To think this charity shop was ridiculous?

[EmptyTheFrickingBins]

Have a fridge, freezer and new double mattress to donate to charity. The mattress is genuinely brand new and has never been slept on because I bought it and then was given a new orthopedic one which was more suitable for my poor bad back! I think I laid on it for less than an hour total.

They've just been and I've never had such an awful experience - they refused the fridge and freezer because "the door seals have gone" (they haven't - I've been using both up until last weekend and never had an issue. The freezer is also missing a couple of drawers (movers dropped and broke them but it's never been an issue)

He then called me a liar over saying the mattress is brand new - because unfortunately I snagged it on the door strip getting it out of the bedroom and it has a few small clicks on the cover.

It has really put me off ever trying to donate anything ever again. I don't have much money and could have sold them in Facebook. The fridge and freezer are a few years old so don't look brand new but do work perfectly well. The way he spoke to me made me feel really small and stupid and I hate being called a liar (I'm ND and not being believed is a massive thing for me.)

If anyone wants to know the charity name I'll share it via PM but it is a big name in the town where I live.

The charity shops needs to resell items they accept. If the items do not sell, they will need to pay to dispose of it to make way for other donated items.

it is a really difficult balance for charity shops to manage, and they also have to adhere to safety guidelines. I imagine the mattress doesn’t have the “carelessness causes fire” label that it needs to have. All soft furnishings (cushions, pillows, sofas etc) all need to have this.

The BHF guys who turned up for my late DF's stuff were asked to leave

6 month old fabric suite: "Oh no, people only want leather" (so why is the shop full of similar fabric ones?)

11 month old Beko fridge: "No that's rubbish; we only sell Bosch now (not true)

High quality oak dining set: "Nah, it's only a 4 seater" (???)

So I invited the YMCA folk who were delighted and sold it all within a week ...

I don’t think they should be rude - but agree with other posters they will only take what will sell quickly
My local one was very happy with anything solid wood but won’t take anything else with slight damage, missing parts or even lightly worn looking

Glad you sold them! Facebook Marketplace is great for that sort of thing. I often just stick stuff outside my house on the street and it usually disappears very quickly.
Charity shops have become quite fussy. I like to donate to the one round the corner from me as it's for animals and I like to support it. But the last two times I went with a bag of clothes they didn't even want it and said they already had too much.

I have a four seater dining table. And I don't like leather sofas.

To all the posters saying charities don’t employ drivers.
British Heart Foundation employ people to go round collecting furniture, can’t speak for other charities.
I know because I remember a relative applying for a position, they didn’t get the job.

Charity shops are not a cheap get rid service. If the goods are not almost perfect, they can't sell them and have to pay huge sums for disposal, as well as labour, petrol etc.

My friend had to report a BHF driver who came out of our village shop wreaking of booze and holding a bottle of vodka... Friend saw him get in the BHF van and drive off so she rang non emergency police number..

I had a good experience donating an old divan frame to BHF but my friend tried to donate a nearly new desk and they wouldn’t take it because he’d drilled a small hole in the back to feed the cables through (that actually improved it’s functionality). What a waste of time.

He shouldn't have been rude to you but I can see why he rejected the freezer. So what if you don't mind using it with the drawers missing? The charity shop has to be able to sell the freezer and they will know they will have a problem selling it with the drawers missing. The fridge doesn't look that great either to be honest.
As for the mattress, it looks ok on the photo but charity shops have to be very careful about items like that - can't sell used mattresses.

So now you've managed to sell them on facebook - good, problem solved.

Yeah, the guy maybe wasn't pleasant but it's pretty obvious the shop is not going to take white goods away which are not in decent condition. They have to be able to sell what you give them, they aren't a free alternative to council waste disposal as you clearly thought they were.

I described them in detail on the phone and the person on the phone didn't seem to have an issue with them!

Again, the mattress has never been used. I tried it for about 30 mins with a mattress protector, mattress topper and sheet before realising it was far too soft. There's not a mark on it.

Wow! When I cleared out my mother's flat and my father's apartment the charities (two different ones) took everything, and Mum's fridge was pretty old. I'm not in the UK and I think here they actually give some of the furniture to people who need it, rather than sell everything. They certainly take used mattresses in good condition.

I’m not sure why you’ve quoted me, I don’t employ them.

The same. It seems from reading the posts that charities in the UK are rather fussy! My local charity shops don't sell much funiture but those which do certainly aren't nearly as fussy - and the stuff sells.

It is frustrating when you’ve described the items and then there’s a problem on collection. Also no need for them to be rude.
my elderly dm was upset when a charity would not collect her items and said she had to take them in her car - not sure how she was supposed to do that at 80 years old! I contacted another charity on line, uploaded photos and they collected the next week.

6 month old fabric suite: "Oh no, people only want leather" (so why is the shop full of similar fabric ones?)

Maybe it's full of them because they're not selling?

I described them in detail on the phone and the person on the phone didn't seem to have an issue with them!

People have a tendency to over emphasize the good things about their items. At least three times per week we get a bag of "really good clothes, never worn with the tags" which I genuinely believe the donor thinks is great but which reeks of smoke/green/mould and we have to bin immediately. In the past 3 years we've had fleas in the shop 3 times and had to douse the place in flea powder/spray and we've been bitten.

That’s funny, because I’m a single parent with no freezer and no means to buy one, my thought was that I would gladly buy that for £30!

I work for a charity that has paid drivers because it couldn't get anyone to do the work for free. Just because it's not in your experience doesn't mean the OP is lying.
And they shouldn't be rude anyway. Our charity really cares about being thought well of. A bad reputation doesn't help it, and everyone, volunteer or not, is polite to the public.
OP if you can be bothered, complain to the charity. They need to know that their drivers are behaving like this.

@BreakfastAtMimis

not at all, you'd just use it like a fridge with shelves.

if someone doesn't have a freezer, it's 100% better!

You used to work for them but you were surprised they didn't want your fridge?

This! 👏

That freezer is dirty and has missing shelves. Its hardly surprising they would not take that. You haven't photographed the seals so it difficult to tell on the fridge. There is point using floor space for things that will not sell.

*no point

Why would a charity shop want the freezer with missing drawers?! Very few people would want to buy that