God I hate charities!

[Kool]

Okay, I don't really hate charities per say. I just wish they would leave me alone. For years I had 4 charities that I gave too a couple of times a year. I don't make much money but was comfortable with this. Then about a year ago one (or maybe all) of them sold my contact info to some national "soft touch" list. Now i get hassled every day, sometimes several times a day by every charity in existence. I would try and be nice but they're really pushy and obnoxious. They try and guilt me with their "but if you could just give 10 or 20 dollars you could make such a difference" Yeah right, if I just gave 10 or 20 bucks to every one of you bastids I wouldn't have any money left. The last couple of months it's gotten really insane with one in particular calling 4 or 5 times a day. Now as soon as anybody calls and asks for "Mr Kool" or "Hi is this *******" (the long full version of my first name which absolutely no one I want to talk to uses) I don't even let them speak, I just say "NO ABSOLUTELY NOT! I will never give to a phone solicited charity again. Please take me off your call list" then I hang up. It doesn't do any good though because the same damn place will call again in an hour or so. And the "Do not call list" doesn't apply to charities

It's sad really because I don't even give to my original charities anymore and I can't be the only one who has been turned off by these aggressive ass_holes :mad:

[morea]

man, that's low. You would almost think that they would keep your contact information private, because if you start giving to some other charity you have less to give to them.

phone solicitors - even for charities - can be so belligerent! It always makes me feel bad to hang up on them, but they really leave you no choice.

[Navian]

That makes for an interesting question...

If they are a "charity", why are they "selling" information? If they are "selling" anything, then they are making a profit, then they are no longer a charity.

A good charity would not sell your information, they would respect you enough to keep it confidential.

[mac.FINN]

I hear you.

My gf bought tickets to the Shiner's Circus for charity on the phone. Now we get calls every day and about 6 letters a week. The letters aren't too bad as there's a junk bin in the mail room.

And I've learned to deal with the phone calls (in fun ways :D), but my gf is so nice on the phone. They're pushy, I can't stand them.

[cornfed]

I had one call me years ago. I told them to hang on cause my husband was beating me with a cast iron skillet. They actually sat there while I screamed. Then I came back to the phone and they actually continued with their schpeel. I couldnt' believe it! They didn't even ask if I was ok.

BTW, my husband wasn't really beating me. We planned it in advance for the next caller!

[morea]

you could always try these responses to use with telemarketers (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3655)

[idaho]

Keep an air horn by the phone. When one of the ass holes calls give 'em an ear full!

[Patrick Shannon]

Keep an air horn by the phone. When one of the ass holes calls give 'em an ear full!

Used to do this quite often before my neighbors questioned what was up :D

[Kool]

Ack! I just got another one. One of those machine dialed ones where when you pick it up there is no one there. It's only 8:30 here and of course it woke my wife up who works nights, phucken bastards.

[Virgo Nightingale]

I had the Dove Foundation on my caller ID memory forever. I finally called them to figure out what the hell they wanted. The woman was all flabbergasted (I guess she wasn't expecting to be called, she usually does the calling), and starts explaining that they're a charity seeking to increase funding for more childrens' television programming. I nearly lost it. I said "More childrens' programming? There should be less! Kids should be outside playing, running around, exercising their bodies and brains in the real world, not sitting in front of the boob tube turning into obese diabetic zombies! Take me off your list!" Never heard from them again.

[daSnarf]

Charities are exempt from the Do Not Call list?

[Virgo Nightingale]

Charities are exempt from the Do Not Call list?
Yes. So are surveys. That's the only thing that pisses me off about that list. Granted, I don't get random telemarketing calls anymore, but the way I see it, I'm paying money for a private phone line. If I didn't personally give you my phone number, you have no right to call me, I don't give a sh!t who you are. Private means private.

[EC]

I get the same thing Kool, it drives me MENTAL.

[Exodus]

I had a one last week. (Dove Foundation) I pretended I was in the middle of having sex with my wife. (She played along! :D) They stuttered for a few seconds then hang up. I wish I had it recorded. :p

[Mynock]

Yeah me too! Why can't the environment save itself? Why don't the poor just get jobs? I mean come on.

[morea]

I had a one last week. (Dove Foundation) I pretended I was in the middle of having sex with my wife. (She played along! :D) They stuttered for a few seconds then hang up. I wish I had it recorded. :p

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c343/gdfmorea/silly%20things/rofl.gif

[balou]

I am really amazed with working from home that we don't get more of these types of calls. Just the occassional call from "The Wisconsin Sherriff's Association" or similar. I always ask them what percentage of each dollar goes to the end recipient and if they can't answer (which they never can) I tell them to take me off their list.

