9/9/2011
Complaint: 09/09/2011: I requested refund on postage I never got and e-mail or anything about it then I call 20days later asking where the refund is and they said that I need to mail the postage in and that I knew that. I had an issue with $5 and they just electronically sent me that refund back, they never said I had to mail it in. Also I mail in $10 stamps bonus and they never gave that to me either!
Business response: Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. The Stamps.com question has been closed as of 9/8/11. The confirmation number is: 110909-003662. When a customer buys postage through our software, the funds are purchased from the USPS. Therefore, all misprint requests must be approved and reviewed by the USPS before being added back to the postage balance. The USPS requires several pieces of documentation to fully process a misprint claim, which includes the actual postage, claim form, any blank label sheets, and the printed postage history. Unfortunately, claims with missing documentation cannot be resubmitted after the USPS makes its decision. We apologize for the inconvenience. Information on USPS policies surrounding PC Postage Refunds is available at our software’s Help Sections, at our website, and at the link below: http://www.stamps.com/support/general/account/postage-refunds/usps-requirements/ In addition, postage must be credited to an open postage meter, as specified in our Terms of Service (www.stamps.com/conditions), which state: "Upon confirmation of the validity of the unused and/or expired postage and adherence to applicable Stamps.com and USPS policies, Stamps.com will credit the active customer's account. Customers whose service has been cancelled will be ineligible for reimbursement." Thus, unfortunately we will not be able to credit the closed Stamps.com account with the misprinted postage amount. In regards to the promotional postage, we show that we had received a promotional postcard on August 22, 2011. However, we do not show that the Stamps.com account in question had been charged a service fee. We show that the account, opened on June 12, 2011, had received fee waivers on July 1, 2011 and August 4, 2011 and had never been charged a fee. In accordance with our promotional terms, promotional postage is credited every thirty days after a customer has been charged a fee for the Pro Plan ($15.99). Since postage was purchased on the account, any remaining unused purchased postage will be released as a refund check. This amount will be for $3.35. Processing time upon account closure is 4-6 weeks. Crystal, we hope this resolves this inquiry in a satisfactory manner. However, if it does not, please don’t hesitate to contact us toll-free at 888-434-0055, Monday through Friday 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time. Best Regards, Customer Care Manager Stamps.com
Consumer rebuttal: If so why was I refunded the $5 without the stamps? The postcard said "continue beyond trail period." I can prove I don't use the stamps I have a receipt with the same amount of stamp on the same date, would that work? Please respond back, as far as I am concern I have proof I didn't use it, I would like to slove this as soon as possible.
Final business response: Thank you for your message and for sharing your concerns, Crystal. We show that our representative Melissa had issued a courtesy credit of $5.00 on 8/4/11 in order to restore your initial, promotional sign-up grant of $5.00 in free postage. Ultimately, the decision on actual misprint claims is made by the USPS and they do require the blank NetStamps label sheet. Since the serial number is unique to each sheet, we would need to ensure that the particular serial number associated with the sheet is removed from circulation. Unfortunately, all decisions on misprint claims are final. In addition, postage credits cannot be issued to a closed postage account. We apologize for the inconvenience. We will take your feedback into consideration as we always want to do everything that we can to ensure our customers have a positive experience when working with Stamps.com. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to call us at 1-888-434-0055, or email us at resolutions@stamps.com and we will gladly assist you. Best Regards, Vince Yanez Customer Care Manager Stamps.com
8/30/2011
Complaint: 08/30/2011: I signed on to the website on Aus 28 and tried to download the software, it would not download on my system. When I went to my bank account today, they had withdrawn 1.00 so I went to their site. They had my on a 16.00 a month plan that I never signed up for. I called and told them to9 cancel. The woman on the phone would NOT listen to simply english and tried to talk me into staying. I had to get rude on several tried and interrupt her to cancel it. She finally listened. It's ridiculous that they keep you on the phone like that. They are very unprofessional.
