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AIBU?

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Original poster

Freecycle requests: ATBU?

86 replies

mamamea · 21/09/2009 00:57

From the last few days:

"hi there i dont believe my luck this week but my telly has just broken down and
i am using my little portable one at the mo . i am skint till next pay day and
wondered if anyone had a spare 32 or bigger screen telly i could have .. maybe
if you upgrading to newer telly or had one lying about .. it would be very
appreciated .."

Plenty of TVs going, but 32" or bigger?

"WANTED - DISHWASHER

Our machine has just broken and is beyond repair - we have a new kitchen coming
but not until November could anyone save us in the interim as we don't want to
have to end up buying two."

Can't do washing up even for six weeks?

"WANTED please CAR or VAN

A friend of mine is out of work and would like to have a VEHICLE in good
condition, so that he could accept a job with a company that requires him to
have his own CAR or VAN..."

Lend him yours then....

"I want a Nintendo for my daughter but does not have the funds in these financial
times that we live in. Her birthday is in October, but I would like to get it
before that if possible.Thanks for anyone that can help in regards to that"

Nintendo what? Wii? You should be so lucky. 15 year old Super Nintendo ? Quite possibly.

OP posts:
thesecondcoming · 22/09/2009 22:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MissM · 23/09/2009 09:08

I was thinking this just yesterday when I looked at the bulletin. First of all someone asked for donations to virtually refurnish her house (she said she'd split up from her husband which is sad but still). Then in the her next post she was saying 'oh yes and the kids have asked me for bikes so has anyone got any going spare'. I was a bit at that, marriage break-up or not.

CMOTdibbler · 23/09/2009 09:20

Yesterday we had 'need a 32' LCD TV for partners teen to play games on'

risingstar · 23/09/2009 09:34

i now refuse to freecycle using the site. if we have anything that we don't want (eg when we had our new kitchen last year)I asked friends and family, and if there were no takers, i stuck an announcement on the intranet at work along the lines of "if anyone is setting up home, has a kid about to leave home and could use these let me know". Similar with baby equipment. At least I know it is going to someone who will appreciate it.

TheLadyEvenstar · 23/09/2009 09:39

LOL @ freecycle staging a rebellion...
I own/moderate the local group and we are now Freegle. The reason for this is

Freegle is a new UK-wide umbrella organisation, formed by experienced volunteers and members of the free reuse community.

Most Freegle groups were formerly part of The Freecycle Network. However, progressively since its beginnings, it became evident that Freecycle changed radically under our feet while we were working to continue its success. This created an untenable situation for hundreds of volunteers in the UK. After patient and skilled negotiations with the founder of The Freecycle Network failed, Freegle was formed.

We are really excited to now be Freegle! All groups within Freegle belong to a truly grassroots movement that values and respects its members and volunteers. And in the process, we continue to keep usable items out of landfill. We are looking forward to welcoming new groups into the Freegle family.

that is the brief reason why and I shall not add anymore to it.

As for the wanted ads they do get OTT. As Mod of my local group I approve messages which I feel are fair/correctly written etc. I had one the other day
Wanted Whole household of furniture

my girlfriend and I are expecting our first child and I have been given a flat by the council. I am on benefits and cannot furnish it, my girlfriend does not work as she is 14 and still in school.

we need beds cot everything really let me know if you have it i want it.

Oddly enough I did not approve that one!

nymphadora · 23/09/2009 09:43

I am fed up with offering stuff which then isn't good enough for the people who want it. TV to small, microwave too basic etc!

I posted a wanted on mine for : people with manners

as I was fed up of all the yeah , I'll have that replies. I got about 50 replies to it so I obviously wasn't being too demanding

MissM · 23/09/2009 09:44

This is interesting LadyEvenstar as my local group is now Freegle. I did wonder how posts are moderated - clearly that one's obvious, but surely the kind that people are citing above are also a bit dubious? I have absolutely no problem with the 'wanted' posts (and have used them myself with varying levels of success), but surely asking for TVs, washing machines, beds, dishwashers etc. is a bit much? Is there any way of creating some kind of general rule re. value or is that just too impossible to moderate?

StrictlyAvadaKedavra · 23/09/2009 09:46

Someone posted on mine yesterday for Tibetan Singing Bowls... in a small northern Scottish town?!

Jux · 23/09/2009 09:50

I got so fed up with unreasonable demands on our local freecycle that we stopped using it and now go to pre-loved instead. Not sure how it works as dh does it all.

MissM · 23/09/2009 09:50

Hey nymphadora, I saw that post! You're either in the same area as me or there's other people asking for good manners on Freecycles around the country!

Someone on our also posted 'Offered: nothing' then went on to say that he was so fed up with people not turning up/things not being good enough for them that he was going to take everything to the tip. Sad, but kind of understandable.

Oh, and the lady who wanted the furniture and the bikes also wanted someone to deliver the lot!