[Jackimalyn]

I wish I had it recorded. :p

Yea me too!

lol.

it really sucks that because you are generous you get screwed over. The people who work at those places must have no soul. I dont know how they can do that day in and day out

[urstwile]

You know, it's weird that I rarely get these kinds of calls, because I've donated to a few charities, plus I subscribe to Mother Jones and The Nation magazines, which I'd think would put me on the soft touch list as well. About the only time I ever get a call is from Mother Jones asking me to donate to their journalism fund. And the occasional survey. But that's about it.

[Exodus]

I get surveys through the mail but I haven't had one over the phone... Ofcourse, now that I said that, I'll get one.

[balou]

When I was in my early 20's I worked part-time for a telemarketing co. doing phone surveys. It helped me make my car payment back then. The people doing it are just doing it for a paycheck. At least they have a job.

[CamarotaDesign]

yeah, I really only get pissed when they call before 10am on a weekend. Otherwise I just kinda go, "sorry,. not interested" hangup.

Works pretty good.

[Rocketpig]

I also hate charities, but not because they call me. I just dislike people who care about others.

[idaho]

We don't get any calls from charities but the universities we attended bug the hell out of us for money. As if we hadn't already given them $30k each! Bastards!!!

Lately we've been getting calls from debt collectors which is interesting since we're not delinquent on ANYTHING. Apparently the person who had our number last has never paid any of her bills. The first few times we explained what was going on, very politely I might add. They don't believe us. About the only thing we can do is change our phone number and I don't really want to do that.

Here's the funny part... they now have an automated calling system. It always says "Please return my call at ###-###-####. You will be speaking to a debt collections agent...yada, yada, yada." Now tell me this, who in their right freaking mind will actually call them back? Especially if they are behind on their payments???

Morons!!!

[MyST]

I had a one last week. (Dove Foundation) I pretended I was in the middle of having sex with my wife. (She played along! :D) They stuttered for a few seconds then hang up. I wish I had it recorded. :p

Thanks alot! You just ruined it for the rest of us who actually are having sex when they call. You just know thay aren't going to believe us now.

[Exodus]

Sorry Myst! ;)

[Riya]

Kool, you should try what my father does:

Telemarketer: Hello this is Bob from XYZ charity and I'm calling abo...

Dad: Oh, I am so glad you called back. I usually don't do this sort of thing, but times have been so tough, and what with ten kids and thier mother dead and the youngest in the hospital and the oldest ran away to the circus and the twins in jail, I just can't seem to make ends meet.... (this goes on and on for quite some time, then he asks how much he can expect to get from them.

[budafist]

My friends were talking about greenpeace calling them every other day to get them to up their weekly donation amounts. No, they would say, I'm a poor student. Fair enough I say.

It ended up causing all my friends to terminate their auto payments.

[Abyssinian1]

The charities that bother me are not the ones calling or mailing me. I just don't choose to answer phone calls when I don't know the caller's number. Direct mail, unless its something I want, goes into File 13. What I'm talking about are the school fundraisers. For the love of Don Corleone (cue violin music) can't we at least fund our public schools so that the kids that go to them don't have to resort to peddling junk door to door? I, as a non-parent, have been hit up and publicly shaken down by my coworkers kids, dressed in a tie and a suits, to buy chocolate bars as a fundraiser. I bought 5. And I'm a Type 1 diabetic. Gotti would be proud of these tykes. :cool: I'm willing to pay my co-workers extra money NOT to have to order things I can't eat from school fundraisers. Sort of like protection cash, eh?

*sighs*

You feel like you can't say no, especially when it's parents taking an order sheet to school and hustling wrapping paper so their kids can afford an art teacher (irony anyone?). I mean, you can't say no because you see these people EVERY day and you hope that if the time comes and you need a favor *cracks knuckles* they might remember who bought two large $25 tubs of chocolate chip cookie dough and helped little Samantha meet her classes's fundraising goals for art supplies.... Capish?

[fredrich]

I get some random calls, but I don't usually go all out. But I wish I would be more creative as I'm answering the phone, other than the usual "I'm not interested". There are a lot of good and funny ideas to play on one of these telephone sellers, just gotta man up and execute them.

[budafist]

My bf sponsors a child ($40 a month), but just got a letter requesting an extra $120 a month to help her. Damn charities!