Charities calling to your door

DaithiSurfer

I got this asshole calling to my door last night from concern.
I told him that i already give to charity and he says 'Well a lot of your neighbours do too but most of them have decided to give €10 per month extra to concern'
Bull****, I know the neighbours and they all are sick of this kind of thing too.
If you're going to collect for charity then be nice. Don't bull**** people and try and make them feel guilty.
I see the adds, i don't want you calling to my door looking for direct debit. If i did i'ld ask you and when i say i give to charity i mean **** off and don't ask me anymore.

Everytime i'm in the city centre i get accosted by several of them.
When you explain you already give to charity this is not enough for them.
Is it just me or are these guys taking the piss?

Giblet

I already give to concern, 5 euro a month, not much, but I don't have much in the bank.

The people in town still pester me, and ask me to give more if I say "I already give to concern"

I might just go, "I'm gonna stop now, just because you're trying to get more money out of me"

DaithiSurfer

I was thinking that too.
The next time they annoy me i might tell them to ring their head office and cancel my direct debit on the spot.

Retr0gamer

I really hate getting accosted by Hanley centre girls in Dublin.

Also Romanians that come begging at the door saying "Pleeeeaaasssee" really annoy me. The only way to get rid of them is to slam the door in their face which I hate doing because it's rude and it just makes me hate them even more that they force me to do it.

yellum

Best thing to do is bring em in for a cup of tea. Really listen to what they say and ask loads of questions.

Then agree to give 50 euro a month. Give them fake bank details then and let them go.

This will result in them not making money from you, them not bothering people for 30 mins and them realising not to bother you again.

Stark

They can be right pricks some of them. Had someone from gorta come up to me in the street before, was kind of in a hurry but said "yeah, sounds like a decent enough cause, give me the form and I'll fill it out tonight". Of course, no that wasn't good enough for her, she didn't want to let me go, it was like I wasn't trusted to do that. She said she wanted my bank a/cc number now. I said I didn't have it memorised, and she said fine, I'll go into the bank with you so you can find out your a/cc number. I said no, because I was in a hurry and had to make a lecture. She kept insisting and insisting that it would only take a second, and I kept saying that I could fill out the form that night and hand it back. Couldn't get away from her, ended up having to give her my mobile number so she could ring me later to get my bank a/cc number. I really am a wimp when it comes to getting rid of them (I could easily have outrun her, if they didn't pick the crowded parts of the street to catch you).

The "give me the form" approach works with most of the official door-to-door callers though, they just panic and go "but we can't give the forms, we don't have enough" and I go "well fine so, no". I generally let my housemates answer the door though, they've gotten to the stage where they have no qualms regarding slamming the door in people's faces.

I really despise the people with the scratch cards though, there really is no way of getting rid of them (they always have infinite amounts of change for one thing, and it's impossible to convice someone that you are genuinely broke and you'd prefer to feed yourself before feeding someone else). Can rightly suck, going into town and leaving €6 down without having bought a thing. (A lot them have no objections either to catching you a second time if you have to come back that way along the street for whatever reason).

Emmo

The street people really get my goat, im pretty sure everyone working for blindness and concern and whateverthefunk is on a cut of everything they make via DD.

Can anyone confirm or deny that they are on some kinda percentage deal?

Emmo

Giblet

I understood that the concern street monkeys don't make comission, so that doesn't explain why they are so "passionate"

Lex_Diamonds

A simple no will do fine, or a back scratcher with the handle of a gun, that pokes out from your pants or whatever, show em that.

DaithiSurfer

Guys i think you all should know something about the scratch cards.
I was selling them with a friend for about 2 weeks.
I'm not a salesman so i was crap at it.
The people who are good sales people sell more than 50 a day so they get batches in 50's.

Now here's the trick.
If you ever won on one of these you bought it for a bad sales person who got the 20 or 30 from a batch.
These people can't cheat you because they don't know where the winners are because their batch might start at card number 20 or 25.

