No, Thank You

I thought it was a very nice gesture that Help the Aged put this little slip / bookmark through the letterbox this morning after picking up the two bags of 'stuff' I'd left out for them to collect.  It's nice to be reassured that it was, indeed, the bona fide charity who had collected the bags - I'm never quite sure if it's not some conman driving round when he knows there's a charity collection happening, stashing the bags in his own vehicle and then selling the goods on ebay.  Call me suspicious if you like, but that thought has often crossed my mind! 

I ALWAYS donate to any charity that is willing to take books in their kerbside collections.  So many charities only want clothes, CDs, DVDs, jewellery etc etc.  Many now specify no bric-a-brac and almost all of them refuse to collect books.  Up until now it's only really been the British Heart Foundation (BHF) who would take books and I'm loath to donate to them after my poor Mum got caught having to dial a premium rate telephone number (and having to wait ages on it) to ask them if they would like a large oak sideboard she wanted to donate.  They'd recently opened one of their humungous Furniture and Electrical shops in the old Woolworths store near where she lives and she immediately thought it would be a good item for them to sell. 

It was a beautiful sideboard but when the bloke came from BHF to pick it up he said it would be no good for them!!  Charming!  Eventually Mum sold it to a second-hand furniture dealer who was more than happy to give her good money for it, and who also informed her that she would have been phoning a premium rate phone number to speak to BHF.  Sure enough, when she checked her phone bill the call had cost her approx. £1.75.  Needless to say she will never be donating anything to BHF again and neither will I.

Comments

[Many A Mickle]

Cheeky! I am a keen charity shop visitor yet I very rarely go in to the BHF shops as they always seem to be unappealing, overfull and hard to negotiate, especially with a buggy. Perhaps it's all the red in its branding!

[Wendy]

Hi, I just wanted to let you know that we are still alive and kicking! I have been having trouble with my internet connection and unable to leave you a comment. I was so jealous of your lovely bag of chocolate slabs and pleased to be up to date with your doings.

[ilona]

I wont give to or buy from the BHF because they spend a lot of money on shop reburbishments. I don't want to go to a posh charity shop, they sell second hand stuff so their fixtures and fittings should also be second hand.

[Caroline]

They're one of my least favourite charities as well, for various reasons.

[Nicola]

I once had a bag of charity items stolen by gypsies about half an hour before the real charity van came round. It's sad, but your suspicions are accurate!