A long-overdue rant about Freecycle.org - or rather, the entitled PHR33KZ who troll it 24/7
I'm so ashamed... but after poking fun at them in my last post, I wrote my very own passive aggressive note:
Folks, I really love Freecycle and have enjoyed finding homes for the stuff I don't need, but I am disappointed with the entitled manner I've noticed in a few individuals who use the service. Please do everyone a favor and read listings THOROUGHLY *before* responding (lest you end up complaining that you didn't get what you thought you were getting). There shouldn't be any need to rush or beat people to the punch... Freecycle isn't first-come, first-served unless the listings say so, and I'd rather get a friendly, thoughtful note than an abrupt one. Also, if you're no longer interested, saying so is polite. Finally, it is your responsibility to pick up and to be accommodating of the schedules of others whenever possible. Please be reasonable.
Thanks...... and now on to the stuff I still have available!
That's as nice as I could put it.
I posted a bunch of stuff on my local 'cycle list early yesterday: a computer monitor (please note: JUST THE MONITOR), keyboard and set of speakers; a television set (I helped a friend move on Saturday and got a newer one, score!); a telephone/answering machine combo with a glitchy Caller ID display; and a few other odds and ends. All in working order and accurately described.
As usual, within seconds - SECONDS! - I had several responses. The first one just said something like if still available can pickup tomorrow.
Huh? I wrote back in the same terse style (which I'm sure went entirely unnoticed): Which item(s)? He responded: att and t phone, sorry forgot to specify in rush. Sigh.
(See above, re: FREECYCLE IS NOT A RACE. However, plenty of people seem to monitor the listings CONSTANTLY and respond before they can even collect their thoughts. And since most people - including me - just want to be rid of things quickly, the loser dude with the fastest mouse click usually scores. And thus the rudeness is enabled. This is a good lesson for me, actually - I'm no longer going to feel guilty making people wait while I leisurely pick and choose from the response emails to see who has shown enough creativity, courtesy or at least moderate writing ability to earn the right to my junk.)
Anyway, I called and scheduled Mr. Terse to come pick the phone up off of my porch this morning, but not before he treated me to some lengthy song and dance about how expensive gas is and how he tries to consolidate trips and and and... Well, fine. "Just pick it up tomorrow whenever." Let's hope he does, because it's currently sitting in a plastic Target bag in the fucking rain.
Next, I got an email simply asking how big is the TV? I responded giving the length & width of the screen which I measured with measuring tape because I'm too dense to know how TV screens are sized. (Diagonally, it turns out. Laurie said it's a 19" screen. Did everyone but me know this? You can see how high television ranks in my list of priorities... I've never even bought a new one before.)
And... no response. What, did she think I was giving away a fucking wall-sized high-definition surround-sound flat screen? (This must be the same person who posted awhile back begging for a free car, "preferably a Hybrid." I shit you not. I wish I had kept that one.) Really, though: a "thanks but no thanks" would be all I'd require.
AND EVEN WORSE!!!!! was the guy who asked about the computer: call XXX-XXXX if computer is still available. Well, I should have just ignored the note. But when I didn't get any other nibbles, I called the number. It was hard to hear him and he was somewhat gruff on the phone, but he agreed to pick up today before 9am (while Laurie would still be around - I'd already be at work but couldn't very well leave it out in the rain). I told him what I had (a monitor, speakers and a keyboard) and he confirmed that he wanted all of it.
So he (a disheveled middle-aged dude with precious few social skills, like a lot of the early-responders on the site, I'm learning) showed up first thing this morning (the only thing he managed to do right) after I'd left for work and... well, according to Laurie he wasn't nasty or overtly rude to her, but he clearly thought that he'd be getting the CPU for some reason. "No," explained Laurie. "Just the monitor... the CPU's broken." "Oh well I can still use it, just pop out the hard drive." (EXCUSE me?) "Uh, no, it's not even here anymore." "Well, I don't want the monitor by itself." So he takes the other stuff, doesn't say thank you, and leaves.
Ugh. AUGH! He's so lucky I wasn't there. Behavior like that makes a girl kinda stabby... you know? Anyone who knows me knows that one thing I really can't tolerate is LACK OF GRATITUDE. HELLO - YOU'RE GETTING SOMETHING FOR. FREE. YOU SHOULD a. PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT IS AND IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR. FREE., and b. BE GRACIOUS ABOUT IT. Is that really so much to ask?
Amusingly enough, another user already emailed me privately to applaud my little whiney note:
BRAVO!
I find I keep having to walk away from freecyle for a while because of
the rude replies I get to any offer. (I am not allowed, per moderators,
to post to your group as I am in OTHER TOWN.)
I soooo appreciate your polite treatise to appeal to basic manners and
courtesy. I fear it may still fall on deaf ears, but you were brave in
the attempt! :)
So clearly I'm not the only one. And I'm totally going to start being a princess about Freecycle. BOW DOWN AND KISS MY SHOE IF YOU WANT MY STUFF BITCHES!!!!!
