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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have left the Freecycle group?

86 replies

KirstyJC · 15/06/2014 12:17

Oh joy. I waited in all morning for someone who said they would be here at 11. When I emailed back at 11.30 asking where they were I was told they would be here in a couple of hours after she had a bath!

When I said we had to go out then and had been waiting in for her, I got a very rude email saying to 'keep the item'.

This is the final straw! This is far from the first time this has happened! So I have removed myself from Freecycle.

I am sick and tired of people thinking their time is more important than ours, and that they don't even need to bother with basic courtesy ie letting us know they are delayed.

So AIBU to pull out of freecycle? Grrr......Angry

OP posts:
pissedglitter · 15/06/2014 12:19

I left our local one for this reason
Sick if people taking the piss

itiswhatitiswhatitis · 15/06/2014 12:21

Ive had this a lot in the past I no longer give people options on pick up it's basically free to first person who can collect at x time and pick an evening I know I'm home and not going anywhere.

If they don't show it gets offered to the next person straight away.

Hurr1cane · 15/06/2014 12:26

I just left my table outside on my drive and someone didn't turn up for it, so I offered it to the next person who did. I didn't notice though until a few hours later.

Flossyfloof · 15/06/2014 14:05

Well, why didn't you offer to deliver it? Sounds as if you have been quite awkward about it, tbh. Grin
I tend to deal with the same people, perhaps about 6. They always get first dibs and I expect I get first dibs with them, simply because over the years they have turned up and they are nice people. Mind, our local group is incredibly quiet at the moment. Messages are taking days to get through. Anyone want a marble fireplace?

CatKisser · 15/06/2014 14:08

How on earth can you infer that the OPwas awkward about it? What's awkward about not wanting to hang around all day waiting for someone who can't be arsed to turn up when they've agreed to?

FannyFifer · 15/06/2014 14:12

Was a joke about being awkward, obviously.

exexpat · 15/06/2014 14:12

I've almost given up offering things that need me to be here to collect, due to too many time wasters. At least if I leave it on my doorstep and no one turns up I can just offer it to the next person on the list. But there are huge numbers of people who enthusiastically reply to a listing then never reply to my email offering the item to them. Why do they bother replying in the first place?

I also have a black-list of time wasters now. There is one man who replies to at least 50% of the things I list (doing some house clearance so quite a lot recently), but the one time I offered him something he messed me around with multiple emails over a couple of weeks then never turned up on the day we finally agreed on… Pointless waste of time all round.

HappyAgainOneDay · 15/06/2014 14:13

I agree with the OP. I've offered various things on Freecycle, arranged a day and rough time for pick up and it just hasn't happened. In the end, I never waited another day and just offered the item to the next applicant. If the first applicant got in touch, I just said, Sorry it's gone now. Tough.

If the same people are the 'naughty' ones, report them to your local moderators and they can be removed from your local Freecycle.

CatKisser · 15/06/2014 14:13

Oops! Well done me! Blush

Trills · 15/06/2014 14:14

Of course it's not unreasonable to choose to not be a part of an online group if you don't want to be a part of it.

wonkylegs · 15/06/2014 14:15

Was talking to somebody about this the other week. He said that he had more success with pick ups when offering things on gumtree for 50p/nominal amount than for free on freecycle. Somehow when people think they are getting a bargain they are less likely to treat you as a doormat.

BumWad · 15/06/2014 14:18

Ungrateful buggers aren't they

exexpat · 15/06/2014 14:18

I've had time wasters on gumtree too, but maybe not as many as on free cycle.

Trapper · 15/06/2014 14:26

I'd love a marble fireplace, are you anywhere near London/SE9?

SquirrelledAway · 15/06/2014 14:39

The days of a Freecycler arriving on time to pick something up and giving you a bunch of flowers or a pack of biscuits as a thank you are just about over.

Stubbed · 15/06/2014 14:49

I've sold things on eBay that I'd previously tried to give away on freecycle. The people hadn't turned up and the others who were originally interested didn't reply. And I got £5 on eBay and they collected on time.

glasgowstevenagain · 15/06/2014 15:46

f course it's not unreasonable to choose to not be a part of an online group if you don't want to be a part of it.

This.

Another aibu that's not.........

Flossyfloof · 15/06/2014 18:06

Sorry Trapper I am miles away in East Midlands.

whois · 15/06/2014 19:29

Yeah seriously free cycle is rats - populated by mega entitled lazy liers who can't be bothered to come round when they say they will.

If you sell something for like, £5 on eBay/gumtree people see the item as having value so they value it and make an effort to come and pick up.

Trapper · 15/06/2014 21:47

Yeah, that's a long way on the bus Grin

Flossyfloof · 16/06/2014 14:41

Shame! Never mind, try a "Wanted" I have sometimes contacted people a while after their ad was placed to offer them stuff.

Ilovexmastime · 16/06/2014 14:54

of course you're not being unreasonable, if you don't want to belong, don't belong.

McFox · 16/06/2014 15:02

I've left mine, but more due to the moderators attitude than the users!

We had a massive pre-baby clear out and 2 local charities collected most of what was on offer, plus a mum and son. All good, and I posted to say that the items had gone and thanks to everyone for their interest.

2 weeks later I go to list something else, and my account has been deleted. I enquire as to why, and am told that I'd contravened regulations, but they refuse to tell me what. I point out that this was untrue, and I wanted my account reinstated so that I could continue to help local charities etc, and am rudely told that its tough shit.

Sod them!!

QueenofallIsee · 16/06/2014 15:43

I am off freecycle - I was staggered at the lack of basic courtesy exhibited by people in our local group. I offered 6 boxes of unused hair dye and a women simply replied 'mine', no thank you or please. When I enquired as to her collection plans she replied 'you'll have to drop them off, I don't drive' (she lived about 25 miles away) and when I declined reported me as a time waster Angry
Then there are the people who are blatantly selling on stuff for profit, the ones that want a 50" plasma screen TV and are themselves offering a garden gnome (true story) and the ones for whom punctuation is clearly against their religion. I don't miss it, can you tell Smile

Bogeyface · 16/06/2014 16:01

I have found that 2 things work better than freecycle. One is ebay. Start the listing at 1 penny and it will always sell and they always collect! I got rid of my tumble dryer that way, it was fixable by someone in the know who could get parts, I had 3 no shows. So I listed it on ebay, got £30 for it and he picked up the next day.

Other than that, I leave things outside the house all day with a note saying "Free for collection" and it is always gone when I next look!

Freegle is slightly better I have found as no so many people know about it so there are less grabby bastards on it. I have had several "I want this, deliver to me at X by X". Errr. No!