Business response: Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. The Stamps.com question has been closed as of 8/29/11 and no service fee charges will be incurred as cancellation took place within our 4-Week No-Risk Trial Period. The confirmation number is: 110830-003427. We apologize that the impression was created that customers cannot cancel the Stamps.com account. We do prefer to speak with our customers over the phone to handle the closure of their accounts, and when customers make a cancellation request, we like to explain the features and plans associated with the Stamps.com accounts so that our customers may take full advantage of the service. If a customer still wishes to cancel, we certainly process that request as soon as possible and close the account in question. We apologize for any misunderstanding regarding the $1.00 transaction in question. The $1.00 is not a charge, but what is referred to as an authorization or “auth,” and is part of the account verification process. This places the $1.00 amount on a temporary hold, which is removed within 72 hours for most banks. We show that a Stamps.com Pro Plan was fully activated at our site on 8/28/2011 with username “lkfisher.” We apologize for any misunderstandings regarding the monthly service fees associated with the Stamps.com service. We’d like to take this opportunity to provide a detailed walk-through of where we disclose our monthly service fee on our website, for your information. Every customer that registers for the Stamps.com monthly subscription service must register on the Stamps.com website. The vast majority of potential customers arrive directly from the main Stamps.com website landing / home page, and then has the option of immediately registering, or browsing for additional information. No matter what route a customer takes, the price of the Service is clearly communicated. The following places are the most prominent disclosures of the monthly fee: 1) Stamps.com Home Page. Before the potential customer proceeds to our registrations pages they will see an “Offer Details” link on the main Stamps.com home page. In the “Offer Details” link the monthly fee is clearly stated, “If you stay with Stamps.com past the trial period, you will be charged $15.99 a month for the Stamps.com service, you can cancel your services at any time.” 2) Learn More Page. The Learn More page is directly accessible from the main Stamps.com home page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the Learn More link from the Home page, a customer is directed to a web page that includes the same “Offer Details” link and information mentioned above. 3) FAQ Page. The FAQ page is directly accessible from the Learn More page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the FAQ link, a customer is directed to a web page that lists (22) frequently asked questions. The sixth listed FAQ is the following, "How much does it cost?" By clicking on this, the following information is provided, "$15.99/month – no hidden costs, cancel anytime." 4) Plans Page. The Plans page is directly accessible from the FAQ page and includes all pricing details for each plan and the various features offered per available plan. 5) Pricing and Payment Information Page. Even if customers do not visit the Offer Details link on the Home or Learn More pages, or review the pricing details offered on the FAQ, or Plan pages, we nevertheless ensure that new customers see our billing information and pricing structure before they create their accounts. During the registration process, which is a mandatory process that all customers must complete before being charged, on the page called “Pricing and Payment Information Page”, all prospective customers will see the following text: "Your credit card is required by the USPS to set up your USPS postage account. Your credit card will not be charged unless you buy additional postage or Stamps.com products, or if you continue past the NO-RISK 4-week trial period. If you continue past the trial, Stamps.com service fees are only $15.99 per month, and you can cancel anytime. No long term contract is required.” 6) Welcome Email. Stamps.com follows-up all completed registrations immediately with a "Welcome Email" that repeats that the service fees will apply following the trial period unless a customer cancels during the trial. We also ask customers interested in our service to read the Service Agreement and the information contained in their Welcome Email. The Welcome Email is sent directly to the email address just provided to us by the new customer. Laurie, we hope this resolves this inquiry in a satisfactory manner. However, if it does not, please don’t hesitate to contact us toll-free at 888-434-0055, M
Consumer rebuttal: I received another email from customer service and it stated that they saw that I wanted to close my account but that after talking to a rep on the phone that I had decided to stay with them. Um, no, that never happened. And you will notice that their reply contained nothing about their extremely rude customer service reps who don't respond to simple requests. I don't want to hear any more from them.
Final business response: Thank you for your message and for sharing your concerns, Laurie. We apologize that you encountered this issue. We have reviewed the call in question and have addressed these issues accordingly. Please rest assured that your account is closed (as of 8/29/2011). We will take your feedback into consideration as we always want to do everything that we can to ensure our customers have a positive experience when working with Stamps.com.
8/10/2011
Complaint: 08/10/2011: Stamps.com has been billing one of our bank account $15.99 per month since August of 2009 without our knowledge. They have never sent one invoice showing that our account was being billed. The supervisor said "they archive the invoices in your online account". This makes it impossible to check when you do not know you have an account. This is a scam and we were bilked. Please see many other articles online under 'Stamps.com scam'.