TheLadyEvenstar · 23/09/2009 09:59

MissM on my group, i do not allow these wanted ads. Obviously I do allow some wanteds but to stop the frequent Oh I want a dishwasher/washing machine/ferrari etc I keep most members on moderation. In fact all but 4 are on moderation and I have 11498 members. As you can imagine it gets pretty time consuming when I am expected to edit posts which are not correctly written....hence my reason for deleting them now.

TheLadyEvenstar · 23/09/2009 10:03

This wanted has just come to me to be approved

Hi,

My 2 bikes have been stolen and I just don't want to buy a new one becouse there
is no point unfortunately

errrr well buy second hand ones then!

nymphadora · 23/09/2009 10:04

Miss M- Cumbria?

carocaro · 23/09/2009 10:04

you are being totally unreasonable and missing the point entirely.

it's not a shop and people are asking for what they would like if anyone has one that they don't want or need

why does it bother you so much? if you have nothing to offer or there is nothing you want, why get huffy about what others want?

go and do something more useful with your time.

TheLadyEvenstar · 23/09/2009 10:07

Carocaro, its not the fact that people are asking for items it is the frequency and the value of items asked for and also the way messages are written in such a demanding way.

It is one thing to put on a wanted posting for a house phone and another entirely to put one on for a washing machine.

If people actually spent time reading the offered postings they would see these are often offered.

I have a policy of 2 wanteds a month....seems to be working.

ILoveStripeySocks · 23/09/2009 10:07

Ive posted a few wants, for example a local newspaper that I hadnt bought, and found out afterwards that my DD had been in it ( i got lots of lovely replies to this one) and some for cot sheets (when DS was ill & i was not coping with the few sheets i had).

someone recently asked for a fully usable caravan for a family of 6!

alwayslookingforanswers · 23/09/2009 10:10

"but surely asking for TVs, washing machines, beds, dishwashers etc. is a bit much? "

sorry - didn't realise I shouldn't have asked for a washing machine and bed on behalf of DH when we separated when he was handing washing his clothes in the bath (and he gets back trouble) and was sleeping on the floor

If people offer those things - what's wrong with someone else posting a wanted for them? Often if you're desperate for something like that it's extremely difficult to get in quick enough when they're offered

And yes in the past when I've asked for stuff or replied to an offer I've asked if they can deliver. I don't drive - and there's only so much stuff you can hang on the handles of a cheap stroller.

alwayslookingforanswers · 23/09/2009 10:14

yes they're often offered, and only one person is going to get the item.

and thank god our moderator isn't too strict on badly written posts, not everyone has A level English.

JustBe · 23/09/2009 10:26

Hi TheLadyEvenstar

Will there be a Glasgow group on the Freegle site soon?

TheLadyEvenstar · 23/09/2009 10:27

Always, I am on about postings not having the postcode in the subject line. That and asking for pets are my only real no no. I only stopped the frequent wanted posts for large items when they became ridiculous. I do allow them but only 2 wanted posts per member a month. And I also look into what they have asked for previously. some members ask for the same things every few months which then becomes suspicious.

You will also find that all moderators are strict on the postings being written correctly I am sure you get the "how to write a subject line" email once a month?

MissM · 23/09/2009 10:32

Ah no nymphadora, the West Midlands!

Alwayslooking - you are completely justified in asking for those things as are probably the majority of people. I am really happy to give unwanted stuff to people who are genuinely in need and generally people are very grateful. I once delivered my old office chair to a lady on the third floor of an apartment with my baby and toddler because she had limited mobility.

I think what people object to or feel a bit about is the way people ask as if they should expect these things, and the frequency of some people's demands. I do see the same people asking for large items again and again and wonder sometimes if they are simply looking for a cheap way to furnish a house they are renting out (there are a lot of student landlords in this area for example).

Being desperate for something is one thing, but asking for something 'because the kids want them and by the way can you deliver' isn't the best way to ask favours of complete strangers.

TheLadyEvenstar · 23/09/2009 10:34

Justbe, if there is not one already you yourself can apply to start one. I will find the address for you to apply to.

bumpsoon · 23/09/2009 11:34

I personally dont mind people asking for washing machines /cookers/fridges as these are the more expensive basics of living in a house and when i was a single parent i would of loved the opportunity to get a new old one when my died .However i would expect it to be used and as long as it worked that would be all i required of it , i do think people have become a bit picky in their wants .

snorkie · 23/09/2009 11:58

Interesting about 'freegle'. Our freecycle group has just become 'recycle' for similar reasons - why the two splinter groups & not just one I wonder?

The Wanteds don't bother me much. Some seem very reasonable and others are clearly chancers, but so what?

I think the concept is brilliant and I have both donated and received lots of stuff and mostly met very nice individuals along the way.

TheLadyEvenstar · 23/09/2009 12:11

Snorkie, all groups were invited to join to freegle...not sure why your local one hasn't.