The 'stolen' turkey dinner... UPD #331 p23

[Yvaine]

Regardless of the real or made-up deadline, the fact remains that according to the deli manager, the lady who bought (and apparently donated) the turkey dinner redeemed it herself when she clearly had no right to. And it appears that since she kept the receipt and only gave the winner (OP's sis) a photocopy, she had every intention of doing exactly this in anticipation of the winner either intentionally or unintentionally not picking up the dinner.

This. And really, if she was simply concerned about whether the winner would miss the deadline, you'd think maybe she'd contact the church or the sister and remind them about it, rather than just yoinking and eating it herself.

[rose red]

Regardless of the real or made-up deadline, the fact remains that according to the deli manager, the lady who bought (and apparently donated) the turkey dinner redeemed it herself when she clearly had no right to. And it appears that since she kept the receipt and only gave the winner (OP's sis) a photocopy, she had every intention of doing exactly this in anticipation of the winner either intentionally or unintentionally not picking up the dinner.

This. And really, if she was simply concerned about whether the winner would miss the deadline, you'd think maybe she'd contact the church or the sister and remind them about it, rather than just yoinking and eating it herself.

Yup.  If someone doesn't pick up their prize, you don't call the store every day and swoop in the second the clock on the deadline dings.  You call the winner and ask if they are still interested in the prize.

The OP's sister need to go to the pastor because stuff like this gets out, and this woman's actions is tainting the church and it's charities.  Not that I believe the sister would spread rumors, but in her shoes, I would warn the next "winner" of this woman's donations and the consequences of her made-up rules of missed deadlines. 

[Sharnita]

They might want to work on the way they describe their auction itmes as well.  Make sure people know this is specific, mention any deadlines, etc.

[cheyne]

Silent or regular auctions for charity don't work the way it is described here.  I have been involved with several in the past.  We either bought the products or asked local businesses to donate goods/services for the charitable cause.  Once the item has been donated, the person donating the item has nothing more to do with the item.  It is up to the purchaser and business to redeem the item.

Example:  I bought 2 rounds of golf at a charity auction for a friend with cancer.  I was given a voucher for the golf which I redeemed at my leisure the next summer.  The organizers of the charity had no say in when, where or how I redeemed the voucher.  They didn't "check-up" to make sure I had done it within the time frame on the voucher, nor did anyone call me or the golf course to see if I had redeemed it. 

When a person buys a good/service and donates it to a charity for auction, that person has NO claim on the good/service.  The money has been paid to the business by the donator, the person purchasing the donated goods has paid the charity and it is soley up to the purchaser to redeem the item/service.  In this instance there was no reason for Turkey Lady (TL) to have anything at all to do with the redemption of the Turkey Dinner.  That she did in fact photocopy and hand write an "expiration date" on the photocopied receipt show me that she was dishonest in her donation and had intent of taking the donation for herself. 

OP's sister needs to contact the committee at her church that runs the charitable auctions and report what happened.  Take the receipt with her, and ask for her money back.  OP Sister has been "ripped-off" by TL and TL needs to make good on her "donation" to the church by paying the church the $50. that they should give back to OP's sister.

[Sharnita]

I agree that I have never seen auctions work that way.  Then again, if something like a turkey dinner has been auctioned I have alwyas assumed that is exactly what is being auctioned so the experiences of sis and the deli manager are a bit different, too.  In a silent auction you'd be able to see exactly what was for auction, including deadlines and descriptions.  In a regular auction they would describe the deal and include deadlines and limits. It seems like the system could use some tweeking here.

[LazyDaisy]

I agree with what Sharnita and NyaChan have said, the auction item was specifically a Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner from Deli -- not just a $50 gift card. Lots of places around me sell a preset Thanksgiving dinner and of course it needs to be picked up before Thanksgiving is over. Turkey Lady certainly shouldn't have picked up the dinner -- that is stealing; but for all we know, she took it to a homeless shelter not ate it herself. If that was her plan all along, first off that's just bat-poo crazy (buy a dinner pretend to donate to charity then steal it back -- why?! If she really wanted that dinner, well buy it and take it home), secondly she certainly gambled big on not having a TG dinner at all if Sister had been more observant.

I'm very surprised though at everyone saying Sister should get a refund from the church. This was a charity auction. Items are donated. To me it's no different than if someone donated a poorly knitted sweater that unraveled after one wear -- you don't take it back to the church and demand a refund or exchange for your "purchase". You might learn to be more wary about bidding on items, but a charity is not the same as a retail store with a warranty or refund policy. Sister can certainly let them know about the shady donor and problem with the deli to prevent future issues, but to expect the church to refund a donation because she isn't satisfied by the deli is outrageous to me.

