To think these so called 'people in need' are taking the piss??

[HenriettaPye]

I'm on a group in Facebook which helps each other out with giving away things you no longer need, which others might. I've gave away some of my old baby things to people who have genuinely needed them. However there are some people taking the total piss on it! Just been on a wee look and today alone someone has posted
'anyone giving away an iPod? Not the shuffle one, I want one with a screen'
And-
'Anyone a laptop they don't want anymore?

AIBU to think this is not asking for help, but fully taking advantage?

One did make me laugh though- someone wrote 'anyone giving away any size 5 sandals? I only have boots and its too warm to wear them in this weather.' And someone replied 'go to primark and buy a pair of £1 flip flops!!

Haha you are all having a laugh!! iPods and Laptops are not luxury items?? They are a necessity? What a load of bollocks!

Yet you class a moses basket as luxury? this woman was 38 weeks pregnant and had just moved out of her parents house and had nothing for the baby- where was it gonna sleep- the floor? Seriously get a grip. You may have raised your children without one but I'm sure you had other equipment. And I'll assure you that many people find it possible to live without a laptop or iPod

No poor people shouldn't be given any old shit, but if people are being so kind to help others you shouldn't chance your arm and ask for things which cost a fortune!

Very sad for woman in need of summer shoes. Appalled that another human being would find humour in her situation.

No you need to get a grip.

Without a laptop some people cannot get access to cash. What is so hard to understand?

Without an ipod some people cannot communicate with other people.

A baby does not actually need a moses basket. A baby can go straight into a cot. The floor is not needed.

At 38 weeks pregnant, well she has had 38 weeks to prepare and buy a moses basket... Get made redundant is instant. You are in the screwed up world of dwp.

it is so very easy to be judgemental about people in need. This is just like the thread that complained about foodbanks wanting biscuits. Poor people are people too. You can aspire to/ ask for anything you want. Doesn't mean you are going to get it.

YABVVU. And a snob.

If someone said to me an iPod with a screen I would think they meant an iPod touch.

This is as well as being a music storage and playing device has the function of being wifi compatible so you can use it just like an iPad/iphone/ laptop to go online they also have decent sized screens so are easy to use and all gov sites will load correctly on them.

If you are on Jsa you are expected to use the dwp site daily or a few times a week for a significant amount of time and for longer than you would be able to in a library.

People are often more prepared to give away something that cost £150 brand new and places like cash converters only pay about £20 for if they buy them off you than they are something that costs £400 new and could be sold second hand for over £50.

So asking for an iPod is more likely to get results than asking for a laptop.

It appears the OP is simply ignoring the information she's been given.

Oh and I took a client to the job centre for an appointment last week and actually listened to an advisor telling her if she didnt get net access at least 4 days a week she would be sanctioned.

She does not drive her nearest job centre and library are over an hour away. The advisor actually told her to buy a Internet access phone.

No sooty I've just stopped replying to you as I find you incredibly rude!!

I've said my piece- these are luxury items, no matter how you may dress it up! But hey, nice to know you are all such outstanding citizens and would happily hand over laptops and iPods to people you have never net before!! (But not a Moses basket for a baby that didn't even have a pram let alone a cot- cos that's luxury and not a necessity)

Sock that doesn't surprise me at all. I hear similar from my clients on a regular basis. They mostly have basic PAYG call and text phones and struggle to get access to the web to perform the mandatory job search activity required.

I suspect that for you "incredibly rude" means asking you questions you don't want to answer or simply disagreeing with you, or presenting you with information you don't want to take on board.

Do feel free to report any of my posts you consider unacceptable. I don't think I've been deleted yet.

Fortunately, we don't all feel like the OP. If I have finished with something and it's going in the bin or to the dump, I'd rather it went to anyone.

On my local page a woman was caught out selling things she'd recieved from freecycle. This just makes me so sad. I recently freecycled a lot of my son's nursery bedding, had loads of people emailing me because they wanted it for various reasons. I just hope i picked a person who genuinely needed it not someone who wanted to make a couple of quid.

Op, can you try to explain to me how needing an item to obtain money when you have no money and dwp staff say if you don't have it they will take any future money they may issue you with away for up to 3 years, is a luxury?

Oh and I regularly give away Internet connection device away to people that need them but if someone told me they needed a Moses basket because their baby had nothing to sleep in I would buy them a cot because they would get much more use from it.

I am not sure we should be making judgements. The e bay seller may have needed the money. They did you a service by taking away the cot. We are not lady bountiful and should not make value judgements. Need is need.

Sock Totally(ish) off subject but the Jobcentre should have a support contract with a local provider who will provide a kind of jobsearch facility (Internet, printing facilities, stamps, envelopes, phones, tea & coffee etc) and they will reimburse the travel expenses incurred getting to and fro. Also, if you google "get online at home" they offer discounted rates on computes (and I think Internet subscriptions or dongles) and it could be worth asking the Jobcentre whether they'd be prepared to help fund it? Sorry, bit of a hijack...!

Ach! The baby can sleep in a drawer. No need for a moses basket!

I have friends on benefits and none of thrn need the internet they check local papers, check job points and local agencies. Sign on and get paid. Laptop/internet not needed.

Ipod thingies i see no point in and only know 2 people who have then And only one uses hers.

Neither of these are essential items afaic and unless in the asking post a reason was given - a decent reason - i doubt if i had one to give i would. I ptefer yo give to those in genuine need/charity shops.

8dayweek - that was helpful info.

OP - many who haven't had the dubious honour of having to claim benefits have no idea just how many insane hurdles are now placed in the way of legitimate claimants nowadays. All those food banks are springing up for damn good reason all over the country, and are increasingly utilised by those who have fallen foul of the technological requirements as they mistakenly thought as you do re certain items being "luxuries".

The poor haven't prioritised technology over food/medicine/bills etc - the political elite in their wisdom have forced this upon them.

The bone idle, workshy and feckless aren't those suffering as they simply continue to do what they've always done - lie, cheat, deal drugs or steal to obtain what they want.

8day, most of the time if you ask them to do that they refuse and they also claim a policy of not funding travel costs for anyone classed as nfa this particular lady is sofa surfing between about 8 places in a rural location nobody will allow her to use an address for postal things due to tax credits tendancy to leap on data matching things and stop claims.

Our local job centre has an arrangement with a training provider but they only allow people currently on training courses to access the service.

SuperBad several areas are already using the rules that come into force in October for uc so in those areas Internet is needed.

That i'd understand, if explained at the time obviously that changes the 'want' to a 'need' but i'd hope there were things put in place by the job centres locally and assisting charities/agencies/libraries to help people out too or sites like those mentioned will end up overrun with people asking for laptops/pcs and probably ipads etc.

Also the use of the laptops etc would require internet access which can be expensive especially on a low income so that greatly affects the need , again i'd hope something would be put in place to help out those who could not afford it through access at agencies etc. A second hand pc can be cheap - my first was £80 5 years ago - but it's not going to come with you to a wifi hotspot