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Original poster

To hate this type of reply on freecycle

63 replies

jenwyn · 10/01/2009 22:23

I go on Freecycle all of the time.Its great to get rid of unwanted items and get new things-and all for free!! Whats not to like?

Most people are lovely and send 'normal' replies but some send things like this

In its entirety...

[ if u still ave these plese send ur a ddress and i will
arrange pik up ]

No name ,salutation or acknowledgement of what was offered.

I know that text speak is all around and not considered rude by those
who indulge but does anyone else agree that this reply is beyond
normal?

OP posts:
chancelloroftheexCHEQUERS · 11/01/2009 13:56

Is anybody else's freecycle a Yahoo group? I know now to check my spam as often replies from freecycylers go straight to that.

I think that's sometimes why people don't reply, has certainly happened to me before.

MarmadukeScarlet · 11/01/2009 14:04

A man I gave well rotted manure to last year (he had to dig his own and provide the sacks) brought me some apples from his garden months later.

But mostly my freecycle giveaways have been a pita.

I recently sold a set of ikea shelves in my local paper (free ad) rather than use freecycle, as I would have previously, as I knew the person would come when they said with a vehicle large enough to remove them.

cat64 · 11/01/2009 14:23

This reply has been deleted

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Notalone · 11/01/2009 14:31

I have been lucky so far with Freecycle. The first item I asked for was a 28 screen tv which I was lucky to be given. I have given away a docking station for digital cameras, a bag of Thomas the Tank Engine goodies and a black bag of toys including a kareoke machine. Each time I have received lovely emails from the people to say thank you. I did the same for the TV too. I usually give the items to the first person who responds but with the Thomas stuff the first person was rude so it went to the first polite responder. I think Freecycle is fab!

ClareVoiant · 11/01/2009 14:37

on the whole i have found freecycle to be great,most stuff has gone quickly,especially a 28inch telly (gone in 60secs as they say,well actually collected within 25mins of posting the message). however,i know what you mean about rudeness,i only got 1 reply for a box of crime thriller books (about 20 books) was along the lines of "wots ur address". i waited to see if anyone else replied, but no one did, so i took them to the charity shop.

MrsGokWan · 11/01/2009 14:55

I love Freecycle. You get the numpties who send rude messages but on the whole people are great.

I put a 3 wheeler pushchair on there recently and had over 30 replies. I always give 24 hours before choosing someone and say this on my ads as not everyone can get on to the site all day and some people only get the digests. I chose a young lady who really needed it. Had a lovely thank you from her and she now comes to the local breast feeding support group that I told her about.

I put a wanted ad up before Christmas and asked for a fridge/freezer. Was offered 3 and replied quickly to one but didn't get a reply back. So replied to the other 2 and again no contact so I put another want ad up saying due to being let doown and have got the most fabby fridge/freezer.

I always thank the person in an email afterwards.

BouncingTurtle · 11/01/2009 15:19

I love freecycle!

I am also, like Jenny, a moderator. We recently banned a person, who sent a horrible email to another person, she's offered a cooker. The person wasn't successful (the person making the offer obviously had a few people respond so had to make a decision).
The person we banned said in her email "thanks very much, because you didn't give me that cooker my children would starve!".

If you do get nasty emails from another member, please forward to your moderators and they will take action.

I do hate text speak, but we are not allowed to alter messages, except to alter titles that do no conform to the correct format, if we can - i.e. if they forget to put "offered" or "wanted" or the location and the location is in the body of the email.

I've offered a few things, always give to people who are polite, don't assume they are the successful applicant by immediately asking for addresses and who live as locally as possible. I recently offered the full set of Buffy videos, the person who I decided to give it to didn't drive and it was a bit awkward to go by bus as they were very heavy, so offered to drop them at her dp's place, as it was very near where I lived. She told me he'll be in after 5, so went around about 5:15 only no-one was home! So left them with his next door neighbour, explaining I would email them to tell them where they were - wasn't wanting to hang around and wait as it was freezing cold and had ds in the car who was wanting his tea.
Never had a thanks or even a confirmation that they received the videos... been a week now!

