The following is the text from a wanted ad on CL:

"my sister is in great need of a television her tv went on the blink, several months back she needs a 27 inch or 32 inch either one. she is severly disable, she weighs around 70 lbs soaking wet. she is alert but she is on oxygen 24/7 she still lives alone, and cannot afford to buy a television she needs one that is high difinition ready if anyone out there has one they do not use it would be greatly appreciated. as it can get very lonely with nothing to watch. you can call me at (phone numbers deleted)"

I don't mind telling you, this makes my blood boil. If I was in her shoes, I'd be happy with whatever I could get - even a small B&W! Some people think the world OWES them the best of everything!

This reminds me of when my Sister was working for a church mission organization. One day, she called to say they had a client who was a burnout victim in need of a TV and for me to do whatever God led me to do. I didn't have a problem with that and her client could have gotten any TV that I had for free. Then, their client called me and was real quick to let me know that she needed a 27" color cable ready remote controlled TV. I said to myself, "If this lady is in a position to demand what kind of TV she wants, she can pay for it". That was back when a 27" TV was a hot item and I told her I could fix her up for $100. Needless to say, she never showed up. She could have gotten that same TV for nothing had she not developed an attitude. With people like this, no wonder I can't give away that '80's RCA console that I have. OK, rant over!

i see those kinds of ads all the time here in central ohio.these are the same folks on section 8,collecting welfare and ssi for drug and alcohol problems,the latest cell phones,etc.drive to your house in a huge suv with 20 inch rims on it.they all have a sob story and they expect the latest lcd or plasma as a donation to their household.if i didn t have anything,i would take what i could get.of course i ve always worked and paid for everything i have.maybe that s why i dont understand that way of thinking.

People have been becoming so selfish and demand and just flat out open about using and taking advantage of others. I have noticed this getting much worse lately. I could give lots of examples but why bother.

Humility and gratitude are two virtues that have all but evaporated in society.

This reminds me of when my Sister was working for a church mission organization. ........With people like this, no wonder I can't give away that '80's RCA console that I have. OK, rant over!

Our church belongs to a "clearing house" of sorts that tracks these type of scammers - a Social Security Number or Drivers License number is used to track them. If our food pantry or assistance fund folks have a gut feeling that a scam is on, they call and verify - 90% of the time, it's a scam. Some, for residency proof, will produce a cable bill full of extras and pay-per-view purchases - and the cable bill will be fully paid!

Our local Freecycle is also full of "want" ads - all very specific, and most for luxury items.

'tis why my charity $ goes to the local house for the disabled children. A good friend is the HR director there - easy to feel good about that wonderful place!

Cheers,

I posted a "giveaway" ad on CL a few years ago. I had a newer TV, and some other odds and ends. My stipulation was that the receiver MUST pick it up.

Total value of stuff was probably under $50.

I got a call from a guy that said he really needed the stuff. I said sure, come pick it up.

He then said that he couldn't drive all the way to my house, but could meet me half way. He said he was disabled. I figured I would drive the 15 miles to meet him, since it was a good cause.

I met the guy in a Mc Donald's parking lot. He was waiting there for me. He was driving a 2007 Corvette.

I still gave him the stuff, but it sure made me mad. He didn't appear to be disabled.

MK

I do kinda wonder if the idiot who posted the want thinks that only a "high definition ready" set can be of any use due to the digital transition.

We know that is not true, but not everybody is like us on Videokarma. There is a -huge- amount of confusion among the general public about the effect of the transition. I have met many people who think CRT sets are useless due to the transition, others who think that there is no longer any over-the-air TV (anywhere), and I have a relative (who holds a college degree and is not very old) who has neither cable nor satellite but assumed her 32" color TV was DTV ready, because it has on-screen channel display and can be hooked up to a DVD player. She only got her converter boxes after I called her, twice, the day the coupons would have expired.

I work at a Wal Mart and I have to deal with trashy people all day. They are on food stamps and wic but they have money to buy their beer and smokes. The vast majority of them are that way. It they dont have enough money for everything they always put food back before the cigarettes. It makes me sick to deal with them.
John

jln1966-

Have you seen the Web site "People of Walmart"? As an employee of the store, you may appreciate it more than most... Or, it may remind you of work too much. :)

Every time I advertise on CL, I always get this email about needing work or something that doesn't even relate to what I'm selling or a nigerian scam. One time I advertised a dish washer for $50 that I had upgraded. A real NUT woman calls, said I had good "karma" and wanted me to deliver it about 2 hours away for the same $50! I said "OK", never did anything nor intended to and never heard from her again. Had I ever got there, she would not have liked it or would want me to install it for the same.

Remember, the sadder the story, the deeper the screw.

The following is the text from a wanted ad on CL:

"my sister is in great need of a television her tv went on the blink, several months back she needs a 27 inch or 32 inch either one. she is severly disable, she weighs around 70 lbs soaking wet. she is alert but she is on oxygen 24/7 she still lives alone, and cannot afford to buy a television she needs one that is high difinition ready if anyone out there has one they do not use it would be greatly appreciated. as it can get very lonely with nothing to watch. you can call me at (phone numbers deleted)"

Freecycle gets messages like that from time to time (usually from newbies), so our group moderater posted this message back in August:

Freecycle's mission is keeping still-useful things out of landfills.
It is not a shopping service, a make-a-wish organization, or (as lots
of news stories say)a place to get cool free stuff. Yes, sometimes people do
offer luxury items, but that is not our main goal.

If you post a Want for something most people consider extravagant,
you probably won't get it. What you will get is a label -- the person
who asks for crazy stuff. And people will remember you.

Remember, though, since we are not a charity, we don't allow stories
about how desperately you need an item. A simple statement is OK, but
not a whole story:

OK: My Mom had a stroke and needs a walker.

Not OK: Oh My GOD! My poor mother, who is on assistance has just
gotten out of the hospital. She has nothing but the clothes on her back and a
tiny Social Security check. We can't afford to buy her the
Cadillac walker with GPS she desperately needs. I will do ANYTHING to
help her! Won't you be blessed by helping her, too? Oh, she's bored at home so
she needs a wide screen HDTV and a new DVD player, too. And, be a dear and help
us pay for her cable service.

000