to hate being bothered by charity people!!?

[plasticface]

I'm sure this is a much discussed topic but it really pisses me off!
Charity mugger just knocked on my door and "chatted" with me for bloody ages about a charity. I had just got dd to sleep made a cup of tea and settled down with a piece if cake and mn....dd woke up and my tea is less than boiling hot!
Now I'm left with an awake baby, not hot tea and feeling a bit guilty even though I already donate to 2 charities every month, (off my own back) and annoyed!!!
I hate them even more in the street, I would like to be able to relax when I'm walking through town without having to avoid bloody drama students running over to me with an overly sincere grin on their face asking for a "chat".
AAAAAghghhhghghghghg

YANBU

I donate to three different charities and do my fair share of fund raising, runs, etc. Giving to charity is voluntary and I will dontate to whatever charities I see fit and i don't appreciate being hassled either.

i just give them false details

I tend to do the fuck off face with street charity works a treat!

I would love to see cold calling door to door made illegal.
I suffer from depression and mild anxiety and like to feel that 'my home is my castle' where I can be safe and undisturbed.

Someone knocked at my door about 2 years ago, they said they were students helping the homeless. they then produced a basket of stuff so i let them do their spiel then they said if i bought 2 products they would get a sponsors amount to double whatever i bought. So i said okay i'll have 1 packet of (2) of dusters (those very normal yellow things) 1 of the jay clothes (2 of those very normal looking blue things) it never occurred to me it would be more than £5 - then i got my purse and the girl said £12!!!! i was so stunned i just handed over the money. after agreeing to buy the things i felt too embarrassed to say no. After she left i was outraged. Now i ask BEFORE i say i will pay for anything!!

I was in town yesterday and got stopped by a chugger going on and on about some childrens charity, I tried three times to say Not Interested but he just kept on speaking over me. So I let him finish. (I'd done my shopping and was just mindlessly windowshopping waiting for my mum).

So when he finally got to "...so, can I sign you up?" I launched into my OWN spiel that started "No, but have you seen Marchlands? Because it's really interesting and has a fascinating storyline..." and I had the absolute joy of watching his eyes glaze over and a look of horror on his face as he tried to edge away - and I FOLLOWED HIM

I talked nonstop for about two or three minutes giving him my theories as to how the storyline would pan out. He kept darting these little desperate looks to the side like someone was going to rescue him and he kept trying to stop me talking by interrupting me but I did EXACTLY WHAT HE HAD DONE TO ME FIVE MINUTES EARLIER.

I finally stopped and asked him how HE liked it.

He told me to Fuck Off.

It was a good day.

I just say:

'I don't EVER donate via chuggers or to charities who employ them. I'm sorry, nothing personal, but as a matter of principle, you have absolutely zero chance of commission here - don't waste your script on me.'

I've done studenty being-a-PITA McJobs in my time (door-to-door potato selling was a particular low), so I don't want to waste ther poor kids' time being polite & sociable - they're better knowing that I'm a definite Flat No straightaway.

I tell any charity people (door to door and in the street) that I already donate to that charity. You get a "Really? oh great thanks!" and that's it.

Once I was struggling up the street with a big bag of M&S shopping in each hand - wine and yummy food all destined for my mother's birthday picnic.

I did my best to avoid the swarm of logo-clad chuggers but didn't manage to dodge them all.

I was cornered and tried to say: "Sorry, I'm not interested." But of course got talked over.

I tried again: "I'm sorry, I already have a preferred charity and really can't afford to support another."

The chugger took a meaningful look at my bags of shopping... "Well I see you can afford the wine and other delicacies... you wouldn't be willing to give that up sometimes to help xxxxxx?"

How dare they bloody comment on my bloody wine shopping? How dare they suggest I shouldn't spend my money on luxuries but give it all to their charity?

If the bags hadn't been so heavy I might have whacked her with them

I normally find "So are you on an hourly rate or do you get commission?" wipes the smug, holier-than-thou grin off their pseudo-philanthropic faces

We have a sticker on our door but it doesn't deter people.

I just say "We don't give at the door", "We don't buy at the door", "we're not interested" and shut the door.