Business response: Dear Debi, Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. Normally a customer is responsible for all service fees but we are happy to make an exception. As confirmed in the conversation with our supervisor Gloria S. on 8/10/11, we have issued a refund in the amount of $95.94, and as confirmed in the email sent by Paul M. on 8/10/11, we have issued an additional refund of $95.94 to the credit card on file. A refund of $191.88, representing a year’s fees, has been processed in total. The confirmation number is: 110811-003376. We apologize for any misunderstanding regarding activation and authorization of the accounts. We hear your concerns and please be aware that we do show that this account was fully activated and created on 7/10/2009. This indicates that the multi-step registration process had been fully completed, and that your electronic signature had been submitted (by clicking on the "I Agree" button) on the Credit Card Authentication and Terms page. Once a customer enters their contact information, and then their credit card information and agrees to the Terms of Use, the next screen they see is where they type in and create a username of their own choosing (in this case, we show that “alphamares” was created as the username). Once the registration process is complete, we do send all new customers a Welcome E-mail that confirms the activation of their accounts, which includes the username that they created, and we show that this activation confirmation was sent to the e-mail address of spursnsaddles@verizon.net on 7/10/2009. Stamps.com is a licensed vendor of the USPS and is a software program that allows customers to print and create valid USPS postage. The monthly subscription service fee that Stamps.com charges is for access of the Stamps.com software, which allows customers to print postage from the comfort of their home or small office using just a PC and a printer. Our service is a monthly subscription service so it’s not based on usage of the software, but rather on having access to using it. As such, the service fees are nonrefundable, but we have made an exception in your case and issued a courtesy refund totaling $191.88. We apologize for any misunderstandings regarding the monthly service fees associated with the Stamps.com service. We’d like to take this opportunity to provide a detailed walk-through of where we disclose our monthly service fee on our website, for your information. Every customer that registers for the Stamps.com monthly subscription service must register on the Stamps.com website. The vast majority of potential customers arrive directly from the main Stamps.com website landing / home page, and then has the option of immediately registering, or browsing for additional information. No matter what route a customer takes, the price of the Service is clearly communicated. The following places are the most prominent disclosures of the monthly fee: 1) Stamps.com Home Page. Before the potential customer proceeds to our registrations pages they will see an “Offer Details” link on the main Stamps.com home page. In the “Offer Details” link the monthly fee is clearly stated, “If you stay with Stamps.com past the trial period, you will be charged $15.99 a month for the Stamps.com service, you can cancel your services at any time.” 2) Learn More Page. The Learn More page is directly accessible from the main Stamps.com home page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the Learn More link from the Home page, a customer is directed to a web page that includes the same “Offer Details” link and information mentioned above. 3) FAQ Page. The FAQ page is directly accessible from the Learn More page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the FAQ link, a customer is directed to a web page that lists (22) frequently asked questions. The sixth listed FAQ is the following, "How much does it cost?" By clicking on this, the following information is provided, "$15.99/month – no hidden costs, cancel anytime." 4) Plans Page. The Plans page is directly accessible from the FAQ page and includes all pricing details for each plan and the various features offered per available plan. 5) Pricing and Payment Information Page. Even if customers do not visit the Offer Details link on the Home or Learn More pages, or review the pricing details offered on the FAQ, or Plan pages, we nevertheless ensure that new customers see our billing information and pricing structure before they create their accounts. During the registration process, which is a mandatory process that all customers must complete before being charged, on the page called “Pricing and Payment Information Page”, all prospective customers will see the following text: "Your credit
Consumer rebuttal: Refunding half of the $383.76 that was charged without our knowledge is not acceptable (the account we never used and did not know existed). Not one invoice was emailed at any time informing us that an automatic debit of $15.99 was being billed to our account. Any reputable company follows up with a paid receipt so that the customer is aware that a charge was incurred. Only companies that intentionally hope that these charges will be 'missed' do not follow up with their customers. I was told by the second supervisor I spoke to that 'we archive the invoices in your online account'. This makes it impossible for someone - as in our situation who do not know they have an account - to know that they are being billed. The debit card used is linked to a business account that I never use. It maintains a nominal amount of money to cover gas, car and daily expenses for my husband. Only he checks that account. We have researched your online complaints, they are numerous. I posted what transpired with your company on other social/business sites. Several business associates have had the same experience and also plan to contact the BBB about their experience with Stamps.com.
Final business response: Thank you for your message and for sharing your concerns. During the registration process and the creation of a new Stamps.com account and corresponding postal license, Stamps.com utilizes an electronic contract in which our user agreement is attached with our software product. Before a Stamps.com account can be created, a person must click "I Agree" at the end of the user agreement before the account is fully activated, and before the Billing Policies are applied in full to the customer’s Stamps.com account. This electronic signature is equivalent to and just as valid as, a person’s signature on a piece of paper. No Stamps.com account can be created without this electronic signature, which indicates that the customer understands and agrees to our Terms of Use, available at www.stamps.com/conditions. Monthly billing information is accessible from many sources when customers visit the Stamps.com home page and before they register for an account. We show that an email confirming activation was sent to spursnsaddles@verizon.net on 7/10/2009. We reiterated in the Welcome that the service fee for the first month will be applied and the fees for subsequent months wi
7/19/2011
Complaint: 07/19/2011: I called Stamps.com and asked for an explanation, but they will furnish no paperwork, stating only that the unauthorized transaction from last July was done "on line." I have attempted to resolve things through Master Card and Los Alamos National Bank in Los Alamos, NM, but despite their contacting Stamps.com, they have been unable to resolve things. I sold my orthodontic office in Los Alamos, NM, on July 28, 2010, and would not have authorized a contract with Stamps.com a week before the sale, knowing that I was selling the office and did not need the service. Stamps.com states that there have never been any purchases of stamps or other services, beyond the purported contracted amount of $15.99 per month, which has been charged to my Master Card. Unless this matter can be resolved through the BBB, I will file a small claims action in Provo, Utah County, Utah against Los Alamos National Bank and Stamps.com.
