"Tim Downie" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
As a former user of Freecycle - on both ends of the re-homing - I can only say that I know _exactly_ what he means - and it looks like I'm not alone from other comments.
I s'pose it depends on your area, but when I gave up on 'em, there was a general air of pikey piss-taking scrounge about every single one of the lists around this way.
The one for my area featured requests such as "Looking for a free PC must be 2.6GHz Dual Core with minimum of 2GB RAM. Don't bother replying if hard drive is smaller than 320GB." and "Wanted Inflatable Dinghy with outboard engine, minimum 20 bhp, must be in good condition no patches. Will consider anyone who can transport it to my home."
Oh how I laughed.
snipped-for-privacy@n33g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
I'm not particularly patient but I have used Freecycle quite a bit over the past year. I've had no hassle at all. It amused me on a couple of occasions when people we knew, but didn't recognise from e- mail addresses, turned up for the stuff.
MBQ
None of it. Now piss off.
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember %steve%@malloc.co.uk (Steve Firth) saying something like:
Heh. Your reputation precedes you.
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com saying something like:
A link would be handy - mse is rather large with many sub bits.
At least that didn't happen with the London one.
I don't really expect people to be honestly grateful since it's a two way service. But since they are happy to make endless phone calls or emails to secure the object, just one after they've got it to say thanks wouldn't hurt.
Have a look here
Good moderators should remove/reject such postings.
The Freecycle groups locally - in rural Cumbria seem to work well - I never wait in for people , they get told to come when I am going to be around. Maybe they work best in small communities .
I have disposed of plenty of surplus building materials even down to 1/2 bags of drywall adhesive and a few concrete blocks.
I live in a small community. It's a damn sight easier to ask people in the village if they want my old crap than it is to dispose of it via Freecycle. Freecycle really needs a large community to stand a chance of working, but as it is currently conceived it is more about posing and showing green credentials than about being that useful - WTF should I need to register for $DEITY's sake?
My local dump recycles good stuff, I'd rather take my ex-belongings there.
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com saying something like:
Reading back, it seems it's not a new problem. Luckily I don't see it much on my local FC groups, and the only regular 'wanted' poster seems to be a geniunely skint young single mum who, over the past couple of years, has been keeping us abreast of her sprog's growth by the stuff she asks for and gives away.
messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@n33g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
I've had good experience of Sheffield Freecycle - pleasant appreciative people.
Rob
North and West Suffolk Freecycle works well for me but I never bother to wait in for people, I leave whatever I am Freecycling in the greenhouse so they can pick it up when they want
Anna
The trouble with this is malicious posters.
We had one when I ran the West Norfolk group - somebody posted a "I'm moving in with my girlfriend, giving away most household things" - the poster was probably a disgruntled ex-partner.
Whoever it was diligently answered enquiries and directed them to the address. Unusually, all the emails from the hoaxer were articulate (normally you can sniff out hoaxers by the retarded and unrealistic postings).
Some people had traveled many miles, some of them were genuinely struggling oldsters.
Similar scams of saying "I wont be there, but take it away with you" have been used during neighbour disputes on other groups.
Oh dear how unpleasant. I dont think I need to change my behaiour though do you? Such a situation has never cropped up in my group and it hasnt caused any problems so far So if it aint broke dont fix it
Anna
Mainly to try to cut down people spamming the newsgroup, putting up contact details of someone else along with highly desirable items, offering very unsuitable items, scams - and much worse things that I'm sure you can imagine.
The centralised control by the none-too-gifted Deron is not one of Freecycle's most positive aspects - but all the local group moderators I've met throughout the Fenland and East Anglia area of been very well motivated people that want to impose the minimum of overheads to make the local groups work successfully and keep the nuisances out. But remember, they are but a very few volunteers giving up some of there time - they do their best with the resources available to them.
You can of course do whatever you please when you arrange pick-ups with people via email or the phone.
However I recall another case on West Norfolk where someone did an unattended collection - and took the whatever it was the items had been left in for protection.
The offerer hadn't intended to give the box/whatever away - and the taker, I believe, said she'd subsequently thrown it away.
There's also a danger that the taker will also take any other items in or around your greenhouse that they fancy - possibly an item intended for another freecycler.
I've had one person when picking up, start the "can I have this? can I have that?", when they see I have a lot of building materials about.
If I wasn't there, I suspect a very few *would* help themselves.
In message , Adrian writes
Which reminds me - there's a place here in Watford which employs mentally and physically disabled people, they might appreciate some tools - I'll see if I can contact them
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes
I put an old Uher Report on Bedford freecycle a while back. It was picked up by a retired Uher engineer who was compiling a collection of them. Had lots of thanks when he collected and a follow up email. There are a few polite people out there, not many though.
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