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.

I also think - as a charity shop volunteer - that this idea that "someone will get use out of it" is what causes us SO many issues. Sorry OP but your fridge is old, has two drawers missing and the rubber seals do look yellow and old. Yes it might work and keep things cold, but it's not in decent condition. You clearly don't think it's in good condition either or you'd be keeping it. And as the mattress is unwrapped, they only have your word for it that it's brand new.

Disposing of things which can't ever be sold costs charities money, especially things like a fridge. The cost of recycling an old fridge is about £30. Why should a charity be lumbered with that bill when your old fridge doesn't find a buyer?

Also - accepting Christmas stock now means we have to store it for the next 8 months before putting it out for sale in November. When your stock room is the size of the average bedroom, that is a massive issue. I would - politely - refuse a Christmas tree too, and other bulky stuff I have refused recently are things like TV units, prams, ride on toys. We just don't have the room for them.

Could you not post them for free on Facebook or free cycle?

I searched a few local charity shops for a small freezer last month OP to store raw dog food in. Yours would have been ideal. In the end I had to buy one.

As for ‘clicks’. Language has regional variations. Who da thunk it?

Did you tell the the freezer had two drawers missing? I can see why they wouldn't take that because it would be very hard to sell.
Maybe someone who's desperate would take it for free if you stick it on FB.

The mattress sounds fine but please tell us what you mean by clicks? Is that a typo?

it's very unlikely that they're paid; they'll be there volunteering, be that of their own volition, part of a work experience scheme, etc
Work experience schemes will often be designed for those with learning difficulties, but of course only your own ND matters.
Many charity shops operate with no paid staff, others with maybe one paid manager and a team of volunteers.
Particularly with large items that would be costly to dispose of if they're not able to sell, of course they will only take items they know will sell easily.
Most charity shops exist to raise money for the charity that operates them, not as many unfortunately see them, as a dumping ground for stuff people no longer want.

Even volunteers are representing the charity. Being a volunteer not an employee is not a good enough reason to represent the charity badly.

Donating big items to charity is way more hassle than it's worth in my experience. I'm never trying it again. It's easier and more productive to offer it on a local Facebook group.

We had a charity refuse to take a sofa because of a couple of small scratches. We'd told them the scratches were there and sent photos asking if they wanted it or not. They'd insisted it was fine and they wanted it then refused to take on the day of collection. The guys who turned up were just rude, they really weren't pleasant to deal with. I wouldn't have minded if they said no originally but I do mind having my time wasted. Still hold a grudge against that charity!

I do agree with this. There is never any excuse for rudeness.

I'm oy not keeping it because I need a single fridge freezer due to the layout of my kitchen!

They took and sold a lot worse when I was there!

Glad you got rid of them, I'm lucky that we have a car so can get rid of stuff at the tip, including items you listed, that probably only need a new plug (we do try fuses ect because were not rich)

I can kind of understand, large charity shops have really high standards and electricals have to be tested and dated by them, as obviously if I bought a kettle and got an electric shock, they'd be in trouble lol. But I don't think you're a liar at all! ❤

Tell them where to stick the fat end of a pineapple.

I had a similar experience OP!

To be fair, a lot of people try to donate any old shit to charity shops and get mad when they're anything but thankful. People frequently use charities as dumping grounds because it's the most convenient way for them to get rid of stuff. It's absolutely tiring and can cost a charity a lot of money when they need to dispose of items. People leave bags and bags of stuff on the floor outside under giant signs that ask them not to, and it all ends up costing the charity money to bin after it's been destroyed in the rain or unsellable crap to begin with. I've volunteered for charities before and encountered many volunteers who are rightly sick of people using it as a dumping ground and expected to be thanked for it.

Obviously it's not acceptable for anyone to be rude, but after seeing the cheek of people and what they try to "donate", I'd say try not to take it too personally and cut them some slack.

And with all due respect, a charity doesn't want a freezer with broken drawers. That is not a thoughtful donation.

At least there's a happy ending for everyone where the charity hasn't been lumbered with items they don't work and you have managed to get some money for them.

At a guess I'd say BHF, a friend had a dreadful time with all of her donations being rejected for one reason or another.

@EmptyTheFrickingBins

You need a bit of Charity Shop Sue.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sGo7YOM0PCs

I once bought a huge bag of peas by mistake, the bag is ziplock. I now place the regular size pea bags in it.

The attitude of the driver (who wouldn’t have been paid and would’ve been a volunteer) should not reflect badly on the charity itself and the work that they do.

Sometimes people forget that charities don’t exist for you to just make yourself look/feel like a good person.

For example Before the BHF existed, the majority of babies diagnosed with a severe heart defect in the UK did not survive to their first birthday. Today, thanks to research, more than eight out of ten survive to adulthood.