The cards come in batches of 50 from the printers.
It is the same batch all the time.

Here's what happens when a good salesperson(what i mean by this is a person who can sell over 50 in a day and therefore gets a full batch from their controler) gets their batch of 50.
Because each batch is the same the seller knows that the 6th, 27th and 45th (just an example because i can't remember the nos.) cards are the winners. Its like this in every batch. The seller takes these and put them in their pocket. When the seller sells all of the 50 they do their sums and take the money (that they supposedly paid to punters at the door) for the winning cards.

Another trick used to be the do not remove bit. I dont know about now but it used to say winner or loser under the silver. If it was scratched off in a thin line with a pin you could tell by how long the word was what it said. So if you ever got one with a streak in this panel you are a loser.

The moral of the story. The sellers win 90% of the pscartch card money. Don't buy them you are being cheated.

oneweb

"Have you got a leaflet so I can read and think about it later?"
That's usually what I say.

But I got this nasty bloke one day from one of these 'make blind children see again' charities who said he only had the one and I'd have to sign up there and then (he got cranky).He didn't even want to give an address to contact! How dodgy was that?! So he got nothing.

Problem is, they can have all the ID they want, you're not sure unless you ring the charity (via the phonebook, not the number the person gives ya) whether the person is legit.

Also, I don't like the way charities often put boxes like €10, €20, €50, €100 a month and hide the option to give less or in-between amounts.

Kappar

I usually get them with a yeah I'll have 4 scratch cards.................<looks excited>............Sorry you just got punked

Victor

Saying you have a standing order with them already will ususally get rid of them. If they have a list, say you signed up last month and get inquisitive as to why you aren't on the list.

Makaveli

Originally posted by k.oriordan
I really despise the people with the scratch cards though, there really is no way of getting rid of them (they always have infinite amounts of change for one thing, and it's impossible to convice someone that you are genuinely broke and you'd prefer to feed yourself before feeding someone else). Can rightly suck, going into town and leaving €6 down without having bought a thing. (A lot them have no objections either to catching you a second time if you have to come back that way along the street for whatever reason).

I just say I already bought one. Then if they try to argue I just repeat it. They can ask all they want but it's all I'll say to them and keep walking.
Every now and then I will buy one just for the sake of the charity but when I'm in a rush and get asked a load of times I get quite annoyed and blunt with them.

yellum

"Sorry can I ask you a question ? "
"you just did"

TomTom

You know most of the time I will say i got one already or just ignore or keep watckin, but when you get nabbed by a sexy bird selling them i fail to say no. I feel complled to buy them. I always buy for the irish cancer society.
I hate when people call to your door selling stuff cause they really have you cornered then.
The oldest trick is to say you are workin on the house (plumber, crapenter) and tell em the owners will be home later in the evening.

Victor

Originally posted by TomTom
You know most of the time I will say i got one already or just ignore or keep watckin, but when you get nabbed by a sexy bird selling them i fail to say no.

Then ask for her phone number!

doctor evil

The people who sell the Hanley centr things(scratch cards and crap) get half of what you pay them, and what really gets my goat is when there is 3 of them across the street particulary henry street and the only way to get past them is to run because they single you out especially if your on your own, I think they enjoy the power trip the sick f****

Stephen

Learn to say NO. I have no qualms telling charity people on the street to feck off if they are pushy about it. Ones that come to my door can fúck right off though, they've no business invading my home.

sceptre

Originally posted by TomTom
The oldest trick is to say you are workin on the house (plumber, crapenter) and tell em the owners will be home later in the evening.

I thought the oldest trick in the book was to sexually harrass the caller.

"Hi I'm collecting on behalf of..."
"Wow, sexy, you've got a nice pair, wanna try some sausage?"

or
"Hi I'm here on behalf of..."
"Wanna go for a bubble bath, handsome?"