Business response: Dear David, Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. We have closed the Stamps.com account as of 6/15/2011. Normally a customer is responsible for all service fees but we are happy to make an exception. We have waived the outstanding charge of $15.99 on this account. The confirmation number is: 110720-003554. Our records confirm that that this account was fully activated and created at our website on 7/22/2010. This indicates that the multi-step registration process had been fully completed, and that your electronic signature had been submitted (by clicking on the "I Agree" button) on the Credit Card Authentication and Terms page. Once a customer enters their contact information, and then their credit card information and agrees to the Terms of Use, the next screen they see is where they type in and create a username of their own choosing (in this case, we show that “hobsond” was created as the username). Once the registration process is complete, we do send all new customers a Welcome E-mail that confirms the activation of their accounts, which includes the username that they created, and we show that this activation confirmation was sent to your e-mail address of office@losalamosorthodontics.com on 7/22/2010. We apologize for any misunderstanding that occurred. Accounts can only be created at our website, and we are not able to create accounts on behalf of our customers. We apologize for any misunderstandings regarding the No-Risk trial associated with the Stamps.com service. We’d like to take this opportunity to provide a detailed walk-through of where we disclose our 4-Week No-Risk Trial on our website, for your information. Every customer that registers for the Stamps.com monthly subscription service must register on the Stamps.com website. The vast majority of potential customers arrive directly from the main Stamps.com website landing / home page, and then has the option of immediately registering, or browsing for additional information. No matter what route a customer takes, the No-Risk Trial Period is clearly communicated. The following places are the most prominent disclosures of the No-Risk Trial: 1) FAQ Page. The FAQ page is directly accessible from the Learn More page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the FAQ link, a customer is directed to a web page that lists (22) frequently asked questions. The fourth listed FAQ is the following, "How does the No-Risk Trial work?" By clicking on this, the following information is provided, "New customers are eligible for our 4 Week No-Risk Trial. Simply cancel before the trial period ends and you will not be charged. If you like the service, do nothing and your account continues automatically.” 2) Pricing and Payment Information Page. Even if customers do not visit the No-Risk Trial details offered on the FAQs, we nevertheless ensure that new customers see our trial period structure before they create their accounts. During the registration process, which is a mandatory process that all customers must complete before being charged, on the page called “Pricing and Payment Information Page”, all prospective customers will see the following text: "Why do you need my credit card information? Your credit card is required by the USPS to set up your USPS postage account. Your credit card will not be charged unless you buy additional postage or Stamps.com products, or if you continue past the NO-RISK 4-week trial period (only $17.95 per month).” 3) Our Offer Details link on the aforementioned Pricing and Payment Information Page states: “NO-RISK Trial (4 Weeks) There are no upfront costs to try Stamps.com. Simply sign up and evaluate the service. Cancel anytime during the first 4 weeks and you will not be charged any service fees! If you continue past the trial, you will be charged service fees for the first month.” 4) Welcome Email. Stamps.com follows-up all completed registrations immediately with a "Welcome Email" that repeats the details of our No-Risk Trial. The Welcome Email states: “If you like Stamps.com and wish to continue the service, you do not need to do anything. Your service will continue uninterrupted and fees for the first month will apply. If you decide that Stamps.com is not right for you, cancel your account before your 4-Week Trial ends and you will not be charged any service fees.” David, we hope this resolves this inquiry in a satisfactory manner. However, if it does not, please don’t hesitate to contact us toll-free at 888-434-0055, Monday through Friday 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time. Best Regards, Vince Yanez, Customer Care Manager Stamps.com
Consumer rebuttal: I did not sign up for this account, nor did I authorize anyone to sign up for the purported "account" and "contract" on behalf of my professional corporation. I normally delete unsolicited or SPAM e mails, and if Stamps.com did send a reply, which I doubt, I may have deleted it as unsoliciated and unwelcome SPAM without opening it I have others handle my bill paying, including Master Card, and immediately began a protest when I discovered the unauthorized charges. Stamps.com has repeated refused to furnish any written documentation of the purported account, and I have never used "hobsond" as a password. The account was never used. Unless ALL charges are reversed and credited, I will file in small claims in Provo, Utah for all charges plus my time at $200 per hour (which is my normal expert witness billing fee.) If I employ an attorney to collect the anticipated judgment, those charges will also be included.
