Odd grey van - 'Macmillan cancer' or casing?

[buddug]

Hi. This morning I saw an unmarked grey van with an armoured-looking front going round and round Oglander Road with the man in the passenger seat looking out as if searching for an address. When he saw me staring they stopped and he got out. I asked if he was lost but he said he was collecting for 'Macmillan Cancer'. He was wearing a yellow workman's jerkin with no Macmillan markings or anything.

I said I wasn't interested and they drove off. Surely if they were collecting for charity they'd be going round knocking on doors. I got the feeling they might have been casing. Just wondered if anyone else has come across them.

[Pickle]

We had a MacMillan charity bag through the door earlier this week, so it's possible that they are out collecting any that have been left out. It would make sense that they have someone looking out for bags left in front gardens.

[nimby]

OR picking up some Furniture or even a Cancer Patient or dropping off or collecting one of their nurses.

[buddug]

Pickle said: "We had a MacMillan charity bag through the door earlier this week, so it's possible that they are out collecting any that have been left out. It would make sense that they have someone looking out for bags left in front gardens."

Aha. That makes sense. But it's odd there were no signs to say who they were either on van or on the man's jerkin.

[MarkE]

We had a bag last week, supposed to have been collected on Wednesday but it wasn't. Invariably they end up collecting them, but rarely on the day advertised, which is a bit of a pain because they probably miss out on recovering lots of goods/returned bags.

But yes, it sounds legit.

[TopTree]

Did you take the van reg number? Always a good idea.

[buddug]

TopTree said: "Did you take the van reg number? Always a good idea."

Yes. I made a mental note of it but then when I went to write it down I immediately forgot it! (I'm a woman d'un certain age...)

[Carrie]

We had a MacMillan Bag through the door saying the collection would be on Friday but in the small print it was made clear that another company would be collecting the bags on behalf of MacMillan which probably explains why he was not driving a MacMillan branded van.

[buddug]

Aha. Thanks Carrie. It was a bit unnerving. I shouldn't have read about the recent spate of burglaries...

[ianr]

Macmillan have collections done by Clothes Aid according to http://www.charitybags.org.uk/clothing_collectors_list.shtml, who also have an entry describing Clothes Aid as reputable and trustworthy. That the collection tallied with the leaving of bags suggests that it probably was a genuine one, though there are also rogue collectors and gatherers of loose objects around: http://www.charitybags.org.uk/thefts_of_clothing_collection_bags.shtml Genuine collectors will presumably be willing to give honest answers to questions about who they are.

[lilolil]

I think the bag I left out yesterday was taken by them. It was definitely a small van. They left a thank you card from Macmillan

[kford]

This is a Clothes Aid van:

http://geographyphotos.photoshelter.com/image/I0000IJFzWyts4kI

[buddug]

Nope, that wasn't the van, Kford. Thanks for that. It was grey and unmarked. And the front above the window was quite distinctive, with an armoured car look/effect.

The Clothes Aid site, which is indeed the company that collects bags for Macmillan, says this: "Clothes Aid collectors always carry ID, wear a bright orange Clothes Aid uniform and will collect your clothing in marked Clothes Aid vans."

The van was unmarked, and the man was certainly not wearing a 'bright orange uniform'!

Looks like they were rogues after all?