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Anyone use this? It's basically a listserv (or collection of listservs -- different ones for different areas) for people to give shit away. I have occasion to get rid of stuff from time to time, so I signed up with the thought that I might be able to help someone out with something they needed.
What a joke this is. Often, the things that people post up for free are things that wouldn't be worth the drive to go get. For example, and this is not a joke, someone offered up 11 cans of soda -- turned out they bought a 12 pack and didn't like it, so they offered the rest to anyone that wanted it. How gracious.
On the flip side, people often post requests for things that amount to begging. Example: request for a personal computer, no slower than 2.5 GHz, monitor 19" or bigger. For free. Yeah, I'd love it if someone would just give that to me, too, but it never occurred to me to go onto the internet and just ask for it.
Anyhoo, I had a couch and a loveseat I didn't need any more, so I decided to post it on there in the hopes that someone could use it rather than taking it to Goodwill or something and taking the tax deduction. I get a ton of responses, and select someone who had recently lost everything in a fire and was starting over from scratch. Problem is that the gal kept standing me up -- no call, no nothing, just me waiting for her to show up to pick them up at the time we'd agreed upon. Turns out there were some snags in getting a vehicle (still would have been nice to get a call explaining that), but it ultimately became apparent that she wasn't going to be able to pick them up, so I had to move on to someone else.
This time, I selected someone who indicated that she really needed a couch, blah, blah, blah. We exchanged some email -- I asked that she call me, and although she failed to do so a couple of times and I kept having to pester her to contact me, we finally set it up where she would come by Wednesday at 8 pm and pick them up.
8 o'clock rolls around, no show, no call, no nothing. The next morning, I get this email, which came in around 9 pm on Wednesday:
This, in turn, prompted this response from me:
Today, I get this response:
Which, in turn, led me to compose this:
Finally, I received this from her:
This has left me totally scratching my head. First off, am I out of line here? I don't mean to suggest that she ought to be bowing down to me because I'm giving her free furniture, but it strikes me that she's lost sight of who's doing who a favor. I realize that Freecycle is designed to help people exchange stuff for free, but that doesn't confer upon the recipient an entitlement to the item that lasts any longer than the donor says it does. It isn't first come first served, it is entirely in my discretion who gets these things, so it seems to me that it would make sense to extend the donor the fucking courtesy of a phone call alerting them that a problem has arisen.
To dissect her last message, she DID in fact stand me up, she DIDN'T really get in touch with me apart from an email an hour after the time she was supposed to meet me, and pardon me if me trying to give her a free living room set caused her any inconvenience. And might I finally add, although I selected her from many people that replied because she professed a need for this furniture, a person that has to move their existing furniture out of the house before they can take mine does not need furniture, they want furniture.
I dunno. I'm tempted to send her a message dripping in sarcasm apologizing for the inconvenice I've caused, but the rational part of me says I ought to just drop it. It's definitely soured me on the Freecycle thing.
Got someone else coming by tomorrow morning. Let's hope they make it...
What a joke this is. Often, the things that people post up for free are things that wouldn't be worth the drive to go get. For example, and this is not a joke, someone offered up 11 cans of soda -- turned out they bought a 12 pack and didn't like it, so they offered the rest to anyone that wanted it. How gracious.
On the flip side, people often post requests for things that amount to begging. Example: request for a personal computer, no slower than 2.5 GHz, monitor 19" or bigger. For free. Yeah, I'd love it if someone would just give that to me, too, but it never occurred to me to go onto the internet and just ask for it.
Anyhoo, I had a couch and a loveseat I didn't need any more, so I decided to post it on there in the hopes that someone could use it rather than taking it to Goodwill or something and taking the tax deduction. I get a ton of responses, and select someone who had recently lost everything in a fire and was starting over from scratch. Problem is that the gal kept standing me up -- no call, no nothing, just me waiting for her to show up to pick them up at the time we'd agreed upon. Turns out there were some snags in getting a vehicle (still would have been nice to get a call explaining that), but it ultimately became apparent that she wasn't going to be able to pick them up, so I had to move on to someone else.
This time, I selected someone who indicated that she really needed a couch, blah, blah, blah. We exchanged some email -- I asked that she call me, and although she failed to do so a couple of times and I kept having to pester her to contact me, we finally set it up where she would come by Wednesday at 8 pm and pick them up.
8 o'clock rolls around, no show, no call, no nothing. The next morning, I get this email, which came in around 9 pm on Wednesday:
> > I talked to my mom and she has no trouble transporting the couches, but
> > we agreed that we can't get them down the stairs. We have the
> > transportation, basically we need them to be down the stairs and out of the
> > building and ready to be hauled. Is that possible?
> >
> > My second dilemma is that my couches haven't been picked up (I've been
> > trying to coordinate the two efforts... unsuccessfully, it seems).
> >
> > How big of a hurry does this have to go? I really do want this (I *need*it). If I can't work it out within a week, do you need to move on? So
> > sorry--- things usually work out better for me in this area...
> > I guess everyone is having trouble working things out and getting back
> > on track?? That's the only thing I can think of.
