Sue Ryder Reviews 210

Will be moving house later this year so we're decluttering.

We understand that no charity wants to be a dumping ground for people's rubbish, and that there is a cost for them in disposing of unsaleable items. So we are scrupulous in our sorting. For every item destined for the charity shop, nine go straight to the tip.

We have made five trips to Bude Sue Ryder and have been met with rudeness and partial refusals every time.

We are donating small furniture, books, games and puzzles, nearly new kitchen stuff etc.

Much is rejected as not pristine enough. A small mark on a book. A scratch on a table leg. Two brand new small duvets for dog beds but no covers.

Of course they want/need to sell good quality items, but all their stock is secondhand by its very nature. Isn't a tiny bit of wear and tear to be expected?!

There won't be a sixth attempt. Parking is more difficult at the other charity shops in town, but we'll make the effort.

I have used this charity shop in shepton mallet many times in the past and have had no problem with the staff etc....that was until today when i went to purchase 3 blu rays all new and priced at £1.00 each, all good so far, that was until i went to pay for them and the [manager] Judith, told me that another member of staff had priced them wrong and she told me i could purchase them for £1.50 each instead of £1.00 each and i said that is not my fault they were priced wrong and i would only pay the price on the barcode sticker £1.00 each, i asked her to honor the sale which she would not....

She then said she was withdrawing the blu rays for 24 hours and not selling them to me.......so i said why did you offer them to me for £1.50 each then??
and the reply was i did that to be nice to you, with a stupid smug grin on her face and then started to spout absolute nonesense about it being the law...i mean where do you start with a person like this.
A total obnoxious and arrogant individual and she is the manager of the shop, you couldn't make it up, how these people get employed is beyond me.

The look on her face as i dared to question what she was doing, it was like it was my fault....but it seems to be a common practice with this shop.

I have also donated items many times over the years to sue ryder but i will not donate another item to this shower of a company.

So i walked out the shop without buying anything when i had good intentions.

She also said she was leaving in 3 days...well that is good news as she wont be missed.

I took many items this morning - left 2 large bags by the counter while I went back to my car for 2 more. The assistant saw me drop off the bags but only decided to inform me they weren’t taking items today after my second run. Absolutely furious. Phoned the Mary How Trust to check they were open. They welcomed my items with grateful thanks.

I offered sue ryder a 9 month old wardrobe and they refused ! The excuse was that I have to get it assembled then photograph again have the collection team collect it and if it is too big they can’t take it clearly whoever buys the donated furniture is either not worthy of a new item or my wardrobe was not good enough for their buyers! In the end you can’t transport a 300 cm wardrobe in one piece I never donate to them again

Diabolical. Shepton Mallet shop refused to sell me a cardigan at the price on the tag, saying it was priced wrongly. Then the excuse was that as it was cashmere a woman had to take it home to wash it and check for holes. Laughable when right next to it was a dirty, stained jumper they would happily offload. I offered to pay a revised price but she said it had to go ‘out the back’ to be checked. I walked out leaving other items I was going to buy and the charity got nothing. Don’t bother with this shop. I certainly won’t again.

The most unpleasant experience of being tricked to waste time organising collection of shelves and tables all in very good and sellable conditions, fondling about taking pictures to then just be rejected. Will avoid this charity from now on.

I love going to the Macclesfield shop , every one including the volunteers are so helpful. Nick is so lovely and helpful, Emma one of the volunteers is so nice and one person I should mention is Joanne who works there, from a friendly chat to nearly being my therapist, she has time for me , unless she is busy serving customers

Excellent staff in your shop at Tankerton Store 2167. The shop is clean, tidy and very well presented its a great experience to see what goods they have. Very friendly and professional staff.

I recently donated some furniture to the Sue Ryder branch in Letchworth Garden City and had a very positive experience. The online form was straightforward and easy to complete. Able to collect within 2 days! I quickly received confirmation with details of who would be collecting and the time slot.
The two team members from Boxmove were professional and friendly, making the whole process smooth and stress-free.
I would definitely donate again after such a good experience with this branch.

At their Fishponds shop they broke up furniture they couldn't sell, just not to have to give it for free.

