I am a horrible person

[KristinCB]

I have started hanging up not only on telemarketers but charities that call. They make me feel so bad when you say "not at this time" and then "oh are you sure you can't even sponser X amount". We donate to charities of our choosing (right now my SIL is raising money for relay for life so we'll be donating there) but anyways I feel bad because I just have gotten to the point where I just hang up... I feel horrible about it enough is enough

[ditzyscrap]

Ugh I hate it when they start pressuring you. OK, we have our charities too...childhood cancer, etc. We got a call from a charity for blind children and while I *do* feel for those children, I told them no and they actually said "you mean you don't care about children that are blind?". Ummm...that's uncalled for. Now we don't even answer the phone if it's a 1-800 or 1-866 number, lol. Or if the caller ID just says a province/state. Nope.

[newfiemountiewife]

Same. If we have any extras, we put it where we feel is most important to us, or to families in our community. That doesn't mean I don't care if kids are hungry in Africa, I most certainly do, but there are families here in our community that have hungry kids too, kwim?

I think most people have certain charities that are meaningful to them.

I just don't answer any calls either. I feel bad, but in this economy, people just don't have the money they used to.

[Mandy]

Yeah I don't answer calls that I don't know anymore. I'm sick of being hassled in my own house.

[Misty Cato]

Don't feel bad Kristin. Its far better to do your research and send you money to those causes that are most important to you. Those people calling on behalf of charities are often outsourced, paid professional fundraisers and you have no way of know what % of the funds raised actually go to the organization. Even if the cause is important to you, your money is often more effective if you don't do it during their call, but contact the charity directly to donate.

[Jennilyn]

I figure if the call is important enough, they'll leave me a message, so if it's not a local call or not a number I know, I usually don't answer it.

[emmasmommy]

We do just as Jennifer said!

[iJenny]

The worst charity callers around here are the Police/Firefighter associations that raise money for families of fallen officers. They get downright rude when you say "no thanks" or "not right now". They get so impatient and try to guilt me into giving. I'm like, "uh, do you really think being rude is the way to get me to give you my money!?!". Unfortunately, I usually hang up too.

[AnnieBananie]

Bah, don't feel bad. You'd think that considering the economy, they'd take No for an answer without the pressure. No worries.

[tuneskids]

Originally Posted by Jennilyn

I figure if the call is important enough, they'll leave me a message, so if it's not a local call or not a number I know, I usually don't answer it.

yup, me too.

[kscwgirl]

I barely even answer my home phone anymore. The do not call list doesn't stop anyone, seems like. You are not a horrible person.

[mpatry]

Don't feel bad Kristin.

I just tell them that I don't make donations over the phone, it keeps you safe from the scams. If I want to donate I'll look them up online etc and find proper forms to make my dontations. But I have a strict policy of not giving out money over the phone. It's too hard to verify that they are who they say they are.

[Joan]

Originally Posted by KristinCB

We donate to charities of our choosing

This is what I tell them, along with saying I simply do not donate when solicited by phone or at my door. I'll politely ask for a web address or pamphlet (if it's at the door) so I can look up info and make my own decision. I have no patience for high pressure tactics, and if they choose that route at any point in the conversation, I feel no guilt about hanging up or closing the door.

This probably makes me a terrible person, lol... if I notice people going door to door in our neighbourhood, I put the dogs out. Our yard is fully fenced and my dogs are two huge bullmastiffs.

(they're really big sucks, but no one ever seems to want to open the gate and find that out )

[AnnieBananie]

Originally Posted by Joan

This probably makes me a terrible person

Yup.

A-heeeeee.... *runs away*

[sprauncey1]

Oh and then once you do donate, you are on their LIST! Seriously then they call you four times a month! That is why even when DS did the St. Jude bik-a-thon, I donated cash. I don't want them wasting the money on sending me stuff in the mail ALL THE TIME!

