Bah, humbug.

Fifer

I think companies like this prey on social networks by paying commision to agents who recruit freinds and family members. Many catalogue companies operate in the same way. People get involved because they want to help the agents make a little commission.

pulliptears

Dont a lot of people save for high street vouchers with these type of companies as well though?

Personally, I wouldnt use one because as someone said the food in the hampers is a litte "lacking", but I would probably have saved for shopping vouchers

Saucepot

There are 2 worlds. The haves and the have nots.

The have nots pay more and get less in more ways than dodgy savings stamps.

Though in a world where everyone recieves a free state education from 5-16 (11 years), the idea that the have nots are in any way victims is a fallacy. The people at the bottom of the heap are where they deserve to be due to their own feklessness and idleness.

They had the same opportunities but p1ssed them away.

Slash their welfare and give them a give up the jacksey.

jellyhead

Fifer wrote:

I think companies like this prey on social networks by paying commision to agents who recruit freinds and family members. Many catalogue companies operate in the same way. People get involved because they want to help the agents make a little commission.

true, my gran used to buy something from them, just a tin of choccies. she wanted the agent (who sat next to her at bingo) to get commission on something she 'would have bought anyway'. but the press coverage is of people losing a thousand or more EACH. if i had a thousand pounds to spend on christmas presents and food i would not consider myself poor.

MrSmartprice

Quasar wrote:

I have no experience with this sort of schemes, butI think this is the trouble with them. I appreciate that hard-up families find it easier to pay a little every month so then then can have the goods for Christmas, but wouldn't it be much safer for them to put that money into a savings account and use it when needed?

I hope the above doesn't sound naive, if so apologies.

No, it's not naive at all, it's a very valid point. Saucepot alludes to the same thing, but in a slightly more direct manner;)

People will save with companies like this as they are hopeless with money. They could not pay into a savings account as it would be out again and spent before the week was out. So they see these schemes are suitable as the money can't be touched before Xmas. (Or before it is embezzled.:o )

Anyone with any sense would use a proper account and get interest in a real bank. There is a lot of truth in the claim that many people are not poor because of their low income. It is because of their extravagant expenditure, and total inability to resrtict spending to what they can afford.

Edinburghlass_2

So not only are they not going to have any vouchers for Christmas they are going to be judged as being hopeless with money and having no sense.

So all those people who have no access or limited access to banks, post offices, building societies are hopeless with money.

Give it a rest for heavens sake and just have a little bit of pity for the people out there who are suffering because of this.

:mad:

saintjanet

Quasar wrote:

I have no experience with this sort of schemes, butI think this is the trouble with them. I appreciate that hard-up families find it easier to pay a little every month so then then can have the goods for Christmas, but wouldn't it be much safer for them to put that money into a savings account and use it when needed?

I hope the above doesn't sound naive, if so apologies.

Just my view of this but it may be because they would be tempted to spend the money before christmas,if it was available in a savings account.In hindsight they probably would have been better doing this though!!

MrSmartprice

Edinburghlass wrote:

So not only are they not going to have any vouchers for Christmas they are going to be judged as being hopeless with money and having no sense.

So all those people who have no access or limited access to banks, post offices, building societies are hopeless with money.

Give it a rest for heavens sake and just have a little bit of pity for the people out there who are suffering because of this.

:mad:

I have my opinion and it is just as valid as yours. It is rubbish that people have no access to banks, anyone can open a savings account. It's just cheque books and cards that the financially incompetent cannot be let loose with.:o

I maintain that the people who get caught by the scam artists like this are often their own worst enemies. They are only poor because they spend too much, not that their income is too little. I saw one woman on TV tonight who lost £2000 in this scheme. Who in their right mind spends two grand on Xmas if they are hard up?

And I won't be pitying anyone who considers wasting that sort of money on festive tat! They are either rich or stupid, I don't care which.:rotfl:

kittiwoz

People who are hard up often do spend a lot of money on Christmas because they see it as break from the realities of the rest of the year. Also people who are worse off are much more subject to feelings of social pressure in this sort of thing. Many less well off people whould never by second hand clothes or even insist on conspicuous labels because they are afarid of the stigma of being seen as being poor. The middle classes will normally happily wear secondhand clothes because they don't worry about people thinking they are poor, it isn't something that occurs to them.

MrSmartprice

kittiwoz wrote:

People who are hard up often do spend a lot of money on Christmas because they see it as break from the realities of the rest of the year. Also people who are worse off are much more subject to feelings of social pressure in this sort of thing.

Cart before the horse, here, I reckon.:rolleyes:

Maybe it's the fact that some people spend fortunes on Christmas that gives a clue to the reason they are hard up in the first place. And perhaps they do so because of social pressure. The fact remains that if you can't afford to spend hundreds of pounds on presents for the kids, then don't!

You live within your means. If that means saying 'no' to the kids sometimes then that's life. Getting into financial trouble over essentials is bad enough, but to struggle all year because of an over-lavish Xmas is madness.