No-Shows

Here are some sample Admin messages you can send to your community.

ADMIN: NO SHOWS

Sadly, we have been receiving an increasing number of complaints from members. These are mainly from those offering items when others do not turn up to collect as arranged and from those asking for items who never get any kind of reply but see the item remaining on the offers board.

To help resolve this problem we are asking you to:

• describe an item being offered as accurately as possible and add a photo if you can; this gives anyone interested a better idea if it is what they want or not
• mark an item as Taken (or Received if you have posted a Wanted) as soon as possible; please do not leave it until next time you have another item to post
• if you enquire about an item, please let the other person know if it is not what you are looking for, rather than leave them to wonder if you will come back to confirm collection or not
• if you have arranged a date and time to collect an item and then need to change this or have changed your mind, please let them know – we all hate No-Shows!

Can we remind everyone that we ask all members to deal with other members politely, as you would wish to be treated yourself and help build a friendly community.

Thank you being a member of xxx Freegle. If you have any queries, we are here to help.

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ADMIN: NO SHOWS

Hi xxxxxx Freeglers

Could we please politely remind everyone that if you have arranged to collect an item from another Freegle member, please show up. Not showing up to arranged collections is really very unfair.

If you’ve changed your mind, or something comes up that prevents you from making the pre-arranged date & time, please let the Freegle member know at your earliest convenience. Things happen, we all understand that sometimes plans change or minds change. But it’s highly frustrating when someone has gone out of their way to take photo’s, list an item on Freegle, liaise with various responders, then choose someone to receive their item and make arrangements for it to be collected, only for that taker to just never turn up and ignore any further attempts to communicate.

We’re all in this to look after our local environment and to help each other out. Basic common courtesy and old fashioned good manners is the least we should all be able to expect from each other. ‘No-shows’ are very discouraging to otherwise generous and good-willed Freeglers who just want to help their community. Please do the decent thing and show up or cancel as soon as you know you won’t be able to make it.

We appreciate the vast majority of our users are amazing and do show up. But to those that don’t, please remember that other Freeglers can give you positive or negative feedback using the ‘thumbs up/thumbs down’ rating options. The more thumbs down you accrue, other Freeglers can see it and are much less likely to choose you to receive their items. We want this to be a continuous community service that people can rely on, so please help us to keep it that way.

Thank you kindly for your understanding and cooperation.

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ADMIN: NO SHOWS

Hanging around and the person you’re waiting for doesn’t show up? No shows are very frustrating, and the main source of occasional complaints we receive.

From experience, we’ve found the best ways to avert ‘no shows’ are:

• Ask in your response for people to reply with a phone number. This makes it easier to: text directions, check on the day that the person is coming, and communicate an emergency.
• Ask people to say which item(s) they want and why. Anyone who doesn’t respond is probably not serious about wanting your offer.

If you’re getting stuff for free, it’s only fair to be polite and thoughtful about the pickup arrangements - as most of us are.

Here, I have to confess to being guilty of once not showing up :frowning: I suddenly remembered I should have been picking up Freegle items. Fortunately there was a mobile signal so I was able to contact the lady who had promised me the items, and she kindly agreed to re-arrange. Now I set an alert on my phone if I’m picking up or handing over an item.

So please make sure you are absolutely going to show up when you say you will, perhaps setting yourself a reminder if that helps.

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ADMIN: NO-SHOWS

This mail is sent to all members of the $groupname Freegle community.

We have occasional problems with people not showing up to collect items, or changing their minds. If you're getting stuff for free, it's only fair to be polite and thoughtful about the pickup arrangements - as most of us are. So please make sure you are absolutely going to show up when you say you will.

If you're not sure if you can or will show, then let someone else take the offer. Remember, people talk... and if you become known as a "no show", then members will pass you by for someone else. Sure, sometimes last minute emergencies pop up; life happens... but if you can't turn up, it's courtesy to let them know. If you were staying in for someone, you'd want them to let you know if they couldn't come, right?

When you post an OFFER, you can choose who gets it however you like. There are always going to be no-shows - but you can reduce the chances of it happening to you by choosing people carefully.

First-come-first-served is not always the best choice. Some people pounce on items and send a quick "I'll take it" without really thinking about whether they actually want it. If they change their minds, they might just not show up. Not giving to the first response also gives people who don't sit in front of a computer all day a chance, and you might get a later reply which makes you wish you'd not decided already.

Instead, use the Fair Offer Policy and take some time out and evaluate your responses for at least a few hours, if not for a whole day. If someone takes the time to reply politely and explain why they want an item, they're much more likely to show up, or at least let you know if they can't.

After you have picked someone, let them know, but hold off on sending your address until they respond again. If they take the trouble of sending you emails back and forth, they are very unlikely to stand you up. Once you've told someone they can have an item, please don't just change your mind and give it to someone else, unless arrangements fall through; if you do change your mind, please let them know.

Remember that not all no shows are deliberate. People get lost, have car troubles, run late from meetings, or have one of many other reasons for not showing up on time. Exchange phone numbers, so you can let each other know.

But sometimes after all this, the person can still be a no show. So save the replies you received just in case, so you can move on to the next person who wanted it.

And because, one day, you might find that you can't pick up something when you said you could, try not to get too annoyed at people who do that to you - they may have good reason.

Thanks,

$myname $groupname Volunteer

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