Stamps.com a ripoff for low-volume

I'm fucking pissed.

I needed to ship a package last June.
It was not a large package, and I've always disliked getting to the PO with a nicely boxed and addressed package, only to find that there's no space on the box for the postage mailing label with the nice bar codes that gets the package there in 2 days and I have to opt for the smaller postage.

So I figured I'd go ahead and open a Stamps.com account.

Cool beans! Got the guy's address and my return address on the cool bar-coded label, slapped it on, dumped it in the box Saturday, and the guy had it Monday.


I didn't notice.
It's a $15.99 monthly recurring billing.
That is the lowest plan you can select.

Didn't even hit me at the time... I read it as $15.99 minimum balance or some such, like my freeway toll transponder account... it gets to $9.99 and they bill me $30... but not every month.

Okay, so I sent one $5 package, and now there's $25 in my Stamps.com account... and I have no way to get that money back! The only thing I can do is print postage with it!

WHAT THE FUCK????? I might ship 3 packages a YEAR... I'm not even going to come close to using $190 in postage every year!


So I call to cancel my account.
I'm on hold forever, girl answers, asks why, I explain why, she says "Oh, The Pro plan is the lowest we have available online, but we do have lower plans"

"Okay, let's hear them" (on hold for another 5)

"We have one for $9.99"
"No... that is not acceptable. If I can't just maintain one set balance or buy as needed, you need to cancel my account and you need to refund the money in my account"

"Okay, hold on..." (on hold for another 5)

She comes back, and there's more back and forth with her trying to "qualify" me for some other plan.
"NO, CANCEL MY FUCKING ACCOUNT RIGHT FUCKING NOW!"

"Okay, hold on..." (on hold for another 5)

"We do have a "pay as you go" plan where...."
"YOU JUST TOLD ME THAT THE $9.99 WAS THE LOWEST PLAN! HAD YOU TOLD ME 15 MINUTES AGO ABOUT THE "PAY AS YOU GO" I'D BE OKAY, BUT NO! CANCEL THE ACCOUNT NOW"
"When can I expect my credit for the money in the account?"

"That will take 4-6 weeks and it will be in the form of a check"

"Wonderful"

and I hung up.





It's an awesome service if you ship stuff all the time... but if you aren't using $200/year in postage, stay away!

 

I find it interesting that you seem to know every piece of gun and vehicle legislation down to the sub - sub clauses off by heart , verbatim , but failed to read this agreement correctly

 

Jeez... way to kick a man when he's down

 

It's not exactly "out there"
I'd have to go back through the process and find where the information is... but it was definitely not apparent from the agreement or I would not have signed up.

Gun laws and vehicle codes can get me thrown in jail if I fuck up