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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think charity workers should just be able to take no for an answer

50 replies

mylifemykids · 13/03/2009 12:46

I've just had a knock at the door from a PDSA charity worker. Trying to donate £100,000 a month bla bla (yeah I wasn't really listening). I had the following conversation with him

PDSA: Do you have pets?
MLMK: Only fish
PDSA: And the kids of course
MLMK decides to let that comment go with a
PDSA: The response from the neighbourhood has been fantastic
MLMK thinks 'yeah right look at the manky cats roaming the street'
PDSA: Can we count on you for your support
MLMK: Sorry I can't afford to donate to charity at the moment, if I could I'm not entirely sure it would be an animal charity anyway.
PDSA: Like I said the support in the neighbourhood has been brilliant and most people don't mind giving up a little something a month to donate £2. Surely you can think of something you could sacrafice?
MLMK: Not really, we're on a tight budget as it is
PDSA: Are you serious? Can you really not think of one thing you could give up for £2 a month?
MLMK: No I can't!
PDSA: I don't believe you but I'll leave you to Jeremy Kyle now!!
MLMK slams the door with a slightly bemused look on her face

Surely these charity workers should be able to tell one someone really isn't interested and not pester them! The fact I was eating a dry slice of bread when I answered the door should have been a clue really

OP posts:

AnnVan · 13/03/2009 15:29

YANBU - I had one stop me in pouring rain while I was pg. Told him no I don't give my bank details to random strangers on the sreet, asked for web address, he gave some pathetic excuse as to why they don't have a website ttried to walk off, he followed me. And all this time waddling, feeling sick and getting cold and soggy.

fishie · 13/03/2009 15:33

complain to pdsa mlmk.

all those door to door and street collectors trying to sign you up for direct debits are on commission.

they are not charity workers or fundraisers in the usual sense. they are no different to anyone else trying to sell you something and have no direct link to the charity.

Wizzska · 13/03/2009 15:39

They are a menace, and most of what you give to the charity in the first year just goes on the wages and agency fees of the collectors (or so I heard) so you could be giving to charity for ages and the charity won't see a penny. Better to sign up online to donate to your preferred charity. It is bad enough having to run the gauntlet of these people every day when trying to get to work, let alone if they come to your door and then insult you. I'd have been very rude back.

Botbot · 13/03/2009 15:40

OMG I had almost the same conversation with a PDSA bloke on my doorstep last night. Same script. Except he described it as '30p a day' rather than '£2 a month'. And claimed he was 'doing voluntary work'. Yeah yeah.

Mind you, it started amusingly when I flung the door open and shouted 'HELLO DADDY! DD IS ON THE POTTY!' at him (dp was due home that very moment).

Botbot · 13/03/2009 15:44

He didn't get as far as the Jeremy Kyle snipe, though - that's

MsSpentYouth · 13/03/2009 15:51

YABU to be watching jezza

I worked (only for a day) for woodgreen, (i am sure if you are my FB friend you will have seen my in the god-awful tabard ) and the reason that the people that go door to door are so pushy, is that their pay is 100% commission, they don't get paid anything unless they make a sale.

I couldn't do it, i didn't agree with the way they did it (putting pressure on the elderly) and i didn't like the fact that i didn't get paid for the whole day i worked for them

Original poster

mylifemykids · 13/03/2009 16:30

I WASN'T WATCHING JEREMY KYLE!!!!!

OP posts:

dilemma456 · 13/03/2009 16:30

Message withdrawn

beanieb · 13/03/2009 16:31

what fishie says.

the first question you should ask any ofthose kinds of people is 'so what percentage of my £2 goes towards paying you?'

MsSpentYouth · 13/03/2009 16:37

i know it varies from place to place, but if i had have got somebody to sign up i would have got £24, so thats 3 months worth of donations, 3 months is the minimum amount that they sign you up for.

I thought he said that because he could here it or something, how rude

JeanPoole · 13/03/2009 16:44

how did you manage to not throw water over him?

