Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be flabbergasted by CF

208 replies

Wickedwoo · 13/02/2020 11:13

Someone posted a thread the other week about how people are CF's on Facebook free sites. I did comment and say I'd had a clear out and used my DH's account to put stuff on our local free site and people wanted stuff but expected me to drop it off to them.

So one of the things i gave away (and delivered) was a Nestcafe Dolce Gusto coffee machine that we had used maybe 5 times i even gave away the coffee pods we had left with it.

Fast forward to today the lady who had it has messaged my DH on Facebook saying she is disgusted she only had the machine 4 weeks used it everyday and now today it's stopped working and her DH is furious because he did not get his coffee this morning and we should be ashamed of ourselves for giving it away knowing it was going to break, and now they are left with boxes of coffee pods and no machine and now her DH is expecting her to get a replacement TODAY and we should contribute.

DH replied something along the lines of f**k off you crazy woman. It was free and it worked fine otherwise it would not of been given away. We gave it away because it was something we did not use. He has now blocked her.

She has now started messaging off what must be her DS Facebook account calling my DH a coward again she's been blocked.

It genuinely was in perfect working order as she knows because she's used it for the last month.

Some people really do have some nerve. I actually laughed when DH rang and told me because i was so shocked.

I will never give anything away on Facebook again now. I can not believe people can be so vile. I am absolutely dreading bumping into her she sounds completely unhinged

OP posts:
Mammatino · 13/02/2020 15:46

CF

Walkon · 13/02/2020 15:53

I gave away a lovely pram for free from my first DS when I found out I was expecting twins (I had fully expected to use it for next pregnancy).

It was in lovely condition and the woman who came to collect it asked me if it came with a car seat. I said I had a car seat but as I was expecting twins I would be keeping it and having to buy another one. The pram was from Mamas and Papas and had plenty of compatable car seats she could buy.

She took the pram and then hounded me for the next few weeks to see "if I had changed my mind" about giving her the seat!!!

I asked why she thought it was reasonable for her to get a free seat and me to fork out for two? Then blocked her!

I really wanted to go round and take my pram back. I was lucky with the other things I gave away . A lovely young mother to be, came round with her boyfriend and took the changing table they nearly fell over themselves with gratitude explaining they couldn't really afford anything new, I was so sorry I didn't give them everything I had.

That was 14years ago and u haven't given away anything on the free sites since!

BacklashStarts · 13/02/2020 15:53

The people who irritate me on these selling sites are the ones who ask for something for free and then say ‘picky but polite’ which is a rude phrase! If you’re going to be picky go and buy it from the shop, if you want it for free you need to be a little bit flexible. I never offer them anything.

Straycatstrut · 13/02/2020 16:02

I would screenshot the crazy messages and message the group admins.

I was going to say post them publicly on the group to warn others but yeah, this is probably the best route,

ptumbi · 13/02/2020 16:04

Wow - OP isn't the FB post to your DH business 'defamation'? Or libel? I think I'd be looking at legal advice.
And I hope the Policeman can have a word with her about threats to a Minor. Angry What a bitch she is.

GoodbyeRosie · 13/02/2020 16:06

On a forum with this many members, there has to be SOME ' advertised for free' CF's reading this thread.

So, to you all...if something is for free..you do not :

  • Ask for it to be delivered
  • Ask for petrol money to be reimbursed
  • Make demands in general
  • Assume entitlement to the item
Roussette · 13/02/2020 16:33

And...

*turn up when you say you're going to - it's free after all !
*don't whinge at any damage when said damage has been clearly photographed and pointed out on FB or wherever
*don't be rude abut the item and state the flippin' obvious like "Oh, it's brown" when the picture clearly shows it's brown
*don't look at other stuff in the room and ask to have that for free too

(all these things have happened to me!)

Deckthehallswithlotsofcake · 13/02/2020 16:54

I wanted to give away some doors. There were photos. A man contacted me to complain bitterly because they were not the kind of doors he wanted. He hinted I should go out and buy him the doors he wanted. Lunatic!

EuroMillionsWinner · 13/02/2020 17:01

The 'can you deliver' ones get an instant block, especially if you've written in capital letters that it is for collection only.

OP, so glad you are getting the police involved.

colderthananeskimosknob · 13/02/2020 17:06

Getting rid of approx 20 paving slabs from my back garden as I was getting the garden done. Advertised them on freecycle
Made it abundantly clear that a) the paving slabs were big and heavy and b) at 8 months pregnant I was in no position to help.

First taker: someone turns up with their childs pushchair expecting me to help her lift them into the buggy. And had a screaming strop because I refused to help her. Second set of people turned up. Turned up with a trailer and took the lot- they wanted to make a path to a stable. And left me with a huge bar of dairy milk in exchange.

As my nan would put it 'some people have the cheek of 10 arses'

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 13/02/2020 17:06

Just to counter all of the insane and CF people on FreeCycle, I've given away a lot of things over the years and had a number of items and every single transaction has been at best, very pleasant and friendly; at worst, nice enough but brief and not very talkative. No horror stories whatsoever.

It's a great system and it makes me sad to think that loads of decent folk don't feel able to make use of it any more and tip perfectly good things, just because of the CFs who spoil it for all the rest.

