I'm going to tell you about my fucking experience with the British Heart Foundation because I'm still fucking not okay about it.
I'm not okay.
For those who may not know, you might not be in the UK, the British Heart Foundation is a fucking charity shop.
It's a chain of charity shops that take luxury items or items that are in very, very good condition and then you can go in and you can purchase them just like you would in a normal fucking charity shop.
But they like to label themselves as more of a high-end store.
Since posting on my other platform about this, a few things have come out about this particular charity shop so I will not be shopping there anymore because I did a bit of a deep dive.
I went down the rabbit hole and yeah, it's a no-go.
But not only are they thieving cunts, they're also liars and have incredibly rude staff members.
A couple of weeks ago, I came into my local store and I saw a beautiful Art Deco vanity.
It was cream, it had carvings on it, it had a mirrored top.
It was absolutely beautiful and it was labelled at £60.
I'll insert a picture for you so you can see what it looked like.
And I have to say, I thought £60?
What a fucking bargain.
This is absolutely stunning.
It's perfect for my little EV.
I could upcycle it if I wanted to.
I could leave it as it is.
It would be beautiful in her bedroom.
Could be like an early Christmas present.
So I went over to speak to the woman about it.
She said, yes, it's £60.
I said, can you hold it for me so that I can arrange to collect it in a suitable vehicle?
Because I couldn't take it away there and then.
Now she's explaining to me that they can only hold certain things for 24 hours and it can only be done on certain days of the week because they have a market that takes place where I live and it completely takes over the outside.
So vehicles can't pull up and stuff like that.
Totally get it.
So I couldn't take it that day.
I couldn't take it there and then.
Ben was at work.
I couldn't arrange till later until he got back.
And it just wouldn't have worked because it was already a market day.
So I said I would come back.
But they couldn't actually hold it even if I said that I would like pay a deposit or pay for it there and then.
So I thought, OK, whatever.
I'll leave it into the fate of the gods, right?
If I come back and it's there, it's meant to be.
I came back the following week and it was there.
And I was so fucking excited.
It's on the shop floor.
It's labeled at £60.
I went over to the woman to double check because they had a big sale in store and I thought, OK, just maybe someone else has bought it before me and they're coming back to collect it.
I just needed to know the info.
She said no, it was still for sale.
She explained about the situation about picking up and I said I'd already spoken to somebody about it.
Then this other member of staff comes running over, rips the £60 label off and says, no, no, no, no, this one's going on eBay.
Now, I'm totally ignorant.
I didn't even know that the British Art Foundation had an eBay account, right?
I didn't know that they put their stuff on eBay.
Absolutely no clue.
She said it will be active in about three hours.
I was like, right.
She goes, so you can look it up and then you can, you know, do your bidding.
I was like, can I not buy this now?
I'm willing to take it.
I'm willing to buy it and come and collect it later on.
And she was like, no, it's going on eBay.
We can't change that.
So I fucked off.
And 48 hours later, this thing is still not on their eBay.
I kept checking.
I was like, where is it?
So I rang up the store.
I rang up the store to ask them where this product was and when it was going on eBay.
A lovely older gentleman, you could tell by his voice, plus I've been in the store a few times, so I think I knew who it was.
His name was Colin and he answered the phone and bless him.
I'm trying to give a description and he said, let me find out where this item is for you, madam.
Let me have a look around the store and just find out what's going on with it.
He's left the phone on the side and he's asking his fellow colleagues about this item with the description I've given.
And one of his colleagues is going, what is it?
Is it a booking?
Is it a collection?
What does she want?
What does she want?
Like in this tone, right?
So aggressive towards this man.
And I'm sitting on the phone and I'm thinking, I can hear them discussing.
They're like, well, it's going on eBay.
But can we sell it to her?
Can we sell it to her?
You need to ask this person.
We need to ask this person.
It's being used in the window as a display.
But the tone of this man towards this other gentleman was horrendous.
And if I'd been in store, that wouldn't have sat well with me at all.
So as soon as Colin got back on the phone, I said, before you go any further, Colin, I need to say, I'm not happy about how you've just been spoken to.
I want the name of that man.
He would not give it to me.
And he was like trying to laugh it off.
He said, oh, I have ways of dealing with him.
Don't worry.
Don't worry.
I said, are you sure?
I said, because that's not acceptable.
Please do not let people speak to you like that.
You're just trying to help me.
I'm the one coming to you with questions.
It's not your fault.
Anyway, so he tells me it is going on eBay.
They're measuring up the dimensions, but it's in the window as a display right now.
And I was like, okay.
So that was what was established on the phone.
He couldn't really help me any more than that.
So I am that girl.
I don't actually give a shit.
I was there willing to pay for that there and then there was no signage on it.
It had a fucking 60 pound label on it.
I wanted that vanity and it was just ingrained.
You know when you get something in your head, I was like, I'm gutted.
Like I wanted it.
I spoke to head office.
They called me.
They were actually quite disgusted.
They said they it should have obviously been signed properly if it was going on eBay.
They did explain their process to me.
They did say it should have been sold to me and the whole handling of the situation was not good.
And they were going to speak to the store.
But I said I was now more concerned about Colin and I wanted to make sure that he's not regularly being spoken to like that.
And I heard that whole conversation.
It's not acceptable.
They said they were going to deal with that as well.
Then they thought they were being kind, but I think they just rubbed salt into the wound.
They sent me the link on eBay.
So I thought fuck it at this point.
What have I got to lose?
Maybe I'll get even cheaper.
So I decided to bid.
Oh, no, no, no.
There was a reserve on this thing.
So I was just getting outbid constantly and then my limit was 60 because that's what I saw it for in the shop.
This fucking thing went for 255 pound.
So it quadrupled its shop floor price and I'm going to get the cunts that say but it's a charity.
They want to make as much money for the charity.
Yes, I totally get that that I'm not disputing that but this should have been either clearly labeled that it was going on eBay or it should been fucking sold to me at the price that it had on it, which I will show you.
I had proof.
Okay, and even the head office agreed with me.
So I'm glad you stayed for the end of this story.
I mean, there was not an exciting climax to it by any means.
Okay, I fucking lost out.
But I'm fuming and British Heart Foundation, you're a bunch of assholes.
Okay, because that should have been mine.
I don't care.
It should have been mine and you fucked me over.
And justice for Colin.
Okay, Colin is just doing his job.
He's volunteering in that shop doing his job and you've got these fucking assholes talking to him like a piece of shit.
Absolutely not.
Colin, I stand by you.