Freecycle (Merged Thread)

ladypinkof66

I placed a pair of expensive nearly new curtains on my local Freecycle yesterday, they are M & S a good size and have been well looked after a thick lined velvet - ideal for this time of year with the weather being bad, well I had so many replies i was shocked however I wanted them to go to a good home so picked a lady who was pleasant in her request and made arrangements for her to collect today at 11am i could have given them away 30 times over, however 10.55 i stayed in leaving my shopping til later even though i prefer to go early and miss the crowds and i get an email
I AM VERY SORRY BUT MY SON HAS BEEN INVITED TO A PARTY THIS MORNING AND WE CANT POSSIBLY COME AND COLLECT THE CURTAINS HE IS 8 AND REALLY EXCITED - well she was excited yesterday when i offered her the curtains however she said she still wanted them and would come at 5pm, No can I come at 5 just i will be there at 5pm, so i changed my schedule to walk the dog earlier today as i normally walk him around 5, got back at 4pm, and have waited in no show - got in the bath so i left them outside door - guess what still no show and no email !!!
I am bl**dy furious i have re arranged my whole day today my weekends are valuable to me when i work full time - 6.22 now and still the curtains are outside I have a good mind now of bringing them in and it the doorbell rings ignore it. I only ask for common courtesy - I have a list of people waiting for them no doubt who will turn up as and when I ask them too.
Sorry to rant but I am so disappointed in some Freecyclers who tend to let all the others down and give it a bad name.

What do others think ?

annie-c

ladypinkof66 wrote: »

I placed a pair of expensive nearly new curtains on my local Freecycle yesterday, they are M & S a good size and have been well looked after a thick lined velvet - ideal for this time of year with the weather being bad, well I had so many replies i was shocked however I wanted them to go to a good home so picked a lady who was pleasant in her request and made arrangements for her to collect today at 11am i could have given them away 30 times over, however 10.55 i stayed in leaving my shopping til later even though i prefer to go early and miss the crowds and i get an email
I AM VERY SORRY BUT MY SON HAS BEEN INVITED TO A PARTY THIS MORNING AND WE CANT POSSIBLY COME AND COLLECT THE CURTAINS HE IS 8 AND REALLY EXCITED - well she was excited yesterday when i offered her the curtains however she said she still wanted them and would come at 5pm, No can I come at 5 just i will be there at 5pm, so i changed my schedule to walk the dog earlier today as i normally walk him around 5, got back at 4pm, and have waited in no show - got in the bath so i left them outside door - guess what still no show and no email !!!
I am bl**dy furious i have re arranged my whole day today my weekends are valuable to me when i work full time - 6.22 now and still the curtains are outside I have a good mind now of bringing them in and it the doorbell rings ignore it. I only ask for common courtesy - I have a list of people waiting for them no doubt who will turn up as and when I ask them too.
Sorry to rant but I am so disappointed in some Freecyclers who tend to let all the others down and give it a bad name.

What do others think ?

I've got myself worked up a few times. I think for your own sake you need to find a way to stop it getting to you - maybe take them to a charity shop and forget freecycle for a bit. Loads of freecyclers are genuine and nice, but many are thoughtless and unfortunately that's the way it is.

I'd be cross too but at the end of the day it is a waste of your own energy. The way I think of it is that they can have the curtains but they can't have my time or energy or good mood. That's why I tend to post quite assertive threads saying something like:

'Unfortunately I cannot deliver or telephone anyone to arrange collection. If you are interested please suggest a time when you can definitiely call to collect.'

I only arrange collection when it suits me -and I'd sugegst you do the same - fit freecycle around your shopping and dog walks, not the other way round.

If anyone messes me about I usually send a note to say:

'I'm sorry you cannot collect as arranged. I'm afraid my schedule won't allow for us to re-arrange so we'd better cancel this one but thank you for your interest. Best wishes'

Short and sweet. Then block them so that any future emails from the same people go in your spam box

Something that helps 'control' freecycling behaviour is to name people when you post the 'Taken. Eg:

'Taken, subject to collection by Melanie'.

On one occasion when 'Melanie' didn't turn up I posted an annoyed 'Re-offered due to non-collection. The first taker cancelled with 5 mins to spare and now the table is out in the rain'. I didn't exactly name and shame as I only posted the name on the first positive taken. But 'Melanie' emailed with profuse apologies when she saw my posts and she didn't ask for anything again....

JimmyTheWig

ladypinkof66 wrote: »

Just wondering lately I have had several requests for items to be posted out - items that are fairly small.

Don't think I'd be too impressed with this, though no-one's ever asked. Though a couple of times I've dropped something off to people as it was easier that way than waiting until they could collect.

I guess I can sort of see the point. Why spend £1.80 on the bus when it could be posted for 30p.
How about asking for PayPal? Would be quicker than waiting for a stamp in the post.

ladypinkof66

I am sorry but yet again :rolleyes:I need to have a rant

I offered a large box of toiletires on my local site and a lady contacted me and said

Hi would like this would make great use of it

as i never had any other enquiries at this stage i replied saying yes they are still available

she replied

Hi the weekend will be great maybe saturday what time are you avaliable

I said i was only available the weekend but as I have shopping and dog walking duties i would need to know a time provided it fitted in with me.

