So I got drunk one night and adopted an African kid, largely forgot about it till I saw the bill, and then was slightly irritated to discover that they weren't going to post my kid to me, that it just gets to live in Africa while I pay for it's school and medicine.
Pfft!
I try to explain my situation to them, and logically rebutted their claim that you can't post children, obviously you can't post western children, but these Sudanese ones should class as a small package and could probably be sent using one First Class stamp.
After which I didn't hear from their customer service people again.
Anywho, part of the whole deal is you're also supposed to send them gifts and letters... which, I fully admit, I've never done, because the kid can't read English and it seemed pointless, and the kids send you cute little letters and school reports back to make you feel smug and good about yourself...
I can sort of half imagine these kids being held on a factory line by Sudanese militiamen, being forced to mass produce cute letters to keep the western funds and gifts coming... but I digress.
As I said, I've never sent any gifts... I'm kind of already putting this kid through school, largely by accident.
I kind of think she should send ME gifts, but does she ever?
Well no, she does not.
And then today I get this letter, which is meant to be a thank you-letter for all the Christmas presents the sponsors sent out, and as I said they don't speak much English, so it's a form-letter where the kids can fill in the blank parts.
It says "I'm having a great time in Sudan, thanks to all the food medicine and schooling etc etc etc,
"And thank you for my Christmas Present of ________
And where all the other kids have clearly written things like "bicycle" or "second hand clothing" she put...
"love"
Which, obviously one of the nuns forced her to write after she didn't get any christmas presents, so as not to offend me.
SO
Would I be justified in demanding my money back?
I mean, I paid into this scheme to feel undeservedly GOOD about myself, this sort of guilt-trip from a starving African kid is NOT what I paid for.
No, you wouldn't be justified in asking for your money back, but you might get away with asking for another orphan. This one is obviously defective.
Quote from: Bonsai Ent on February 20, 2010, 06:15:38 PM
And then today I get this letter, which is meant to be a thank you-letter for all the Christmas presents the sponsors sent out, and as I said they don't speak much English, so it's a form-letter where the kids can fill in the blank parts.
It says "I'm having a great time in Sudan..."
:horrormirth:
She sent a letter the other day saying she dreamed of becoming a doctor...
I
do not remember agreeing to pay for her M.D.
A replacement could be the best option... ideally what I want is a dumber kid.
I had to get the one frigging Future Nobel Laureate in the whole of Sudan.
Quote from: Horrendous Foreign Love Stoat on February 20, 2010, 06:21:36 PM
You're a bad man Mr. Ent. :cry:
Pony up for a chinese ipod knock off for the kid at least. hell, send her your book if you don't want to spend anything. that would be educational and full of lulz all at the same time.
They make me pay for those :(
I love these 21st Century jokes.
Quote from: Horrendous Foreign Love Stoat on February 20, 2010, 06:21:36 PM
You're a bad man Mr. Ent. :cry:
Pony up for a chinese ipod knock off for the kid at least. hell, send her your book if you don't want to spend anything. that would be educational and full of lulz all at the same time.
That would be kind of a dickish thing to do.
1) You don't even know if they have power.
2) You don't even know if they have a computer or know how to torrent songs (since they probably won't be buying songs for a dollar each).
I OPENED THIS THREAD AND SCROLLED DOWN AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE JUST TO POST
YES.
YES IT WOULD.
now to see what it is.
"Living in a third-world dictatorship, where any moment you might contract AIDS, have to watch militia murder your family, or starve to death?
There's an App for that"
Bonsai Ent, iirc, is still living in Cambridge.
THAT is what makes him an arsehole, not this.
Quote from: Payne on February 20, 2010, 06:33:30 PM
Bonsai Ent, iirc, is still living in Cambridge.
THAT is what makes him an arsehole, not this.
That is vicious slander. I'm living OUTSIDE of Cambridge.
I'm moving into Cambridge-proper next January :oops:
Quote from: Payne on February 20, 2010, 06:33:30 PM
Bonsai Ent, iirc, is still living in Cambridge.
THAT is what makes him an arsehole, not this.
He lives in a university?
ok after having read the thread, I agree with my previous notion.
also,
WOW.
I mean I had to laugh, but ...
On the other hand you are sending money, why isn't that enough?
And, troof on the guilt-trip thing.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on February 20, 2010, 06:35:10 PM
Quote from: Payne on February 20, 2010, 06:33:30 PM
Bonsai Ent, iirc, is still living in Cambridge.
THAT is what makes him an arsehole, not this.
He lives in a university?
Cambridge is not just a university.
It's also a bridge.
Made of cameras.
He didn't ask if this made him more of an arsehole, which it maybe does. Yanno - giving that kid all the false hope that anyone (who matters) actually gives a shit about the Sudan... For. Shame.
Now she's going to be filled up with ideas about basic human rights and shit.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on February 20, 2010, 06:35:10 PM
Quote from: Payne on February 20, 2010, 06:33:30 PM
Bonsai Ent, iirc, is still living in Cambridge.
THAT is what makes him an arsehole, not this.
He lives in a university?
Nah, I'm one of the villains that live to serve the Castalian Elite and make sure their studies aren't interrupted.
Quote from: Triple Zero on February 20, 2010, 06:37:01 PM
ok after having read the thread, I agree with my previous notion.
also,
WOW.
I mean I had to laugh, but ...
On the other hand you are sending money, why isn't that enough?
And, troof on the guilt-trip thing.
That's why you can't let one of these charity mills get ahold of you.
Quote from: Triple Zero on February 20, 2010, 06:37:01 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on February 20, 2010, 06:35:10 PM
Quote from: Payne on February 20, 2010, 06:33:30 PM
Bonsai Ent, iirc, is still living in Cambridge.
THAT is what makes him an arsehole, not this.
He lives in a university?
Cambridge is not just a university.
It's also a bridge.
Made of cameras.
Oh, that makes more sense.
Go to the fucking dollar store and get some cheap ass crap
mail it
kid will be thrilled to get the cheap bullshit throwaway toys we shit on and then throw out the car window, yet are still 10000 times better than the "wad of mud" and "occasional beatings" she gets to play with at home.
Quote from: Calamity Nigel on February 20, 2010, 07:15:05 PM
Go to the fucking dollar store and get some cheap ass crap
mail it
kid will be thrilled to get the cheap bullshit throwaway toys we shit on and then throw out the car window, yet are still 10000 times better than the "wad of mud" and "occasional beatings" she gets to play with at home.
This, and some candy bars. Candy bars are the shit when you are eating soup kitchen food.
Sudan is a pretty rough neighborhood.
Maybe you should buy her a gun.
OK, so I can redeem my moral equilibrium by sending the kid guns and e-numbers?
It seems a fair arrangement.
My not be many other opportunities in life to do right that way.
send her a packet of 1000 form letters for a nigerian prince scam. Might as well get her started now so she has a leg up on the competition when she gets older.
Quote from: Emerald City Hustle on February 20, 2010, 09:04:17 PM
send her a packet of 1000 form letters for a nigerian prince scam. Might as well get her started now so she has a leg up on the competition when she gets older.
It's not a scam. I fund myself entirely by responding to those emails.
All these years and it's never occurred to anyone to give them a try.
Why do you think there are so many? Surely if they were scams it would never continue to work.
There are so many because all these foreign dignitaries have never successfully found anyone and have just been building up over the years.
And now I've cashed in. I'm a millionaire.
The downside is I've been having some trouble shifting the money, and I need somebody with a western bank account to help me out with it. I'd probably be willing to offer 5-10% of the cash if you could help me?