To think some furniture charities are too picky?

[waterwatereverywhere]

My gran recently went into a care home. It has since become clear that she will not be able to back to her own home so mum and I have cleared her house and arranged for it to be let, unfurnished to assist with costs.

Some furniture was beyond use and has been broken down for firewood, smaller items to the charity shop, personal/sentimental items boxed up. This left just a 3 piece suite. Its old but one of those amazingly well made, heavy fabric and solid wood type suites. Its not modern of course but I love it - its very retro and not dissimilar to some current styles available. It is immaculate, I seem to recall it had the plastic covers still on it for some years - love her!

So we thought we would donate it to a local charity who take donated sofas, chairs and beds to sell at an affordable price to low income families and people starting out. They came out, glance at it and turned it down - saying there would be no interest, using the phrase 'they all want pleather love' or words to that effect. They were quite rude to my mum, implying she had wasted their time, and to me their opinion of their customers was plain offensive!

AIBU to think that the charity are wrong and that if you were in the position of needing a helping hand, a gorgeous well made, hard wearing suite in a retro style would be equalling appealing to some as 'pleather' would to others?

If its quite old, it won't meet modern fire retardant standards and legally they wouldn't be allowed to sell it (or give it away).

If it was just because it was unfashionable, then that's a different story and YANBU.

The way they spoke to your mum was possibly rude from what you say. However they know what will sell/be asked for and what will not. If they take it they have to store it until its taken (if ever) and then dispose of if it isn't.

Did it have a fire safety label? If not the really can't take it.

Could you not out it on free cycle?

It's also possible you like it so much because of happy memories? Someone else won't have the same emotional attachment.

It s do hard seeing your grandmothers home dismantled :(

Did it have any rips? Was it really clean?

I've seen various fabric sofas in the british heart foundation shop in fact many more than 'pleather' ones!

Try putting it on freecycle. I'm sure you'd find someone on there would appreciate a good solid suite like that.

But generally I don't think charities are too picky.

I expect the woman who cane to see it would have accepted it if she thought she would have been able to pass it on, I very much doubt she refused to take it just for the sake of being rude.

Charities cannot be expected to take anything and everything just because they are a charity. I work with a charity, and we used to work on the basis that we would accept anything because we didn't want to appear ungrateful. But then we got stuck with loads of crap that was then our responsibility to get rid of, so we started having to say no. I expect people think we are ungrateful sometimes and assume that we should be able to make use of stuff, but if we could make use of it, then we wouldn't be saying no!

If you are certain that someone will want the suite, then put it on freecycle.

But if they sell them, they have to have space to store them.

If it is large, very heavy, or not flame-retardant, it may be just too much trouble for them to store for the length of time it'd take before someone needed it - imagine getting a big heavy sofa upstairs into a small flat, for example.

Try freecycle?

Depends how "retro" it was, I suppose, and also how fire-retardant.

But everyone who buys a second-hand suite doesn't want pleather - I have two destructive cats so only ever buy second-hand as it's not worth having a brand new one trashed, and I HATE pleather with all the passion of a thousand fiery suns. So yah boo sucks Mr Charity Shop Man.

Have you tried ebaying it? Old style retro furniture does really well on there. Or freecycle is another option if you just want shot. I think some charities do seem to be becoming quite picky over what they take (and I don't mean turning down stuff that is rubbish), but as AgentProvocateur says if it doesn't meet current fire regulations they can't take it.

That said my local Salvation Army charity shop seem happy to take anything. So maybe worth contacting them if you have a branch near you.

I have got more picky over what I donate to charity and which ones I give to ever since a lady in one shop sighed and complained about me bringing in a huge bin liner of immaculate and good brand baby clothes (when they had bobbled primark ones on the rail for £1 each).

Actually you could well be right about the fire standards - I was so at his phrasing it didn't occur to me - I 'think' the suite was about 12 years old, I can't remember when the new regs came in. But in which case they should surely have asked that on the phone before hauling themselves out to look??

And honestly amberleaf it was spotless. It was covered with a throw all the time and looked like new. When I say retro it really would have looked very trendy with the right cushions etc.
Kind of like this but with a stripe
sofa

It was listed on freecycle first but 3 people responded and wanted to know if we could deliver....

I would definitely recommend e-bay. I sold 2 old armchairs on there from my grandparent's house as an upholstery project. Went to a good home and I made a few £.

They end up with lots they can't sell, that's why so picky.
Do try Ebay or Freegle.
We had a sofa (with fire safety tags) they wouldn't take because of one small repair on one of the cushions (could easily turn it out of view). Actually, it was so big we couldn't give it away after that. It's now firewood & Wendy House flooring.

Some years back I did some consultancy work for a charity with a furniture warehouse plus a few more traditional charity shops. I'm afraid my recommendation was that they needed to be far more discriminating in what they were accepting as every hard to shift item that was taking up space in their warehouse meant a longer delay in collecting more popular and/or needed items. It was losing them money and reducing the number of people they were able to help.

As others have said, there may have been many reasons for them having to refuse it; no fire labels, too large (large furniture never seemed to be re-homed) or perhaps they already have a number like it that have been slow to shift.

However there was no excuse for them to be rude and I would encourage you to complain to the manager/central charity so they can work on their customer service skills.

Has the same thing the other week, wouldn't take a table from my parents because it has a stratch on it.
I suggest freecycle

I had this from our local Preen lot the other week ... Luckily a man jumped on me in the car park as I was about to head off and asked what I was going to do with the armchair ( fire labels and all, just a bit faded on one arm ) and then took it off my hands with much glee ( and for free ) and disappeared into the sunset with it while the Preen lady who'd just turned me down cat's-bum-mouthed at the pair of us from the door of the warehouse!

Yep, same happened to me. I think it's odd but there we go. If people really do want pleather, their taste is questionable!

thats ok ,see it all the time ,them that do take the stuff sell it ,truth !

I was also told that people only want leather and our (perfectly serviceable) Ikea fabric sofas were not wanted! Had to get the council to take them away in the end so they went to the dump :-(

My Mums's sofa was refused, same situation as Op.
It did have the fire retardant label on it, a couple of small stains which were eminently washable.
I've been in the situation when I've had nothing, and would have welcomed it with open arms.

When my mum passed away we had british hear foundation come around to see what they could take.They took all of what we had furniture wise and they are even allowed to take small electrical items like the iron ,toaster etc.

Fire regs came in in 1988

Our local charity furniture warehouse refused a beautiful metal framed bed because the mattress wasn't new and in the original packaging!

The bedframe had cost over £1000 and the mattress had been used for a few guests and was immaculate. We were only getting rid of it because we needed the room for DC2.

AgentProvocateur

'If its quite old, it won't meet modern fire retardant standards and legally they wouldn't be allowed to sell it (or give it away). ' Agreed. From personal experience charities/second hand furniture dealers will not take upholstered furniture without a fire regulation compliance certificate

..though I appreciate that OP can well do without the above. Again, from experience xx

They wouldn't take five year old two three seaterleather sofas, which included four recliners from me. They took the next coffee table. I think they didn't want to carry heavy stuff back to the warehouse.

I had the same thing with a furniture charity. They wouldn't take a coffee table that had a mug ring on it, nor a very clean kingsize bed that had a drawer base missing. This was a charity that simply give furniture to those in need, not sell it.

I can't believe anyone in dire straits would have cared about the faults, but they said only perfectly immaculate items could be taken. Good luck with that...