It's all in the eyes. Don't smile, say it like you mean it. Pound says they never call back either.

Tha Gopher

Ive been approached at least 3 or 4 times this year in the middle of Dublin by good looking young women who ask for a minute of my time before bringing down my excitement by asking me to donate to Alcoholics Anonymous or some other group. Presumably they think Im a sucker for good looking women-and I am to be honest. Ive always been more likely to do a favour for a chick with a chest, pretty eyes and hair and a nice smile than a bit of a rough sort. I think alot of guys are like that-thats how beautiful women manage to run up debts on a guys credit cards. Sex Sells-even in charity.
I dont suppose its worth saying"Ive a pack of johnnys here and know a quiet alleyway. After that Ill make a donation". If theyre out collecting for charity they are most probably nice girls who would slap you in the face for making such a lewd proposal.:D

The Sweeper

I like it when they come and leave plastic bags for collection items at the apartment block. Then I can clear out all the stuff I don't want from wardrobe etc. and leave it out for them and I don't have to bother my arse dragging it to the charity shop. It's pretty excellent actually, helps me keep the place junk-free. Unwanted gifts, stupid teddy bears that you can win on a day out, old t-shirts that you are never, ever going to wear again etc.

Thankfully I know that the people who collect these bags, from this area anyway, are not pikey tinker knacker horrible people, as I have, in the past, heard tales of charity bags being swiped by such individuals.

BigEejit

I thought I heard that most of those people collecting on the street are paid by the hour? ... if they dont collect enough then you wont be asked to do it again next week ....

Mac daddy

I get hasseled by them everyday on o'connel street when coming back from work.
They get the normal evil stare, or a grunt, i don't speak english, or f*ck of right. then they just leave me alone

Sposs

Their pushy because the more they collect the more they make.

Caesar_Bojangle

If any charity stops me, asking me to donate €5 a month from my back account. I tell them I’m only 16 and watch their reaction as i walk on by. Bear in mind I’m 18 and look about 21.

My grandfather used to tell Mormons, Jehovah’s or even Concern when they'd call to his door. "I’m sorry but my mummy isn't here at the moment", he was a man of 70 at the time. It appeared to do the trick.

Victor

Originally posted by sceptre
"Wanna go for a bubble bath, handsome?"

This can backfire

Originally posted by BigEejit
I thought I heard that most of those people collecting on the street are paid by the hour? ... if they dont collect enough then you wont be asked to do it again next week ....

As I understand it, most are on commission, however they should still be entitled to minimum wage.

Havelock

I wanted at one stage to get a tee.shirt printed that said "I don't care!" White Bold on Black cotten, and point everytime I'm approached. But them realised it would cost money, which was what I was trying to save. They actually don't work for the charity, unless its Amneisty, they work for a advertisment company adn they get paid from government charity funds, for every account they get signed up. Its a sham. Tried the whole "You can have a minute of my time if I spent it oogling you" with an exceptionally attractive and scanitly clad female one about 2 years ago. She actually stood their talking. I just had had to admire that commitment. Weird!

Victor

Originally posted by Havelock
they work for a advertisment company adn they get paid from government charity funds, for every account they get signed up.

Not quite. Certain charities can claim a tax rebate when the donor donates more than €200(?) per year, thats why they want people to sign up. The reabte comes out of central funds, not "government charity funds".

Havelock

That central funds comes from government money, it would be alot better if they just dontated it every year. Save me being annoyed at young peoples

Kappar

€200(?)

I think it's €250

patch

There's a particular family from my home town, who happen to be knackers. Whenever you see guys collecting for cancer, with what appear like legit charity vests, and seemingly legit papers on the streets of galway it's most likely them.

Also, many years ago an ex girlfriend of mine lived with a slightly loopy lady (pissing with door open as we walked past, shagging winos in sitting room when we walked in etc.) who worked for a hick who collected for charity as well. It wasn't.

Those knackers had scratch cards too. I wonder where they got them?