AIBU to feel harassed by charity chuggers targeting women in public?

This is not about chuggers but I used to donate to the RSPCA by DD every month. One month they rang up and asked if I'd increase my donation - I said politely that I cant, I am in between jobs right now and dont have the funds. The person said to me and I quote "Do you have pets?" and I said "yes" and they said "well I presume if you wont increase your donation then you dont care or love your pets at all really do you?".

I was absolutely livid. I put the phone down, immediately cancelled my direct debit and emailed RSPCA to tell them why. They wrote me back a grovelling apology and said they were going to re-train their telephone workers and would I consider reinstating my donation.

I didnt and I will never donate to them ever again in the future. I wont be emotionally blackmailed by anyone. Stupid twat lost them a donation.

I absolutely hate them. There are loads at my local commuter station and down the high street. A new tactic seems to be setting up a stand right outside the supermarket so you have to walk past them as you enter the shop. The whole faux friendly stand in your way emotional blackmail bullshit. You can stick your orphaned donkey up your arse.

Well, I'm sure that some of them don't, but I still find it very easy to shut the conversation down.

Or perhaps chuggers just have no manners

I think they shouldn't be allowed to approach people, if you want to approach them, then fine. I think there are more pleasant ways to get people donating to charity. Once I went to a local store and the local hospice had cookies to hand out to every customer regardless of whether they donated or not, I was happy to chuck £10 in the charity box, I imagine some didn't donate, but others like myself felt like it was a nice way of encouraging, not harassing people to donate. If I was harassed by a chugger for the same charity I'd make sure I wouldn't be donating to them then or in future

I sat outside Kings Cross for about twenty minutes once waiting for a train, and watched a bunch of them work the area: in every single instance, they targeted young women on their own. That might have just been one particular charity, but it was actually remarkable how exclusively they did go for the women.

What an actual cunt! Hope you reported him!

It's not 'just doing their job' a lot of the time though

They are legally not allowed to harass and they are not allowed to target certain vulnerable groups. There are lots of things they are not allowed as part of this to do but persist in doing.

Thats the problem.

I have been targeted by both male and female chuggers. The only thing in common was the most annoying and patronising were young.

Perhaps it depends on how you say it.

They do piss me off.

I’ve been approached at the entrance twice now at an m1 service station. Either i have been driving a while and need a wee, or i want to get going again as I still have a long drive ahead.

I did have one call a bitch when I was 16 after i asked him to leave me alone. None of them will ever get a penny out of me. I donate items to baby banks instead.

But many of us are saying it doesnt. If its worked for you then great but look at some of the rude responses people have been given in this thread simply for saying no thank you.

Thats not ok.

Make a note of who they are collecting for, and report them to the Fundraising Regulator. They aren't allowed to harass people, and ths sort of behaviour should be stopped.
https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/service/complaints-about-fundraising

It always works for me!

I give them a brisk "no thank you". The ones round our way are thankfully well mannered but I have encountered cheeky ones in the past. Anyone who tried to block my way would get an earful they would never forget. We also get then at the door and I inform them very clearly that I will never sign up to anything on the doorstep and neither will my neighbours.

We had annoying guys at the door trying to flog their internet service - three times in one day! They were persistent and cheeky too. My neighbour gave them HELL. I complained to the company and got our names on their do-not-visit list.

I learnt on here that the knife crime chuggers at London stations are actually collecting for a charity. There is no charity commission registration. Makes me suspicious of all of them.

One tried to stop me a few weeks ago, I politely told him I’m not interested thanks for him to then look me up and down and say “like I’d be interested in you sweetheart, you think highly of yourself you’re not all that” was totally uncalled for.

Oh, I don't have money but if you're hungry I have a bag of chips here. Here, take the chips, you look hungry. No, no money, but take the chips.

He was actually backing away from me. Panhandler, not charity person. So trying to force chips onto men trying to get your money seems to have a repellent effect.

That rarely works - hence the ‘fuck off’. Most large charities are corrupt in any case so I am
definitely not donating via tossers who take a percentage

Absolutely 😂

I hate them with a passion especially the ones who try and stop you in your tracks by stepping in front of you.

I also agree. "Just doing their job" does not excuse not taking no for an answer, hassling, pestering, shouting to get people's attention, getting in your path, getting up in your face, trying to guilt trip you and publicly humiliate you to coerce money out of you. All of which I have seen chuggers do whilst "just doing their job".

Well they can fuck right off. This behaviour is not acceptable and it's not ok and I am not going to put up with it.

I hate them. The buttering up with ‘hello beautiful lady’ makes me murderous.

I am also of the demographic that they think will engage with them. To be honest, given that they get paid to do this, I blank them and if they persist, a suggestion that they ‘fuck off’ usually does the trick.

I disagree. They are not “just doing a job”. It is harassment and yes, they do target certain people and women in particular. It got so bad near the tube station where I live in London that the council had to intervene.