I have just had a final email now

Around 10am what is the address

Now i dont want to sound mean or anything but nowhere in any replies is any sign of gratitude (no please) or anything.

I have now had another requester just this evening who had only just seen the offer as she was busy with some family committments she sounds really nice, genuine and very pleasant and polite in her request.

Now I have not made final arrangements with this first lady do you think I would be mean in offering it now to the 2nd lady who was much more polite, or do you think i am bound now to offering it to the unpolite first lady - she doesnt have my address i hasten to add - however if i offer it to her i know when she collects i will have to say something about her unpolite requests.

What do you think ? Who do you think i should offer it to !

Just dont want to do the wrong thing in freecycles eyes, I have given alot away recently on this site and dont want to upset anyone.

Thanks

ladypinkof66

ladypinkof66 wrote: »

I placed a pair of expensive nearly new curtains on my local Freecycle yesterday, they are M & S a good size and have been well looked after a thick lined velvet - ideal for this time of year with the weather being bad, well I had so many replies i was shocked however I wanted them to go to a good home so picked a lady who was pleasant in her request and made arrangements for her to collect today at 11am i could have given them away 30 times over, however 10.55 i stayed in leaving my shopping til later even though i prefer to go early and miss the crowds and i get an email
I AM VERY SORRY BUT MY SON HAS BEEN INVITED TO A PARTY THIS MORNING AND WE CANT POSSIBLY COME AND COLLECT THE CURTAINS HE IS 8 AND REALLY EXCITED - well she was excited yesterday when i offered her the curtains however she said she still wanted them and would come at 5pm, No can I come at 5 just i will be there at 5pm, so i changed my schedule to walk the dog earlier today as i normally walk him around 5, got back at 4pm, and have waited in no show - got in the bath so i left them outside door - guess what still no show and no email !!!
I am bl**dy furious i have re arranged my whole day today my weekends are valuable to me when i work full time - 6.22 now and still the curtains are outside I have a good mind now of bringing them in and it the doorbell rings ignore it. I only ask for common courtesy - I have a list of people waiting for them no doubt who will turn up as and when I ask them too.
Sorry to rant but I am so disappointed in some Freecyclers who tend to let all the others down and give it a bad name.

What do others think ?

the requester finally turned up at 8.30pm with no apology or email etc, i was livid and said in no certain terms how i dont like to be mucked about and made a fool of he just shrugged and walked off :mad:

tiannaleigh

ladypinkof66 wrote: »

I am sorry but yet again :rolleyes:I need to have a rant

I offered a large box of toiletires on my local site and a lady contacted me and said

Hi would like this would make great use of it

as i never had any other enquiries at this stage i replied saying yes they are still available

she replied

Hi the weekend will be great maybe saturday what time are you avaliable

I said i was only available the weekend but as I have shopping and dog walking duties i would need to know a time provided it fitted in with me.

I have just had a final email now

Around 10am what is the address

Now i dont want to sound mean or anything but nowhere in any replies is any sign of gratitude (no please) or anything.

I have now had another requester just this evening who had only just seen the offer as she was busy with some family committments she sounds really nice, genuine and very pleasant and polite in her request.

Now I have not made final arrangements with this first lady do you think I would be mean in offering it now to the 2nd lady who was much more polite, or do you think i am bound now to offering it to the unpolite first lady - she doesnt have my address i hasten to add - however if i offer it to her i know when she collects i will have to say something about her unpolite requests.

What do you think ? Who do you think i should offer it to !

Just dont want to do the wrong thing in freecycles eyes, I have given alot away recently on this site and dont want to upset anyone.

Thanks

I think you should give it to the second polite lady,you are being generous and receiving no payment at all,the first lady does not deserve your generocity, if she hasnt even got the decency to use good maners

annie-c

ladypinkof66 wrote: »

I am sorry but yet again :rolleyes:I need to have a rant

I offered a large box of toiletires on my local site and a lady contacted me and said

Hi would like this would make great use of it

as i never had any other enquiries at this stage i replied saying yes they are still available

she replied

Hi the weekend will be great maybe saturday what time are you avaliable

I said i was only available the weekend but as I have shopping and dog walking duties i would need to know a time provided it fitted in with me.

I have just had a final email now

Around 10am what is the address

Now i dont want to sound mean or anything but nowhere in any replies is any sign of gratitude (no please) or anything.

I have now had another requester just this evening who had only just seen the offer as she was busy with some family committments she sounds really nice, genuine and very pleasant and polite in her request.

Now I have not made final arrangements with this first lady do you think I would be mean in offering it now to the 2nd lady who was much more polite, or do you think i am bound now to offering it to the unpolite first lady - she doesnt have my address i hasten to add - however if i offer it to her i know when she collects i will have to say something about her unpolite requests.

What do you think ? Who do you think i should offer it to !

Just dont want to do the wrong thing in freecycles eyes, I have given alot away recently on this site and dont want to upset anyone.

