Charity Services Posted as 'bargains'

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  Almost Banned on 10/04/2016 - 16:09

  My view - there might have been a time when people putting free offers on the internet could believe that only their targetted audience would become aware of and take advantage of such offer.
  Those days are long gone.
  Now if you put something on the 'net you have to assume it will go far and wide.
  Unless you specifically limit your offer to qualifying people then its fair game IMHO.

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  twocsies on 10/04/2016 - 16:57

  My view is that if you think a person, business or charity might not like a particular deal of theirs being placed on OzBargain, then just contact them and ask them if they like it being on OzBargain. Same thing if you think there's a price error on a small business' website; in my opinion, OzBargain isn't out to destroy a small business by making them spend weeks processing hundreds of refunds and generating ill will among the community. It's not up to you to police someone else's trademarks, copyrights, etc., but as a good citizen I think it's commendable to help others to police their own.

  Deals for "government programs" should not be posted on OzBargain so the charity might be able to make a clear case for removal as a mostly government supported agency (https://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/help:deal_posting_guidelin…). I just don't know enough about the charity and the "join today" page that offers the free safe-sex kit does not specify any criteria other than "live in Australia".

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    Ughhh on 10/04/2016 - 17:15

    OzBargain isn't out to destroy a small business by making them spend weeks processing hundreds of refunds and generating ill will among the community

    Perhaps not intentionally and I know it's not what ozb is about, but unfortunately no doubt there are users who just don't care or know the impact. They just want to make "friends" on ozb and save 1c at the expense of others. Some of the things people do to save that 1c is really embarrassing. This comment btw is not limited to the deal mentioned, it's also applies in forums too.

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      [Deactivated] on 10/04/2016 - 17:17

      What do people do to save 1c??

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        Clear on 10/04/2016 - 18:58

        Pay with card rather than losing the cent with a dollar.

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        [Deactivated] on 10/04/2016 - 19:14

        @Clear:

        I've heard one better… If the bill comes to say $7.00, some folk pay $6.93 with a card and then pay 5c cash for a total payment of $6.98, saving a grand total of 2c.

        But to be honest, people who take such measures to 'save' a cent or two are probably doing it with the intention of longer term savings. 2c won't get you anything these days, but twenty transactions would net a 40c saving.

        Further, if you pay 2c less on an electricity bill or 2c less at the supermarket (aside from rounding), would you be released from that debt? I highly doubt that. So, going by that logic, if a creditor or retailer won't let you off the hook for 2c, it's somewhat right for the customer to watch their finances closely too.

        And that's my… two cents.

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        Clear on 10/04/2016 - 22:16

        @KaptnKaos: That's just far too much effort and pointless.

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    bigspike on 10/04/2016 - 19:37

    I have messaged the charity on Facebook, but I don't think charity abuse is the aim of this game. It probably cost them 5K. That is a lot of donations to cover for people who aren't in 'need' of a service.

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      [Deactivated] on 10/04/2016 - 20:02

      I think the organisation probably appreciates the post. It has promoted their message - which is what they want? Looking at annual report, $650k funding from govt covering all expenses it states. They also use the number of condoms given away as a measure of their impact.

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        bigspike on 10/04/2016 - 20:05

        You think that the demographic of ozbargain is under 25 sexual risk takers?

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        twocsies on 10/04/2016 - 23:31

        +2

        @bigspike: "YEAHs target audience young people aged between 15-29." I'd guess that around 20% of OzBargainers might fit that broad definition. Also, sexual risk taking will vary like the weather, so this type of organisation needs to be proactive in getting young people informed before they start considering increasingly risky behaviour. In my opinion, even though many OB's clicking on this "deal" might not fit the young person definition, it is stated in the annual report that their strategy is "to maintain relevance and visibility of HIV and youth sexual health amongst the general public and specifically amongst young people". I'd say that the organisation is working towards this objective either because of or despite being OzBargained.

        And I'd also argue that it doesn't even cost that much. RedAware mails out in an envelope sized cardboard wrapper, which is probably the large charity mail size (up to 20 mm) http://auspost.com.au/business-solutions/charity-mail.html. Not sure of the price of that but maybe it's around $1.09 per item. I'm sure they are making bulk purchases of condoms (surely they pay $0.30 each or less) and marketing materials (paper and printing costs), so the price of postage and envelopes is likely to be the largest cost, assuming that volunteers stuff and label the mail. So I'd estimate less than $2 total per mailing. Since there are almost 5000 clicks so far, that could mean about $10,000, which is a big step up from last year where they only mailed out 2117 free safe sex kits. But still well within the $500,000 budget, most of which likely goes towards running programs.

        Personally, earlier in the year I bought items from their shop and didn't bother getting any free stuff. Then again I had to contact them when their ecommerce site was acting up and they didn't respond until a weekday. Maybe they are currently unaware and will show up on Monday to a surprising turn of events.

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        bigspike on 10/04/2016 - 23:44

        +1

        @twocsies: cheers for a thoughtful reply.