calls soliciting charity donations

[asiancivicmaniac]

We keep getting these phone calls from 800 numbers at our house. Since we got caller ID a month ago, we started screening calls and stopped answering those. Today I got annoyed and picked up just to see who was calling because they never leave messages on the machine.

The guy on the other end identified his company as ACS (Associated Community Services) calling on behalf of the Foundation For American Veterans. He starts pitching his script about how disabled veterans are in need and so forth. I listened to him and thought that if I had money that I would donate, but it started to sound very guilt trippy and similar to a call I received a few weeks ago (the Breast Cancer Society, which a small donation was given to). I tell him no in a polite way but he keeps persisting and I tell him no again. He got the point and said bye. I look up the number (800-201-4910) and ACS and found a whole bunch of complaints about them.

In addition to constant calling, what ticked me off most is that people have reported that only several percent of the donations actually end up funding what was in the pitch. Now I'm never donating anything over the phone anymore and won't donate to any charity that sounds the least bit legitimate.

I filed an online complaint with the FL attorney generals office, the FCC, and the Do Not Call registry. I doubt anything would be done but at least I did something about it.

Thanks for reading my rant.

 

[moribundman]

I'm so glad having signed up for the do-not-call list works well. The only solicitors who may call are those with whom I have a business relationship (car insurance, for example). The few solicitors that manage to make me pick up the phone, well, let's just say they quickly wish they hadn't called at all.

 

[StevieC]

Solicitation by phone makes me

I wish they would pass a law banning it. I mean who really wants this anyways?

 

[CharlieJ]

When Billy Mays was still around, I always hoped he would do telephone solicitations. Can you imagine picking up the phone and hearing, "HI BILLY MAYS HERE WITH A FANTASTIC NEW PRODUCT!!!!". That would make my day.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Originally Posted By: moribundman
I'm so glad having signed up for the do-not-call list works well. The only solicitors who may call are those with whom I have a business relationship (car insurance, for example). The few solicitors that manage to make me pick up the phone, well, let's just say they quickly wish they hadn't called at all.


Our number is on that list too. I think it was when it first came out that I put us on there.

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac



In addition to constant calling, what ticked me off most is that people have reported that only several percent of the donations actually end up funding what was in the pitch.


If you are on the Do Not Call list, a few certain organizations can legally call you and not get in trouble with the law. Political organizations and organizations that you have recently done business with are two of them. I think there are a few more.
A group that always called me was some Police Peace Union, or something like that and said they want money for cops who risk their life everyday so you are safe. They then promise you to send you a sticker to put on your back window of your car. (How many here have fallen for that?) The police have nothing to lose, so they actually do go along with it. It makes the giver feel good because he thinks the cops won't give him a ticket. Wrong. My niece is a state trooper and she will tell you this is a scam.
Anyway, you are correct when you say these telemarketers only give a very small percentage of what they receive to the organizations that they call for. Quite often it is less than 1%. Want to prove it? Next time they call, ask them what percentage of their loot that they actually turn over. They may tell you it's thousands or millions of dollars, but they will never give you a percentage. Usually these people are working out of their home.
Don't give them any of your money. 99.9% is wasted.

 

[moribundman]

Originally Posted By: Kruse
If you are on the Do Not Call list, a few certain organizations can legally call you and not get in trouble with the law. Political organizations and organizations that you have recently done business with are two of them.


That's right. I made them blacklist my number.

 

[ArrestMeRedZ]

Charities are among the groups that do not have to honor the DNC list.

I'm pretty picky. I've ordered my very kindly and soft-hearted wife to either reject or refer all charity calls to me. Her response to the hard sell is to tell the caller "You're willing to be responsible for my divorce to get $100?" Most of them are.

As Kruse said, most charity telemarketers are pure frauds. There is only one I've given to, and I do so a couple of times a year. I grilled them for about 15 minutes, and they gave all the right answers, to include their admin costs. It's a local VFW food basket program.

 

[MONKEYMAN]

I have my ringer off and the answering machine on. Lets just say I get very few messages. I know once I pick-up the phone they won't take no for an answer.

 

[greenaccord02]

My grandmother keeps a loud whistle for telemarketers. She picks up the phone but as soon as she finds out it's a telemarketer out comes the whistle. I always thought that was hilarious. Personally, I'm not that nice to them.

 

[StevieC]

My mom always says "Can you hold on a minute" and then put the phone down and walks away for 10 minutes and then hangs up because they are usually gone by then.

 

[ksJoe]

I work in a small office for a big company. Just a few engineers there, and no admin or even a manager. So we kinda take turns picking up the phone (it rings us all if they don't give an extension).

So one time it was a phone book ad saleswoman. The exchange went smoething like this:
her: opening of salespitch.
me: "oh, we don't advertise"
her: "really, not at all"
me: "thats right"
(silence)
me: "We've found that advertising just makes customers call, and customers get in the way of getting real work done"

The two guys in my office at the time started busting up at that point.

If they get to harass me, I get amuse myself while they're doing it.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

I'm going to start having some fun too. This summer has been boring for me. Knowing foreign languages can be helpful. I'm practicing my Japanese next time I see that number.

 

[Cutehumor]

Once you give money to any kind of "charity". Every charity known to man will call you asking for money. It happened to my dad. He gave some money to some kind of firefighter charity over the phone. Now, he gets calls constantly from every other "charity" organization. He must have been put on a sucka list. Any phone calls from solicitors on my phone get blacklisted on my VOIP phone account including my own credit card company. I'm up to 23 phone numbers in the past two years. My phone hardly rings at all now.

 

[UncleS2]

Yup, hate it. We've been on both State & National Do Not Call lists for years, still get too many calls begging for $. Standard answer: "No donations over the phone, PERIOD! Send some literature & we'll look it over. Goodbye."

After many years of this, I don't think anyone has ever sent literature, not a single time. Surprise Surprise!

 

[hr1940]

Last year I was at a meeting and the program was donating to charities. We were given a 2 page list of how much was given and how much the organization actually received. I was shocked to see they were given only pennies on the dollar. If you want to donate to any cause go directly to the group you want to support.

 

[XS650]

I normally give the American Cancer Society a generous donation each year. Last winter they got real pushy with the phone calls, probably because I participated in and collected for their walk for life the year before.

I finally called their corporate offices and told them to take me off their call list. They said, OK, but it will take up to three weeks. I told them I would withhold further donations one year for each additional phone call I received from them. I got one more call that afternoon and that was the last call from them.

 

[oilyriser]

Tell the person on the phone that you are starting to unzip your pants...

 

[moribundman]

Originally Posted By: oilyriser
Tell the person on the phone that you are starting to unzip your pants...



For that to be effective, you and the other party really need a video phone.

 

[crinkles]

Originally Posted By: ksJoe
I work in a small office for a big company. Just a few engineers there, and no admin or even a manager. So we kinda take turns picking up the phone (it rings us all if they don't give an extension).

So one time it was a phone book ad saleswoman. The exchange went smoething like this:
her: opening of salespitch.
me: "oh, we don't advertise"
her: "really, not at all"
me: "thats right"
(silence)
me: "We've found that advertising just makes customers call, and customers get in the way of getting real work done"

The two guys in my office at the time started busting up at that point.

If they get to harass me, I get amuse myself while they're doing it.


we're the same setup, but we transfer all around the office (everyone gets a minute to [censored] them off, then put them through to the "boss" until they get sick)

it's pretty funny.