Hope Services

I’ve donated A LOT of stuff to this place. The only reason I’m posting a review is because they do not make it easy to schedule a donation pick up and the girl who answers the phone is icy cold. I filled out multiple request forms online and was advised I would be contacted to schedule a pick up. No one called. I called them and couldn’t reach anyone, twice. When I finally got a girl on the phone she was not friendly. She sounded p*ssed off and bothered by my call. Hello? I’m DONATING thousands of dollars worth of stuff to your organization. Maybe you could at least act a teeny bit pleasant on the phone? Is customer service SO DIFFICULT these days? Probably won’t donate to this organization again. They clearly don’t appreciate it. EDIT/​UPDATE: The day they were supposed to come between 8am-​2pm, no one came. Around 9:20am I got a v/​m from the snippy girl I spoke with to schedule the appt saying that the driver came and no one answered when he knocked. I guess he didn’t ring the door bell. I was home, specifically for that. No one rang. However, her voice in her message to me was so p-​ssy, I am just going to find another organization to donate to. That girl should be fired. Terrible customer service skills.

Finally got around to tidying up the office a bit, and wow! what a bunch of old electronics stuff I had. Called up Hope Services to make sure they would take ANYTHING, and they confirmed that they did. Super nice lady tending to the lobby at the Los Collinas location had me grab a cart, load up from my trunk, bring it in, and did a quick receipt. Very positive experience, and glad to know my stuff is benefiting a good cause. On to round #2 with the office, after which I’m sure I’ll be making another trip to drop off.

In general I’ve appreciated this service, as they come by and pick up stuff that I’ve left out on the curb for them, including a bunch of old and large electronic stuff.
However, I suspect there are some scammers that are taking advantage of this program, as on two occasions I received the yellow card from Hope indicating the pick up day. My neighbors and I left stuff out on that day, and Hope never picked up. However, what did happen is someone else came and took select items from the staged donations.
My suspicion is that someone has stolen or made a bunch of the pickup day cards, distributes them on a day they know Hope is not picking up, and then goes around and takes whatever items they want for themselves. Be careful, as you won’t get a receipt nor will you see that pick up truck when this occurs.

I feel badly for all the people who’ve had bad experiences donating their vehicles.
Every charity on Unilocal has bad reviews and low star scores from people who’ve donated their vehicles and didn’t understand who’s liable for the vehicle after that, nor who’s responsibility it is to transfer ownership.
The truth is, it’s not really the charity’s fault.
When you donate, (or even sell) a vehicle, YOU must fill out a form through the DMV. If you sell it, you can hope the buyer will do that, but if they don’t, it will still be in your name and your responsibility. Even if you sell it to a junk yard, assuming it will never run again, if you don’t take it out of your name by filing with the DMV, and someone gets it running again, it could mean trouble for you.
So whether you sell, junk, or donate a vehicle, the DMV holds YOU responsible until YOU fill out a form and submit it saying you no longer own that vehicle.
Really, it’s a bad policy of the DMVs to not have an online form and make it easier. There are some states where they accept a mailed in form, yet others you have to go in person.
Regardless, this is not the charity’s fault.
Yes, the Hope contact person is almost always out, on vacation, away from the office, etc. but this is a charitable organization, they might be a volunteer.
I was able to purchase an excellent vehicle and they gave me a good price, as it was going to a single mom of three. So the charity and I both were greatly donated by a wealthy family’s decision to donate the vehicle instead of selling it themselves.
If you’re able to donate your vehicle, you should!

I get a flyer on my door every few months from Hope. They have a program where you place donations on your curb and they come pick them up. I haven’t participated in that, but I have dropped off physical donations (boxes of clothes and housewares) at their location on Las Colinas Lane (near the 85 and 101 interchange in south San Jose). They will in fact give you a receipt for your donation when you do a drop off like that. However, the second time I did so, they did not like the monetary value I wrote in, and made me drop it way lower than i would have liked. It’s not good form to complain about it I guess but… come on I took the trouble, at least let me save a bit on income taxes… But they’re one of the few places that will take physical donations AND give you a receipt for it. 4 stars.

This is one of the fastest growing companies advocating rights for children and adults with developmental disabilities. Their services range from supported living to independent living providing consumers with opportunities to participate in the community.
HOPE is known for their special commerical operations with a strong workforce of hard working individuals enrolled in day programs. While HOPE is teaching clients skills in the real world, clients are servicing the community. It’s a give and take cycle and a win-​win situation for all in the end.
Our family donates to HOPE Services annually and we know first-​hand that nothing we give ever goes to waste.