Just stumbled across this thread as I was thinking much the same last night whilst watching the TV.
Just text 66666 and donate £5 ....... You could easily bankrupt yourself within a week.
I will donate to certain charities and that's it. I also get fed up with constantly being met at the doors of the supermarket every week by people rattling tins at you for one cause or another but at least you could put in 50p and they're grateful, not £5 by a impersonal text message.
Finally whilst I'm on my rant. Tesco, handing you a 'shopping list' and asking you to buy it and donate at the end of your shop. Take it out of your billions Mr Tesco and leave the shoppers alone, no wonder your profits are down!
I've seen that Wateraid advert 7 times in the last two days now. It's getting beyond ridiculous! >:(
The UK has had plenty of water these past few days. We should bucket it up and send it over. These adverts are rivalling artificial sofa discounts, sales and holiday adverts at the moment.
I wonder if other countries have an appeal for us when half of the UK gets flooded or peoples homes fall into the sea ?
About three years ago my wife & I joined the RSPB paying by direct Debit. After a few months we started getting letters and phone calls asking for extra donations. I immediately cancelled my DD.
Now they get nothing from us at all.
As for the numerous TV ads asking to donate £3.00 for this, that or the other, If you contributed to all of them you'd need charity yourself.
This happened to my OH when he started donating £10 per month to Save the Children (they only ask for £2 in the advert so he was already donating 5x what their suggested donation was)
After about 12 months he got a call asking for him to increase his donation. He told them categorically that he would not increse the donation and if they asked again he would cancel what he is already donating.
In fairness they have never phoned again.
Anyway, on topic, I have really noticed the increase in these adverts this year and I don't even watch that much tv. I know they have to advertise but there are defintely far too many at the moment.
What about help a deaf, blind child ad? That line is mentioned about 10 times in the ad.
That child must be about 30 by now considering how long they have been using him in their ads. I expect Miles in the child cruelty ad has his legs sticking out the end of his cot by now.
Anyway, on topic, I have really noticed the increase in these adverts this year and I don't even watch that much tv. I know they have to advertise but there are defintely far too many at the moment.
Don't watch the CBS Reality channels every other ad is a begging ad
...surely someone could tell them about boiling water before they drink it
I realise you may be posting with your tongue firmly in your cheek but on the slight possibility you are not... how d'you think they are going to boil their water? What's the heat source going to be?
I don't like these ads, they don't persuade me to donate but - referring to another post - comparing the normal life of so many people in the third world (abject poverty with no way out) to a bit of passing trouble for some people when parts of the UK floods is (to be polite) simply silly. It is not the same.
I realise you may be posting with your tongue firmly in your cheek but on the slight possibility you are not... how d'you think they are going to boil their water? What's the heat source going to be?
I don't like these ads, they don't persuade me to donate but - referring to another post - comparing the normal life of so many people in the third world (abject poverty with no way out) to a bit of passing trouble for some people when parts of the UK floods is (to be polite) simply silly. It is not the same.
I care more about poor British people than people in the 3rd world.
As it could have effect other British people directly .
This happened to my OH when he started donating £10 per month to Save the Children (they only ask for £2 in the advert so he was already donating 5x what their suggested donation was)
After about 12 months he got a call asking for him to increase his donation. He told them categorically that he would not increse the donation and if they asked again he would cancel what he is already donating.
In fairness they have never phoned again.
Anyway, on topic, I have really noticed the increase in these adverts this year and I don't even watch that much tv. I know they have to advertise but there are defintely far too many at the moment.
Same for me and Guide Dogs, and I was out of work at the time. They called back again the following month so I cancelled my support completely.
Every ad break on the Travel Channel this past hour has had a begging advert,My OH and I both give to quite a few charities, but if you don't want your kids to starve ,then don't have so many and the charities themselves should stop paying their top Managing Directors and executives such high salaries.
To be fair to the large, national charity that I have a direct debit with (signed up without any influence from chuggers or the 'pay now or the kid dies' begging ads), I have never, not once, had a phone call asking me for more.
I think the only correspondence I've ever had was a thank you letter when I signed up.
I am, however, fully aware that this experience is not the typical one.
I have got rather scrooge-like and answer back to the adverts when they come on...
That's the problem with people being more aware these days - 30 years ago we'd all have been sending them money without a thought. These days, so much is known about charity CEOs' heaving salaries and the depth of corruption of foreign aid, that people think twice. You are absolutely right - stuffing the faces of starving babies isn't going to help in the long run, the people need to be shown how to help themselves. But until someone stops corrupt local politicians etc. from hijacking all the money and donations that go over there, then the situation will just keep repeating itself. (And in my opinion, the more 'starving baby' ads are flung at us on a daily basis, the more we will be desensitised, and the ads will have lost their meaning.)
