Latest Charity Tactic...grrrrrrrrr!
Discussion
Right, let me get one thing straight...I am more than happy to give to charity. I'll give to charities when a friend or colleague is doing something worthwhile for a charity that is dear to them, I'll give to charities that are dear to me, or from a purely selfish point of view I'll give to charities where I think I might one day be on the receiving end of their support. I'll get invovled in events, I'll give up my time and I'll give to charities that are naff all to do with me or my friends...a natural disaster or something similar.
But what really irked me today was checking out of a hotel on business, and finding a £1 charity donation on my bill. Not voluntary, not "tick this box", just there on the bloody bill alongside breakfast and internet.
I hope I'm not being, erm, uncharitable here, but that is taking the p1ss. I had to ask which charity it was for, I have no idea what the terms were and if the hotel chain was taking a cut, but no doubt some marketing genius has stood up in a meeting at the charity and said "I know, we'll just add onto the hotel bill, because lets face it, people are going to be sooooooo embarrassed asking for £1 to be removed at reception at the front of a large queue, they'll just leave it. Besides, lots of business travellers will just expense it anyway so they won't care...haha!"
Is it me or is this pretty out of order? It's not the amount, it's the principle. If they'd given me my bill, and said "our chosen charity is the xxxxx, we are encouraging all our guests to make a voluntary £1 donation, would you like to take part?" I'd happily have done that, it was just that the thing was already there and the system was designed to make you look like an arse in front of a queue if you didn't want to play ball What next, chuggers taking your wallet and you have to negotiate it back from them?
But what really irked me today was checking out of a hotel on business, and finding a £1 charity donation on my bill. Not voluntary, not "tick this box", just there on the bloody bill alongside breakfast and internet.
I hope I'm not being, erm, uncharitable here, but that is taking the p1ss. I had to ask which charity it was for, I have no idea what the terms were and if the hotel chain was taking a cut, but no doubt some marketing genius has stood up in a meeting at the charity and said "I know, we'll just add onto the hotel bill, because lets face it, people are going to be sooooooo embarrassed asking for £1 to be removed at reception at the front of a large queue, they'll just leave it. Besides, lots of business travellers will just expense it anyway so they won't care...haha!"
Is it me or is this pretty out of order? It's not the amount, it's the principle. If they'd given me my bill, and said "our chosen charity is the xxxxx, we are encouraging all our guests to make a voluntary £1 donation, would you like to take part?" I'd happily have done that, it was just that the thing was already there and the system was designed to make you look like an arse in front of a queue if you didn't want to play ball What next, chuggers taking your wallet and you have to negotiate it back from them?
FFS. Here we go again.
In a restaurant last night and a £1 charge for some "roots" thing appears on my bill. I question it, thinking it's a side dish I never ordered, but no, it's a charity donation. Like a t
t, I paid it as I was shattered, and I just wanted to go home. On reading the menu, I find there is an "optional £1 donation that will be added to your bill". Hardly fking optional then is it.
But that's it now. No more. Loving the idea suggested above that you can ask that the hotel reduce your bill, and I think that if stuff appears on my bill at a restaurant again without the staff asking me first, I'll say "ok, I've budgeted for my food bill plus a bit for a tip if I think the service is good. How would you like me to split the this between you and the charity?"
I'm sorry, but this new approach is bang out of order and will simply end up "ruining" it for charities who go about it in the right way. Hard line from now on...sorry!
In a restaurant last night and a £1 charge for some "roots" thing appears on my bill. I question it, thinking it's a side dish I never ordered, but no, it's a charity donation. Like a t
t, I paid it as I was shattered, and I just wanted to go home. On reading the menu, I find there is an "optional £1 donation that will be added to your bill". Hardly fking optional then is it. But that's it now. No more. Loving the idea suggested above that you can ask that the hotel reduce your bill, and I think that if stuff appears on my bill at a restaurant again without the staff asking me first, I'll say "ok, I've budgeted for my food bill plus a bit for a tip if I think the service is good. How would you like me to split the this between you and the charity?"
I'm sorry, but this new approach is bang out of order and will simply end up "ruining" it for charities who go about it in the right way. Hard line from now on...sorry!
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