clothes collections

[mick]

Got yet another of those leaflets through the door this morning from a Company Calling itself Help (uk).
Wanting clothes and toys and shoes.
we seam to get 3 or 4 of these a week
They give 2 mobile numbers, (no landlines), then at the bottom they have registered No. 06566494.
I checked this number at the Charities Commision,
Charity Commission Homepage
Their result came back,
Extract from the Central Register of Charities maintained by the Charity Commission for England and Wales
No Charity Found For "06566494"
I then checked Companies House
WebCHeck - Select and Access Company Information
and found,
Name & Registered Office:
H-E-L-P (UK) LTD
59 GLAPTON ROAD
MEADOWS
NOTTINGHAM
UNITED KINGDOM
NG2 2FF
Company No. 06566494

Status: Active
Date of Incorporation: 15/04/2008
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Company Type: Private Limited Company
Nature of Business (SIC(03)):
None Supplied
On checking with The Guardian online I found this reference,
Campaign leads to clampdown on rogue collectors | Money | The Guardian
The essential part of which is the guide near the bottom,
How to spot dodgy dealers
· A company registration number is a dead giveaway.
· No legitimate charity would give a mobile phone number.
· Do they use weasel phrases such as "help to create employment"?
· Are they on the Charity Commission register (charitycommission.gov.uk)?
Which makes it seem that they don't deserve your charity give your clothes to a charity shop at least you know they are genuine.
Here's some more advice from The Office Of Fair Trading,
Consumer Direct - Bogus charity collections



This is the whole article from the Guardian

Rogue clothing dealers posing as charities have been dealt a double blow this week with a tough clampdown by government agencies against the £3m-plus rip-off.

In August, Guardian Money started a campaign to drive the bogus collectors off the streets. We revealed how difficult-to-track commercial firms pushed leaflets through letterboxes asking for donations of used clothing while claiming to be good causes.

"Guardian Money's coverage has made a tremendous contribution to raising awareness," says David Moir of the Association of Charity Shops which speaks for 270 charities with 7,000 shops. And the Charity Commission said Guardian Money can take some of the credit for highlighting the problem."

The dodgy garment gatherers may use names such as Angel of Goodness or Island of Hope, with pictures of "orphans" or "street children", but they are out for profit, as well as denying charities goods they could sell - they lose at least £3m a year as a result.

The first initiative is an awareness drive involving charities, trading standards and Consumer Direct to help check if a collection is legitimate (see below for tips). And in a second move, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has issued legal guidance to say items left for a charity become the charity's property as soon as they are put into its bag, provided it is clearly marked. "This was a grey area in law and it has been difficult to get a successful theft prosecution. The charities we work with all use clearly branded bags, so there can be no mistaking who they are meant for. This will prove a major blow to the illegal second-hand clothes trade," says Michael Lomotey, head of campaigns for Clothes Aid, which collects for various UK charities. "This is not just one or two dodgy guys, it is organised crime gangs who make a fortune, often at the expense of the underprivileged."

How to spot dodgy dealers

· A company registration number is a dead giveaway.

· No legitimate charity would give a mobile phone number.

· Do they use weasel phrases such as "help to create employment"?

· Are they on the Charity Commission register


Maybe it's time we all started checking what comes through our door and reporting the rogues?

[pipinfort]

I`ve just got one from the Air ambulance in partnership with Hyndburn Borough Council...........perhaps i should check the authenticity of the second lot.....

[roberty12]

yes it is so doing my hed in.

[Less]

Originally Posted by roberty12

yes it is so doing my hed in.

What is?

[WillowTheWhisp]

I usually take ours to a charity shop or pop them in the air ambulance sack.

Last week I took some clothes down to town but the first charity shop I called in didn't get them because the person who should have been behind the counter was having an animated chat with someone else and despite the fact that she saw me and another woman standing at the counter she ignored us and carried on chatting. I took my bag of goodies elsewhere.

[emzy]

When i get these they go just straight in the recycling

Anything ive got of any use either goes to family, friends or accyweb (would rather it be used and appreciated by someone I know) and failing that i leave it out for the air ambulance collection, i wont leave anything out for any of these

[MargaretR]

I put out an air ambulance sack with my recycling stuff several weeks ago - it wasn't collected, so I took it back in.
I am filling it with more now - when full I will have to find out how I can get it collected

[Margaret Pilkington]

I never put anything in these bogus charity sacks......I recycle my stuff through the charity shops that I know.

[accyman]

i think all these collection charities provide a valuable service as many a time i have found myself short of a binliner and these angels seem to know when because no sooner have i ran out a binbag comes through myletter box and sometimes as a bonus they put a free pen through as well

they also provide nice couloured binbags which brighten up the kitchen


god bless them

[WillowTheWhisp]

I've had times when the air ambulance bag hasn't been collected too so I ring up the council and tell them and they tell the collectors. I don't know why they miss them.