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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Charity text donation collectors in town! Argh!!!

78 replies

Kayano · 17/07/2012 14:00

I was stopped today by a collector who launched into their speil. I listened an nodded with the intention of donating a few quid by text... Says she 'isn't one of those who wants your bank details' ok great. I like one off donations because I already donate etc...

She ends with
'so will you help by sending a £3 text?'

Yes certainly... whips out phone and opens messages

Just starting to send and she says 'it's a monthly ongoing donation and you can stop by sending....'

To which point I say
'I thought it was a 'three pound text dOnation?' (echoing her words)

Her 'well... Ongoing'

Me. 'that's not what you initially said and I am happy to make a one off donation but not to subscribe automatically'

'well you can't donate once'

'well I can't donate sorry.' and off I flounced. I really felt like she had tried to deliberately deceive me!

AIBU to be pissed?

OP posts:

VenusStarr · 17/07/2012 20:55

YANBU I had this a couple of weeks ago from a well known homeless charity.I was trying to avoid eye contact and she weaved her way through the crowd to get to me saying 'you look like a caring person' :-/ she went thought her spiel and me saying I don't sign up to anything on the street, I'll look online at home and do it then 'oh but we're doing a big drive today... Blah blah'. So I thought ok I'll make a donation just to get rid of her then she said 'you can't do a one off donation, you have to see up a monthly direct debit of ONLY £6 a month. I said £6 a month is a lot of money for me, she said it wasn't I said it is condidering i havent had a pay rise for over 2 years and my job is at risk and I wouldn't be able to commit to that and she huffed off chuntering about me!

As someone else commented, it's a charity, surely any donation is better than none at all?!

plutocrap · 17/07/2012 21:49

I think I just had the same one as you, VenusStar, although it was £3 (I already have a DD to them, mind) and it did emerge from the conversation that the debit would recur. However, it wasn't clear enough that it would recur monthly until further notice; I got the distincto impression (though with itchy feet to get on a train and feed DD before collecting DS) that it was three debits.

I'm planning to cancel it and amend the DD instead, but of course am still also planning to cancel the insurance bundled with my mobile...

BTW, what's the problem with the Telegraph? They really drove the exposure of the MPs' expenses and their financial reporting is great - they really attack bullshit!

Original poster

Kayano · 17/07/2012 23:15

Omg THIS incident was with a well known homeless charity too

OP posts:

plutocrap · 18/07/2012 08:42

Maybe LOCOG could clean up its image by doing a little sponsorship of its own and the charity could ease up on the text tactics. After all, they've got to get the money from somewhere.

Homelessness is a topic as "hot" as the Games at the moment, yet, sadly, will last longer...

Original poster

Kayano · 18/07/2012 08:44

But they actually turn down money! I would be inclined to donate to other charities after that which is sad. You do associate the bad experience with the actual charity when it's really the company

OP posts:

Kazriina · 18/07/2012 08:53

These people get paid between £8-£12 as standard! I just think how can you play the martyr when your getting an hourly rate

plutocrap · 18/07/2012 09:33

Who turns down money?

Scholes34 · 18/07/2012 09:47

Is it a homeless charity, or is it a hospital for magical maladies and injuries?

I think I must look like a very uncaring person as I've never been stopped by a chugger. I'd love to waste their time.

I do give to charity, but charities of my choosing and usually local ones.

Original poster

Kayano · 18/07/2012 10:02

The charity collector couldn't take a one off donation in favour of pushing for regular subscriptions, therefore turning down some money

OP posts:

plutocrap · 18/07/2012 10:45

couldn't take a one off donation

Oh, I see. However, it's fairly long established that charities prefer stable income streams to one-off donations, not least because of the effort of collecting/inputting all the extra info to get Gift Aid added the the donation: much easier to do that for a standing arrangement!

Anyway, I thought we had established on this thread that the charity doesn't get the money immediately, meaning a one-off donation might be swallowed up and go entirely to the chugging firm? It's a no-brainer to turn that down!

EdithWeston · 18/07/2012 10:48

They want your mobile number.

