GoFundMe- Is it me?

Nine times out of Ten the people who haven't taken out insurance for holidays, have usually had way to much to drink and I honestly have little if any sympathy , I do think holiday insurance should be compulsory. There was one recently where they find raising to do a garden makeover for someone who was terminally ill. While he's it was a good cause, my initial thought was what if they don't get to see it, would it be worthwhile?
I rarely only donate unless it's someone I know very well doing something for a very very worthwhile cause.

In general I don’t like these money raising sites unless people I know are doing something for charity and the funds go direct to the charity.
But recently a local man was walking his little bichon frisé when a bull mastiff flew out of a house and attacked the dog. The man was badly injured trying to protect his dog and had to be rushed to hospital to have emergency surgery. The little dog was taken to the vet where they said they would try and save her. Sadly she died and the vets bill was £11,500. Unfortunately the mans insurance will only cover £4500. The local postman set up a just giving page, shared it on social media and it raised £4000 towards the vets bill. I thought this was very kind and generous of local people.
Since this has happened the bull mastiff and his owner seemed to have disappeared!,

No sympathy for the people who do not take out holiday insurance. A few companies will not allow you to travel until you give them proof of holiday insurance. I will never give to GoFundMe. I have enough family to "fund".

I had a sweets business and we did parties/weddings etc. There was a very sad story on our local news about a young lady dying from cancer and she had a wish list. The list was huge and I offered to do sweets for the wedding party she wanted. I never heard anything but saw the pictures of her day and it was really extravagant. Three years later her mum contacted me to do catering and sweets for her birthday party for 140 people. I am going to sound awful because the offer was because she had months to live and then to find out she was cancer clear and well but still wanted freebies was very cheeky.

The only time I have contributed to a gofundme was for someone on GN for an operation not possible on the NHS.

I have difficulty feeling sympathy with people who travel without insurance.

I've seen GoFundMes for funerals, daughter's weddings, private hospital treatments, leaving collections, new baby requirements Ans all sorts. What's wrong with people?

Regarding travel insurance - obviously always, always get it. For everyone in your party. Also:
Declare absolutely everything - write it down first so you don't forget. That appointment you had a year ago to remove a non-cancerous skin tag? HRT even though you stopped a few months ago? Treatment for UTI? Yes, all of it. Break your ankle on holiday and flights are delayed, your partner needs to stay longer in the hotel, medical assistance on the flight - the insurance company can and will refuse payment even if the condition is completely unrelated. Your GHI card will cover you for emergency treatment in EU countries but not all the extra costs involved.
People say "my credit card covers me" but does it? Check with them first.
If you are waiting for results of tests, you are not likely to be covered for a new travel insurance policy.
As one gets older it's so frustrating and expensive but has to be done when you think of the alternative.

I remember that case Chocolatelovinggran as people like that make you question whether or not 'Go Fund Me's' are genuine or not, and those that are may well miss out.

Shockingly, some people hijack what is (mostly) a well meant activity.
A woman in my town went to prison after using GoFundMe to pay for a very pleasant lifestyle. She alleged that she was gravely ill, and that money was needed for special treatment abroad.
She was outed by a doctor ,as the " foreign hospital" in her picture was from the local one, complete with NHS hospital gown, and UK plug sockets, depicting her after a routine operation.

I’ve donated lots of times to people I know or friends of people I know ( I’m thinking of a young woman who lost all her limbs to sepsis and her family were raising money for the prostheses she would need). I look on it as instead of sending a bunch of flowers I’m just sending the money instead. Only for genuine cases though, not to fund anything frivolous.

I only do it if I know the people involved. I agree that I won't give to things like weddings (have the one you can afford), trips for high school kids (if the parents can't afford it, they don't go, worked for me as a child), things that could have been prevented (travel insurance, life insurance).

I’d only do it if I knew the person or one of my family knew them.

Daddima

I’m just looking at my social media, and there are three posts asking for contributions to a GoFundMe.
Two are for people who have been taken ill on holiday and are fundraising to have them brought home , and one for someone who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Now, I do think that everyone should have travel insurance, and I do understand that when we hear a sad tale of illness we feel we want to help, and firing in a fiver can make us feel better, but hasn’t the GoFundMe culture gone far enough, or am I Hard Hearted Hannah?

No, you certainly aren't hard-hearted, just being naturally wary.

Scams abound, in all sorts of forms, and the traditional sob-story about an emergency health crisis is a tried and tested method for prising open wallets and purses.
Go Fund Me is a Godsend for cheats, liars and unprincipled thieves who don't see the point in working for a living when a damn good tale-of-woe can extract the hard‐earned cash of others.

I have first hand knowledge of how Go Fund Me has saved the life of the young boy who lives next door to us. He was diagnosed with an incurable and aggressive brain tumour. There was no hope for him until the family learned there was a drug approved and paid for but only for adults. There had been insufficient use of it to prove its use for children. However, it was available if paid for privately. Go Fund Me was set up and its contributors allowed this to happen. The family lived on a knife edge as there was no way they could pay for it without the Fund. The result is that the treatment worked and we now have a healthy, happy child next door but above all his success has led to the drug now being available to other children. He will have to continue the medication for the foreseeable future but the family no longer has to hand over thousands of pounds on a regular basis. Their relief is beyond describing.
However, this belief that somehow it is okay to use this kind of funding for almost anything has grown. Coronation Street hasn’t helped when the characters seem to suggesting they set up GoFundMe for all sorts of things. It’s a shame if this kind of attitude leads people to doubt its use.

I’m sure we could all think of occasions when we could do with more money but to actually ask for it isn’t really something that most of our generation would do. If I believe in a certain cause I’d give to it anyway without being asked.

I don’t agree with this ‘Go fund’ business at all probably because I ve always ‘managed’ even when having very little,
I ve ‘managed’ and I d never ask anyone to help me and I don’t want to be asked by strangers to fund their dogs having an operation, or getting their mums body home, or paying for hospital treatment or a funeral
I give to my charities and of course I d help a close family member but am I funding others carelessness no I m not

The three people that Daddima mentions who are doing a "GoFundMe" because they were taken ill on holiday and need it to pay for treatment and to get them back home could have done the appeal before their holiday - with the plea that they had managed to find the cost of the holiday they so much needed but were still short of the extra to pay for the insurance. That would have been far less than the bill they were now facing.

It's also difficult to know who the genuine cases are and those trying their luck
I can sympathise with people who have an unexpected death in the family and need help with the funeral or giving a terminally ill child a trip to Disneyland but funding somebody's 'dream wedding'? or help pay for the fool who didn't take out holiday insurance to get back home? what a joke, that's really taking the mick, sadly though, some people would fall for it and donate

Milsa

That probably will be a splash of a comment but I find the title: Go fund me, very rude. Where is please, thank you, would you etc. Also, why not they go fund me

It’s like, Just Giving. I always think, What do you mean by Just?

That probably will be a splash of a comment but I find the title: Go fund me, very rude. Where is please, thank you, would you etc. Also, why not they go fund me

A friend of ours husband recently died, she started one and it was mentioned at his funeral for the two hospice locally that looked after him.
We gave to that. The right kind of purpose I think.

“Dream wedding”? Honestly!!! How greedy.

I have contributed when DD's friend's daughter was killed in an accident and it was to help towards the funeral.
Also when people I knew were running and the proceeds were going to a known charity.

Otherwise, no.

Luckygirl3

I only receive ones from family and friends - e.g. grandchild doing a sponsored walk or something. Where are you getting all this stuff?

As well as on social media, there are articles on local news pages. I have even seen a Facebook page with a couple asking for donations towards a ‘dream wedding’.