Careful! Talking sense like that will get a naive response like this:
Finally whilst I'm on my rant. Tesco, handing you a 'shopping list' and asking you to buy it and donate at the end of your shop. Take it out of your billions Mr Tesco and leave the shoppers alone, no wonder your profits are down!
I've never heard of this - cheeky buggers. As you say, why don't you give 10% of your profits Mr Tesco before you start asking us to do this.
I've given 10% of my salary since 1991 to charity, it's easier than you think - you don't miss what you didn't have in the first place. Whenever you get a rise the charity benefits as well. I have never told anyone in "real life" that I do this, though one of my friends worked in HR and quizzed me as to why I'd do this.
I've seen that WaterAid advert so many times over the Christmas period so far that I should imagine with the huge cost of the TV advertising they could probably have built a pumping station or two in the third world to help. Every time you see this, and other TV adverts you are seeing tens of thousands of pounds of donated money spent not actively helping anyone. Plus the fact that the adverts are so frequent and deliberately emotionally blackmailing that they end up having the reverse effect and making me not want to give anything at all.
Meanwhile in a country (UK) that is slashing at public services and its own vulnerable citizens with cuts and more cuts across the board without hesitation or apparent care for the consequences, with more to no doubt come in the new year, we have an overseas aid budget that is ring fenced as untouchable running into the billions of pounds of British citizens own money being given away without any prospect of it being cutback during a time of austerity at home. Sickeningly immoral.
Have read this thread with interest as I've become increasingly fed up with the number of "begging ads" on TV, to the point where I just tune them out now. If I didn't, I'd be broke and having a breakdown from being constantly emotionally blackmailed. I worked out how much I could spare a while back and that goes to a small number of local charities.
As for the loan shark ads, they should be banned altogether. And they certainly shouldn't be allowed to make "appealing" ads like the Wonga ones - ads should be restricted to showing the APR in huge letters.
I've seen that WaterAid advert so many times over the Christmas period so far that I should imagine with the huge cost of the TV advertising they could probably have built a pumping station or two in the third world to help. Every time you see this, and other TV adverts you are seeing tens of thousands of pounds of donated money spent not actively helping anyone. Plus the fact that the adverts are so frequent and deliberately emotionally blackmailing that they end up having the reverse effect and making me not want to give anything at all.
Meanwhile in a country (UK) that is slashing at public services and its own vulnerable citizens with cuts and more cuts across the board without hesitation or apparent care for the consequences, with more to no doubt come in the new year, we have an overseas aid budget that is ring fenced as untouchable running into the billions of pounds of British citizens own money being given away without any prospect of it being cutback during a time of austerity at home. Sickeningly immoral.
the thing is this conservative lead government it does not care about the poor and needy and sadly some of our british citizens do not care about the poor and needy british citizens but care more about helping 3rd people.
I've seen that WaterAid advert so many times over the Christmas period so far that I should imagine with the huge cost of the TV advertising they could probably have built a pumping station or two in the third world to help. Every time you see this, and other TV adverts you are seeing tens of thousands of pounds of donated money spent not actively helping anyone. Plus the fact that the adverts are so frequent and deliberately emotionally blackmailing that they end up having the reverse effect and making me not want to give anything at all.
Meanwhile in a country (UK) that is slashing at public services and its own vulnerable citizens with cuts and more cuts across the board without hesitation or apparent care for the consequences, with more to no doubt come in the new year, we have an overseas aid budget that is ring fenced as untouchable running into the billions of pounds of British citizens own money being given away without any prospect of it being cutback during a time of austerity at home. Sickeningly immoral.
It's reasoning like this that makes me wonder where people were educated....Dear o dear.
I realise you may be posting with your tongue firmly in your cheek but on the slight possibility you are not... how d'you think they are going to boil their water? What's the heat source going to be?
Have you heard of fire? It's been around for quite a while now.
Yes we are, I do not give anything to any African lost cause, we support local charities such as the hospice and the local cat & dog home and the cats charity, we do this through donations, and where the animal charities are concerned we buy extra pet food and make up two boxes every two months which we give to each of the aforementioned animal causes.
We also donate our time to help out those less fortunate than ourselves, I find it offensive that in the 21st century Africans are too stupid to protect their water sources from the threat of disease and pollution, fence it off is water security 101.
Africa is a money pit and if they won't wean themselves of handouts then what's the point of pouring more aid into the place if they won't even try to help themselves.
