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?

NSPCC here. Stopped my DD last year because I got so fed up of the phone calls asking for more. How much money is wasted in this way? RSPCA is a terrible charity more concerned with it's public image than helping animals as we have found out first hand in the past

The RSPCA use captive bolt guns to kill dogs. They kill around 50 animals A DAY. They have millions and millions in the bank and yet still expect their staff to pay for their own uniforms and equipment.

Please, please sponsor an independant NO
KILL rescue rather than the bastard RSPCA

<a class="break-all" href="http://webs.dudamobile.com/site/webs_4364516?dm_path=%2Findex.htm&fw_sig_time=1308656991882&fw_sig_session_key=&fw_sig_site=4364516&fw_sig_permission_level=0&fw_sig_url=manytearsrescue.webs.com/&fw_sig_is_admin=0&fw_sig_permissions=none&fw_sig_potential_abuse=1&fw_sig_tier=2&fw_sig=813f142028070c83004bd5af75098cdd&fw_sig_access_token=26ddc01e402a42884c8b471a2d9811c90eef6d74&fw_sig_api_key=522b0eedffc137c934fc7268582d53a1&fw_sig_social=1&fw_sig_premium=1&fb_sig_network=fw#1113" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MTAR

read sylvias blog and do a search for "The RSPCA shoot dogs don't they"

What dogsbestfriend said, tho I am a cat lady myself, some of the tales I've heard from independant cat rescuers regarding the very rich RSPCA have left me in tears.

Don't breed or buy while shelter animals die. Etc.

I'm PDSA and the dogs trust. I used to pay RSPCA then I read that that money is used to pay directors etc not for the animals.

Buggerlugs, I'm sorry, but they won't be there in 12, 18, 24 months. They'll kill them. Plus they have stopped taking dogs in from the public, so we need even more independant rescues (that don't have over a hundred million in the bank)

YAdefiniteNBU, I had this issue with WWF. they rang to ask me to increase my monthly payment. i told them dh was unemployed and we couldn't afford it.

he asked 3 more times in the same call, and i had to refuse each time! was . thought about cancelling the DD but TBH didn't get around to it.

i was absolutely fuming.

And try to avoid leaving anything to the RSPCA in a will just in case they decide to disinherit your children as well...

Write to them. I donate monthly to a charity and after being inundated with phone calls and begging letters I wrote to them and said I would up the monthly donation (had been paying the same for year so wanted to do this) but if I received any more communication from them then I would cancel it. I've never heard anything since.

"Would people who criticise take in all the homeless dogs? would they bugger, they'd stand back and demand something was done, without doing anything themselves."

buggerlugs, for some that may be true.... not in this rescuer's case though, and not in the case of thousands of other independent rescues and rescuers across the country either.

I work on the theory that "Tears mean nothing. Action is everything".

YANBU.

I work in a charity as a fundraiser. If you are registered with the TPS, but have previously made a donation to the charity, they are allowed to phone you using a telephone number you have supplied, or one that is publicly available (i.e. not ex-directory, unless you give it to them). However, if you ask them to stop calling you, they must do so. The same goes for mailing and emailing.

When you sign up to a charity donation, there should be a box asking if you'd be happy for the charity to contact you in the future. If you don't want contact, tick/don't tick (whichever is appropriate).

In my experience, most charities don't want to annoy their supporters, and will stop calling/writing/emailing if you ask them. I'd always suggest calling them.

Please think before cancelling your direct debit - some charities do employ people via agencies to phone up to try to raise funds - these are the same people who you see in city centres wearing tabards "chuggers" or charity muggers. They are governed by strict rules and if you are not interested in donating or increasing your donation, all you need to do is say so and ask them not to contact you - they should not do so again.
Remember why you chose to give to charity in the first place - cancelling your direct debit is not hurting the person paid to phone you, only the work you were supporting through your donations.

I wouldnt give the RSPCA a penny after leaving herbert the heghog suffering for 15 hours.

YABU to pay them any money at all! Haven't you heard all the bad things about them? If you love animals then there are far, far better charities who have better policies and won't piss your money up the wall on politics and adverts.

Some charities & their campaigning companies are better than others , cancer research wouldn't take no for an answer and keep calling sending letters despite repeatedly being asked to stop. I'm not a monthly giver to them but I did raise £2416 for them through race for life, I can't do it this year due to disability and got an earful from the lady on the phone so they have lost my support (I wrote and told them why) I will continue to support the polite and undemanding charities as generously as I can

I agree with others who say to just be firm with callers. I support Cancer Research and as soon as I hear that it is them on the phone I say that I can find out what they are doing from their website and if I want to change my donation I will contact them. I know I would be a sucker for a sob story too so don't let them start. People who are phoning are employed probably by a call centre contracted by the charity. They are sales people who have sob stories and are trained to pull at the heart strings.

Sorry meant to say yanbu to be annoyed but yabu not to be direct and firm with callers.

NSPCC lost my money too, after their constant haranguing. Told them I couldn't put the dd up, and if they didn't stop calling I'd have to cancel. Guess what? And actually, given that we've been skinter than skint things the last couple of years £3 a month is a lot of money to us, so stick that up your arse you patronising bastard. Not quite the exact words I used, but I'm sure they got my sentiment.

Can I just big up Cancer Research here though? I had the self same call from them, just once. I said I was sorry but I wasn't in a position to donate more. The chap thanked me for my time, and I've heard nothing from them since.

I was all for cancelling our donation to the RSPB when they rang asking for DH (we have joint membership) and the woman was incredibly rude when I said he was unavailable could I take a message. She told me she could only deal with him and that if he wished to be removed from the list then he had to ring in person. I was sorely tempted to tell her that if she wished to continue receiving a donation for the RSPB then she ought to sort her telephone manner out but I hung up on her instead. They rang back and got him later and yup it was about having more money out of us

I hate this with charities, nearly cancelled one of my DDS because they kept hassling me with phone calls. Made me wish I'd just chucked the annual amount in a collection tin and remained anonymous. I don't want to be sent endless letters and pens by them either. It all seems so wasteful.

YANBU, I only donate to local charities now.

The old dears who collect duvets for the greyhound rescue place and the volunteers at our homeless shelter are far more worthy of my donations

Similar situation. I gave them £5 per month over a number of year, adding up to circa £300.

I only stopped when I went on maternity leave - i.e. because I saw my child as more of a priority given that my earnings were reducing to Stat Mat levels.

Since then I get a phonecall a week from them. Errr - you've had a few hundred off me - why not target someone new now, tossers?