Do make sure you ask how they register your preference that you not be contacted for any further marketing calls and that your personal details will not be sold to any third parties.

plutocrap · 18/07/2012 10:52

Shit. I have just realised that that is likely what could happen if I cancel the text donations straight away, even in favour of bumping up my DD.

What an invidious position... and that is true for all aspects of charity donation: perverse incentives abound, as it's not a market transaction; it's a social one, so it has to be "earned" rather differently than the way in which other goods and services "pay for themselves"!

plutocrap · 18/07/2012 10:53

Cross-posted with Edith Weston; that's a very good point, too!

MaryBS · 18/07/2012 11:01

She lied to you and thats appalling, I would complain to the charity directly

I usually ask the chuggers if they are being paid for collecting. If they say yes, then I never give any money. I realise charities get more money this way, but I don't like it and if I really wanted to give, I could sign up via a charity's website and then ALL the money would be going to them.

Original poster

Kayano · 18/07/2012 11:04

Well I know that NOW lol. I'll never donate on the street again. It's so annoying

OP posts:

Viviennemary · 18/07/2012 11:07

I absolutely refuse on principle to give a single penny via those street sign up type donations. When I found out quite a long time ago they were on commission I just found that quite shocking. I assumed they would be volunteers. A month or so ago we were approached by a gang of about six of them. That is pretty bad practice I think.

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere · 18/07/2012 11:18

I did a £3 text ages ago. I bloody hope they are not still taking money out!
I told the bloke that I wouldnt give anymore but still got several phonecalls. Really, really annoying - reading a script - phonecalls.

I have a regular appt at a big hospital in London. I get attacked by chuggers every time.

Now I hand them Antony Nolan and Blood Donation leaflets. They are the ideal demographic. So when they say stuff like 'have you every thought about.....' or 'do you care about....' I say 'have you ever thought about giving blood' or 'have you signed up to the bone marrow register yet?'

I feel very badly towards chuggers because of the amount of times I have been leapt at and had 'Can you imagine what its like to lose someone you love to cancer?' or something similar.

It can really catch me at the wrong time and ruin my day.

takeitaway · 18/07/2012 11:35

Think the best solution is to always carry a bunch of donation forms for whichever charity you do support. Then, when you get chugged, you can offer to match whatever donation the chugger is prepared to give to your charity.

(I haven't actually done this. Yet)

latterlov3r · 18/07/2012 11:41

these charity workers are sneaky buggers i had a bloke from breast cancer come to the door and launch into a speil about something that was happening next month and he was just spreading the word handed my a bunch of breast cancer stuff, pin, leaflet etc went on and on no mention of money then bam whipped out a dd form i had to explain that i wasnt willing to give my bank details etc i felt totally backed into a corner and he demanded his stuff back, whatever happened to going around with tins?

Original poster

Kayano · 18/07/2012 11:51

They should
Do a direct line insurance type advert

'we are not on comparison websites'
Changes to
'we do not use chiggers because your first 11months of donations goes to paying them!'

Get the word
Out how shit it is

OP posts:

VolAuVent · 18/07/2012 12:16

A lot of the door-to-door charity collectors are now refusing one-off donations. They ask you to sign up to a regular monthly donation and when you say no, but you'd like to make a one-off donation, they refuse it!

GlassofRose · 18/07/2012 12:26

Bare in mind there is a 4 step rule - Chuggers are only allowed to take 4 steps towards you by law.... make sure you keep at a distance and they can't even bother you

Viviennemary · 18/07/2012 12:47

It's a about time somebody started a campaign to get this chugger nonsense stopped. As long as people keep being pressured to sign up the longer they will do it. And I agree charities should put we don't give commission to chuggers on their advertising.

shrodingerscat · 18/07/2012 14:16

YANBU, OP.

Earning minimum wage is not an excuse for lying to or misleading clients/customers (actual or potential); or for generally doing a poor job, which this chugger was doing, because she's pissed off someone sympathetic to the charity's cause and lost them £3 (at least).

shrodingerscat · 18/07/2012 14:19

As for demanding regular DDs and refusing one off contributions, how many of these charities are based on "Christian" values? They've obviously forgotten the biblical adage about the "eye of the needle"

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