2007
Consumer Direct Wales is today warning consumers to be careful when donating to charity.
14th November 2007
Donating old clothes and goods to charities can be a good way of disposing of items. Charities regularly make use of doorstep collections to gather donations directly from people’s homes, and local charity shops can also be a very worthwhile form of recycling.
However some house to house collections are not all that they seem at first glance, some of these charity collections are bogus. Bogus clothing collections rely on a trusting public who do not necessarily question the detailed wording on advertisements such as flyers.
It is estimated that the potential value of donated clothing and other items ‘lost’ to legitimate charities as a result of these bogus collections amounts to over £1m per annum.
If you have any doubts about a leaflet asking for donations, you can:
- Contact Consumer Direct on 08454 040506 for advice. Fully trained advisors are available to take you calls Monday-Friday from 8am-6.30pm, Saturdays 9am-1pm (excluding Public and Bank holidays). For a Welsh Language service, call 08454 04 05 05.
- Contact the Charity Commission helpline on 0845 300 0218 to check whether the collection is for, or on behalf of, a registered charity.
- Contact your local authority to see if the collector has been licensed.
- Give direct to a local charity shop instead or donate to a charity shop collection sack. These should make clear reference to the charity registration number and many will also carry the Association of Charity Shops Kitemark.
Turn to Consumer Direct Wales for advice on this and any consumer issue by calling 08454 04 05 06 or 08454 04 05 05 for a Welsh speaking service.
-ends-
MEDIA enquiries:
Jody Keogh
Tel: 029 2087 1088
email: JKeogh@cardiff.gov.uk
NOTES
1. Consumer Direct is a telephone and online consumer advice service funded by government and managed by the Office of Fair Trading. It operates in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Services to offer consumers clear, practical and impartial advice and information.
2. Consumer Direct has around 350 trained advisers in 11 contact centres across England, Wales and Scotland.
3. The information and advice helpline is available on a single national telephone number - 08454 04 05 06 from 0800 – 1830 Monday to Friday, and 0900 – 1300 Saturday, excluding bank holidays and public holidays.
4. Minicom users should call 08451 28 13 84.
5. Calls to the Consumer Direct 0845 numbers are charged at no more than four pence per minute from a BT landline. Call charges from other landline providers or mobile phones may vary. Please check the rate with your phone service provider.
6. Northern Ireland has its own service called ConsumerLine (available on 08456 00 62 62) which is similar to Consumer Direct. Visit the ConsumerLine website.