> >
> > Let me know.
> > we agreed that we can't get them down the stairs. We have the
> > transportation, basically we need them to be down the stairs and out of the
> > building and ready to be hauled. Is that possible?
> >
> > My second dilemma is that my couches haven't been picked up (I've been
> > trying to coordinate the two efforts... unsuccessfully, it seems).
> >
> > How big of a hurry does this have to go? I really do want this (I *need*it). If I can't work it out within a week, do you need to move on? So
> > sorry--- things usually work out better for me in this area...
> > I guess everyone is having trouble working things out and getting back
> > on track?? That's the only thing I can think of.
> >
> > Let me know.
> As a bit of background, you became the would-be recipient of these couches
> because the person that was originally supposed to take them stood me up,
> leaving me sitting at home waiting for a visit/phone call that never came.
> Last night, I rushed home from softball to be home and sat around all night
> waiting for you to come by -- I don't sit around my computer in the evening,
> so I didn't get this until this morning. You have my number, and should
> have called to explain the situation. More troubling, though, is that I
> can't imagine that these obstacles just occurred to you at 9 last night.
>
> I can't work with someone who doesn't communicate with me. Sorry.
>
> Thanks anyway
> because the person that was originally supposed to take them stood me up,
> leaving me sitting at home waiting for a visit/phone call that never came.
> Last night, I rushed home from softball to be home and sat around all night
> waiting for you to come by -- I don't sit around my computer in the evening,
> so I didn't get this until this morning. You have my number, and should
> have called to explain the situation. More troubling, though, is that I
> can't imagine that these obstacles just occurred to you at 9 last night.
>
> I can't work with someone who doesn't communicate with me. Sorry.
>
> Thanks anyway
> no, I had been dealing with it all week, actually. trying right up until
> the last minute to make it work. my mom sprung this on me at the last
> minute, as well.
> sorry i'm not perfect.
>
> thank you anyway
> the last minute to make it work. my mom sprung this on me at the last
> minute, as well.
> sorry i'm not perfect.
>
> thank you anyway
Honestly, it's not a question of being perfect -- I understand that things
happen, I really do -- it's a question of being considerate.
Even if you'd called me Wednesday evening to say you couldn't make it that
night -- preferably at the first sign that there may be problems -- I would
have been more than willing to make other arrangements. I even checked my
email around 8:45 when you hadn't been by and I hadn't heard anything from
you to see if you'd left me a message earlier in the day. High tech
solutions like email are great, but sometimes common courtesy requires a low
tech solution like picking up the phone so I don't needlessly sit around
waiting all night. I had actually declined opportunities to do things
Wednesday night to be there to give you this couch. To not even be extended
the courtesy of a "hey, don't wait around for me" phone call indicates to me
that you didn't value the time or effort of someone trying to give you
something for free which, for me, is a deal killer.
Oh well. Not sure it's worth continued discussion.
happen, I really do -- it's a question of being considerate.
Even if you'd called me Wednesday evening to say you couldn't make it that
night -- preferably at the first sign that there may be problems -- I would
have been more than willing to make other arrangements. I even checked my
email around 8:45 when you hadn't been by and I hadn't heard anything from
you to see if you'd left me a message earlier in the day. High tech
solutions like email are great, but sometimes common courtesy requires a low
tech solution like picking up the phone so I don't needlessly sit around
waiting all night. I had actually declined opportunities to do things
Wednesday night to be there to give you this couch. To not even be extended
the courtesy of a "hey, don't wait around for me" phone call indicates to me
that you didn't value the time or effort of someone trying to give you
something for free which, for me, is a deal killer.
Oh well. Not sure it's worth continued discussion.
I was trying right up until the last minute, like I said. you don't have to be so judgemental. i'm a very considerate person. I got in touch with you didn't I? I didn't 'stand you up'
I did what I could given my circumstances, which, by the way. I had to give up different opportunities for this too, which NOTHING panned out for me... soooooo........ you're not the only one who was inconvenienced.
I did what I could given my circumstances, which, by the way. I had to give up different opportunities for this too, which NOTHING panned out for me... soooooo........ you're not the only one who was inconvenienced.
To dissect her last message, she DID in fact stand me up, she DIDN'T really get in touch with me apart from an email an hour after the time she was supposed to meet me, and pardon me if me trying to give her a free living room set caused her any inconvenience. And might I finally add, although I selected her from many people that replied because she professed a need for this furniture, a person that has to move their existing furniture out of the house before they can take mine does not need furniture, they want furniture.
I dunno. I'm tempted to send her a message dripping in sarcasm apologizing for the inconvenice I've caused, but the rational part of me says I ought to just drop it. It's definitely soured me on the Freecycle thing.
Got someone else coming by tomorrow morning. Let's hope they make it...
GREAT! Fuck it go ahead and send that shit.
She's a fucking dimwit. Her first response should have given it away. She obviously has a hard time grasping the english language because her responses aren't directly answering what you've already stated. Don't give her shit. I wouldn't be surprised if the only language she "sort of" knows is english. Asshat.
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