Since when is it OK to rip off a charity? I've heard of people stealing donations boxes from various retail establishments, or stealing from the cash box. But I think it's worse when one of their own volunteers tries to take a cat and not pay the adoption fee.
Seriously, I could almost handle the volunteer not paying an adoption fee. But to make me feel like a scumbag because I've been POLITELY asking for money for 2 months on a cat her family wanted to keep is horrible.
The excuses started coming in almost immediately. What people don't realize is that I used to own a collection agency many years ago. Hell, I worked my way through University repossessing cars! Believe me, I've heard every excuse for not paying known to mankind! Her excuses were on the usual bill collector's list:
1. My paycheck hasn't come in.
2. A week later: My employer lost my paycheck
3. 2 weeks later: I still don't have my paycheck and they're trying to figure out why.
4. 3 weeks later: I'm sick.
4. 4 weeks later: My kids are sick
5. My Grandfather died.
6. I have lots of stuff going on. EXCUSE ME for being too busy.
7. I'll bring the adoption money into the vet clinic tomorrow morning.
8. EXCUSE ME, but I had to work.
9. I'll send the money tomorrow.
Now it's two months later and I'm starting to worry about our cat. It occurred to me that our cat might not be OK, or that he's not in the house. It's hard to pay for something you no longer have.
To help her save face, I even offered to allow her to make payments - something.
Why didn't I just go to her house? I guess I was trying to be polite. With every excuse, I would text "OK, I understand." or "I'm so sorry to hear that!" Showing up at a VOLUNTEER'S house to "repossess" a cat just wasn't something I was prepared to do.
So I finally asked her in a text message: "I'm worried about our cat. Do I need to come over and make sure he's ok?" Her mother dropped off $100.00 at one of our vet clinics (our adoption fee is $175.00) and she text'd me this message:
"My Mom is dropping it off in cash in the morning as I have been very sick. I hope to never speak again.....you look and seem like a nice person on the outside, but you are a horrible person with no care for anybody but yourself..."
Really? I'm a horrible person for asking about our cat and trying to finalize an adoption? I hate airing out dirty laundry like this, but I'm hoping somebody else can learn from my mistake...IF I made a mistake. I'm sure there are a million other ways to have handled it, but it wasn't fair for the volunteers who DO lovingly scrape together adoption fee money to adopt their beloved cat.
6 comments:
when my daughter adopted from the other rescue , she paid ! When I adopted the best cat ever. I paid , and I have been fostering for you since you where with "the other rescue. So why do people think they should be free. The vet bills need paid !!!!
Shame on her !!
If you can't afford the adoption fee, how can you afford the expenses to properly take care of a cat?! I think you were extremely accommodating to her and her excuses. She's in the wrong here, not you!
When someone does not have a valid argument or a leg to stand on, they usually lash out.
If you owed someone money, and you couldn't pay it right away, I am sure you would keep them in the loop as to the circumstances behind your issues, and not make them ask every week - because that is what nice and reasonable people do.
I don't think it is unreasonable for you to wonder about the cat. Does your adoption contract have a check up on the cat clause in it somewhere?
If scraping together the adoption fee is an issue for them, how are they going to ensure the cat is properly looked after medically in the future? I don't remember the last time I spent less than $175 at an animal clinic.
I think people really don't realize the scale of what you do. I hate to say it, but i think part of that is this awesome blog of yours that I love so much. It makes each of us readers feel involved personally, and we get to see the personal side of rescue from your perspective.
However, that is very different that what you actually handle all the time. The work of running as rescue as big as FHCR is staggering, and the implications of letting rules slide for one persona and not another are terrible, both for the people involved AND the animals.
I appreciate you, Beth, and all the millions of long days, broken hearts, and impossible choices you have to make! I know a lot of people reading do. <3
- Simone R.
Hi Beth,
You did the right thing, this girl sounds spoiled and out to lunch! Her mother had to take care of it for her, that says it all! Was she too sick to drop a check in the mail, or have her mother drop it in the mail? Sick enough that she couldn't write $175 and her name? Really?
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