$9, $12, $20 a month; ENOUGH ALREADY!

[MrNoBody]

All the TV ads for "charities" wanting a monthly commitment.
The overhead must take most of the donations and some of these
"charities" just seem dubious at best.
:oldfogey:
/rant

[Dennis S]

There are some charities that will send you to collections if you stop paying what you agreed to.

[space-time]

Dennis S wrote:
There are some charities that will send you to collections if you stop paying what you agreed to.

WHAT???

[pdq]

My personal pet peeve is ones that send you (low) value stuff unsolicited in the mail to guilt you (I guess) into giving. Last week I got one with something like five 1 cent stamps in the envelope.

Yeah, naw, you’re not getting any money from me if you do that kind of shit.

[RAMd®d]

There are some charities that will send you to collections if you stop paying what you agreed to.


Huh?!

Does one unwittingly commit to an unknown sum, and quitting forms some arcane default of payment?

Because that's not a charity, that's a scam.

Most any charity I'd donate to would get a USPS MO, with their name on both sides on the MO, and my name on one side on the receipt.

[Dennis S]

It happened to my sister several years ago. It was one of those TV ads about starving kids in Africa that asked for so many cents a day. It was around $17 or so a month. She just quit paying after a few months and stated getting collection letters. The last I heard they threatened here with collections. I never heard what they eventually did. I read an article about it online but can't find anything on Google.

[testcase]

pdq wrote:
My personal pet peeve is ones that send you (low) value stuff unsolicited in the mail to guilt you (I guess) into giving. Last week I got one with something like five 1 cent stamps in the envelope.

Federal Law ended that chicanery DECADES ago (it was a common mail scam back then). Now, if you received ANY "unsolicited" merchandise, you may legally consider it a GIFT and do what you will with it. New scammers might be dusting off a relic expecting today's "youngsters" will NOT be aware of old legislation.

I believe current laws REQUIRE "collection agencies" to state that fact immediately upon contact with people they're trying to collect debt from. These "agencies" buy "old debt" literally for pennies on the dollar. They then try to get someone, anyone, to "acknowledge" said debt. If you do, you might legally be assuming said debt. If ever confronted, DEMAND that they show you paperwork that YOU SIGNED when you assumed that debt. 99.9% of the time, said agency will NOT be able to produce anything YOU signed. End of story. If they DO go to court to get a court order, it is imperative that YOU APPEAR and dispute the agency's claim which WILL be dismissed once the required paperwork cannot be produced.

[decay]

They send my mother-in-law a nickel, showing through a cellophane window. I think it's the disabled veterans. Classy.