Seriously. Twice a week, sometimes! Sometimes Atlanta calls me twice and New York calls once! What the fucking hell, people? Do you not realize that this is my blood? I made it, it belongs to me, it is one of my most cherished possessions!
Granted, I have been known to give you some of it. Give! Out of my own free will! With love! That doesn’t give you some kind of managing interest in my blood. It’s still mine! You have no fucking claim on it!
Okay, I’ve been meaning to go donate again, but frankly the way you KEEP CALLING leaves such a sour taste in my mouth that it makes me not want to give you another shot at my sweet, sweet O+. You called yesterday, AGAIN, and I actually picked up the phone this time instead of ignoring you and asked you to PLEASE STOP CALLING ME.
You paused for a bit, taken aback (you are not very good on the phone, Red Cross, by the way. You sound like somebody’s little sister who’s scared to talk to people) and then you said, “Um, okay, and please be sure to ask your friends and family to donate blood this season!” And then you kept nattering about, shit, I don’t know. Probably how you wanted my blood. I couldn’t hear you because it had all gone into my eyes, which were bugging out of my head, and to the part of my brain that is trying to develop telekinesis. I know I didn’t succeed because you didn’t drop dead of a stroke, Red Cross Lady.
Seriously, on what planet is “Please do not call me again” to be responded with anything but an apology and a sincere promise not to do so? Especially when I am being nice and going way out of my way to give you blood which I am by no means done using? I like giving blood, although I just started doing it. It makes me feel good, and if I’m ever in a position to need it I’ll rest easier knowing I’ve done my part. But every time they call me it sours me on the whole concept!
Especially since you have the most common blood type, it doesn’t seem like there is any legitimate reason for them to keep calling you.
My father had O-, which is both rare-ish and very useful (everyone can accept it), and he often got calls from his local blood bank when they were running short. He would give as often as he could because he knew there was a good reason for asking.
I suspect these folks calling you are volunteers, not that that makes it any better.
Roddy
Yup, the Red Cross calls just suck. I’ve noticed that they’ve recently started blocking their Caller ID as well. The last 3 times I donated, I got a call exactly 8 weeks later asking me to donate again.
Once, I explained to the caller that while I understand their guidelines allow me to give every 8 weeks, I’d really prefer to only donate twice per year, and only at the blood drives where I work (since they’re convenient and all). I asked if she could put a note in my file that I shouldn’t be called unless its been 4 months since my last donation, and if that would be honored. She said yes, and yes. Guess what happened 8 weeks after my next donation?
I was giving every 56 days and became anemic because of it, and was told I can now give only twice a year. I had to tell the telemarketers to knock it off, and they have complied. Zsofia may just have gotten a clueless one. I suggest asking for a supervisor. I get occasional flyers in the mail, but they don’t bother me. I’m also O- like Roddy’s father, and would like to resume more regular donation, but can’t.
My godmother is a telemarketer for Red Cross blood services and she gets paid. It may vary in different areas.
ETA: Wow, muldoonthief got a clueless one too. This is more widespread than I thought. Maybe put it in writing? I didn’t even have to get aggressive, and believe me, I can get aggressive. Maybe it’s because I told them my medical reason. Or maybe my local Red Cross person had, I don’t know, a brain?
LifeSource (finally) added a way at their website to opt out of phone calls that actually works. I get email notifications when I’m eligible to donate again (per my choice), and that’s all.
Sorry wherever you live is Red Cross and not LifeSource.
O+ here. Hema-Quebec (the corresponding local blood agency) calls me regularly and I donate regularly, though in recent visits I’ve been doing the apheresis thing (i.e. they take the red blood cells but give me back the plasma).
Hey, that’s cool, as long as you don’t call me on the phone at, say, 10 at night, or 11 in the morning when I’m at work, or 7:30 when I’m not even awake yet because I love to sleep. Otherwise, talk all you want!
Holy shit! I did not know about this. I hope you’re right and this actually works. I’ve been ignoring LifeSource calls for years (I live in Chicago and give blood fairly regularly to three different organizations: LifeSource, Red Cross, and Heartland, and only LifeSource constantly badgers me), so if this shuts them up, that makes me happy.
Geez, they are awesome with me, when I was not supposed to donate due to some health issues, they did not call me for 6 months - granted TO THE DAY, they started again.
The last time I donated I told them I was getting a tattoo, which once again gives me six months off, I expect they will start up again exactly six months from now.
While it is useful for the Red Cross to have your phone number for recruiting or letting you know if there is a problem, you don’t have to give it to them. You can have it removed from the system. I am a Red Cross nurse and a regular blood donor. I “took back” my number several years ago.
It’s a bit of a shame when organizations doing good things can’t seem to understand not to bother the people who are trying to help them. I’ve stopped donating to a local homeless charity (the Mustard Seed) because I asked them repeatedly to stop marketing me, and they simply wouldn’t.