Contacted the online portal to donate a really lovely dining table , booked in for Monday pick up to go to the Brentwood store to get a email Saturday sorry we don’t have space ! Disgraceful and actually why bother to donate to this charity if this is how they deal with donations being offered very late to let me know they couldn’t accept ! Like a week to let me know they didn’t have room ! So sorry your reply does not really work for me and I will never bother offering a donation to sue ryder

I booked a collection in good faith and waited for the driver, only for the job to be refused on arrival. I was first told there was “no suitable parking” on the street, despite there being a free private parking space available on site. The issue later became a vehicle height restriction(we have 1.9m), which was never asked about or flagged during the booking process. This lack of upfront checks resulted in wasted time and unnecessary stress while moving out.

More concerning was the driver’s behaviour ( someone called Robbie and Ricky)When knocking on my door, he was rude and complaining, repeatedly stating that they only have 20mins, it was hard to park on the street, and he was only paid “£30–£40” and that collecting my furniture was “not worth his time”. This was extremely unprofessional and inappropriate to say to a customer.

In addition, the driver refused to take several small items that were in good condition, even though the shop manager had previously assured me these items would be accepted. The refusal happened on the spot, directly contradicting what I had been told and leaving me with no alternative plan.

I understand that charities have policies and limitations, but poor communication, inconsistent information, and unprofessional conduct from staff are not acceptable. If drivers are unwilling to carry out collections, this should be addressed internally — not taken out on donors.

I would not rely on this service again unless their booking process, staff training, and professionalism are significantly improved.

Normally Sue Ryder have welcoming staff who are polite and grateful for any donation received. Unfortunately on taking in a donation today I was greeted by a very rude and unprofessional lady who would not accept my donation saying they were full. I could accept that, but not the way she spoke to me. In future my donations will go to another charity in town who showed more gratitude for the donation. It makes a difference when staff are polite and friendly. I would suggest that perhaps this particular lady be trained in politeness to all people who take the time and trouble in donating to worthy causes.

We live near this shop in garstang all I can say is some of the staff are OK they are doing a very valuable and good job but some people that work in that shop spend most of their working day trying to harass my 83 year old mother .Who feels very intimidated at times.

Fratton the pompy center the older woman with short hair on the larger side is actually so rude and makes everyone feel uncomfortable I bought something and she started examining I’m not sure of the exact date so have picked close by the guys that work in the store and the volunteers are amazing and very helpful I buy a lot I have to be honest I don’t like going in there when she is working there and I know others feel the same way I’m always polite and try to make conversations and just get umm .. she really does put people off going

Contacted branch to donate several items of furniture. Completed form, sent photos as requested so they knew exactly what was being donated. All good and collection confirmed. Received text message from company last night saying they would not be collecting because it wasn't worth their while.
I've now seen other reviews with similar experiences
CHARITY....Hah...only if it suits them.
NEVER support this shower !!!
PS...just found another local charity who could not be more helpful

Purchased 2 therapeutic heat pads in October, which were very competitively priced. 2 months later one of the pads stopped working. I phoned Sue Ryder customer services and left a VM. Within an hour I received an email requesting further information which I provided. A refund was processed which I received within 3 days.
Excellent customer service in my opinion

Karen, the manager at the Ashton on mersey shop in Sale, is one of the nicest people I know. Always pleasant and helping people with their shopping experience in a Sue Ryder shop. She has made this shop part of the village community.she works hard and the shop reflects this. She deserves to be recognised for her dedication to her work. She is a great ambassador for the Sue Ryder charity. It's the hard working caring employees that keep causes such as yours available for the people that need them.

Wasted time , booked a sofa collection, was ready to get rid of the sofa but thought maybe a charity shop would want it, they asked for pictures etc and confirmed collection on Monday. When Monday arrived they said it was too old... I could of told them how old it was, they never asked! Now wasted my time keeping it for couple days when could of given it to someone else, quite greedy to think people have time and money , well lesson learned, I'm never risking donating something like that ever again especially not for sue Ryder
Also the sofa is a leather recliner that's in good condition and is very comfortable, maybe next time ask how old the furniture is

Lovely staff. Gave us a bit of extra time to finalise our decision on buying 2 sheepskin coats even though the shop was closing. Will be visiting again.