Good deal, getting expensive
Written: Nov 23 '00 (Updated Mar 15 '01)
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The Bottom Line
Don't understand the billing rate, but think at the low rate of $1.99 it is worth it, but don't pay $5.00 a month for the convenience.
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I got an offer for free postage to try, so I did. I've used postage meters before, and while they're nifty, they are WAY to expensive for the benefit. I don't need the postage locked up - I trust the people in my office - and while it's nice to be able to do the EXACT postage ($.37 or whatever) it's just not worth the cost. So when this came along with no equipment, free postage, and a fee of only $1.99 per month, I had to try. They also have twice in the last year given me postage "gifts" of $10.00. That's always a nice little treat.
The envelopes it prints look really good. They are bar-coded to postal service specs, and go across state at least a day faster than hand written/posted checks. It keeps a running total and register of who you've mailed to for the last six months, a nice reminder if you've forgotten if you sent that letter out last Friday.
It comes with a built-in address book, and all the addresses are checked against the postal service for zip +4, etc. It will also import contacts from your PIM, e-mail program, or Palm. That is super cool, as it saved me adding lots of contacts.
There are a couple of problems, and the list is longer than my goods, but they are small enough problems I don't weigh them very heavily.
A bad for the general user is having to connect to the internet to print. If you have a cable modem/DSL/T1/etc, that's no big deal. If you have to call AOL every time you want to mail a letter, it could get bothersome.
I have never figured out how to print postage on over-sized manila envelopes or windowed/pre-labeled envelopes. The large envelopes are a bother, as I mail several a month and have to hand label and post those. The window/pre-labeled envelopes are no big deal, as I just add the company to my address book and print postage with the same barcodes.
There is a postage credit program for mis-printed postage, but you have to mail the envelope in - kind of defeats the purpose. So hand feed the envelopes and save yourself the trouble.
The biggest negative, and what drops my rating from 4 stars to 2 is the new rate - $4.99/month or 10% of total monthly postage. $60.00 a year for a small business/home is just too high. I love the envelopes, the address book, the fast mailing, but I'm just bugged by the higher rate. It is over 2x what it was, which means they are either planning badly, or running the company badly. Either way, I don't want them to have my postage money and then go belly up. I'll use up the last of my postage purchase, and then cancel the account and go back to hand posting.
********************** March 15, 2001 **********************
I'm still using the service today, and that bothered me as I'd given them a Not Recommend due to the increased fee. I am still only paying $1.99/month. So I went looking around. According to the web site, the monthly minimum for a basic plan is 10% of the total postage printed, with a minimum charge of $4.49. For the premium plan it is a minimum of $18.99.
I don't know why I'm only paying $1.99, or when the fee will go up. But if you use the free trial, and are only charged the dollar rate, stick with it. It is useful. But the inconsistency in billing is bothersome.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
bobhob
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Member: Bob Hobbemeister
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 2 members
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