&%#@^*!% charities!

[Hawkmoon]

I HATE it when charities try to sucker me.

Just had another phone call (gotta wonder why I signed up for the do not call list, since it doesn't stop anyone from calling), this one from the American Heart Association. Would I help out by "just" addressing and mailing four cards to my neighbors on ___ Street. She made it sound like all I would have to do was spend five minutes copying the addresses they send me onto envelopes, and provide the stamps to mail them.

And that's the scam. I fell for it once, several years ago. When my "kit" arrived, I found that I was expected to do more than put stamps and addresses on the envelopes. First, they want you to sign the cards. That tells your neighbors that you have endorsed the charity, and I suppose it's intended to make your neighbors more likely to donate if they think one of their neighbors is personally involved.

But that's not all. If your neighbors make a donation, the card tells them to send it to you, personally. Then YOU are supposed to keep track of the donations and forward them to the charity after some suitable length of time has elapsed.

Sorry. I have heart problems, and I support research into causes and cures. But I don't know enough about any heart or cancer or ___ charity to endorse their fund-raising activities, and I'm not about to take responsibility for their money.

The worst part, though, is the sneaky, underhanded way they try to sucker "volunteers" into this process. On today's call, I asked the nice woman, "Are you sure that's ALL I have to do?" It took a bit of prying on my part before she finally acknowledged that addressing and mailing the cards was only the beginning of what I would be expected to do.

Nope. Call some other sucker. Any organization that won't even be honest about what they want volunteers to do IMHO isn't worth the effort to spit on.

[Boomhauer]

That's just the stupidest *expletive deleted*it I have ever heard of (not you, but the whole "address envelopes to your neighbors and receive and forward any donations" crap).

I hate it when retail companies make their cashiers ask me "would you like to donate a dollar to ABC charity". That annoys the *expletive deleted*ck out of me. Yes, I know it's a tax break for the company to do that. It's just annoying and aggravating.

[cambeul41]

Hawkmoon —

Thank you for the info. I now feel better about refusing to participate.

[never_retreat]

That's just the stupidest *expletive deleted* it I have ever heard of (not you, but the whole "address envelopes to your neighbors and receive and forward any donations" crap).

I hate it when retail companies make their cashiers ask me "would you like to donate a dollar to ABC charity". That annoys the *expletive deleted* ck out of me. Yes, I know it's a tax break for the company to do that. It's just annoying and aggravating.

The only 2 that don't bother me too much is the grocery store asking for donations to a local food bank and pet smart asking for donations to a local animal shelter.
I guess they don't bug me because it is a local charity not the red cross. Who by the way can eat shat and die in my book.

[Chuck Dye]

My stock answer tells the caller that they have automatically disqualified themselves and their company or organization with the cold call.

[MechAg94]

That's just the stupidest *expletive deleted* it I have ever heard of (not you, but the whole "address envelopes to your neighbors and receive and forward any donations" crap).

I hate it when retail companies make their cashiers ask me "would you like to donate a dollar to ABC charity". That annoys the *expletive deleted* ck out of me. Yes, I know it's a tax break for the company to do that. It's just annoying and aggravating.

I hate them asking to contribute at the register also.  I have a few charities I give directly to.  I don't need to give through someone else.  I have no way of knowing if all that money goes to the charity or not. 

I have never heard of that tactic with charity calls.  Maybe since I no longer have a land line phone I just don't get the calls like I used to.  Thanks for the heads up.  The worst I used to have were the charity groups wanting you to commit to giving on the phone. 

[Hawkmoon]

The worst I used to have were the charity groups wanting you to commit to giving on the phone. 

Yeah, the old pledge gambit.

And they won't take "No" for an answer. I can't hate the callers too much, because they're paid to follow a script. It's the jerkwads who write the scripts who should burn in Hell for eternity.

Caller: "Can we count on you for a small donation of $100 this year?" (Implying that I must have given last year -- which is unlikely.)

Me: "I'm sorry, I'd like to help but my wife just died, I just had open heart surgery, my daughter started college this year and my hours at work have just been cut. I'm afraid I can't afford to make a donation this year."

Caller: "I know things are tough for everyone this year. If you can't afford $100, can we count on you to help us out with a pledge of $75, or even $50?"

Me: "Was there some part of 'No' that you didn't understand?"

<click>

Recognizing that they're just doing a thankless (and mindless) job, I'll be courteous at the start. Once they ignore "No" and keep pressing, courtesy goes out the window.

[zxcvbob]

I just say "No thank-you" or "Sorry, not interested."  and hang up on any phone solicitor.  I often don't even let them finish the first 2 sentences.  It's better for my blood pressure that way, and it wastes less time.

I do supports several charities, but not over the phone.

[Cliffh]

For those who won't take NO for an answer, I keep an air horn next to the most used phone.

SWMBO has asked for a heads-up before using it.

[Perd Hapley]

How is it possible for someone on the other end of a phone to "not take 'no' for an answer"?

Hang. Up. 

[Northwoods]

I can't remember the last time I had to deal with a phone soliciter.  Maybe not having a land is part of that.

[vaskidmark]

Again the designated Luddite rears his ugly head -

There is some apparently not-so-new fangled thing called "Caller ID".

