Chuggers

[House of Tea]

whenever this subject comes up with my family my mum loves to tell the story of when she got approached in town by one and I screamed at the top of my lungs STRANGER DANGER! they soon backed off! might teach my children that tactic actually!

The thing is, life has moved on in the last few years. Leaving aside the fact that women are scared of a man approaches them in the street, the result of an extended period of social distancing, people are no longer willing to have people in their personal space, it seems alien that a stranger is trying to talk to you on the street. I suspect these chuggers are going to find it harder than ever to engage.

 

[Gym&Tonic]

I find ‘fuck off and get a proper job’ works wonders with them

Seriously though they are nightmare and some towns and cities have banned them from their streets. Unfortunately the place I live hasn’t. They are always smarmy and aggressive, I really dislike the way they walk in front of you and invade your personal space. I don’t like big National charities anyway and would sooner give to my local ones like the food bank or the hospice etc than one of those huge corporate ones. The RSPCA are a nightmare for actually knocking on your door, even though you have a ‘no cold callers’ sign and will see a cat in the window or hear a dog barking and start with the scripted line ‘I can see your an animal lover’, yes I am and that’s precisely why I wont donate my hard earned money to you scumbags.

 

[Taetae95]

Plus they're often for bigger charities which probably take huge admin cuts so how much goes to the cause anyway.

It's uncomfortable enough when they try and stop you but the ones who follow you are the worst! I've had more than one offer to escort me to the cash machine if I didn't have cash or when they say they'll wait for you to finish your errand/shop

 

[House of Tea]

That's technically assault.

Should have taken their badge number and reported them to the charity.

Treat them like you would if they were a double glazing salesperson or Sky flogger - they have no interest in the charity, they are probably not directly employed by the charity - probably a third party agency - and if you really questioned them about the fine details of the charity, they probably wouldn’t know the answer. They rely on you feeling guilty that you are doing better than those who need x charity, but you would be better off signing up with the charity direct.

https://www.archive.is/oldest/https...rities-used-pay-street-fundraising-firms.html

 

[CheesyMarmite]

I got stopped this morning by one that tried stopping me a few days ago, but I just rushed past him.
He said, I tried to call out to you, so I lied (not sure why) and said, oh I'm a bit deaf.
Turns out it was to sign up to donate to the deaf children's society

 

[Phoenix Lazarus]

I've had more than one offer to escort me to the cash machine if I didn't have cash

That's almost robbery by intimidation.

 

[Warpaint]

I thought the pandemic might have seen them off but they're back in full force now!

Do you think it's a good way to do charity and have you had any unsavory experiences with them? In the past they've been at my door, in pubs and worst of all the street ones.

When I was like 14 or something, I stupidly gave my details and number to one (can't remember the charity) and didn't think anything would really happen. However for weeks after I'd constantly get aggressive sale calls from different people in the charity asking for life long donations etc. Definitely put me off them forever after that.

To be fair it must be a pretty shit job though and I imagine many don't last long.

 

[DuckDuck]

There were some outside my local Morrisons today, they had card readers

... I thought there was a law against chugging now . Unless I'm getting confused with my town centre that prohibits it.. they were EVERYWHERE. literally one long strip if shops there must have been about 6 different charities..haven't seen any for at least 4 years

 

[HotesTilaire]

The big new thing in donations is “leave a gift in your will”

 

[Kim Mild]

My First instinct is always to say no. I always feel quite awkward about it, I've tried to make excuses why I'm declining , but then I've had some strange replies from it. I usually end up wishing I was blunter .

I believe that people shouldn't be coerced into donating, it should be done freely.

Sometimes you can go down one street and get asked 4 times by a different chugger for the same charity. Used to incense me when the guy used to say smile, like every other creep on the street. The men target the women, the young females target the men. Supposed to be won over by their charms.

I've had ones where they give you a compliment , so you feel like you need to donate in turn, I believe it's a technique called flirty fishing.

 

[Clovis]

A friend once gave me the wonderful advice of whipping out your mobile and pretending you're on a call and it does indeed work. I'm never bothered.

