Call to RSPCA cruelty line results in marketing calls

I,_Geek

I'm really disappointed in the RSPCA following a call I had yesterday. Here's the complaint e-mail I sent them:

"Yesterday on I received a call from an RSPCA call centre that - at the outset - claimed to be a few questions to follow up a call I'd made to the cruelty line a few months ago. Since I thought it was a feedback survey I was happy to answer.

The real reason for the call soon became apparent and it also made the callers questions about the animal in distress I'd called about seem fake/just a warm-up to get to asking me for donations. I thought the first request for £13 was it, only to find they could offer cheaper and cheaper options that were being presented as much more affordable options to which I still had to reply, "No, that's still more than I can afford to give." In between each reduction in price there was a repetition of the cruelty statistics for this area. It was clearly implied that the statistics being quoted should be enough to prompt me into giving something, even the lower amounts, especially seeing as I must care about animals if I'd taken the step to ring about a local animal.

I was appalled that the details I gave out during the call to the cruelty line had been used for marketing purposes. I did not agree to this at the time, was not told they would be used for this reason, and only thought they would be used to help with finding the animal if the local officer was having trouble (its location was difficult to describe). I also felt that, by being prepared to give my details, it verified that my complaint was genuine and I wasn't trying to waste RSPCA time.

I was also not pleased to have been mislead into agreeing to continue the call, thinking it was to do with the original call I'd made.

You ring the cruelty line to do the right thing by an animal you think is in distress. Instead I get a call that implies I must do more, that if I want to use the facilities the RSPCA provides I should be donating.

After this experience I feel I have to state that by sending this e-mail I don't consent to my e-mail being used for marketing purposes.

Please reconsider your fundraising techniques. They alienate the very people who would donate to your charity if they had the means,"

Going off threads on here and online that go back a few years at least, tactics similar to this have been going on a while so I'm not expecting this complaint to change anything.

I don't want this to put people off ringing the cruelty line, but ask them to opt you out of marketing calls if they have the option (or put you through to someone who can) if you'd rather not be rung back about anything other than what you've reported.

I wonder if the timing of the call (during the Great North Run) was also a ploy to catch people when fundraising is in the public eye more than usual. For me it just had the effect of making me think my mum, who was doing the run, was injured or worse. We just don't get many home phonecalls on a Sunday and I wasn't expecting a business to call so that was my first thought. :mad:

Techhead_2

Whilst I can understand your disappointment at your details being used for something other than your intended purpose; don't you think you have over- reacted? In particular the bit about your mum.

Surely a straightforward letter asking them to remove your details would suffice?

Browntoa

I agree with the sentiment though

its totally wrong to use the details from these types of calls to target people for sales calls unless you OPT IN during the call at some point

paulofessex

I agree with the OP to use such details to then undertake marketing calls is not acceptable.

The RSPCA is one particular charity that l stopped supporting when the Iceland Banks issue came to light a few years back. It turns out the had millions upon millions in these Iceland Bank accounts but still beg more and more money.

I understand they need to invest etc, however there are other charities out there who haven't got millions stashed and are desperate.

maninthestreet

Why would the RSPCA be calling you if your mum was injured whilst competing in the Great North Run???

NeverEnough

maninthestreet wrote: »

Why would the RSPCA be calling you if your mum was injured whilst competing in the Great North Run???

OP had no idea when the phone rang that it was the RSPCA. They have said they rarely receive calls on a Sunday at the time the call came in, so was worried it may be a problem regarding their mum, who was running in the GNR.

I agree the RSPCA was completely out of order- both with timing of call on a Sunday morning and underhand methods used. But that is what they are all about , unfortunately, and their staff have very bad attitudes. I also stopped supporting them when I realised just how the donations were misused and wasted and how they euthanase so many perfectly well animals. I took the time to write a letter to their head office which was ignored for months and their highly paid CEO eventually responded to the second letter without even so much as an apology and was extremely arrogant and unpleasant - they will never get a penny from me again and I urge others I know not to give to them.

There are animal charities out there who actually care about the animals they are meant to protect, the RSPCA is certainly not one of them.

pmduk

The only time I've called their cruelty line they did nothing about the problem.

qetu1357

paulofessex wrote: »

I agree with the OP to use such details to then undertake marketing calls is not acceptable.

The RSPCA is one particular charity that l stopped supporting when the Iceland Banks issue came to light a few years back. It turns out the had millions upon millions in these Iceland Bank accounts but still beg more and more money.

I understand they need to invest etc, however there are other charities out there who haven't got millions stashed and are desperate.

Posts like these just underline how little some people understand about how to run a charity.

A charity has to have reserves, in case income drops suddenly or expenditure suddenly increases, so they can meet any commitments they have.

Every charity has to have reserves policy which details how much they have on reserve versus how much they would spend in one year.

It's just like you or me having savings in case we lost our job or got a big bill.

In a word, it's prudent.

kermitfrog

qetu1357 wrote: »

Posts like these just underline how little some people understand about how to run a charity

I think this demonstrates a lot of people's inability to understand scalability. When a company such as Tesco announces profits in the hundreds of millions, they're immediately vilified for greed. Yet when scaled down, it's no different to the local corner shop making a £10k profit.

So when the RSPCA lets it be known that they have millions in the bank, all these people see is that amount compared with their own bank balance, not the size of the RSPCA compared with the size of their household.

madmayo

I had exactly the same with the RSPCA..
phoned about animals and then had several phone calls requesting money with the statistics spiel!!
the fortunate outcome was the animals in question were attended.
and because I kept on saying no because I had limited income they did stop!!

KxMx

I did have a call back trying to get donations after a cruelty report, but they were upfront about why they were calling.