StiffUpperQuip · 13/02/2020 17:07

On my freebie page we encourage members to move on to the next person who doesn't say "I'll have this", "Mine" or "I'll take it". Manners are encouraged and rude people's demands magically disappear (by my admin magic wand)

TheyDoDoThat · 13/02/2020 17:26

some people have the cheek of 10 arses

How have I made it nearly 40 years never hearing this beautiful term. Banked for future.

starfishmummy · 13/02/2020 17:32

The site I'm on is similar to @StiffUpperQuip's. No sob stories are allowed and request have to be simply a "please may I have this" type of thing. Anything else is deleted promptly.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 13/02/2020 17:33

TheyDoDoThat

You are not alone there Grin

simplekindoflife · 13/02/2020 17:40

Yes definitely police now. How dare she.

What a nasty horrible woman. She sounds deranged!

SandAndSea · 13/02/2020 17:45

So sorry you're going through this, OP. I'm glad you've decided to go to the police and hope it won't put you off being kind and generous in the future. Flowers

MidsomerMum · 13/02/2020 17:48

Ah op, I’d bet money she just needs to take the needle thing from the back and poke it around in the hole the coffee comes out of too. How crazy!

schoolsoutforever · 13/02/2020 18:02

Yes! I had this when I put some toys on a Facebook free site. It was crazy and really put me off. Only give to charity shops now. Its a pity as it spoils it for people who are genuine and polite but it was way too much hassle.

Itswritteninthestars · 13/02/2020 18:10

I posted a child’s Nike tracksuit for free on FB and the first lady to contact me asked if I could deliver it. I thought it would be local but it was a town about 50miles away! I replied no chance “sorry no can do”. She just kept sending messages asking why? Did I drive and why was it a problem? Her final message before I blocked her was she supposed she could get a bus into town to meet me and surely I could drive just 40 miles 😂

QueenOfTheMotorway · 13/02/2020 18:23

For balance, I sold a TENS machine on fb about a year ago, never used, bargain price. Got a message asking if someone could come and collect immediately and he showed up within half an hour. Paid and straight away put the machine on his heavily pregnant partner in the car in the early stages of labour! I loved that one.

Have had plenty of CF asking for delivery of free items. One I said yes to and he didn't even have the decency to be home at the time we agreed

AdobeWanKenobi · 13/02/2020 18:25

Last summer I bought some of those driveway grids to extend my front drive. I ordered way too many so put the 20 or so spare on Marketplace for £25. Bear in mind these would be £5 each to buy from B&Q.

I was unsurprisingly inundated. First woman messaged an hour later, full of apologies as they wouldn't fit as she'd thought. No problems I thought and contacted the next person who'd contacted me. He had the cheek to say as obviously nobody wanted them he'd take them but would only give me a tenner. I laughed, blocked him and went to number three in the list, a very grateful guy who turned up within the hour. I marked them sold.

That evening a wanted post appeared on Marketplace, by CF for the grids I'd sold. He was desperate apparently. I doubt he'd have got them for anywhere near the price I was asking and it made me smile as he renewed the ad weekly for about a month.

GoldenMarigolds · 13/02/2020 18:30

Lucky enough to have a charity that has a warehouse nearby. They will collect anything usable from my house by van. I would not donate anything unusable just to mention.

It is mostly furniture as they will not take electrical items. But I can recycle them in the big electrical goods shops whether buying anything or not.

Great service from the charity and no hassle at all.

Anything that I feel is useless is brought to the tip. Win win.

Dirtdirtdirtandmoredirt · 13/02/2020 18:34

A bit outing so I've NC just to post!

We recently did our garden all up which involved a lot of digging for patio and decking and mud removed! I put it on Freecycle stating it was just mud we had dug up from the garden and would do if someone needed it to fill a hole or level some ground etc! I received multiple stupid questions including a man who asked me to photograph the mud and then wasn't happy with the quality of the mud I'd photographed and could I take more photos so he could see if he wanted it?! In the end I put most of it in the skip. Although a lady text me asking if she could have 8 bags, I said yes of course and gave her address and time etc. Doorbell goes and I go to answer it to find the smallest tiny old couple I've ever seen in the smallest banger of a car. Neither of them spoke much but they were very happy with the soil and loaded it all into the car between them (I was terrified watching in case one of them keeled over but I couldn't help as I was about 8 months pregnant!). Off they drove with this car nearly on the ground 😳 when Dh came home an hour later I almost expected him to tell me it was broken down at the end of the street!!!

Oh and a cf who kept asking if she could have my babies used changing mat (in the background of a photo of something else I was selling) and would not take no for an answer. In the end I said I'd binned it and she replied 'ah really? When? Has the bin been collected?' Like I might go fish it back out for her!! Weird !!!!!

CigarsofthePharoahs · 13/02/2020 18:37

We used to have a lot of people offering stuff for free at my church. All worked fine until...
Someone noticed that pretty much everything was being claimed by the same couple.
It's sad, there were lots of people who had some real needs met, but it was spoiled by selfish people. Hardly anyone offers anything any more.

Swipe left for the next trending thread