Final business response: Thank you for your message and for sharing your concerns, David. During the registration process and the creation of a new Stamps.com account and corresponding postal license, Stamps.com utilizes an electronic contract in which our user agreement is attached with our software product. Before a Stamps.com account can be created, a person must click "I Agree" at the end of the user agreement before the account is fully activated, and before the Billing and Promotional Policies are applied in full to the customer’s Stamps.com account. This electronic signature is equivalent to and just as valid as, a person’s signature on a piece of paper. No Stamps.com account can be created without this electronic signature, which indicates that the customer understands and agrees to our Terms of Use, available at www.stamps.com/conditions. Monthly billing information is accessible from many sources when customers visit the Stamps.com home page and before they register for an account. Our fees are not based on usage. We show that an email confirming activation was sent to office@losalamosorthodontics.com on 7/22/2010. Stamps.com is a licensed vendor of the USPS and is a software program
6/21/2011
Complaint: 06/21/2011: I had signed up with Stamps.com a while ago. In the welcome pack, was an offer to buy at a discount more stamp pages, which someone would be happy to buy, thinking that the pages were needed and the discount would be a good thing. The problem with the offer is someone like me does not need the stamp pages as I would use my envelopes to print the postage. So I was left with a large collection of stamp pages I paid for that I would never use. That is my first problem with stamps.com. Second in December 2010, I decided that the monthly payment was not worth it. I sent maybe 1 or 2 letter a month and with the added $20 per month, I was spending about $10 per letter sent. I called to cancel my account. I was told I would be given two months free to make up for this. I told them that I would take this offer, but the same problem would still exist after the free months. So, in February, I called again to cancel. I was told then that I would be sent $40 in free postage and my free monthly account would be extended to take advantage of the free postage. I accepted and received my free postage package in February and proceeded to put postage on and send in postage refund post cards as required. Then on March 31, 2011 I received a billing for the monthly fee. I called and spoke with Stamps.com about what the rep had told me. I was told, first, I could not redeem the free postage, and two, my account was not extended. So I canceled. There was still postage in my account.
Business response: Dear William, Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. Normally a customer is responsible for all service fees but we are happy to make an exception. We have waived the outstanding bill of $15.99. Your confirmation number is: 110624-001241. We apologize that you have the impression that you cannot cancel your Stamps.com account. We show that the account in question was closed on April 1, 2011. We also show that the last bill that occurred was for $15.99, which was charged on November 30, 2010. A total of 3 service fees were waived on this account and never charged. In regards to the postage credits associated with your promotional offer, we show that these had been credited to the Stamps.com account in 2007. We show that $10.23 was credited to the postage balance on 1/12/2007 and $10.26 was credited on 11/2/2007. We apologize for any misunderstanding that occurred. Our records indicate that we received a call on December 27, 2010, which was handled by our representative Joshua T. Our records show that the account was kept open after an agreement was made to waive two fees for two upcoming billing cycles, with the callback date of February 28, 2011. Our records indicate that we received a call on February 1, 2011, which was handled by our representative Reece. Our records show that the account was kept open after an agreement was made to waive one fee for one upcoming billing cycle, with the callback date of March 1, 2011. The next call we received occurred on February 22, 2011, which was handled by our representative Jessica. Our records show that the account was kept open after an agreement was made to waive one fee for one upcoming billing cycle, with the callback date of April 1, 2011. When an account is closed, any purchased postage is sent as a refund check. However, we do not show that there was any remaining purchased postage on the account when the account was closed. Again we apologize for any misunderstanding. William, we hope this resolves this inquiry in a satisfactory manner. However, if it does not, please don’t hesitate to contact us toll-free at 888-434-0055, Monday through Friday 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time. Best Regards, Customer Care Manager Stamps.com
Consumer rebuttal: Thank you for the consideration. There was however, a postage balance on the account. I do not know if you have transcripts of the conversation, but Jessica stated the postage would not be returned because I had a statement balance. I am not sure of the exact amount of the postage that was left, but it would have been less than $10.
Final business response: Thank you for your message and for sharing your concerns, William. We have checked Account 2859460, closed on 4/1/11, and we do show that a refund check for $3.28 in postage will be sent to you. Since the outstanding balance of $15.99 has been waived by us on 6/24/11, this check will be released. Please allow 4-6 weeks for processing and delivery.
5/18/2011
Complaint: 05/18/2011: username: tarsiercentral Last used stamps.com service on Dec 5, 2010. I sent a message to customer service requesting that my account be cancelled. On April 8, 2011 I notice that I have stamp.com charges in my checking account. I sent a message to customer service again to stop charging my account and cancel it. I noticed again today that I was charged another $15.99 last May 9. 2011. When will this stop?