[Sharnita]

Actually, it strikes me as kind of odd that the retail value and winning bid were apparently about the same.  Most charity auctions I have been to, that is not the case either somebody gets a huge deal - a $100 dinner for about $50 or people really bid up on the item because it is charity and so they will pay double the retail value because it is going to charity.

[DottyG]

Actually, it strikes me as kind of odd that the retail value and winning bid were apparently about the same.  Most charity auctions I have been to, that is not the case either somebody gets a huge deal - a $100 dinner for about $50 or people really bid up on the item because it is charity and so they will pay double the retail value because it is going to charity.

You know, I hadn't thought of that, but you're right.  That is kinda odd.

[cheyne]

I agree with what Sharnita and NyaChan have said, the auction item was specifically a Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner from Deli -- not just a $50 gift card. Lots of places around me sell a preset Thanksgiving dinner and of course it needs to be picked up before Thanksgiving is over. Turkey Lady certainly shouldn't have picked up the dinner -- that is stealing; but for all we know, she took it to a homeless shelter not ate it herself. If that was her plan all along, first off that's just bat-poo crazy (buy a dinner pretend to donate to charity then steal it back -- why?! If she really wanted that dinner, well buy it and take it home), secondly she certainly gambled big on not having a TG dinner at all if Sister had been more observant.

I'm very surprised though at everyone saying Sister should get a refund from the church. This was a charity auction. Items are donated. To me it's no different than if someone donated a poorly knitted sweater that unraveled after one wear -- you don't take it back to the church and demand a refund or exchange for your "purchase". You might learn to be more wary about bidding on items, but a charity is not the same as a retail store with a warranty or refund policy. Sister can certainly let them know about the shady donor and problem with the deli to prevent future issues, but to expect the church to refund a donation because she isn't satisfied by the deli is outrageous to me.

The bolded is exactly what Turkey Lady did.  She did not give OP's sister the original receipt, but a photocopy with a hand written "expiration date" that she wrote on the receipt herself.  The deli has no obligation to refund the price to OP's sister, nor does the church.  But I believe the church has the responsibility to contact Turkey Lady and tell her that they know what she did and that Turkey Lady needs to refund OP's sister (or the church as an intermediary) to make this right.  The OP's sister should not be out $50. because Turkey Lady put a fake expiration date on a photocopied receipt.  OP's sister won the auction fairly and should not be responsible for the fraud perpetrated by Turkey Lady.

[Zilla]

I agree with what Sharnita and NyaChan have said, the auction item was specifically a Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner from Deli -- not just a $50 gift card. Lots of places around me sell a preset Thanksgiving dinner and of course it needs to be picked up before Thanksgiving is over. Turkey Lady certainly shouldn't have picked up the dinner -- that is stealing; but for all we know, she took it to a homeless shelter not ate it herself. If that was her plan all along, first off that's just bat-poo crazy (buy a dinner pretend to donate to charity then steal it back -- why?! If she really wanted that dinner, well buy it and take it home), secondly she certainly gambled big on not having a TG dinner at all if Sister had been more observant.

I'm very surprised though at everyone saying Sister should get a refund from the church. This was a charity auction. Items are donated. To me it's no different than if someone donated a poorly knitted sweater that unraveled after one wear -- you don't take it back to the church and demand a refund or exchange for your "purchase". You might learn to be more wary about bidding on items, but a charity is not the same as a retail store with a warranty or refund policy. Sister can certainly let them know about the shady donor and problem with the deli to prevent future issues, but to expect the church to refund a donation because she isn't satisfied by the deli is outrageous to me.

The lady that donated it got a tax write off AND to look good to her church that she donated something.  So she is further benefiting by placing very narrow specifications on it and hedging her bets. 
The church got the $50 cash from the OP's sister.  The sister did not get the dinner because the person who donated it picked it up instead.  If the sister had gone to the store and they told her no because she didn't meet the deadline, then that's a different story.  But the store told her no because it was already picked up.  That's why she should contact the church.  Your example of the unraveled sweater doesn't compare to the Op's sister's scenario.

[Shoo]

Actually, it strikes me as kind of odd that the retail value and winning bid were apparently about the same.  Most charity auctions I have been to, that is not the case either somebody gets a huge deal - a $100 dinner for about $50 or people really bid up on the item because it is charity and so they will pay double the retail value because it is going to charity.

