Nam said the Red Cross is as obsessive as Edward Cullen when it comes to making sure he keeps up his donation schedule. He says the organization is bordering on harassment as it urges him to come in and open up his veins.

I just wanted to share my recent experiences with the American Red Cross. Let’s preface this by saying I respect the mission and goals of the organization and I don’t have any problem with the organization’s purpose.

That said, I have been getting calls from the American Red Cross everyday at least twice (sometimes 3 times!) a day for the past month and a half. Every time they ask me to come in and donate blood. I have been sick on and off and missed my last scheduled donation session. However, I am constantly getting calls from their volunteers to come in and donate blood. It almost feels like I am being harassed because I have a something that belongs to them.

I believe I was more than nice simply telling their volunteers that I have been sick and I will have to decline to donate each time they call. Around 3 days ago I received yet another call and I told the volunteer I have been really ill from a stomach virus and I finally asked to be taken off the call list and I would call when I was ready to come in for my next donation. She kindly agreed and I thought that was going to be the end of the incessant calls. The next day I received yet another call from another volunteer of the Red Cross. I told her I was called the previous day and asked to be taken off the list and I would make an appointment to donate when I felt up for it. She kindly apologized and said they had been making a lot of repeat calls because of a problem with the system. I said, “no problem, honest problem” and that was the end of that conversation and what I thought would be the end of the calls. The next morning (8:30 AM on a SATURDAY) I get yet another call from another volunteer of the American Red Cross.

I was a bit annoyed, but still tried to be polite since I figure it’s not her fault their system is telling her to call me. I again asked to be taken off the list because I was getting incessant calls multiple times a day. She continues to “encourage” me that I need to donate because there is a severe shortage of blood in the area. Valid problem, but will a pint of my blood really be missed until I get better? I firmly declined to make an appointment and stated I would really like it if they “stopped calling me at all waking hours of the day”. I admit there was a significant amount of annoyance behind that statement and this is where the conversation goes south.

The volunteer snaps back, ” [the Red Cross] doesn’t call at all hours”. My response, “yes you may not call every hour, but 2-3 times is a bit excessive”. She follows with a statement dripping with sarcasm. At this point I am so appalled that all I can muster is a, “just please stop calling”, and hang up on her. Today is Sunday and I am 99% positive I received another call from the Red Cross today because their calls always show up as “unknown number” on my cell.

While I appreciate the Red Cross trying to get much needed blood donations I find it a bit ridiculous that I am practically harassed to donate blood and the attitude I got from a volunteer makes me NEVER want to go back to the Red Cross. My fiance has already been pissed off by a few of the Red Cross volunteers and vowed to only donate blood at the blood bank run by the local hospital. I am probably going to do the same at this point. At what point is it considered excessive and is their any recourse for me if I am constantly called by them even after asking many times to be taken off their call list? I realize they are not telemarketers and are not subject to the “Do not call” list regulations, but how do I make it stop? I understand they are trying to do a good thing, but is it really wise to annoy their current pool or regular blood donors?

Any ideas on how to get Red Cross off Nam’s tail? Maybe a garlic necklace?

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