Pretoria East branch, involving a confrontation with one of your managers, Ashlin Lameyer.

If you are wondering why I am only making this complaint now, my brother passed on the 5th of February, he was buried on the 15th, when we returned my cousin collapsed and never woke up, she was buried on the 28th, and then we had one crisis after the other at work throughout March, so I did not have the time or mental capacity to deal with this. That said, the impact of this incident was so significant that I have not forgotten it and I still get extremely angry thinking about it.

So what happened,

On the 12th of February, just before 12pm, I arrived at AVBOB Funeral Services Pretoria East. I first met the lady at reception and explained that I needed to understand the details of the basic funeral and what I could top up for my brother’s funeral before deciding whether I would claim the cash or allow AVBOB to handle the funeral. She kindly referred me to the lady who handles the actual planning.

I went into her office and explained my situation, that my brother was already in a funeral parlour in one part of the Eastern Cape and would need to be moved to another area, from Mount Frere to kuMpame, Elliotdale, where the closest branch was Mthatha. She explained that each branch operates differently and offers different services, so I would need to engage directly with the branch that would execute the funeral to understand the exact offering and costs.

I asked to view the caskets because my mother wanted to use the funeral parlour where my brother’s body was, as she loved the casket. I viewed the options, she explained the prices, allowed me to take pictures, and at that point all I needed to do was consult with the Mthatha branch and then speak to my mother. She offered me the phone in her office, I declined and said I would make the call outside because I did not want to sit there and cry.

I went outside, sat in my car, and called the Mthatha branch. I spoke to an incredibly helpful lady who immediately understood the urgency, as we were planning to bury on the 14th and it was already the 12th. She assisted me with urgency and kindness and provided a similar funeral offering to my mother’s preferred funeral parlour at R40 000, which was cheaper than the R47 000 my mother had been quoted. The key difference was that AVBOB would have given me the R3 000 benefit plus the R15 550 basic funeral value, meaning the top up would have been around R22 000, minus the debt of R900. If I claimed the cash, I would only receive around R13 000, minus the debt, which meant the top up would have been approximately R34 000. That is a R12 000 difference, so any reasonable person would choose for AVBOB to handle the burial.

Back to what happened,

After that call I had all the information I needed and I then called my mother to make the decision, and this is when Ashlin arrived.

When I had initially arrived at the branch, there were no parking lines, so I drove to the end, reversed into a spot facing the building with my boot facing the wall. There was not a single car in the entire parking area when I parked. While I was on the call, the gentleman cleaning the yard asked me to move slightly so he could sweep, so I simply moved the car forward to give him space.

Ashlin then drove in and parked directly behind me. I was on the phone with my mother, clearly engaged in a serious conversation. She walked up to my car, knocked on my window, and I signalled that I was on the phone. She continued to knock. I was on the phone to my mother, trying to make an urgent decision regarding my brother’s funeral, after he had just been ******ed, and this woman does this.

When I finally opened the window, she said, with attitude, that I should park properly. I explained that I had been parked properly and had only moved because the cleaner asked me to. She continued and said I should park properly, that this was her parking. At that point I was already angry and told her to go away. She then mumbled profanities and walked off with a disgusting attitude.

I was so upset that I told my mother to just proceed with the funeral parlour where my brother already was. I drove off, and then realised I still needed to process the claim. I searched for another branch, went to Hatfield, struggled to find parking or even the correct office, still frustrated, I ended up at another branch on Lynnwood Road where I was told I had to return to the Pretoria East funeral home branch to process the claim.

I then said there is a rude coloured lady at that branch that I do not want to deal with, and the staff immediately responded and said, Ashlin, she is like that, if she does it again, report her.

I then returned to that branch.

When I walked in, three ladies were at reception. The receptionist assisting with documents asked if I was sure I only wanted to do the claim. The lady who had previously assisted me asked what had happened and whether the Mthatha branch could not help. I said no, someone had just angered me, and I looked directly at Ashlin, who was staring me down.

I told the two ladies that I did not want her near me, that there was absolutely no reason for her to be standing there and agitating me. She continued to stare at me as if to challenge me. The lady assisting me then said, unfortunately she is the manager, she can do whatever she wants, and Ashlin smirked.

I then said this is sad and disgusting, and what makes it worse is that even at another branch they know exactly who you are, all I said was the rude coloured lady and they immediately knew it was you because this is how you behave.

She then completely lost control, shouting loudly, asking who said that, who said that, how she is a rude coloured lady, speculating about which staff member said it, threatening to call the manager, and storming off to make that call.

The receptionist continued assisting me with the claim while both her and the other staff member encouraged me to lay a complaint. That alone says everything, your own staff are used to this behaviour, they do not defend it, they cannot challenge it, and instead they rely on customers to report her. That is unacceptable.

While I was completing the claim, around 2pm, I could hear her on the phone with another manager, and I clearly heard her lie and say that someone racially profiled her. I did not racially profile her, I described her exactly as she is, a rude coloured lady, only mentioned her race cause it was the only other differentiator I could think of.

After completing my claim, I went to where my car had been parked and took a video to show how empty the parking area was and how unreasonable her behaviour was. Despite all the available space, she still chose to harass me about parking in “her” spot. As I was leaving, she leaned out of her window and shouted something about the POPI Act. Completely unhinged and inappropriate behaviour.

A manager at a place where people come at their most vulnerable, at their lowest, behaves like this, and worse, is allowed to behave like this. Everyone knows she is rude and unbearable, yet nothing is done. That is absolutely disgusting.

I then went to the insurance branch because I was not about to allow the employees who said she is like that to be targeted or bul****. I asked to speak to the manager and explained what had just happened, and one of the staff members sitting next to the manager said that Ashlin has a God complex. Both she and the manager encouraged me to report her.

Three different departments, the same consistent and negative perception of her. All of them are encouraging me to report her. This is a manager who bullies staff, treats grieving customers like trash, and behaves as though she is untouchable. Her conduct when I returned to complete the claim made it very clear that she believes nothing will happen to her.

Not only was I emotionally affected by this, but I was also financially impacted, and I expect action to be taken. There needs to be a proper investigation into how she treats both customers and the employees she manages. This experience made it very clear that your business allows a bully to operate freely, while empathetic and professional staff are left to endure toxic behaviour daily.

This is unacceptable, especially for a company that deals with people at their lowest moments. There is absolutely no justification for this kind of conduct to continue without consequences.

As a direct result of this interaction, I made a financial decision under distress which negatively impacted me. This is not a minor inconvenience, it is a consequence of being treated with hostility at a critical moment.

I must be clear, this matter goes beyond poor customer service. It raises concerns relating to dignity, emotional harm, and the duty of care expected from an organisation operating within the funeral and insurance space.

So, please treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves. I expect a written response.

Side note: the attached photo is almost a reenactment of how I was parked after I returned to show what happened. When I initially arrived, I was parked closer to the wall and then moved forward because I was asked to. At the time of the incident, she parked directly behind me as if she was trying to block me in.

I must repeat this, these two cars were the only cars in that entire building. She had more than enough space to park and allow me to go on with my day. It is not as if I was going to be there the whole day, there was absolutely no reason for her to engage with me.