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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have reported this man to the police

48 replies

RunAwayWife · 09/05/2011 11:38

It's that time of year when I go in to spring clean over drive, I have cleared out all the wardrobes and this has resulted in 4 black sacks loads of clothes to give to the charity shop, all the clothes are clean in good condition and in some cases hardly worn {growing child} so We got a bag through the door from the NSPCC asking for clothes and I thought they could have the 4 sacks, stacked them on the doorstep this morning with the NSPCC bag clearly attached to them. So I was cleaning in the bedroom when a van comes along, it is marked for another "charity" we did have a bag from them but it is one of these that sells the clothes on and not something I wish to support, and he stops comes to the door and starts to take the bags, by the time I got down the stairs he had the 4 bags in the van and was about to get in, I said Excuse me but those bags are not for you, he was very rude saying yes they were, I told him they clearly had the NSPCC bag on them and they were not for his collection, he was not having any of it got in the van and drove off, so I have reported him to the police, I know it seems petty but I do not want to support what he is collecting for and the bags were clearly marked for something else.
I am very cross and in future will take things to the shop and not use these bags.

OP posts:
AuntieMaggie · 09/05/2011 12:52

we've had several stories about this in our local press about people stealing charity shop donations - it's becasue they can make money out of it.

My mum works for a charity and they get money for bags of rags so she always tells me to take all my old clothes in as even if they can't sell them they get money for them but not to leave them on the doorstep as someone like one of these other 'charities' will take them and make money out of them.

susall · 09/05/2011 13:25

YANBU. We have a sign my dad made at the front door now requesting no cold callers or charity bags as we were getting on at least every second day. We have not had a bag for ages, plus where the sign is situated if they come from the left they dont see it until they hit the door step, my revenge for all the times I have had a cold caller turn nasty.
In the past I have only given to help the aged or british heart foundation as they both had full logos on their vans but that was quite a while ago when you got a bag once in a blue moon. These days my mum will say when she is going to take stuff to the local arthritis charity shop (dads got more arthritic joints than healthy ones) and ask if we have anything.

xstitch · 09/05/2011 13:46

YANBU

Pixieonthemoor · 09/05/2011 14:02

That is utterly disgusting!! Well done you for reporting it and I hope you have also shopped him to the charity he works for. What a disgrace!

VajazzHands · 09/05/2011 14:16

Amazed he actually stole from you and in your face refused to give you your things back! It was your property on your property. I would ring the "charity" and ask for my stuff back. I suspect it isnt a real chartiy. If it is real.. the person driving may be on probation doing community service and needs to re learn how to do with people

HecateQueenOfTheNight · 09/05/2011 14:53

Are you even sure it was a charity?

Many of these companies word things as though they are charities, but actually they get you to donate goods, which they then ship overseas and sell on. They are businesses.

Many schools give you their bags. If you think you are donating to people in third world countries - think again. You are giving things for these companies to sell to poor people and make profit from.

Original poster
RunAwayWife · 09/05/2011 15:57

kreecherlivesupstairs you have hit the nail on the head.
I can not find the bloody bag that we had from them but have had a little look on line and can not find anything relating to this "charity" It was basically collecting for aid for (insert country) but the gist of it was it was going to be selling the clothes and donating an "amount" to the aid fund Hmm I think these are scams and I do not want to support them.

The van was just plane white with a sticker on it along the lines of ( Insert country) aid.

Well it is reported to the local police, and I shall just make sure I take everything to the Fara shop or shooting stars hospice shop in future.

I am just so shocked at the bare faced cheek of the man.

OP posts:
SecretNutellaFix · 09/05/2011 18:16

I am in Shock

What a cheeky swine! I don't fill those bags for that very reason.

MarzipanNutPie · 09/05/2011 20:09

Horrid, i would have been tempted to grab my bags back or sit in the van :)

Original poster
RunAwayWife · 09/05/2011 20:24

I was tempted to stamp on his foot and punch him on the nose Grin

OP posts:
musicposy · 09/05/2011 20:30

Are you sure the NSPCC wasn't cited on this crook's bags? I only ask because we've had some through the door which say NSPCC but when you read the small print, it's a clothing aid/ sale place and it says a miniscule percentage of the profits will go to the NSPCC.

When bags come through the door now I read all the small print very carefully as there's a lot of crooks around. I wonder if they were actually his and you were duped.

Original poster
RunAwayWife · 09/05/2011 20:33

No they really were NSPCC bags.

OP posts:
hairfullofsnakes · 09/05/2011 20:34

shame you didnt get his reg no

Original poster
RunAwayWife · 09/05/2011 20:37

I did I gave it to the police Grin shall let you know if I hear anything back.

OP posts:
musicposy · 09/05/2011 20:37

Am [shocked] at the cheek of this bloke! I usually put mine in clothing bank as there's so many unscrupulous people around but no idea if that's any better.

MadamDeathstare · 09/05/2011 20:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

princessparty · 09/05/2011 20:42

Have never seen any collection vans marked with a charitity's name.

twolittlemonkeys · 09/05/2011 20:47

I've stopped filling the bags we get through the door as the charity gets so little of the money raised from the sale of clothes. DS's school are collecting clothes in these sacks to raise money and it says the PTA will get up to 50p per kilo. So 2 pairs of my jeans would raise 50p for the school? I'd rather just donate a fiver to the PTA for whatever they're fundraising for and Ebay the clothes or take them to a charity shop where they will get more money. The business that collects the bags and resells clothes must rake it in.

moragbellingham · 09/05/2011 21:17

I'm fed up with the amount of dodgy collection leaflets we get. I rang trading standards and they will follow-up if I send in the leaflets - I have been collecting and investigating myself too. They do prosecute...eventually, if necessary.
Alot of the time these leaflets are distributed on the same day that bags for e.g. NSPCC and BHF are given out so they can nab the lotSad!!!!

Some "companies" masquerading as charities are just local houses where the clothes etc. are stored.

moragbellingham · 09/05/2011 21:20

musicposy - I once rang up Great Ormond St as even the names of charities are being used when no percentages are being given. I hope they follow that one up.

Popple · 09/05/2011 21:30

All NSPCC collections are run by Clothes Aid which is a profit-making company. Clothes Aid then make a donation to the NSPCC for every tonne (or similar) that they collect.

This is still very different to the 'dodgy' clothes collectors.

Charities have to use these services or they wouldn't make anything at all. There is a price for everything...even if it is the wage of the volunteer co-ordinator. Or if that person is a volunteer then they still need to pay for office space, computer, phone calls etc. It is usually more expensive to run this service in-house than it is to pay a company. Avoids all the nitty-gritty and inevitable problems too. I always compare it to other industries - printers don't produce their own paper...they buy it in bulk from a professional supplier, artists don't make their own paint (well, rarely!), they buy it from a supplier.

As long as the return is more than double the cost (1:4 is ideal), it is still worthwhile for the charity to do and worthwhile for you to donate.

Original poster
RunAwayWife · 10/05/2011 07:26

This was not a clothes aid van either

OP posts:
exexpat · 10/05/2011 20:21

What did the police say? It sounds like they are taking an interest in this sort of thing in my area:

Bogus charity bag investigation

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