I realise you may be posting with your tongue firmly in your cheek but on the slight possibility you are not... how d'you think they are going to boil their water? What's the heat source going to be?
I don't like these ads, they don't persuade me to donate but - referring to another post - comparing the normal life of so many people in the third world (abject poverty with no way out) to a bit of passing trouble for some people when parts of the UK floods is (to be polite) simply silly. It is not the same.
It's good to read a post with some sense of proportion and humanity. Well said.
Comments
Just text 66666 and donate £5 ....... You could easily bankrupt yourself within a week.
I will donate to certain charities and that's it. I also get fed up with constantly being met at the doors of the supermarket every week by people rattling tins at you for one cause or another but at least you could put in 50p and they're grateful, not £5 by a impersonal text message.
Finally whilst I'm on my rant. Tesco, handing you a 'shopping list' and asking you to buy it and donate at the end of your shop. Take it out of your billions Mr Tesco and leave the shoppers alone, no wonder your profits are down!
The UK has had plenty of water these past few days. We should bucket it up and send it over. These adverts are rivalling artificial sofa discounts, sales and holiday adverts at the moment.
I wonder if other countries have an appeal for us when half of the UK gets flooded or peoples homes fall into the sea ?
This happened to my OH when he started donating £10 per month to Save the Children (they only ask for £2 in the advert so he was already donating 5x what their suggested donation was)
After about 12 months he got a call asking for him to increase his donation. He told them categorically that he would not increse the donation and if they asked again he would cancel what he is already donating.
In fairness they have never phoned again.
Anyway, on topic, I have really noticed the increase in these adverts this year and I don't even watch that much tv. I know they have to advertise but there are defintely far too many at the moment.
"We have been saving children all over the world, now we need help in the uk"
Should have thought of that before giving all the money away in foreign aid.
That child must be about 30 by now considering how long they have been using him in their ads. I expect Miles in the child cruelty ad has his legs sticking out the end of his cot by now.
Don't watch the CBS Reality channels every other ad is a begging ad
I don't like these ads, they don't persuade me to donate but - referring to another post - comparing the normal life of so many people in the third world (abject poverty with no way out) to a bit of passing trouble for some people when parts of the UK floods is (to be polite) simply silly. It is not the same.
I care more about poor British people than people in the 3rd world.
As it could have effect other British people directly .
Same for me and Guide Dogs, and I was out of work at the time. They called back again the following month so I cancelled my support completely.
I think the only correspondence I've ever had was a thank you letter when I signed up.
I am, however, fully aware that this experience is not the typical one.
I have got rather scrooge-like and answer back to the adverts when they come on...
Careful! Talking sense like that will get a naive response like this:
I've never heard of this - cheeky buggers. As you say, why don't you give 10% of your profits Mr Tesco before you start asking us to do this.
I've given 10% of my salary since 1991 to charity, it's easier than you think - you don't miss what you didn't have in the first place. Whenever you get a rise the charity benefits as well. I have never told anyone in "real life" that I do this, though one of my friends worked in HR and quizzed me as to why I'd do this.
Meanwhile in a country (UK) that is slashing at public services and its own vulnerable citizens with cuts and more cuts across the board without hesitation or apparent care for the consequences, with more to no doubt come in the new year, we have an overseas aid budget that is ring fenced as untouchable running into the billions of pounds of British citizens own money being given away without any prospect of it being cutback during a time of austerity at home. Sickeningly immoral.
As for the loan shark ads, they should be banned altogether. And they certainly shouldn't be allowed to make "appealing" ads like the Wonga ones - ads should be restricted to showing the APR in huge letters.
the thing is this conservative lead government it does not care about the poor and needy and sadly some of our british citizens do not care about the poor and needy british citizens but care more about helping 3rd people.
It's reasoning like this that makes me wonder where people were educated....Dear o dear.
Instead of making sarcy, snobbish, "moral high ground" nonsense comments, how about making a contribution to the discussion?
Exactly. And they've all got the internet there now so they can Google how to light a fire ;-)
Yes we are, I do not give anything to any African lost cause, we support local charities such as the hospice and the local cat & dog home and the cats charity, we do this through donations, and where the animal charities are concerned we buy extra pet food and make up two boxes every two months which we give to each of the aforementioned animal causes.
We also donate our time to help out those less fortunate than ourselves, I find it offensive that in the 21st century Africans are too stupid to protect their water sources from the threat of disease and pollution, fence it off is water security 101.
Africa is a money pit and if they won't wean themselves of handouts then what's the point of pouring more aid into the place if they won't even try to help themselves.
It's good to read a post with some sense of proportion and humanity. Well said.