Chuggers and "leading questions"

[HellomynameisIcklePickle]

I've had quite a few on the phone/at the door and I honestly don't mind them trying. I like to be polite and will generally wait to say "not interested" at the available opportunity.

But what really, really winds me up is when they do really staged "Yes" questions.

"This is just a terrible problem, isn't it?"
"£2 a week seems reasonable to help, doesn't it?"

Oh fuck off. Is it just me who gets so annoyed and thinks these "leading questions" are really them saying "You're so stupid, if I just get you to nod your head and agree with me you'll do anything I suggest."

I know that it's a recommended selling technique and lots of people use it, but the main people who pitch to me are chuggers and it's only them who I notice it with. It just gives me the rage.

Well said glitterfeet!

I wouldn't mind them getting in my way if the ones I encounter weren't so invariably rude. I take the point that I should report them but I don't have the time or energy.

Street funding effective in raising funds for now but it creates a poor public image as demonstrated by this thread and it targets vulnerable people who fall for manipulative sales tactics. It's a bit shitty, IMO.

My town centre is full of them in the summer. It's pretty bloody annoying to have to run the gauntlet just to get to Tesco. If I get cornered by one I just tell them that I don't support charities that fund raise in that way and add that charity to my mental list of charities not to support.

I do really enjoy telling them off if they're less than 2m from a shop entrance or if they follow someone for more than three steps though.

I had one follow me into a shop even though I had told him 'no' I then told him that if he didn't stay a minimum of ten feet away I would call the police, he made a hasty retreat.

My dad passed away in very early hours of the morning so I was trying to get first train to home when one jumped in my path. I was so angry with her I wanted to beat the shit out of her. I just screamed in her face 'GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME OR YOU'LL BE SHITTING YOUR OWN TEETH!'

They seem to love me for some reason and always approach I just always say now 'fuck off please' very politely so they get confused. I am not handing my personal information to a stranger.

I definitely agree it's counter-productive to hassle people - things like following people into shops would be way over the line of what is reasonable IMO. I think charities are increasingly taking this seriously - I don't work on the fundraising side but I hear about it and I think practice is generally tightening up.

I've signed up to DDs off the back of street fundraisers a few times (so yeah I'm part of the problem in more ways than one!). In one case a charity I hadn't previously heard of but the fundraiser did an excellent pitch on me about what the charity did which persuaded me to sign up. Another time it was a charity I already knew well and would have happily donated to them anyway, I now just do so every month.

Without the push setting up regular donations have probably just sat on my list of 'things I will never get round to sorting out'. Now I've got a few regular donations on the go i don't want to sign up to any more so I'm just firm but friendly when chuggers approach me.

I personally prefer chuggers to the constant drip of friends doing sponsored events - easier to say no to a complete stranger!