I SO agree! I hate it when they come bouncing up to me in town centres for a "chat" It may well be not terribly well paid but at the end of the day those people who try to get you to sign up to a monthly direct debit are being paid. I think this is misleading. I would much rather give money to the old lady outside tesco with the Alzeimers Society collection tin who is doing it because she has spent the last 20 years living with her husband who has Alzeimers, being supported by the charity and wants to give something back. rant over, sorry if I offend anyone.

I can't bear it. At my old workplace, the nearest place to get lunch was via a mob of chuggers. They did save me a lot of money, as I started taking a packed lunch as I couldn't bear being harrassed every day.

I do find that if you just say 'no thanks' repeatedly they do bugger off quickly.

We have a sticker too and it does seem to work and if they still knock you can point to it .

Ours also says no thanks to religious callers too which keeps JW's away.

I agree with jasminetom, much nicer to give to an elderly lady with a tin, (the worst they do is give it a little rattle as you are passing), also DD usually gets a sticker!
I find that the best thing to say to the chuggers is that your account is overdrawn.

YANBU you home should be a place where you can relax and not be bothered. I just tell them that I already donate regularly to charity, which I do and I cant afford to do anymore and just close the door.

The fact that its the same people with different jackets on each week really irritates the hell out of me.

How can they be so very enthusiastic about each charity? Well they can't, they are paid to pretend the charity means everything to them.

I work in the city centre of Glasgow, walking down the length of Buchanan St after work is a NIGHTMARE!

The other week one of them tried to stop me with "Hello Miss, have you heard of the work (insert charity here) does"

Me (still walking at the same speed) "Sorry I cant stop I'm rushing for a bus"

Chugger "It will only take 10 seconds"

Me (still without breaking stride) "I.AM.GOING.FOR.A.BUS.IF.I.STOP.FOR.10.SECONDS.I.WILL.MISS.IT"

Normally the rushing down the road, and telling them I am running for a bus makes them leave me alone.

plasticface They weren't in red fleeces were they? Only some fuckers charity collectors rang my doorbell at 8.30pm the other night, waking up a very grumpy teething DD who then did not fully settle again all night

I tend to give them a filthy look and say "I don't give to beggers" Which imo they are really.

No, YANBU!

However, the way to stop charity callers coming to your door is to put up a sign saying 'No cold callers'. [Actually mine says, 'No cold callers. That includes charities, energy companies, religions and YES, YOU, SKY!'] If they ignore the sign, you can rant complain to your heart's content secure in the knowledge that your rudeness is morally justified.

Chuggers in the street are a bloody menace. If any other stranger came up to me in the street and wanted a 'chat' and asked for my bank account details I'd tell them to leave me the hell alone. It amazes me that chuggers haven't been banned (not yet, anyway) because they bother people and clutter up shopping precincts. And wearing a brightly coloured tabard is not a good look, guys. It doesn't make you look official; it doesn't make you look reassuring; it makes you look like a wanker.

I registered with the Telephone Preference Service which massively cut down on sales calls, even from charities I have donated to in the past. I still get the odd 'silent call' which I understand are automated calls often from outside the UK? I just hang up on these straight away.

You don't have to wait for them to pause before you shut the door. If they stop you on the street you don't have to wait for their "OK have a nice day!" before you walk off. You just say "no thank you" politely and shut door/walk off. It really is quite simple. And as you walk off if they say anything else to you, it is OK to ignore them you know.

No wonder they persist in these methods if everyone is so bloody amenable to them. Must make them think with a little bit more spiel they'll talk you round. Just end the conversation.

I second Georgimamma - the more "excuses" you give them, they think they can rebut your excuses and talk you round. You literally do not need to say any more than three words: No. Thank. You.

I take your points, chuggers can be so annoying, but please remember that ultimately by wasting their time you are not hurting them so much as the beneficiaries of their charity, they could be talking to someone else who DOES want to donate money to children dying of malaria!

And also ultimately the beneficiaries of the charity are the ones not getting your money, not the chuggers.

However much they annoy you, it's never clever to be rude to people, I've always found it easy enough to politely tell someone I'm not interested. They are people doing a job, actually one for a very good cause, although they are paid commission, and although they may be a little annoying that doesn't give you license to be rude to them.

Pantaloons

I tend to give them a filthy look and say "I don't give to beggers" Which imo they are really.

Gosh, you sound charming. I hope you or any of your loved ones never get cancer and need hospice or nursing care/are made homeless/develop another terminal illness/ that would cause you to call on the services of some of the charities that ask for money on the street.