Freecycle is Full of Nutbag Beggars
Earlier this evening I decided to post something to the local Freecycle list – a mattress that we’ve had kicking around, never used, but is just a bit on the lightweight and (for me at least) not very comfortable side. I used the ‘message maker‘ – a web page that has a form you complete which generates an email with all the necessary bits required, including something called the fair use policy. I didn’t read what it involved, but clicked the checkbox anyway, as it seemed like the right thing to do. After sending the mail, I realised that it had added this to my outgoing message:
Fair Offer Policy: I agree to wait 24 hours to see what responses I
get before deciding who to give my item/s to. This gives members on
Daily Digest, or those who don’t have continual access to the
Internet a fair chance to reply.
Wow, that little phrase there really changes the responses you get. No longer is it first-come, first-served. Instead, the responses are all about who’s most deserving of the freebie. Here are just a handful of the responses I got (all typos are theirs, and I can’t be arsed to tidy up for them):
hi if this is still available i would be very greatful for it as our
matrress (passed down from family) has got the springs sticking out and half of the buttons missing,its very uncomfortable to try and
sleep on but cash is tight so cant afford to buy one new for quite a
while.we can collect anytime over the weekend sunday would be better
for us but if saturday would be better then im sure we can do that.if
you want it gone before that i could pop round after school
hours.many thanks lisa
A good one for starters. A mattress that has "passed down from family", like some kind of heirloom? "Here you go, son, this was my father’s and my grandfather’s before him, and now I’m letting you have it". My heart bleeds. Probably because of the those vicious sticky-out springs. It’s uncomfortable but there’s no cash to buy a new one "for quite a while" – evidently they’ve calculated how long they need to save up for a new one (but the broadband and computer obviously gets funded – much more important than sleep, after all). Fail! So, I thought this response was atypical. How wrong I was:
I would be so very grateful of this for my sister, who is having to use a blow up matteress at the moment. Due to a serious incident her mattress was taken away by police and she has not been able to afford to replace it yet. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.
Now it’s the sister who’s suffering, and on a "blow-up mattress" too. But what’s this? "Due to a serious incident her mattress was taken away by police". ? And again ? WTF? Let’s hope it wasn’t anything serious, like a stabbing incident which caused the police to remove it for DNA testing or something. And if it was, let’s hope it doesn’t hapen again – it’s a blow-up mattress, after all, and wouldn’t take a puncture very well. Anyway, if I am to give away a mattress, the last person I want to invite over to my house to collect is someone who admits in their begging note that their last mattress was in some way involved with a "serious incident" that required the police to take it away from the scene of the crime. Who are these people? Fail! Who’s next?
Hello I hope I am not to late to ask about this. I would like to ask you if I could have it please I am disabled and on a very low income my Husband is a large framed man and he has killed the mattress that is on the bed. It does not have any spring in it and I cant even lay on it these days with out being in pain. even to sit on it the mattress is uncomfortable. This would be so welcomed in my home please.
I think this one might be genuine. But the husband "a large framed man" has, apparantly, "killed the mattress". Perhaps it was the same man who was responsible for the previous lady’s mattress which appears to have met an unfortunate end? Anyway, they didn’t get the mattress on the basis that I know that if I find the mattress squidgy and not up to supporting my 13-stone carcass without giving me backache in the morning, it won’t be any good for said disabled lady and her large-framed husband. So, who’s next in the queue?
Oh, YES PLEASE!!! We desperately need a new mattress as ours has
outlived its lifespan and I’m waking with backache. I prefer a
softer mattress. My husband and I keep meaning to go look for a new
mattress but with a very hyperactive little boy we foster, we just
never seem to find the time to go looking and buying one!! You would
be saving us an ENORMOUS effort if you would allow us to have it! We
just never seem to have any leisure time at all!