We too donate to charities of our chosing and I know they are suffering too with the economy but rudeness and high pressure won't get you anywhere with me!

Oh and when we had the police/ff group called and asked if how could we not support our police and ff, DH just answered "I'll donate as much money as you donate to the military spouses and disabled veterans fund." That kinda shut the guy up!

Actually the military have a big deal every year where they have a list of charities a mile long and the stats on how much $ goes to the actual charity work, some are good, some are outrageous. Combined Federal Campaign I think is what it is called. Then you can pick and chose and donate and then you aren't bothered (on base) the rest of the year with it.

[Sharon Kay]

If they call over and over (which they do) and we don't answer...finally I will answer and say "we do not donate money over the phone or through mail solicitation...we will not pay a middle person to collect for a charity...we give directly to WHO we want to give to...please take us off your calling list"...and I hang up. I'm tired of being harrassed at home.

dh almost gave some money to someone that called and it turns out they keep a large percentage of the money and give a little to the charity. Well they called back before the envelope arrived and I told them we won't be giving and the girl said "well I didn't call to talk to you ... I want to talk to your husband." I told her "well I have done the research and I have advised my dh just what percentage cut your company KEEPS away from this charity." she said OH and they haven't ever called back.

[*Kelly*]

I feel the same way as all of you. I donate directly the the charitable organizations my husband and I feel the strongest about. The solicitors get hung up on.. as in I click talk and then end and don't even put it near my ear. Awful I know, but I am so tired of dinners being interrupted, bed time stories being interrupted, etc etc. *ps* I hate how the organizations make you feel badly about not giving to them. It's not right.. we can't donate to everyone!

[Shawna]

This is exactly why I haven't once missed not having a land line in almost five years, I don't have to deal with those types of calls much at all anymore! If I do happen to get an 800 or 866 number that pops up on my cell phone I just let it go to voice mail, I figure if they really need to get a hold of me they will leave a message.

[ajf9597]

I don't like those calls either. I've gotten to the point where if I don't know who it is on caller id, I just don't answer.

[MamaK]

I know, the calls start to add up too and pretty soon half your day is running to answer the phone. That's why I have the longest machine recording eveh... it says "if we don't know your number on caller ID, we're not gonna answer, so leave a message." I get calls all day long and no messages.

[Sharon Kay]

Originally Posted by MamaK

I know, the calls start to add up too and pretty soon half your day is running to answer the phone. That's why I have the longest machine recording eveh... it says "if we don't know your number on caller ID, we're not gonna answer, so leave a message." I get calls all day long and no messages.

Oh ROTFL I love this idea!!! Maybe I will change mine!

[Dottie]

You shouldn't feel bad.

About 6 mths ago I started telling them that our financial position had changed and could they please take us off their calling list. Seems to have worked, I think in the last couple of months we have had only 1 or 2 calls.

[heatherdumas]

Originally Posted by Lilcameronsmommy

The worst charity callers around here are the Police/Firefighter associations that raise money for families of fallen officers. . .

This one is my favorite. I usually tell them I gave at the office and hang up. My DH is a career firefighter and before that he was a state police dispatcher paying his union dues.

[Laura_A]

That's one thing we don't have to deal with here... no telemarketing calls of any kind.

[lizzyfizzy]

ugh. so annoying. i try to be gracious too, but there are only so many times we can say 'no thank you'.

[bellbird425]

Originally Posted by newfiemountiewife

Same. If we have any extras, we put it where we feel is most important to us, or to families in our community. That doesn't mean I don't care if kids are hungry in Africa, I most certainly do, but there are families here in our community that have hungry kids too, kwim?

I think most people have certain charities that are meaningful to them.

I just don't answer any calls either. I feel bad, but in this economy, people just don't have the money they used to.

we're the same - charities that harass u at the shops too annoy me as well - if i wanna donate, i'll come up to u,don't come up to me, harass me and try to use guilt on me ....i get enough of that from my kid LOL!