Business response: Dear Ian, Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. We have closed your account as of May 20, 2011. We have waived your upcoming service fee for the May 6 to May 20, 2011 Billing Cycle (we bill at the end of our cycles). Your confirmation number is: 110520-001088. We have checked our contact records and show that we that received one e-mail on April 8, 2011 from e-mail address ianmanago@hotmail.com with a request to cancel. Our e-mail representative Jeff H. responded to the query on the same day with cancellation instructions and also provided our Cancellation Department's phone number. Unfortunately, we do not show that we had received a call. We do prefer to speak with our customers over the phone to handle the closure of their accounts, but we have made an exception to our cancellation policy and closed the account via e-mail on May 20, 2011. Stamps.com is a licensed vendor of the USPS and is a software program that allows customers to print and create valid USPS postage. The monthly subscription service fee that Stamps.com charges is for access of the Stamps.com software, which allows customers to print postage from the comfort of their home or small office using just a PC and a printer. Our service is a monthly subscription service so it’s not based on usage of the software, but rather on having access to using it. Ian, we hope this resolves this inquiry in a satisfactory manner. However, if it does not, please don’t hesitate to contact us toll-free at 888-434-0055, Monday through Friday 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time. Best Regards, Dawn Stevenson Director Customer Care Stamps.com
Consumer rebuttal: Tried to speak to Dawn Stevenson this past few days but was unsuccessful. Spoke to Jim last week who insisted that Dawn is on a meeting. He suggested that I just go ahead with the rebuttal and see what Dawn says. Spoke today with Chris who is a very pleasant lady. Explained to me what Dawn's position is regarding the matter. They waived the final fee but won't be able to issue the refund of $81.53. I insist that a refund of $81.53 should be issued to consider this complaint solved. Thank you.
Final business response: Thank you for your message and for sharing your concerns, Ian. As confirmed in the conversation with our supervisor Crys J. on 5/31/11, we have waived the upcoming final service fee associated with the billing cycle of May 6 to May 20, 2011. Stamps.com’s monthly subscription service fee is for access of the Stamps.com software, which allows customers to print postage from the comfort of their home or small office using just a PC and a printer. Our service is a monthly subscription service so it’s not based on usage of the software, but rather on having access to using it. As such, the service fees are nonrefundable. However, as a courtesy we had issued a refund totaling $31.90 to the previous account, 3605732 (username: ianmanago), on August 6, 2008 and a refund of $47.97 to Account 3679431 (username: ianann) on February 16, 2010. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to call us at 1-888-434-0055, or email us at resolutions@stamps.com and we will gladly assist you. Best Regards, Vince Yanez Customer Care Manager Stamps.com
5/10/2011
Complaint: 05/10/2011: My problem is that, to my knowledge, I never activated a perpetual contract with stamps.com to my credit card to be billed $17.99/month for a total of over $287.00 to date. I did check back in my e-mail archives and found an e-mail from stamps.com I received in 2009. I have never been contacted since then. Today I finally got through to Gabby at Stamps.com and she continued to try to convince me to pay $17.99 per month. It took a very forceful confrontation on my part to persuade her to finally cancel my account.
Business response: Dear Mark, Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. Normally a customer is responsible for all service fees until they request cancellation but we are happy to make an exception. We have issued a refund for $35.98, representing the cycles running from February 10, 2011 to April 10, 2011. Per your conversation with our representative Gabrielle on 5/9/11, your account is closed. Your confirmation number is: 110511-001896. We apologize for any misunderstandings regarding the monthly service fees associated with the Stamps.com service. We’d like to take this opportunity to provide a detailed walk-through of where we disclose our monthly service fee on our website, for your information. Every customer that registers for the Stamps.com monthly subscription service must register on the Stamps.com website. The vast majority of potential customers arrive directly from the main Stamps.com website landing / home page, and then has the option of immediately registering, or browsing for additional information. No matter what route a customer takes, the price of the Service is clearly communicated. The following places are the most prominent disclosures of the monthly fee: 1) Stamps.com Home Page. Before the potential customer proceeds to our registrations pages they will see an “Offer Details” link on the main Stamps.com home page. In the “Offer Details” link the monthly fee is clearly stated, “If you stay with Stamps.com past the trial period, you will be charged $17.99 a month for the Stamps.com service, you can cancel your services at any time.” 2) Learn More Page. The Learn More page is directly accessible from the main Stamps.com home page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the Learn More link from the Home page, a customer is directed to a web page that includes the same “Offer Details” link and information mentioned above. 3) FAQ Page. The FAQ page is directly accessible from the Learn More page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the FAQ link, a customer is directed to a web page that lists (22) frequently asked questions. The sixth listed FAQ is the following, "How much does it cost?" By clicking on this, the following information is provided, "$17.99/month – no hidden costs, cancel anytime." 