Suffering from back pains? Check. No time to get a new one? Check? Tugging at heart strings by letting me know that they are good people who take on foster children? Check. Again, might be genuine, but who knows for sure. Finally:
hello, i would really love this as mine has just about had it with
the springs sticking through, and i dont seem to be able to get one on
here always gone before i can ask , or as i dont drive and have to
arrange it with family, i think they give it to first to collect. but
never mind if its gone i will keep trying, but i would be very grateful
of it.
Another person suffering from deadly sticky-out springs. Seriously, does this happen anywhere other than Tom & Jerry cartoons? Apparently it does. Swindon seems to be plagued with inferior-springed mattresses, by the look of it.
Oh. Wow. This is just perfect. I had said ‘finally’ a moment ago, but just as I finished the last paragraph, another response came in. Perfect timing! And this one has it all:
do you still have this available please? as a single mum i cannot afford to replace the one i have (which has springs poking out all over lol)..we have just moved to your area,we are in newhall street….my eldest and i could walk it round the corner at your convienience …
please please please…. i am so desperate to get a good nights sleep but what with christmas and my 3 children needed new ones when we moved alas mummy gets overlooked lol
In the end, I decided to offer the mattress to none of the above. The winner simply wrote:
yes pls can i collect it patricia
To which I replied:
As you replied with the most straightforward and non-creepy ‘woe is me’ tale, I’m giving you first dibs on this.
So, FreeCyclers, the lesson if you want something from lloydi is to cut the crap and keep it simple. Oh, and a bit of punctuation, spell-checking wouldn’t go amiss, either. Tsk tsk.
Posted: January 16th, 2008 under Stuff.
Comments
Comment from Lynn
Time January 16, 2008 at 8:01 pm
This cracked me up! I refuse any freecycler who does not use proper punctuation. First one to use capitals and real sentences wins!
Comment from Blair Millen
Time January 17, 2008 at 2:10 am
Hilarious write-up. I’ve never used a service like Freecycle before but I’ll bear your advice in mind if I do.
Comment from Butbag Neggar
Time January 17, 2008 at 3:56 am
Lloyd, I completely agree, Freecycle would be much better if only the middle-classes and up were allowed to join! Anyone wishing to take part should have to pass a spelling test, prove they could solve simple maths problems and that they know the difference between a Claret and a Beaujolais! It’s only civilised!
Comment from Amanda
Time January 17, 2008 at 9:55 am
ZOMG – I had the same experience. Although what was worse was the greedy people who wanted everything (I offered a pile of stuff). I put a few posts up and one guy replied to wanting everything. I gave him a few items and after he saw my next post, he rang me 4 times during the day until I said “Please don’t call me, I’m not giving you anything because it’s just greedy”.
Comment from Mark D.
Time January 17, 2008 at 11:47 am
Congrats Ian – you’ve managed to get my first LOL of the day.
In some sad way, this reminds me of the “Free money!” scene in Terry Southern’s “The Magic Christian”.
-m
Comment from karen in texas
Time January 18, 2008 at 1:24 pm
It’s very similar in the US….
I run a Texas Freecycle group & I won’t allow the wanted posts that go into sob stories. Keep it simple & no begging!
When I offer an item & receive multiple requests for it, I review archived group posts & usually offer to somebody that has placed an “offer” previously. Even people very low on funds have something they can Freecycle- empty butter tubs can be re-used by crafters, empty toilet paper & paper towel rolls- the same. Many items deemed “worthless” can be recycled for another purpose.
And isn’t that what Freecycke is really about?
Comment from PK
Time January 18, 2008 at 3:19 pm
This is just one of the reasons Sharing Is Giving was created in 2005. Less rules, more community oriented and friendly Owners and Mods.
Anyone wishing to take a look go to http://www.sharingisgiving.org I promise we will not add a 24 hour policy on your messages, lol.
You may see a sob story once in a while but folks know they don’t have to do that on SIG, simply ask:)
PK (SIG Founder)
Comment from Charlotte Hess
Time January 18, 2008 at 4:36 pm
I own a ‘former’ Freecycle site. We went solo in August of ‘05.
