To be really angry with this charity fundraising cold caller

[whoneedssleepanyway]

Just got a call from a very well know national charity basically asking me to make a donation to an on-going campaign they are running.

I declined initially as have just made a donation to said charity via sponsorship of a friend who is running the London Marathon for them next month.

Caller said, great but they still need on going support.

I told him I would consider it but if I donated I would do so via my work payroll giving scheme.

He then tried to tell me that actually it was much better for the charity to receive the money directly via direct debit.

I said surely that wasn't the case as with payroll giving scheme the chairty receives more money as they can claim my higher rate tax back (whereas normally they can only claim basic rate back via gift aid scheme).

He said no no we get the tax pack, I said yes but only basic rate.

He kept telling me it was better for donations to be received via DD.

Presumably he is on commission and this is why he wanted me to set up a direct debit through him. It makes me so cross, he didn't have his facts straight and if he had convinced me this way the charity would end up with less money than if I gave via payroll giving.

Rant over.

A fundraiser called at our door one day a couple of years ago. I was at home with dd. I never sign up for anything at the door so I sent her packing.

Later on dd and I went out on our bikes. When we returned, the same woman was at the door just completing the paperwork for the direct debit that my more gullible charitable DH had agreed to set up (he had not been in earlier so did not know she had already been there). First of all, he got a rocket for committing to something like that without my agreement (I would not have done it without his nod either) and then I got on email to the company the woman worked for and to the charity itself. I never got a response at all from the company and the charity phoned once but spoke to DH (I was out) and never phoned back.

We cancelled the direct debit and I remain reluctant to give to that charity now because of it. (I don't think their efforts will fail for lack of my contribution).

They do it because not enough people give enough money to charities without prompting.

This.

I too hate these calls, although I have to say that Cancer Research have been very sensitive when they call to ask me to increase my donation, probably because they are aware that so many of us have lost people to cancer, or are battling it at the time.

I have just taken to telling them firmly that I can't afford to increase any of my donations this year. I felt guilty the first couple of times, but I hardened to it now!

We had the Red Cross cold calling at the doorstep twice in 4 hours last week, at 3pm (when my husband answered) and at 7pm when I did. I saw the red jacket through the glass in our front door and told him he'd already called - he apologised and said he'd forgotten. My husband said his pitch was so good, he was convinced he'd been to drama school. We give to 2 cancer charities and NSPCC by dd each month. Won't answer the door when it's dark now unless certain who it is.

Wow, you gave him a lot more time of day than I would have. YABU to be angry because if you didn't like it, why not just hang up? They are just doing their job and he probably does get a better commission if he convinces people to set up direct debits. Which is something we never agree to with charities.

YANBU to be annoyed. The caller won't have been on commission (calling companies pay staff by the hour) but sounds like a dipstick who didn't understand how payroll giving works. I don't blame you for being annoyed.