to be peed off being hounded by RSPCA for money... just because i ALREADY pay them money?

[juicychops]

i was targeted a year ago and read out some story about a poor abused dog which after MUCH pleading by the man i agreed to a monthly donation of £3.

Over the last 3 months i have had a number keep calling me literally about 20 odd times. i haven't answered because i didn't recognise the number. anyway the last time they called i rang the number back to see who it was and as it was the RSPCA, when they called AGAIN today i answered, thinking it was to just say thanks for my continued support.

but no

i had another story about another poor dog and then was told that others who already sponsor rspca have agreed to up their donation to £10 per month and would i like to?

i said no.

another story about another dog, then asked if £5 would be ok?

i said no again.

then, some MORE stories about how terrible dogs have been treated and figures from the last year. then asked if £3 would be ok?

by this time i was getting a bit narked and said politely i already give to the dogs trust which combined with rspca totals £10 per month i cant afford any more. she finally got the message and said goodbye.

i know animals get badly treated every day and my money is needed, but it is also needed by my ds too and these calls i find really uncomfortable because of the sob stories they read out to emotionally blackmail you. i just find it really annoying that i was targeted before and persuaded to pay because i wasn't already, but now targeted again BECAUSE i already pay them, and obviously not enough by their standards.

i am too polite to be firm at the start of the call so i cant help but let them go on and on

AIBU to be annoyed?

[berries]

You're not. I actually stopped donating to scope because of this. I was already giving what I could afford and hassling me because it wasn't enough really ticked me off!!!

[TheMagnificentBathykolpian]

No.

"If you don't stop harrassing me, I will cancel the direct debit and you will get nothing more from me. One more phone call. I mean it. Goodbye."

That ought to do it

[Spuddybean]

i stopped donating to rspca because of this and donated to pdsa instead.

[bruffin]

All you need to do is write to them and ask them to stop contacting you, there should be a button on their fundraising button for no correspondence

[bittersweetvictory]

Its not just the RSPCA, every charity is the same, you give once and they dont leave you alone, my elderly mother (85) got caught in this trap and was giving all the time untill the family put a stop to it, its put me off giving anything to anyone.

[psiloveyou]

Another one here who stopped donating. I warned them loads of times to stop calling me but they didn't listen so I cancelled my DD.

[cymruoddicatref]

I get this from guide dogs for the blind - I once made the mistake of agreeing to buy a book of raffle tickets. Now I seem to be stuck in some twilight world peopled by kindly sounding middle aged ladies with Edinburgh accents. ( I love the pseudo-science of the charity cold call - always from Scotland and never ever from Liverpool).

[DogsBestFriend]

A bit of advice... tell them to fuck off and, if you wish, donate to an independent rescue or the Dogs Trust instead.

Why?

Well, because the RSPCA already have 119 MILLION in the bank.

Because they kill over a third of the healthy dogs they have in their "shelters" each year. In 2008 that was 22 healthy dogs and 33 healthy cats A DAY.

Because despite their 119 million in the bank they decided 18 months ago to refuse to take in any dogs from the public, leaving the burden to unfunded independent rescue.

Or maybe just because THIS IS WHAT THE RSPCA SPEND YOUR MONEY ON.

[DogsBestFriend]

• That should read "if you wish, donate to the Dogs Trust or a NO-KILL independent rescue instead."

[DogsBestFriend]

Oh bugger!

[EvenLessNarkyPuffin]

I won't give to the RSPCA because of their policy of killing dogs.

[chirpchirp]

YANBU - I very briefly had a job in a call centre (I lasted 3 days) doing this. I felt awful doing it especially when I was told to call pensioners who were already donating substantial amounts of money to ask them for more. My boss told me I didn't get to choose who I did and didn't call. I informed her actually I did, and walked out.

[overthehillmum]

YANBU, I sponsor a child through compassion, £21 a month, since I started they send me monthly begging letters asking for one off donations, to sponsor another child or if there is any disasters then they ask for donations for that. I find it quite upsetting as when you decide to sponsor then you are committing to 11 years (in our case) until the child turns 16, christmas donations, one donation during the summer to his family, letters at least once a month......AND they still want more.....

[bubblesincoffee]

YANBU. I hate it when charities do this. I give to Cancer UK, and when they called and started giving me their sob story in the hope of getting more money, I had to tell them (geniunely) that it was upsetting me because I have lost too many people to cancer, and one was very close to the time of the call. She very politely apologised and got off the phone.

Then when NSPCC rang for more money, I did the same thing, as I realised that if you tell them their stories are too close to home that they will leave you alone.

Try it, it works!

[uninspired]

I've had this from another charity. I told them I did not want my DHs hard earned money spent on making phone calls, I wanted it spent on what their adverts said it would be, and stopped my direct debit.

[uninspired]

I am so naive. How could I not have known about the RSPCAs policy on killing animals?

[juicychops]

that video was horrible. ive just cancelled my direct debit with my bank

[pingu2209]

I had this conversation with my mum about 2 months ago. She gives regularly to the Red Cross and to the RSPB. I give regularly to the Red Cross and the NSPCC.

We are both now on charity lists - perhaps they call it the 'soft touch' list.

It really really pisses me off.

I had to cancel my son's extra maths tuition and so I also cancelled by charity giving. I wasn't prepared to not give to my son but give to someone else.

I have been emailed and called constantly since I did it.

[juicychops]

uninspired, i didn't know either

[jimswifein1964]

Yep, Oxfam did this. So I cancelled my direct debit.

[CheshireDing]

If you log your number with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), which you can do on-line then they have to stop ringing you, even if you are a customer.

I think it is officially only supposed to take a few weeks to register with the companies that you have signed up to TPS but then they are only allowed to ring you until they have actually spoken to you (i.e. if they get the answer machine they can keep ringing) but once they have spoken to you and you say I am with TPS you must be removed from the list.

Otherwise you can report them and the companies get fined.

[takethisonehereforastart]

YANBU. We cancelled our direct debit to the NSPCC because they kept doing this.

We give £10 to BLISS each month instead and they have never asked us for more money. They send us an update every so often and sometimes that has a form in it that tells you what they can do with £10 or £15 or £25 etc, but it isn't a request for more money, they have always been very polite and thankful for what we give.

The RSPCA have started to send people door to door again now, not collecting money but getting permission for someone to call me later. There are always two of them and they get on my nerves.

[takethisonehereforastart]

Also if you are concerned about not recognising numbers, you can check them on this website whocallsme

If someone has already had calls from them the comments are logged, it helps you to work out who they are and why they might be ringing you.

And as someone else said, report them to the TPS.