Reason you see this kind of response is that Deron Beal, the Founder of Freecycle.org has encouraged press to have freecycle group seen as a charity. Why? So he can collect tax free dollars to put in his pocket.
So if you wish to blame someone for the ‘gimmee’s’ Deron is your boy.
My groups in Florida, Melbourne and Space Coast area *Listed here:
http://www.freesharing.org ” voted on our rules, one of which is NO sob stories, no gimmees, no treating us like Rooms to Go’ or the mall.
We’re simply a group that encourages reuse of items. But we are not here for beggars to see who can come up with the biggest sob story of all.
I am afraid that the lack of correct spelling is just a sign of our lack of education or lack of care about it. Even with the advent of spell check, some just can’t be bothered and it’s of course not just Freecycle groups.
Comment from Sophie Mancall-Bitel
Time January 20, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Hey Ian-
I’m a student at Northwestern University and I’m doing a research project about online communities. I’m focusing on the freecycle group. I was wondering if I could interview you about your experience with freecycle?
-Sophie
Comment from mattymcg
Time January 20, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Ha ha, hilarious stuff Lloydi. Glad you got rid of it in the end!
Comment from Jen
Time February 5, 2008 at 7:35 am
Your mattress would be perfect, as I’m on benefits and Christmas was very expensive what with buying the Nintendo Wii for the 8 children,and because we got flooded the carpet is wet so I can’t slelep on that and my husband’s left me for younger woman and my cousin is disabled too.
P.S. Can you deliver as I don’t drive…
Comment from SwindonFreecycleMod
Time February 6, 2008 at 1:53 am
Hi Lloyd, et al,
I am a moderator of Swindon Freecycle. We welcome any and all (serious) suggestions to make the Swindon Freecycle site better for its members.
We usually edit out any “sob stories” when we moderate moderated members’ Wanted or Offered posts but obviously cannot censor private e-mails between members!
I am happy that you like the Message Maker – we have tailored it for Swindon Freecycle. Any suggestions for it?
Glad that you managed to get rid of your stuff – the prime raison d’etre of our group. Agreed that the charity part of it is just weird and creepy sometimes. We do get problems with that – some members think it is all about giving to the needy, some members are the needy, some are there to make a fast-buck but hopefully the majority are there to re-cycle their unwanted stuff.
To us, we don’t really care whether the items go to someone that wants to sell them on eBay or at a car boot sale or someone that will use them because they are really the same thing. If someone is trying to make money selling used items that are given away then they most probably are needy! So long as the items avoid landfill then we are happy.
Cheers!
Comment from David A Teare
Time March 8, 2008 at 9:10 am
I love freecycle, but I’ve always done the first-come-first-served approach. The best thing about freecycle is it helps remind me that it is a really small world and to “pay it forward”.
Case in point, I actually met a future neighbor as my wife delivered the item to their house due to circumstances, and now 6 months later we are moving into that same neighborhood. Next time they are BBQing we will be sure to remind them of this :)
Comment from Nicole
Time March 10, 2008 at 7:36 am
I know what you mean! I put some mini-disks (48 of them) on Freecycle and went with the ‘first come, first served’ option as I wanted to get rid of them quickly. The cheeky beggar then posted a request for an unwanted mini-disk player the next day!
Spelling and grammar is also a sticking point for me too.
Comment from DCM
Time January 22, 2009 at 9:10 am
Well, I’d prefer to help folks who need help regardless of their command of English grammar. Call me crazy.
Comment from Lori
Time January 16, 2008 at 7:09 pm
These are exactly the kinds of responses I get, even when I say “fastest pickup gets it.” Many of the WANTED posts on our local freecycle list are lengthy sob stories; yes, yes, we KNOW, you’re unexpectedly pregnant with twins and the father left when he found out and you already have one set. Enough, already!
Also? I reject any response that contains “lol” right away.