devious Freecycle taker?

Truepat

We recently remodeled one of our offices. The staff got first choice of all the old furniture that was being dumped and everything else got advertised on a freecycle site, with a window of 2-3 hours to be collected.

Some people turned up early (then complained they had to wait); some turned up late (and complained that we would not give them access); others wanted us to store it (they had missed the point); and others wanted us to deliver it (yea right!). One person even ran around putting his stickers all over the place as if he was claiming the items - he got asked to leave.

Most of it went (in the first half hour) but at the end of the 2 hours we threw what was left into a skip (less than half full). I do not care if people got it for their house, got it to do up and resell, or wanted to put it on eBay.

whitesatin

Truepat wrote: »

We recently remodeled one of our offices. The staff got first choice of all the old furniture that was being dumped and everything else got advertised on a freecycle site, with a window of 2-3 hours to be collected.

Some people turned up early (then complained they had to wait); some turned up late (and complained that we would not give them access); others wanted us to store it (they had missed the point); and others wanted us to deliver it (yea right!). One person even ran around putting his stickers all over the place as if he was claiming the items - he got asked to leave.

Most of it went (in the first half hour) but at the end of the 2 hours we threw what was left into a skip (less than half full). I do not care if people got it for their house, got it to do up and resell, or wanted to put it on eBay.

It is your right not to care in the same way as it is someone's right to care what happens to their stuff.

Call me sentimental but I like to think that my item of furniture is currently sitting in the home of someone who appreciates it and who will probably pass it on to someone else when they have finished with it. OK, they might sell it eventually but that I can't worry about.

As for me being a control freak, I don't see it that way, just as someone who likes to help others out.

DKLS

whitesatin wrote: »

Call me sentimental but I like to think that my item of furniture is currently sitting in the home of someone who appreciates it and who will probably pass it on to someone else when they have finished with it. OK, they might sell it eventually but that I can't worry about.

As for me being a control freak, I don't see it that way, just as someone who likes to help others out.

You remind me of a relative who only gives when it comes attached with conditions. She won a significant sum of money and offered me some but with it came a whole load of conditions I wasn't prepared to agree to, so declined the money, she took umbridge and haven't seen them in 8 years bar for a family funeral.

Truepat

whitesatin wrote: »

It is your right not to care in the same way as it is someone's right to care what happens to their stuff.

Yes you have a right to "care" but you do not have a right to "know" - you can not force someone to tell you what their intentions are - in the same way as a tax payer has no right to know how someone spends their benefits money.

mttylad

Er, yes you do..

You have the right not to give your items away to anyone that wants them - they are yours to do with what you please and until they are someone elses they are still yours.

So you have the right to ask the person taking them if they are intending to resell them and if they say yes - to not to give to them.

Of course they are going to lie, and there in it becomes a different matter. (as it usually the case)

Truepat

mttylad wrote: »

Er, yes you do..

Rubbish (again!) You are missing the point - however if you show me in any charter of human rights where it states this as a right I will gladly concede that you are correct.

You have the right not to give your items away to anyone that wants them - they are yours to do with what you please and until they are someone elses they are still yours.

So you have the right to ask the person taking them if they are intending to resell them and if they say yes - to not to give to them.

Of course they are going to lie, and there in it becomes a different matter. (as it usually the case)

Yes, you have the right to ask someone and they have the right to tell you to mind your own business; you then have the right not to give them the stuff; and if they feel you have wasted their time in coming out to collect it then they have the right to express this to you (as politely or impolitely as they wish); or both parties have the right to walk away because they do not like each others attitude.

BUT AT NO POINT do you have the right to KNOW what they intend doing with it - that is just one of those made up "rights". What next "donators" will expect "donatees" to give a quick tug on the forelock and bow as they accept the goods?

whitesatin

Oh dear, somehow I seem to be seen in a light that is very different to the real me.

Isn't life strange?

pimento

pops5588 wrote: »

If you don't need it and you're giving it away for free, why do you think you have a right to monitor where it's going and what it's doing? If you care that much then keep it...

Exactly this. :T

mttylad

It is part of the rules of Freecycle that anyone wanting to obtain items through the group with the intention to resell them must declare this when asking for them from people.

It may not be in any human charter or law, but it is how freecycle works. great many people do not want to give away their stuff just so somsone else can sell it. Yes - we have the right to not give them our stuff, but we DO also have the right to ask if they are taking them to resell and be told if this is so.

If they tell us that they are wanting to use them, give a sob story then their taking and selling can be classed as fraud.
(and before you say it cant - this has been confirmed many years ago by legal bods.)

But you dont give a monkeys about that do you.

whitesatin

Rapidly coming to the conclusion that there really isn't much point in making comments on threads such as these. It seems to me that some people are just waiting to pounce for the sake of it, trying to be controversial. Quite what they get out of it escapes me but, I suppose, it takes all sorts. Quite sad really.

As for me I will continue to try and help genuine people out where I can and do my bit to ensure that Freecycle is used for what I perceive to be the original purpose.