I've seen it happen when the item up for bid isn't something a lot of (or any) people are interested in.  A Thanksgiving meal available during the week of Thanksgiving when people look forward to cooking their own or dining with friends/family could possibly be one of those things that nobody wants.  I saw it several times in a silent auction my daughter's softball team held 2 weeks ago.  Several items received no bids whatsoever.

So when that happens, the starting bid either gets lowered or someone comes along and bids the minimum amount and wins it.  I bet that happened in this case.

[Zilla]

Actually, it strikes me as kind of odd that the retail value and winning bid were apparently about the same.  Most charity auctions I have been to, that is not the case either somebody gets a huge deal - a $100 dinner for about $50 or people really bid up on the item because it is charity and so they will pay double the retail value because it is going to charity.

You know, I hadn't thought of that, but you're right.  That is kinda odd.

Most charity auctions I have been to will have a bin with bets and the highest bet wins.  And it's usually very close if not over the amount retailed.  Now in a regular auction is where I see it more of half of the value etc.

[Yvaine]

Actually, it strikes me as kind of odd that the retail value and winning bid were apparently about the same.  Most charity auctions I have been to, that is not the case either somebody gets a huge deal - a $100 dinner for about $50 or people really bid up on the item because it is charity and so they will pay double the retail value because it is going to charity.

We don't know what the bid actually was, IIRC; the OP was making a guess.

I agree with what Sharnita and NyaChan have said, the auction item was specifically a Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner from Deli -- not just a $50 gift card. Lots of places around me sell a preset Thanksgiving dinner and of course it needs to be picked up before Thanksgiving is over. Turkey Lady certainly shouldn't have picked up the dinner -- that is stealing; but for all we know, she took it to a homeless shelter not ate it herself. If that was her plan all along, first off that's just bat-poo crazy (buy a dinner pretend to donate to charity then steal it back -- why?! If she really wanted that dinner, well buy it and take it home), secondly she certainly gambled big on not having a TG dinner at all if Sister had been more observant.

I'm very surprised though at everyone saying Sister should get a refund from the church. This was a charity auction. Items are donated. To me it's no different than if someone donated a poorly knitted sweater that unraveled after one wear -- you don't take it back to the church and demand a refund or exchange for your "purchase". You might learn to be more wary about bidding on items, but a charity is not the same as a retail store with a warranty or refund policy. Sister can certainly let them know about the shady donor and problem with the deli to prevent future issues, but to expect the church to refund a donation because she isn't satisfied by the deli is outrageous to me.

The bolded is exactly what Turkey Lady did.  She did not give OP's sister the original receipt, but a photocopy with a hand written "expiration date" that she wrote on the receipt herself.  The deli has no obligation to refund the price to OP's sister, nor does the church.  But I believe the church has the responsibility to contact Turkey Lady and tell her that they know what she did and that Turkey Lady needs to refund OP's sister (or the church as an intermediary) to make this right.  The OP's sister should not be out $50. because Turkey Lady put a fake expiration date on a photocopied receipt.  OP's sister won the auction fairly and should not be responsible for the fraud perpetrated by Turkey Lady.

And as for the why, I wonder if she had just ordered it for herself right before the auction, then realized she'd forgotten to buy something for the auction and maybe was out of money and/or time at that point--and improvised, hoping it would never be redeemed anyway.

[Virg]

LazyDaisy wrote:

"I'm very surprised though at everyone saying Sister should get a refund from the church. This was a charity auction. Items are donated. To me it's no different than if someone donated a poorly knitted sweater that unraveled after one wear -- you don't take it back to the church and demand a refund or exchange for your "purchase".  You might learn to be more wary about bidding on items, but a charity is not the same as a retail store with a warranty or refund policy. Sister can certainly let them know about the shady donor and problem with the deli to prevent future issues, but to expect the church to refund a donation because she isn't satisfied by the deli is outrageous to me."

This isn't the same as getting a substandard item in the auction, which would be more like winning a turkey dinner and then not liking the taste of the food.  She entered and won and then did not get anything, so it would be more like someone donating a sweater, the OP winning it and then getting an empty sweater box after she'd paid for it.  Because the church held the auction, it's on them to make sure that the people who won actually get what they won or they should be giving her money back.  There's nothing outrageous about expecting to get more than a useless photocopy of a receipt when you're bidding for a turkey dinner, because the church certainly couldn't have expected people to bid on a receipt.

Virg

[Sharnita]

The chariy auctions I've been to have been regular auctions.