I'm amazed charities still use them. They may bring in some money, but they are trashing their reputations.

 

[Apple In My Pie]

I hate the ones that turn up at your door. I had a man call once, I couldn’t answer the door as I had no key so opened the window thinking it was my sister… nope, I stood there talking to this guy out of a window he was really persistent and it was quite intimidating as I was home alone, I told him I had no cash (poor student) and no card and then he kept asking and asking for my phone number so they could take £5 a month from me that way instead, mind you he wasn’t happy with £5 he wanted me to pay £10!, I had the whole sales pitch and some miserable story about how they’d gone down the road and asked someone else for money for this charity but had been let down, I told him he was wasting his time as I had no way of paying and he eventually left but not before trying to get me to ‘let him come back later when you get your phone back’ - er, no!

 

[Catmother12]

I’ve had one knock at my door, was a deaf charity. I donated etc but I am always short of money so I had to cancel the direct debit. I feel guilty but that’s £10 towards food order or my electric bill. I now look through my window if someone knocks, if it’s not the postman or someone I know I won’t anseer

 

[Sure. name changed]

I heard Jamie theakston on the radio this morning giving it a hard sell about donating to the global campaign or whatever it’s called And ‘don’t be one of those people who can’t be bothered, it’s only a fiver’ etc. Didn’t realise he was a chugger now. Didn’t hear Jamie and Amanda sticking their hand in their pockets!

 

[House of Tea]

I always tell them i only give to three charities every year and they are set up in january the first. Sometimes they try to catch me out by asking which ones but i always reel of the three closest to my heart and the ones i actually donate to on regular. I dont set up direct debits to them though.

You don’t have to tell them anything. Just don’t engage, or if that is too brusque, just say briskly no thank you. Never stop, keep going at pace, swerve them if you have to.

 

[Very traditional]

Firstly, I had never heard the term chugger before!

I'm what I would say is a charitable person, if there's a local charity with a collection I'll always give, I'll always buy a raffle ticket, donate a prize etc etc but these street collector people infuriate me. I don't know if they realise how intimidating they can be? Or if that is the aim? I'm quite firm now and give an eye contact "no thank you" and carry on walking but when I was younger I got suckered a few times.

Worst experience was coming out of a shop in a rush as had to pick my mum up from work, I got stopped by a really handsome, well dressed man with some air ambulance literature. He asked if I had a sec so he could take my details to sent some info via email - I said I had 1 minute, he asked my name and email and then said "£10 ok?" I was like "say what?" His response was "or we can do £5?" - I was flabbergasted and ended up giving him my card details for this £5 donation, turned out he signed me up on a recurring payment for £5 a month!!! I was so cross as im a supporter of the air ambulance, I live on the coast and know their value and often donate but that experience left a very sour taste.

 

[Kim Mild]

I’m very good at saying a firm not interested as I walk past them. I hate the ones that knock at your door too, so intrusive. They prey on the vulnerable.

Especially when they were red and you think it's royal mail knocking.

 

[Sure. name changed]

I ended up on a trial for a company that knocked door to door for different charities. It was the worst experience of my life. They targeted poor areas, told families with no heating in deep dark winter their kids would get free stickers, asked to enter homes. It was awful. At no point during my initial interview did they tell me that’s what the job was. It was over a decade ago and I still think about it. Those poor families are probably still trapped in direct debits!

 

[Renegadedancer]

This must be a last resort for employment. I read an article a few years ago which said they earn around £20 for each direct debit completed. Surely the majority of people are streetwise enough to not give their bank detailsto some random they have met in the street. It can’t have much life left in it surely.

 

[Warpaint]

I ended up on a trial for a company that knocked door to door for different charities. It was the worst experience of my life. They targeted poor areas, told families with no heating in deep dark winter their kids would get free stickers, asked to enter homes. It was awful. At no point during my initial interview did they tell me that’s what the job was. It was over a decade ago and I still think about it. Those poor families are probably still trapped in direct debits!

They're also notorious for targetting pensions and getting them signed on 3 different direct debits. I think there was a bit of an uproar about it a few years ago