What do you expect to achieve by private messaging people the name of the charity and effectively slandering them?

Because without the BHF my daughter wouldn’t be alive today. So maybe think about that.

Why not donate the money you made from selling it to the charity? Or were you only donating the items to them to save yourself time and effort 🤔

The charity will know what will or won’t sell.

Unfortunately many people have little understanding of the costs involved in transporting, storing and disposing of large items that do not sell. White goods and beds in particular have to be almost pristine for people to wish to buy. This is why so few charities collect or sell furniture.

It is a pretty difficult conversation explaining to someone that items are not good enough to be taken by the charity. Particularly if they have been kindly offered. It may feel rude to be turned down, even if the person was polite.

I agree with you on people who try to dump their rubbish at charity shops, but that is no reason to be rude to others.

Funny how the charity shop didn't want OP's items, but she had no trouble finding homes for them - which surely shows that, despite the charity shop's fussy attitude, there is a market for goods such as hers.

Charity shops here generally take anything which is still useable. Where do people get good but cheap stuff in the UK?

Incidentally I used to work in our local recycling shop, who also weren't fussy and took everything clean and useable, and it's amazing what people will buy.

Let's not forget that one person's idea of rudeness is another person's idea of truth.

None of us were there, we only get to read the Op's version of the conversation.

altho we do have a photo of the freezer, without the broken drawers...

I can find absolutely nothing on the wide internet that connects damaging fabric with “click,” which may be my fault, I admit. So to someone saying they’d heard it or “fabric can be clicked,” could you show me even a single source on that? Because I was almost wondering if this post, especially with the amount of times OP used the word, was just to check how many people would ask what the absolute fuck clicks are. Like the Emperor’s New Clicks.

The charity shop is not a free refuse collection service. Looking at those photos @EmptyTheFrickingBins has posted, none of that stuff is good enough to be sold on in a charity shop. The freezer has missing drawers, both the fridge and the freezer have damaged seals (you can see the damage to the painted-coating where the seals should make contact with the frame on the photos), and the mattress has substantial snagging and cannot be described as new, however few minutes you actually lay on it. If they were to take it away, they would be extremely unlikely to sell any of it and would have to pay to dispose of it at the local tip.

Maybe depends on the area - but there's quite a few independent junk shops around here (and Emmaus are great) and they'll take anything not broken.

Alternatively, everything (even broken) will be taken from the front of my house in mere hours. I've been surprised by what goes!

And equally, I sometimes root through charity shops for the most obscure items and it is great when I can find just the right pair of deep soup spoons for 50p or the top part of a bureau or broken chest of drawers that I can use the oak from.

Some furniture charities are so bogged down in their own rules, that they look more like a glitter-bombed Chinese ikea than a pre-loved or vintage shop.

I have had a couple of annoying occasions with donating furniture to charity and 2 of them were with BHF who we originally chose to donate to because of a family member who had benefitted from their research.

The first time my Gran was downsizing and had some retro (but very in style and desirable now) items, a table and 4 chairs and a sideboard. When the men came to collect they said the table and 2 sideboards weren't desirable but they might take the chairs. They made my normally very placid and calm Gran so upset (they were very rude and off hand) she told them not to worry. I sold the items for her on ebay and got £270 for it all.

I then wanted to donate 2 solid hardwood sideboards. I filled out the form online, sent photos and then had a phone call from the manager of the shop to arrange a collection time. She said they looked lovely (they were in as new condition). When the men came they refused to take one and begrudgingly said they would take the other. When I asked why they wouldn't take both of them they said it was because it wouldn't sell. When I said I had sent photos and the manager had said they wanted it, they said she had no idea what sold and what didn't! They took one of the sideboards and I decided to keep the other one in the end.

After all this when DMIL needed to donate a bed with mattress and a coffee table we decided to go with a local charity which puts together furniture packages for people who are being housed by the council and have nothing. I agreed to wait in for them to collect. They had said they needed to check the bed and mattress all over to check it was in good enough condition which was fine, but when they went to leave they asked for money which they said was a donation for the charity taking the items. There had been no mention of this on the website or when I'd phoned to arrange collection. DMIL wasn't very well off herself so wouldn't have had money to give and I didn't have any cash on me. I explained I was not aware we were expected to give a donation and I had no cash. They sort of snorted at me and left with out saying a word.

Now I either sell things on facebook marketplace, or if I need something gone quickly Freecycle. The thing that really upset me was when I go in the BHF furniture shop the prices are so high for 2nd hand goods (in some cases they really do sell chipped Ikea things for the same or more than brand new ones), and they have the same things in for months. Also in the case of my Gran's items her things were in really good condition yet quite a bit of the things in the shop are very shabby. I get that the shop workers will know what will and won't sell. But certainly in my shop there is not a very fast turnover, which I think must be to do with price.