Folks, I really love Freecycle and have enjoyed finding homes for the stuff I don't need, but I am disappointed with the entitled manner I've noticed in a few individuals who use the service. Please do everyone a favor and read listings THOROUGHLY *before* responding (lest you end up complaining that you didn't get what you thought you were getting). There shouldn't be any need to rush or beat people to the punch... Freecycle isn't first-come, first-served unless the listings say so, and I'd rather get a friendly, thoughtful note than an abrupt one. Also, if you're no longer interested, saying so is polite. Finally, it is your responsibility to pick up and to be accommodating of the schedules of others whenever possible. Please be reasonable.
Thanks...... and now on to the stuff I still have available!
That's as nice as I could put it.
I posted a bunch of stuff on my local 'cycle list early yesterday: a computer monitor (please note: JUST THE MONITOR), keyboard and set of speakers; a television set (I helped a friend move on Saturday and got a newer one, score!); a telephone/answering machine combo with a glitchy Caller ID display; and a few other odds and ends. All in working order and accurately described.
As usual, within seconds - SECONDS! - I had several responses. The first one just said something like if still available can pickup tomorrow.
Huh? I wrote back in the same terse style (which I'm sure went entirely unnoticed): Which item(s)? He responded: att and t phone, sorry forgot to specify in rush. Sigh.
(See above, re: FREECYCLE IS NOT A RACE. However, plenty of people seem to monitor the listings CONSTANTLY and respond before they can even collect their thoughts. And since most people - including me - just want to be rid of things quickly, the loser dude with the fastest mouse click usually scores. And thus the rudeness is enabled. This is a good lesson for me, actually - I'm no longer going to feel guilty making people wait while I leisurely pick and choose from the response emails to see who has shown enough creativity, courtesy or at least moderate writing ability to earn the right to my junk.)
Anyway, I called and scheduled Mr. Terse to come pick the phone up off of my porch this morning, but not before he treated me to some lengthy song and dance about how expensive gas is and how he tries to consolidate trips and and and... Well, fine. "Just pick it up tomorrow whenever." Let's hope he does, because it's currently sitting in a plastic Target bag in the fucking rain.
Next, I got an email simply asking how big is the TV? I responded giving the length & width of the screen which I measured with measuring tape because I'm too dense to know how TV screens are sized. (Diagonally, it turns out. Laurie said it's a 19" screen. Did everyone but me know this? You can see how high television ranks in my list of priorities... I've never even bought a new one before.)
And... no response. What, did she think I was giving away a fucking wall-sized high-definition surround-sound flat screen? (This must be the same person who posted awhile back begging for a free car, "preferably a Hybrid." I shit you not. I wish I had kept that one.) Really, though: a "thanks but no thanks" would be all I'd require.
AND EVEN WORSE!!!!! was the guy who asked about the computer: call XXX-XXXX if computer is still available. Well, I should have just ignored the note. But when I didn't get any other nibbles, I called the number. It was hard to hear him and he was somewhat gruff on the phone, but he agreed to pick up today before 9am (while Laurie would still be around - I'd already be at work but couldn't very well leave it out in the rain). I told him what I had (a monitor, speakers and a keyboard) and he confirmed that he wanted all of it.
So he (a disheveled middle-aged dude with precious few social skills, like a lot of the early-responders on the site, I'm learning) showed up first thing this morning (the only thing he managed to do right) after I'd left for work and... well, according to Laurie he wasn't nasty or overtly rude to her, but he clearly thought that he'd be getting the CPU for some reason. "No," explained Laurie. "Just the monitor... the CPU's broken." "Oh well I can still use it, just pop out the hard drive." (EXCUSE me?) "Uh, no, it's not even here anymore." "Well, I don't want the monitor by itself." So he takes the other stuff, doesn't say thank you, and leaves.
Ugh. AUGH! He's so lucky I wasn't there. Behavior like that makes a girl kinda stabby... you know? Anyone who knows me knows that one thing I really can't tolerate is LACK OF GRATITUDE. HELLO - YOU'RE GETTING SOMETHING FOR. FREE. YOU SHOULD a. PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT IS AND IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR. FREE., and b. BE GRACIOUS ABOUT IT. Is that really so much to ask?
Amusingly enough, another user already emailed me privately to applaud my little whiney note:
BRAVO!
I find I keep having to walk away from freecyle for a while because of
the rude replies I get to any offer. (I am not allowed, per moderators,
to post to your group as I am in OTHER TOWN.)
I soooo appreciate your polite treatise to appeal to basic manners and
courtesy. I fear it may still fall on deaf ears, but you were brave in
the attempt! :)
So clearly I'm not the only one. And I'm totally going to start being a princess about Freecycle. BOW DOWN AND KISS MY SHOE IF YOU WANT MY STUFF BITCHES!!!!!