Freecycle. They said please so they got the item.

missyg_3

Just as a quick experiment I did a search for the word "please" in the freecycle folder I keep for people who have asked for my stuff.

278 messages had the word "please" out of 342 messages, so that's not too bad!

ArmchairTycoon

Personally I think that no one should be able to post a wanted ad on Freecycle, I see people who get really picky, asking for specific specification, as for manners I reject anyone who can't muster up a simple please.

I recently offered some glasses and the guy mucked me about and asked me to phone him, I reluctantly did as I was trying to clear space in my tiny flat quickly and I loathed to throw anything of use out, I got his voicemail and he didn't reply for 3 days, he then arranged for a friend to collect the items, all she said is I am here to collect the glasses, took them without another word and walked away, never heard from him again, not so much as a thank you e-mail.

Reading some of the e-mails I get from people interested in items I am giving away on freecycle I am getting suspicious that some people are using software to send out vague replies based on keywords in posts, maybe I am being a bit paranoid.

Sadly part of the problem is the people who volunteer to moderate my local freecycle, they seem to be oblivious to the darker side of human nature, just a few months ago they changed the rules to allow people to offer animals on freecycle, this is very wrong in my opinion.

Here is a tip: Add serial freecycle moochers to your block list, that way you will not see their posts asking for things, or receive emails from them about items you have on offer, the more people who do that the more of them who will get the message and keep away from freecycle.

One other gripe, when making a post on my local freecycle I have to include what area of my town I am in, fair enough, unfortunately more people than not that are responding are outwith my town and after agreeing to collect the item ask for my address then when I give it to them say what town is that in, and then say sorry too far for me to come and collect.

HugoSP

ArmchairTycoon wrote: »

Personally I think that no one should be able to post a wanted ad on Freecycle, I see people who get really picky, asking for specific specification, as for manners I reject anyone who can't muster up a simple please.

Whilst I agree with your second statement, I don't agree with your first.

IMO a wanted ad on freecycle can say "I can make use of this item and stop it going into landfill."

The person who has it may have not yet got around to putting it on freecycle, but may think "I've got one of those, I'll dig it out and send an e mail"

I am the proud owner of a very old 2 speed B and D drill - in orange! Yes it's that old! I use it for mixing plaster and tile adhesive. There is no way I would want a new drill to get caked in allsorts, so I use this. My guess is that it will do for a year or two then fall apart, mainly because of the dust created. My last one went this way.

I posted a wanted for a drill for this purpose and got this. It gets it out of the way of the doner, it keeps it out of landfill whilst it has useful life left in it and it saves me some money. He had it left over from when his dad passed away and he had never got around to chucking it.

Also, people posting wanted ads for large items (such as TVs etc) can be a real godsend for people who need the space. It's often a way of saying "I'll come and remove that old telly you don't want and you don't have to do a thing." We gave away a matress the other day - OK we posted an offered ad for it but would have been jsut as happy to give it away to a wanted poster. This thing was really in our way and the people who wanted it came and collected it at a time convenient to us.

When we bought a house recently, we had to clear it. I regularly checked our groups for wanted furniture ads to try to get rid, as well as posting offereds. If only I had found someone who was moving into a new place and needed a houseful of furniture, and had the balls to post a wanted ad - our problem would have been largly solved in one!

We did find a lady who took most of the unwanted furniture but we still had to get rid of a few bits. But it saved us a trip to the tip.

1jim

I must admit freecycle has lost its appeal for me, I only tend to offer items but have had a couple of things off the nottingham group/site.
Most of the replies tend to be things like "i will take it, call me on 07XXXXXX" "when can you deliver" and "its mine then?"
also am fed up with people failing to turn up, 2 recent encounters (on the same weekend below)

Offered Internal Door--- offerd this to a guy who said he would come at lunchtime on sunday, turned up after 4.30 with a car full of children, suprisingly the door wouldnt fit in the car, he said that he had forgotten his roofrack----it was on his other identical car, said he would come back the next day... never arrived and hasnt responded to emails

Offered childs first ride on toy.... offered to polite lady, said would collect next morning...... didnt turn up as car broke down, said could collect next day....didnt turn up as child had to go to hospital, offered for her to collect another day and she agreed, she said that she attempted to collect the toy before the agreed day but was suprised when we wernt in and the item was not outside for her.... told her that I would give her one last chance to collect this toy (we agreed another day and time) and guess what she didnt arrive and again no reply to emails

A year or 2 ago freecycle (or a splinter group in nottingham, realcycle) was a great concept and a fantastic way to stop things going to landfil but it seems that as it has grown it is now populated by traders/chancers/rude people and quite frankly people who really are a waste of good DNA!

lililou

I responded to a desperate pleas for girls clothing and games. As I have three daughters of my own it touched my heartstrings so I collecteda whole black bag of clothes that my girls don't wear any more and another bag of books and games. I didn't receive one thank you on freecycle or acknowledgment by e-mail. It has made me think of whether these items went onto ebay or amazon afterwards. I could have done that myself. However today I got a lovely box of books from a fellow freecycler who because my son is very sick at the moment even delivered them to my door this evening! That is the best of freecycle, for sure.

li'l_p

I offered a 28" TV and still have it despite numerous replies asking for it... why? Because not one said please or thank you.

I'm sorry but basic manners costs nothing and it bugs the hell out of me that there people can be so downright rude and not even have the decency to say "please". The messages are short, and some simply just say "Is the TV available?". I always send a very polite message stating that I am interested in an item, if available, please and that I can collect at a suitable time to the offerer. I usually end my message with "Many thanks". Is it then any wonder I tend to have a high success rate when I have replied to offers???

Some people are just downright greedy and rude.

angelatgraceland

Cardew wrote: »

Why don't you name and shame them?

Tempting indeed but not allowed! Proving it would be a great problem and it could be classed as libelous. Also consider the Data protection Act!:mad:

BoingBoing_2

Seems most if not all Freecycle sites suffer from the same lack of manners.

Think I'll start all my messages on there with 'manners cost nothing but may get you what you desire' lol

I've offered about 15 items on my local site over the last month, each time stating the timeframe in which the item must be collected, and only 3 items went 'on time'! 4 items were quite large, and only had 1 person respond, so I was stuck with the items until they bothered to come collect! 1 guy responded within 30 seconds of my post, agreed to come collect within 24 hours but actually turned up 4 days later grrr.

I have now started posting a message after 24 hours saying items not collected will be reoffered to other applicants. Amazing how many ppl dont bother to collect items they were desperate to get!

I do love Freecycle, but the amount of ppl who ask for everything, or who ask for expensive items all the time does get to you after a while so I'm giving up Freecycle for a month, the stuff can live in the shed until I feel ready to face the pitfalls and perils of Freecycle again.

Ken68

Last year, on my group, someone asked for an epistle from all respondents as to why they should be deserving of the radio he was offering.
Real 'Lord of the Manor' posting.

Confused_Jo

I too have found that certain people are always posting wanted posts and I'm sure they are using more than one email address.

I have met some lovely people through this site thought. Had loads of plants/ cuttings from one lady and have managed to give a perfectly good sink and pedestal to some one who needed it.

One freecycler responded within 2 minutes of certain post and then didn't bother to reply. I've since take to replying, " if you don't want it and then don't bother to arrange to pick up I'm giving it to the last person who emailed me about it"
I've also put wanted posts for non material things e.g Wanted Ideas for rehersal space and had loads of great ideas.
Generally find the last person to email is the genuine freecycler.
Have happy Christmas

Jo