4) Plans Page. The Plans page is directly accessible from the FAQ page and includes all pricing details for each plan and the various features offered per available plan. 5) Pricing and Payment Information Page. Even if customers do not visit the Offer Details link on the Home or Learn More pages, or review the pricing details offered on the FAQ, or Plan pages, we nevertheless ensure that new customers see our billing information and pricing structure before they create their accounts. During the registration process, which is a mandatory process that all customers must complete before being charged, on the page called “Pricing and Payment Information Page”, all prospective customers will see the following text: "Your credit card is required by the USPS to set up your USPS postage account. Your credit card will not be charged unless you buy additional postage or Stamps.com products, or if you continue past the NO-RISK 4-week trial period. If you continue past the trial, Stamps.com service fees are only $17.99 per month, and you can cancel anytime. No long term contract is required.” 6) Welcome Email. Stamps.com follows-up all completed registrations immediately with a "Welcome Email" that repeats that the service fees will apply following the trial period unless a customer cancels during the trial. We also ask customers interested in our service to read the Service Agreement and the information contained in their Welcome Email. The Welcome Email is sent directly to the email address just provided to us by the new customer. Mark, we hope this resolves this inquiry in a satisfactory manner. However, if it does not, please don’t hesitate to contact us toll-free at 888-434-0055, Monday through Friday 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time. Best Regards, Dawn Stevenson Director Customer Care Stamps.com
Consumer rebuttal: I believe the number of complaints speak for themselves.
Final business response: Thank you for your message and for sharing your concerns, Mark. We will take your feedback into consideration as we always want to do everything that we can to ensure our customers have a positive experience when working with Stamps.com. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to call us at 1-888-434-0055, or email us at resolutions@stamps.com and we will gladly assist you. Best Regards, Dawn Stevenson Director Customer Care Stamps.com
9/6/2011
Complaint: 09/06/2011: Signed up for a free kit of information about their services. Got self stick pages you can print bought postage on from them. Never used them. Upon checking my credit card as I was making a monthly payment I noticed stamps.com has charged me $15.99 on Sept. 1, 2011. Now, on their site on my account there is tab which I cannot select 'free' on, The lowest box you can check is $15.99 and it is already checked for me. I want not to be charged. I want a refund. I want the account closed.
Business response: Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. The Stamps.com question has been closed as of 9/6/11. Normally a customer is responsible for all service fees but we are happy to make an exception. As confirmed by our supervisor Jim V., we have issued a full refund of $15.99 to the credit card on file for the cycle of July 29, 2011 to August 31, 2011. The confirmation number is: 110907-001230. We show that a Stamps.com Pro Plan was fully activated at our site on 7/29/2011 with username “tpless72.” We show that this account was created via our multi-step registration process. We do not offer a registration to receive the Welcome Kit only; our registration is available for customers who want to create a Stamps.com account and receive the benefits of printing valid USPS postage. We have also reviewed our Plan and Pricing Details Page and do not show that any of our available plans are pre-checked. We apologize for any misunderstandings regarding the monthly service fees associated with the Stamps.com service. We show that the 4-Week No-Risk Trial Period ended on this account on August 27, 2011. Our records show that we first received contact, in the form of an email, on 9/5/11. Accounts cancelled within the 4-Week No-Risk Trial Period do not receive a service fee. We’d like to take this opportunity to provide a detailed walk-through of where we disclose our monthly service fee on our website, for your information. Every customer that registers for the Stamps.com monthly subscription service must register on the Stamps.com website. The vast majority of potential customers arrive directly from the main Stamps.com website landing / home page, and then has the option of immediately registering, or browsing for additional information. No matter what route a customer takes, the price of the Service is clearly communicated. The following places are the most prominent disclosures of the monthly fee: 1) Stamps.com Home Page. Before the potential customer proceeds to our registrations pages they will see an “Offer Details” link on the main Stamps.com home page. In the “Offer Details” link the monthly fee is clearly stated, “If you stay with Stamps.com past the trial period, you will be charged $15.99 a month for the Stamps.com service, you can cancel your services at any time.” 2) Learn More Page. The Learn More page is directly accessible from the main Stamps.com home page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the Learn More link from the Home page, a customer is directed to a web page that includes the same “Offer Details” link and information mentioned above. 3) FAQ Page. The FAQ page is directly accessible from the Learn More page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the FAQ link, a customer is directed to a web page that lists (22) frequently asked questions. The sixth listed FAQ is the following, "How much does it cost?" By clicking on this, the following information is provided, "$15.99/month – no hidden costs, cancel anytime." 