My Aunt and the Cancer Recovery Foundation

andyrules

SpammyTheSpammer wrote: »

Tesco do not claim to be a be a charity. They may donate a small percentage of their (huge) profits to charities but they do not use emotional blackmail on old ladies to extort money that will "help little kiddywinks overcome cancer".

I think what this poster meant was that these unsavoury organisations are being helped by Tesco passing on contacts.

The poster that mentioned NSPCC - I second this. I had a SO to them for years but wasn't entirely happy about the amount of pens and other mail I received encouraging me to sign up. Eventually, when they asked me to change my will to include them I felt it was a step too far and cancelled the donations.

PlutoinCapricorn

Bear in mind that the default for both profit-making companies and charities is that you must opt out of having your details passed to other organisations: the default at present is that you give permission by not opting out. Once you have bought something or made a donation, you will be bombarded with requests for more.

In the aunt's case, it may be necessary to contact organisations individually to stop the flood.

SpammyTheSpammer

I wish! The problem is that we have no idea of how many of these emotional blackmail requests have actually been returned. I suspect that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg as she has other visitors and it is possible that she is asking them to post the cheques and replies back to the shady organisations. The postbox is 50 yards down her road, too far for her to go

I have just signed her up for the Mailing Preference Service (TY PlutoinCapricorn), we had already registered her with the TPS but this is notoriously fallible as it only stops the reputable firms - the disreputable ones ignore TPS and seem to concentrate on the elderly. Just look at SAS FIRE AND SECURITY, luckilly now closed down by the Crown Court, who actively preyed on the elderly by ignoring TPS rules.

Oh dear, thanks heavens that she is not falling for the YOU HAVE WON A COMPETITION scams....

clemmatis

SpammyTheSpammer wrote: »

I really do not know whether the Cancer Recovery Foundation is a true charity or not. Web investigation seems to reveal that a massive percentage of their total income seems to go on expenses and that a significant proportion goes to an independent telemarketing team. These are just the equivalent of "Boiler Room" operatives but using high pressure emotions tactics.

However, reading the 800Notes thread (http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-800-379-2068) reveals some fascinating facts:-

• Austin Kulp posts as the marketing communications manager for Childrens Cancer Recovery Foundation (CCRF)*
• He repeatedly claims that the Childrens Cancer Recovery Foundation (CCRF) is "a member of the Better Business Bureau, and we have earned the GuideStar Exchange Seal"
• When challenged about this he states that "It should say we are a member of GuideStar, NOT a member of BBB"
• In subsequent posts, only a few days later, he then continues to reiterate (falsely) that they ARE a member of the Better Business Bureau.
• So that's a pack of porky pies and, because of that, I believe nothing of what he states in those posts.
• There seems to be clear evidence that only a tiny fraction of the money collected by the telemarketers actually ends up in the charity and that is then reduced again by high overheads. There is another damming report of the US operation here:-

http://wafflesatnoon.com/2013/02/20/telemarketer-review-childrens-cancer-recovery-foundation/

This is a thoroughly sickening read.

I personally feel that lining your pocket whilst claiming to be doing good is hypocritical and frankly evil.
IMHO!

The Children's Cancer Recovery Foundation is part of the
Cancer Recovery Foundation , Registered Charity No. 1105703 (England and Wales) SC039731 (Scotlandb). It isn't separately registered. Austin Kulp is the Marketing Communications Manager for Cancer Recovery Foundation International, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He's on LinkedIn.

I don't know what kind of complaint the Charity Commissioners will look at, and I haven't had much luck complaining to Age UK about aggressive charities (who call at my door!), but I thought it was worth looking into. I'll see what else I can find.

dandm1

I notice MPS has already been mentioned, but another, albeit, more time consuming thing you can do that will start to reduce this will be to phone the companies/ charities involved and ask them where they got her details. You can request contact info for the supplying company and then call these companies/ charities to request they remove her information from their database, and tell them they no longer have permission to pass on her info.
It will take time, but I guarantee she has managed to get herself onto some marketing list (or more likely, lists) and they're selling on her info. Its all very well contacting each charity and asking them to remove her, but she'll keep getting mail from many others as the list provider keeps on selling her info.
If you subsequently continue to get mail from a particular charity, you can then contact the Charity Commission, Institute of Fundraising or Direct Marketing Association, all of whom should be able to help you.
Hope this helps

Exile_geordie

Its disgusting the way people pray on the eldery and of not sound mind like this and there really should be something in place that when you tell them to stop they stop.

It wont happen because some of the larger charities will whinge that any sort of legislation will affect their fundraising and how nasty the govt who try to do so are.

robatwork

Exile_geordie wrote: »

Its disgusting the way people pray on the eldery

Yes they are very uncomfortable.

(Sorry)