If I haven't entered a number as a contact I ignore the call and let it fall into voicemail, where I'll check it at my leisure.

My land line exists only for my medical alert thingy.  (Help, I'm in V-Tach and my defibrilator just shocked me for the X>2 time.)  Everything else goes to a voicemail that I have not listened to in so long I forget how long it's been.  I may use it to call folks who I never want to have call me back.

I'm probably inundated with robocalls and hucksters trying to sell the cure for not winning the Nigerian Lottery but I remain blissfullly unaware.

stay safe.

[Hawkmoon]

Again the designated Luddite rears his ugly head -

There is some apparently not-so-new fangled thing called "Caller ID".

I have heard rumours of such technology. I think caller ID on my land line would be an extra charge per month, and I know it would require buying a new telephone thingie -- and then trying to decide which phone in the house would be the one to replace with the caller ID thingie.

[Tuco]

How is it possible for someone on the other end of a phone to "not take 'no' for an answer"?

Hang. Up. 

There are certain personalities that cannot consider it a "win" unless the telemarketer hangs up first.
These same personalities must win at any cost.

We see that around here quite often.

Tuco, armchair psychologist.

[Hawkmoon]

There are certain personalities that cannot consider it a "win" unless the telemarketer hangs up first.
These same personalities must win at any cost.

Speaking (okay, writing) only for myself, I don't consider it to be about "winning," or to be a contest of wills. The drones making these calls don't write the script, and they don't get paid a lot for what must be a pretty awful job. So I'm willing to extend a modicum of courtesy, that extends as far as hearing out the initial request and responding. It's when I say "I'm sorry, I can't contribute" and they keep on pushing that it becomes irritating.

One might think common sense would tell them to say "Thank you," and move on to the next victim. But the people who write the scripts don't see it that way, and I suppose the drones would be penalized or fired if they didn't persist with pushing for a lower/smaller donation. That's where the limits of my courtesy expire. Once they keep going after I decline to contribute, they get a hang-up. I was brought up that it's rude to hang up on someone, but sometimes it's the only way to deal with it.

[Perd Hapley]

I was brought up that it's rude to hang up on someone, but sometimes it's the only way to deal with it.

People were talking about those who wouldn't take no for an answer. In those cases, they're really not giving you an amicable way to end the conversation. They're the ones being rude, so hanging up is perfectly acceptable. You can also sneak in a "Nothankyouhaveaniceday" before you hang up, if it feels better that way.

I have friends who go door-to-door, inviting people to church. I tried it myself, a time or two. People slam the door sometimes, and I can't blame them. They do other things that are really uncalled for, but you can't get too upset about someone who just wants to end the conversation. They don't want to talk to you. That's that. Cold-calling is what it is.

Just because we're on the subject - that time I did the door-to-door thing, one lady came to the door that had just cut her hand, and was bleeding. I think in that case, no one could have blamed her for just shutting the door in our faces, but she didn't want to be "rude," so she talked to us for a while. People are funny.

[Hawkmoon]

Just because we're on the subject - that time I did the door-to-door thing, one lady came to the door that had just cut her hand, and was bleeding. I think in that case, no one could have blamed her for just shutting the door in our faces, but she didn't want to be "rude," so she talked to us for a while. People are funny.

Slight digression for a funny (and true) story:

Many years ago, just after graduating from graduate school I became engaged to a young woman whom I had met on campus. I was a student, she worked in a faculty office. When I graduated I moved back to my home state to find a job, while she remained in the university city while we planned the wedding. I visited her about every other weekend. We were good little boy and girl (in those days), so I slept on the couch in the living room of her apartment.

One Sunday morning, just as breakfast was ready to be served, there came a knock on the door. We answered, and it was a family of Jehovah's Witnesses, wanting to engage us in some witnessing. Both my fiancee and I really REALLY wanted to eat breakfast before it cooled off too much, but we were trying to be polite and hear out the nice folks -- but we were hoping that they'd figure out we weren't buying and move on to greener pastures. They didn't -- they kept on talking ... and talking ... and talking.

What brought things to a close was when one of the adults said something to me about, "You and your wife ..." Not even thinking, I blurted out, "Oh, we're not married."

That did it. The couple looked shocked, and obviously wished that their two young children could unhear what they had just heard. In their minds, standing right before them were two SINNERS. They mumbled a quick goodbye, bundled up the youngsters, and were gone.

We had a good laugh over breakfast.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

The white pages app tells me if it's a spam call so I can block it


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[MechAg94]

My limit of being polite is saying "I am not interested thank you" before hanging up.  All of them are paid to get in their sales pitch without stopping so you cannot speak if you wait for them to pause.  If they were polite and quickly asked if I was interested in "X", then I would be happy to be polite back.  

I have tried not answering at all, but I noticed the same caller ID numbers showed up repeatedly most every evening if I didn't answer.  If I answered and hung up before the computer connected me to the salesperson or quickly said I was not interested and hung up, at least that outfit would stop calling for a while.  

[zxcvbob]

I think some of them get your phone number from the federal "do not call" registry.   

[MechAg94]

I never had trouble with people selling stuff.  It was the outfits begging for donations that kept my phone ringing.  I think they are exempt from the registry.

[Tallpine]

"I'm not interested."  Click.