JeanPoole · 13/03/2009 16:45

its begging in my book.
so rude

sarah76 · 13/03/2009 16:59

Best part about moving out of London is avoiding the multitude of chuggers right outside my office (Holborn/Chancery Lane area). Couldn't go outside at lunchtime without being harassed at least five times during a 10 minute walk, and they seemed to get more and more aggressive--jumping in front of me, blocking the path, following me down the road.

I found headphones and a severe scowl a decent deterrent. Will NEVER EVER give to a charity that employs these tactics. Why would you want to give them money so they can pay people to harass you/everyone else further?

thean · 13/03/2009 17:21

i've found the easiest solution is do it, make sure you tick the data protection then cancel the direct debit with your bank a couple of days later.

Pruners · 13/03/2009 17:39

Message withdrawn

rebee · 13/03/2009 20:49

just to confirm that these people are not from the charities, they work for a profitable making organisation to take a commission from raised to funds

To really get your backs up they work for many different charities so the guy that was shouting the cause for PDSA one day will be shouting about cancer research or UNICEF the day after. Theyare usually commission only or very low basic pay which is why they can be so aggressive and desperate.

(I know all this because I am a sales trainer - for the record an ethical one who refused to work with such a company)

Joe1977 · 13/03/2009 20:52

I hate this method of 'fundraising', YANBU.

I usually say that 'I have direct debits set up for the charities that I chose to give to, I do not wish to discuss my charitable donations with you-Goodbye', I then shut the door without waiting for a reply. I'm usually polite, but this is one thing that really winds me up.

FairLadyRantALot · 13/03/2009 20:56

That was just ....
they can be annoying at the best of times....but that is out of order....I would complain, and am not a big complainer....

We keep having rspca people coming to the door....and as they denied us having one of their dogs on the basis we were armed forces at the time....so....erm...no, I am not gonna give money to them...there are better charities to give too

WelliesAndPyjamas · 14/03/2009 16:35

rebee's right - the charities employ fundraising agencies to plan and manage these campaigns for them (although sometimes some charities try doing it themselves independently) and either raise a set fee or take a cut of what is pledged or gained. It's a competitive market (just think how many charities are fighting for your donation) so they need to be always coming up with new and different ways of making contact with new supporters.

Peronally I think this method has had its day.

MuffinToptheMule · 14/03/2009 17:32

I have found the best solution is denying that you have a bank account. If you really want to piss the chuggers off then let them deliver their whole speech and then tell them at the end that you don't have a bank account. Works a treat!

lizziemun · 14/03/2009 18:18

I fould living in the last house in a close and having no car. So by the time they have knocked on the other 4 houses and not got a reply as everyone else is either at work or out i find i don't get people bothering me .

ConnorTraceptive · 14/03/2009 18:29

I had a guy from the Red Cross yesterday. He mad a big thing about how he wasn't asking for a donation now as it was illegal to go door to door for money. Yes - asking people for their bank details is much better

I always say "sorry I don't give out bank details at the door but if you have a leaflet you would like to leave I will happily take a look" They never have leaflets.

He was actually quite clever with his wording and made it sound like you weren't signing a direct debit form, just registering your interest.

It really pisses me off my neighbour has alzeimers and is really vulnerable to this sort of stuff

JeanPoole · 14/03/2009 18:38

connor thats terrible your poor neighbour.
personally i think it should be illegal.

wotulookinat · 14/03/2009 18:47

YANBU. I hate when they call at the house. It helps when you have two barky dogs!

MaryMotherOfCheeses · 14/03/2009 19:31

Charities need people to sign up on DD for this kind of support. It's very carefully evaluated and it's cost effective to do it. Otherwise they wouldn't.

However, no, they have no right whatsoever to be so rude to you. In fact, it's completely against the code of practice which was introduced some time ago.

If you have a complaint about such fundraisers please contact the charity concerned or the Fundraising Standards Board to voice your complaint.

Personally, I don't enter into a conversation with people on the doorstep. Just say you're not interested, thanks, and close the door.

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