EachPeachPearMum · 11/01/2009 22:23

Someone just offered an individual cheese slice on out freecycle! It's still fully wrapped....

wotulookinat · 11/01/2009 22:36

It annoys me when people don't email to say thanks, especially if you were out when they collected and left the item out.
The other evening a chap was coming to collect something from me, and I knew I would be out, so told him so but said I would leave them out. The item was gone when I got home, so I presume he collected, but I have had no email to say so. I even emailed him to ask if the item was ok for him - no reply. So rude.

cat64 · 12/01/2009 17:04

This reply has been deleted

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Aubergenie · 12/01/2009 19:26

I think the idea of Freecycle is brilliant, but I'm getting increasingly annoyed by the rudeness of some of the people on it. I've offered stuff to different people who then haven't bothered to get back to me 3 times in the last couple of weeks. It's really annoying because you don't know how long to wait for before offering to someone else.

EachPeachPearMum · 12/01/2009 19:30

cat64 Yes! odd isn't it?

pamelat · 12/01/2009 19:35

I like Freecycle too.

We have given away a dining set and chairs and the family were lovely and emailed me thank you. In fact she emailed me a few weeks later to see if I had given birth yet, was 9 months pregnant at the time. Really sweet of them.

I will probably get shouted at but I would be wary of giving my address out to anyone who wrote to me in text speak.

JustWantToWalkOut · 12/01/2009 19:56

I have had a reply today saying "I'll have it. Send me your address and I'll come and pick it up tonight"

NotADragonOfSoup · 12/01/2009 20:00

Unless they are the only person replying, I disregard anyone that says anything like "I'll have it, when can I pick it up."

NotADragonOfSoup · 12/01/2009 20:04

I always give a couple of days before deciding who to give stuff to. TBH, I hate it actually as I feel I'm letting people down even though I can't give stuff to everyone. This weekend I started getting rid of baby equipment and I feel awful about the people I couldn't give stuff to.

fruitful · 12/01/2009 20:26

Do you think the cheese slice might be a cheese slicer?

cat64 · 12/01/2009 20:56

This reply has been deleted

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EachPeachPearMum · 12/01/2009 21:27

processed cheese slices are something I really love when you want something that you never, ever buy, but is a bit of an illicit treat!
Maybe I should have responded and asked for it?

elkiedee · 13/01/2009 17:47

I'm really irritated now with my local freecycle moderator. I posted lots of careful offered ads today, because we're having a much needed clear out and no one's going to want all the items. It seems to be perfectly effective in terms of people being able to ask about what they're interested in, and I know I don't read offered "Various" unless I know various what. I had a telling off from the moderator. It isn't like there's a tightly limited space there, or as if I'm posting unreasonable wanted ads or anything inappropriate.

I'm stopping myself responding directly to the moderator, as I've put up what I can think of for now, there may be more but it won't be tonight. I don't want to get kicked off, but really, I don't see what I've done wrong.

cat64 · 13/01/2009 19:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

NotADragonOfSoup · 14/01/2009 07:51

Oh that "no multiple offers" thing bugs me too. I do list similar things together (various baby equipment, various kitchen stuff etc) but I think it's far more efficient for people to be able to see roughly what the offer is from the title. I get round it by listing stuff a day apart or at least a good few hours and ignoring the wrist slapping if I get one

tiktok · 14/01/2009 10:12

I think freecycle is great and I have only had one really negative experience. I got several replies to an item and I emailed the lot of them (apart from the rude people and the ones who used textspeak!!) and said the first person to call me on my mobile and arrange to pick up could have it. It was duly collected. I then got a text on my mobile from someone else asking when could they have it, and I texted back saying, sorry, it had gone. I then got two very abusive and sweary texts

I told the mods and he was banned.

I think the mods do very well, by the way - it's a great service.

I must have freecycled 20 items and I have had an email to say thanks precisely once

OTOH, they do thank you at the time and most people are very nice and appropriatelt grateful!

Fimbo · 14/01/2009 10:18

I use a Mac and cannot get on to Freecycle, can any of you moderators help?

BouncingTurtle · 14/01/2009 10:48

Fimbo - I don't use a Mac, sorry. I shall ask the other mods and see if they cannot suggest anything.
You know you have to set up a Yahoo mail account to use Freecycle?

BTW with my Freecycle, we have no objection to people posting lots of "Offered" posts rather just one with various, but we do tend to clamp down on lots of Wanted posts though - as we don't want to have too many messages being posted, IYSWIM, coz people just get fed up of their inboxes being flooded out.

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