To complain to doctors about chugger

[Doodlekitty]

Hi all.
Took my lb to docs thus morning. Waiting room was rammed and people were queuing for flu jabs. There was a woman there from Marie Curie going round people in waiting room to tell them about all of the good Marie Curie does in our area. She was then explaining this could not happen without support and trying to get them to sign up for a direct debit.

To be fair she was not giving it the hard sell but it felt very much like emotional blackmail in a place where people are very likely to be vulnerable. If I didn't love my doctor this would make me consider changing. Aibu to write an email of complaint about this being permitted?

Yanbu, I wouldn't like this at all.

Definitely complain

YANBU. That is so insensitive and intrusive, IMO! A collection tin or something would possibly be acceptable, but a chugger is going too far. I'm quite surprised this was allowed.

Yanbu. How uncomfortable as you were in a situation you can't leave. Complain.

Really?!
Our GP's won't even allow collection boxes, let alone chuggers wandering amongst patients!
Yes, complain.

It's begging, which used to be illegal (or at least very much frowned upon).

Now it's weirdly acceptable.

My local surgery has a large bookcase full of books, 30p a go all proceeds to a charity that changes annually. They also participate in the Macmillan coffee morning, again donations in the tin and most people like having a cuppa while waiting for their appointments. I can handle those but I'd be livid at being chugged in the waiting room. I'd rattle a letter off to the practice manager in your shoes.

I did wonder about the legality of targeting vulnerable people for direct debit sales but I think I'm probably overreacting there. Pleased I'm not bu. Will get email written tonight

God that's so unacceptable. Imagine being a patient waiting to see the Gp to check out a suspect lump, and getting that spiel.

Jesus.

YANBU That is completely unacceptable

YANBU. Many people waiting at the doctors' won't be feeling up to chatting with someone they know and like, let alone some chugger.

I am amazed the receptionist didn't throw her out!

It's annoying for sure but I think it would be distasteful to complain. A lot of the people who collect fir Marie curie do it because cancer has affected them in some way and I'm not usually the sensitive type but I'd be worried about upsetting the woman.

It was obviously organised sugar, she hadded a stand and banners

This is not appropriate in a GP waiting room, however worthy the cause (and Marie Curie is very worthy)

I don't think its distasteful to complain; how many elderly patients are there always in a doctors waiting room, and how vulnerable might they be to this sort of pressure. It's not on. The 'woman' shouldn't have been there, doing that.

I realise I'm clutching at straws here, but is there any possibility at all that the receptionists thought the lady was just talking with patients about their services, rather than asking for money?

If they really did know and allowed it, it's absolutely appalling - and that's coming from someone who's supported this charity extensively in the past

I don't think it's distasteful to complain. The surgery's priority is the wellbeing of their patients and this includes a comfortable waiting room with no-one annoying those waiting.

It reminds me of Bounty collaring new mums in maternity wards - a captive audience for their marketing.

I don't think its distasteful to complain. There are other unobtrusive ways to collect money and raise awareness that have already been mentioned on this thread.

You're pretty captive in a waiting room and likely to have your own issues at the forefront of your mind. its just not the place for collecting direct debit details. I can certainly think of times it would have been unwelcome and I would have been unprepared to encounter something like that.

Slightly bias but I do hate chuggers at the best of times.

YANBU. I think this is inappropriate and I would complain. YABU to call her a chugger. Charity mugger is an offensive term.

Marie Curie is a fantastic cause but this is just all imaginable sorts of wrong.

You need to raise this straight away.

Absolutely complain and do update us too!

Sounds very far fetched as cant imagine this happened. Complain as this is awful!!!! My doctor surgery doesnt even have magazines now..

since when? offensive to the chugger maybe. These people are parasites

Charity mugger is exactly the term for this sort of, well charity mugging, isn't it Overtired? She was being offensive. It's hard sell, and totally I inappropriate.