Lost faith in freecycle

[TPeers]

I am the Administrator of Croydon Freecycle, Whilst surfing about I stumbled across this thread. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but it is much better when the thread is totally truthful. I have copiped and pasted some of the so called issues and responded to them.



There are no issues with a member joining three local groups, providing they are in fact local, the problem is when a member crossposts simulataneously to all groups. If this occurs, the member is advised, if it continues, then after a while they will be removed. We do not have the time to keep on repeating the same thing to individuals.


This is the downside of multi group signups, we can not spare the time to cross reference other groups to see if you have made offers elsewhere. Each group is individual, it clearly states on the 1st page that an offer has to be made to this group prior to requesting, also thereare rules and guidelines sent to you when you join, had you not agreed with them, you should not have signed up to the group.


This clearly displays your ignorance as everthing so far is detailed within the rules and guidelines, often alongside an explanation as to why the rules exist. Yahoo groups are email based, not the ideal platform for an organsiation such as Freecycle, but unfortunately we have no choice other than to use this. if you have half a dozen items to offer, it is stated that it should be sent as ONE email, Labelled Offer: Various Items (1st Part Post code), this helps keep the sheer quantity of mail down, on a group with many thousand members, the messages quickly mount up. because of your failure to actually read the rules, which were labelled (Read before making a post to group) or something similar at that time, you start to spout off negative reports, which are in fact your own fault. As with any forum, group, org, there are rules, the rules are there for a purpose, if you fail to read them, how does it become our fault? So far you have stumbled on all the main rules, as well as tried to debate them, we will help and guide where we can, but if someone continues to take up lots of admin time, then it becomes an issue.



No shows I agree are annoying, we can only act when we are advised and we give a one hit and out unless there is a genuine good reason. As for selling, some think it is ok, some dont, personally i beleive that if someone wanted it sold, they would do so themselfs, we put the vote to our members, they agree, so we do not entertain sellers.


Again, all explained in the rules, you failed to read fchelp.co.uk explains fully and why.



If your aim was truely green, you would know thereare plenty of options aside from Freecycle, Gumtree, the great giveaway to name a couple, charity shops, so a trip to the dump will make you feel sooo good.....then why did you join FC in the first place?

======================


Due to the amount of emails dealt with on a daily basis it is hard to reflect fully on this. We are volunteers, if we receive abusive mail, we will respond accordingly. I can categorically state that the phrase you mention above is not a term I use, maybe you can show some hard evidence? (Doubtful). If I had something to say, believe me, if I say it in Email, I would say it to your face. Your criticism is unjust, are you too shallow to accept that perhaps if you read the rules, you would not have had any issues, can you not be man enough to accept you are the one at fault?


No idea what your on about there




In future just be truthful, you may feel better for it. Our group is heading towards 5000 members, we came second as highly commended in the Croydon Green awards, if our group was as bad as you attempt to make out, this would not have been acheivable, as the results are by way of public voting, we was up against many other orgs as well.

I doubt I will be back to visit this thread, but it is down to the members here to read and come to your own conclusion. The only time we get members who are upset is when they continually flout the rules and they are removed from the group, or they are caught out abusing the system. Overall we strive to make the group fair, safe and as pleasant as can be. When ever in a position of enforcing rules, therewill always be times when you are made out to be the ogre, little hitler etc.

Regards

Admin Croydon fc

Dear sir, I feel I have to resond to this as Farmer-Gyles is not the only person who you have been pointedly impolite to.

My husband and I are members of the Croydon Freecycle - we have offered lots to people in good faith and generally found that people are reasonable. Having carefully read the rules of the 'site' and complied with offering several lots BEFORE asking for something, when we did put in a 'wanted' you rejected it out of hand claiming we had not complied with the rules. When out previous 'offers' were shown - via email - to you you claimed they didnot exist and still refused to place out 'wanted'. Since then you have steadfastly failed to reply to any email we send. We have been waiting over 3 months.

Little Hitlers I can work with!

[zazen999]

To support T Peers; I gave away loads; and I mean loads of stuff on nottingham freecycle; washing machine, freezer, tumble dryer, microwave, computer, printer, 2 sofas and lots of other smaller items. I had moved in with my OH and we didn't need 2 of everything.

When I posted a wanted for a dyson filter [very small item], it was rejected as I supposedly was out of area [living on a main road on the approach into the city, and not the city itself]. Nice.

Same sort of thing happened with Derby; needless to say I don't freecycle any more. Plus I couldn't sit and watch the rude 'anyone got a car/laptop I can have' posts. The best one was asking for the new Harry Potter book; the DAY it was released.

[piskieinboots]

So, FCCadmin does you having joined us (to reply to FG) mean you will be sticking around to enjoy the general good fun, fantastic advice, outstanding support and friendship that is The Grapevine

[Ethansmum]

It really does make me giggle when people and organisations (usually the ones that have 'issues') google themselves and then register on forums just to have their say. MMmm who are we to believe? Someone who posts once or a long standing member of our community?

[piskieinboots]

ROFL @ Ethansmum - yep indeedy

[Farmer_Gyles]

It really does make me giggle when people and organisations (usually the ones that have 'issues') google themselves and then register on forums just to have their say.

yup, in some ways it's kinda funny - but in others, kinda sad ....
but what's funniest is that it's the admins that (and i quote) "do not have the time", yet they find the time to google themselves

and the claim that they "can not spare the time to cross reference other groups to see if you have made offers elsewhere", which is exactly what they did do .....

MMmm who are we to believe? Someone who posts once or a long standing member of our community?

regardless of how long i've been here, what on earth could i possibly achieve by telling lies about this? if i wanted to tell lies about something, i'd probably spend my time and energy telling lies about something that would somehow benefit me ..........

[bluemoon]

I'd love to have problems with freecycle, sadly I applied to join our local group 5 months ago and am still waiting.

[sez]

don't forget the HUMAN BEINGS that are GIVING THINGS AWAY FOR FREE are doing so VOLUNTARILY

but when one group applies the rules very strictly, despite neighbouring groups applying the very same rules more leniently,

yup... voluntarily. So either use the group or... don't? Why the need for long rants?

Re: rules being applied differently.. yes, they are. It's up to the mods to run the group the way they see fit, within guidelines. Clearly it's working as the group has several thousand members.

I doubt you've dealt with several hundred emails in one day from people who can't be bothered to write 'Offer' or similarly easy tasks.

I will just say though.. I have no experience whatsoever of the Croydon group.. so for all I know it might be poorly run.. but with the aforementioned thousands of members I doubt it.

So, in conclusion , can we have an end to the freecycle whinges. Use it or don't, if you think you can do a better job yourself why don't you? At the end of the day freecycle HAS recycled tonnes of stuff which is what matters.

[Shortie]

I'm now closing this thread.

I don't think anything more can really bed added and it's starting to descend...