national Trust deceptive gift aid tactic and hard sell.

hubb

I am not a happy camper. Today we visited a National Trust house and were (as expected as it happens all the time) fighting the guy off with sticks to say we didn't want to become members (not just yet at least anyway). Like some people, we are not rolling in money.

Anyway, after asking to just pay the entrance fee we were told it was £11.00 each. As I was paying he asked if I wanted to sign a gift aid form so they can get tax back. Slight inconvenience I thought but every bit helps so I did. I asked again is this the entrance price and he said yes. Later I discovered that the actual "standard price" was in fact £9.90. I couldn't believe how deceptive the tactics were of this guy. He never once stated that gift aid means giving more money. Isn't it law to state the real price before they go assuming you are paying gift aid ?

Anyway, I have emailed the NT about this as I am not happy. I hope to hear from them soon.

Anyone else had this kind of treatment ?

miduck

That extra £1 equates to an additional £2.75 for the National Trust. If you're really that tight then I would suggest staying at home in future.

hubb

I'm not tight, I give freely when the mood takes me BUT I don't like being deceived. My point was the deception, not the amount. Why do the NT need more money anyway, do you not think £9.90 is enough for most people to visit a house ?

Fosterdog

Gift Aid doesn't work like that, nothing gets added on at the time but they would claim 28% (I believe) back from HMRC. If money has been added on it will be for something else.

I always Gift Aid charities and have never made a bigger donation than I originally intended to but they claim it back later, you just have to give your name and address so HMRC can make sure you've paid enough tax this financial year for Gift Aid to be allowed.

Coopdivi

miduck wrote: »

That extra £1 equates to an additional £2.75 for the National Trust. If you're really that tight then I would suggest staying at home in future.

What a moronic comment.

tomwakefield

Fosterdog wrote: »

Gift Aid doesn't work like that, nothing gets added on at the time but they would claim 28% (I believe) back from HMRC. If money has been added on it will be for something else.

I always Gift Aid charities and have never made a bigger donation than I originally intended to but they claim it back later, you just have to give your name and address so HMRC can make sure you've paid enough tax this financial year for Gift Aid to be allowed.

Actually, National Trust do have two prices - with donation and without.

e.g.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele/prices/

Two lists of prices - "Standard" and "Gift Aid". They can then reclaim tax on the entire "Gift Aid" ticket amount, but apparently not on the standard ticket prices

From my experience, both prices are listed quite prominently on the signs at the various properties, but you are assumed to want a Gift Aid ticket unless you specify otherwise.

hubb

Coopdivi wrote: »

What a moronic comment.

I agree. What a muppet.

Pollycat

tomwakefield wrote: »

From my experience, both prices are listed quite prominently on the signs at the various properties, but you are assumed to want a Gift Aid ticket unless you specify otherwise.

I'm a long-time member of the NT but I didn't know about this (as it obviously doesn't affect me).

I actually think that to assume people want to donate in addition to paying what is often a fairly hefty admission fee is sharp practice.

At the least, NT staff should ask visitors what type of ticket they want and if they are not sure, they should point them to the notices before taking any money from them.

I sign Gift Aid forms whenever I donate to charity.
To me, this means that (as I am a tax payer) the charities can claim tax back on the money I've donated or on the clothes I've donated that they have then sold - not that I'll be paying more than I expect to.

Hudd, please post back when the NT replies.

unholyangel

hubb wrote: »

I'm not tight, I give freely when the mood takes me BUT I don't like being deceived. My point was the deception, not the amount. Why do the NT need more money anyway, do you not think £9.90 is enough for most people to visit a house ?

For £5 you can visit mine :P

Bargain and I'll even throw in a cup of tea If you're lucky, you might even get a biscuit!

Ok all joking aside. I dont like when people are dishonest either - especially those who are asking me to part with my money. You could put a letter of complaint in, perhaps stating that you feel they should make visitors aware of the price with and without making a donation.

LannieDuck

That's really odd - I didn't think gift aid worked like that. I thought that it meant they could claim the tax back on your ticket, not that they'd add extra to the ticket price.

Have I fundamentally misunderstood how it works?

Pollycat

LannieDuck wrote: »

That's really odd - I didn't think gift aid worked like that. I thought that it meant they could claim the tax back on your ticket, not that they'd add extra to the ticket price.

Have I fundamentally misunderstood how it works?

This is what HMRC says about it:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/individuals/giving/gift-aid.htm

I'm not sure that NT are using the term properly.