Thanks

I think you've already offered it to the first person haven't you? Although it is irritating when people are rude I think that it is important to honour commitments once they are made, otherwise you run the risk of getting a bad reputation yourself, sadly. I'd not mention the 'rude emails' thing when they pick up - otherwise it might well turn a positive 'gift' into something really sour.

As to arranging the final time, it could be that they were expecting you to tell them when it is convenient. It is hard for the taker to guess when you will be around. Maybe be a bit more assertive with thwem in future? It sounds like you are trying to be nice but feeling upset that others aren't being nice in return. But maybe they were brought up differently or don't write very well or simply have 'missed' you in some way. It's hard to know via email so maybe best to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Anyway, I just chalk it down to experience once the offer is made, though if I smell a rat these days I hold onto stuff rather than risk getting in a pickle with someone who sounds iffy from the outset.

judderman62

in my replies I leave people in no doubt.

for a start I ask that they fit in with a narrow window of time - 30 minutes - so if we arrange a pick up time I will say, for example, between 10:00 and 10:30 - and I would expect them to arrive within that time frame and oft state the earlier end of that time window would be appreciated.

I also add a sig advising that I have been messed about a lot in the past (I have) and that I will not allow my time to be wasted any more and that any no-shows or other being messed around will be fed back to the site admins without exception and in all cases and that further to this offenders names will also be added to a blacklist and such people will not be considered by me in the future - soooo easy to do this in gmail :-)

so everyone knows where they stand - my time is waaaay to precious to have it wasted by others !!!

cheekyweegit

ladypinkof66 Just a thought :rolleyes: Your idea of a large box might be different to the collectors large box:D .

You can always give a smaller box of smellies to your first lady and the remainder / best of to the other lady if you want and don't mind waiting on two people coming to collect.

I've just, well Sunday had a lovely lady come and collect a cordless phone (old model and a bit of a brick compared to newer ones). She had asked for one for her gran and didn't care about it's condition. This one was in great condition and with it being a bit of a brick it was actually perfect for her gran.

I got a lovely email back from her thanking me for it which made my day and I'd certainly consider her again for future requests.

I usually ask for a contact phone number when I've made and offer as it's easier to make arrangements over the phone than waiting on folks replying to emails at times.

Good luck and don't give up, I've met loads of lovely people on freecycle with only the odd numpty.

ladypinkof66

After many rants on here I have now decided to give up on Freecycle altogether, these are just some of my experiences this week.

• I offer an item - get numerous emails requesting item - i offer the item to someone who really wants it !!!! - I wait for a response - nothing 5 days later and no response so I finally offer it to someone else - I know not everyone can sit at their computer 24/7 however I am sure that if you really want something you are likely to be around for the next 5 days - they then contact me today asking to pick up item in next 30 minutes !!!!! When I advertise on freecycle I wish to get rid of item pretty soon, not to keep storing it.
• A lady places a must wanted add for a pregnancy pillow as she is desperate - I email her and offer her one (Brand New) she says she can only pick up on Friday - no other date can she make so I take the large pillow to work with me carry it from the Works Car Park into work. I had previously given her full instructions of where I am and contact tel number in case she gets lost. My office is so well known in the small area of where it is no one can ever say they do not know this building it has a massive advertising sign outside and it is litterally next to a Sainsburys Store the only one within 20 miles. Hasten to add she does not turn up. I then get an email 2 hours later to say "OH I AM SORRY I HAVE BEEN DRIVING AROUND FOR 30 MINUTES AND CANNOT FIND THE PLACE" - she lives about 2 miles from this office - plus she never bothered to phone !
• My experience of placing a WANTED ad - i asked for an item - about 2 days later a lady contacted me to offer me one - she said i could not pick up anytime this weekend for any other weekend - weekends were not an option - never gave me a reason - however she wanted me to go at night after 7pm, well by the time I finish work and get home and take the dog out etc etc, i dont like leaving the house again especially when it is dark as i live in the country and have to travel on windy lanes, she would not give me her home address unless i text her, so i text her on Thursday requesting the address, she the sent me an email on Friday saying that I could possibly go around after work at 5pm, but I would have to wait until she text me to tell me whether she would be around or not. So i was expected to wait all day for her text, by lunchtime no text so i text her, no response, I finally got a text at 6.30 pm to say you can come round now and this is my address, i found this whole set up very strange, in the end i declined the offer, I did not want to go out driving to a strange house in the country in the dark and certainly picking up an item from someone I did not know, for some reason I felt suspicious about the whole thing and almost felt that this perhaps could not have been a lady at all !!! I would have been rather shocked and worried if I had been perhaps set up. So as I said i declined the offer.

Some of my experiences with freecycle have been pleasant however I have had so many unpleasant times lately that I now know FREECYCLE is not for me - I have currently 2 items outside my front door that people were due to collect at 10 am this morning - I did state in my emails please make sure you come with 15 minutes either side of this time. The box of toiletries that I was pondering other earlier this week I decided to stick to my original offer and gave to the rather rude lady and she has failed to turn up.
Sorry for such a lengthy rant but I needed to get it off my chest and wonder whether anyone else is sick to the back teeth of being mucked about !!!
Thanks