4) Plans Page. The Plans page is directly accessible from the FAQ page and includes all pricing details for each plan and the various features offered per available plan. 5) Pricing and Payment Information Page. Even if customers do not visit the Offer Details link on the Home or Learn More pages, or review the pricing details offered on the FAQ, or Plan pages, we nevertheless ensure that new customers see our billing information and pricing structure before they create their accounts. During the registration process, which is a mandatory process that all customers must complete before being charged, on the page called “Pricing and Payment Information Page”, all prospective customers will see the following text: "Your credit card is required by the USPS to set up your USPS postage account. Your credit card will not be charged unless you buy additional postage or Stamps.com products, or if you continue past the NO-RISK 4-week trial period. If you continue past the trial, Stamps.com service fees are only $15.99 per month, and you can cancel anytime. No long term contract is required.” 6) Welcome Email. Stamps.com follows-up all completed registrations immediately with a "Welcome Email" that repeats that the service fees will apply following the trial period unless a customer cancels during the trial. We also ask customers interested in our service to read the Service Agreement and the information contained in their Welcome Email. The Welcome Email is sent directly to the email address just provided to us by the new customer. Twana, we hope this resolves this inquiry in a satisfactory manner. However, if it does not, please don’t hesitate to contact us toll-free at 888-434-0055, Monday through F
Consumer rebuttal: I never seen any page that said 'if you stay past the trial period you will be charged.' Also, when I set the account up there was no form of a page that stated rates and I assumed because I had signed up for the 'free' deal. As for the box being pre checked, it was most certainly done and that page showed up on the account AFTER I found the charge on my card. I thank you for offering to return the fees that were taken from my card and I will continue to check to see if those funds until they are replaced. Lesson learned: NEVER give your credit card number to ANYONE even if they seem reputable.
8/30/2011
Complaint: 08/30/2011: They claimed to pro-rate my monthly charge to $9.26 but the charges to my checking account do not justify any pro-rated amount it seems to be extra charges. Extra charges along with their additional monthly service charge for a service that I can receive for free from USPS. They are simply charging for services people do not need and can be provided for free!
Business response: Dear Phillip, Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. Normally a customer is responsible for all service fees but we are happy to make an exception. We have issued a refund in the amount of $17.95 to the credit card on file. The confirmation number is: 110831-003119. We apologize that the impression was created that customers cannot cancel the Stamps.com account. We do prefer to speak with our customers over the phone to handle the closure of their accounts, and we show that the account was closed on 8/29/11 per the conversation with our representative Travis W. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time and we are available on Saturday from 6 AM to 3 PM Pacific Time. We show that there two billing cycles associated with this account. The fee of $17.95 was charged for the cycle of July 15, 2011 to August 14, 2011. The fee for the August 15, 2011 to August 28, 2011 was prorated to $8.69. We bill at the end of our cycles. We bill in arrears, so the charge that was received was for the cycle that the account was currently in when it was cancelled. We show that a Stamps.com Pro Plan was fully activated at our site on 7/15/2011 with username “djnobody.” We apologize for any misunderstandings regarding the monthly service fees associated with the Stamps.com service. We’d like to take this opportunity to provide a detailed walk-through of where we disclose our monthly service fee on our website, for your information. Every customer that registers for the Stamps.com monthly subscription service must register on the Stamps.com website. The vast majority of potential customers arrive directly from the main Stamps.com website landing / home page, and then has the option of immediately registering, or browsing for additional information. No matter what route a customer takes, the price of the Service is clearly communicated. The following places are the most prominent disclosures of the monthly fee: 1) Stamps.com Home Page. Before the potential customer proceeds to our registrations pages they will see an “Offer Details” link on the main Stamps.com home page. In the “Offer Details” link the monthly fee is clearly stated, “If you stay with Stamps.com past the trial period, you will be charged $17.95 a month for the Stamps.com service, you can cancel your services at any time.” 2) Learn More Page. The Learn More page is directly accessible from the main Stamps.com home page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the Learn More link from the Home page, a customer is directed to a web page that includes the same “Offer Details” link and information mentioned above. 3) FAQ Page. The FAQ page is directly accessible from the Learn More page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the FAQ link, a customer is directed to a web page that lists (22) frequently asked questions. The sixth listed FAQ is the following, "How much does it cost?" By clicking on this, the following information is provided, "$15.99/month – no hidden costs, cancel anytime." 4) Plans Page. The Plans page is directly accessible from the FAQ page and includes all pricing details for each plan and the various features offered per available plan. 5) Pricing and Payment Information Page. Even if customers do not visit the Offer Details link on the Home or Learn More pages, or review the pricing details offered on the FAQ, or Plan pages, we nevertheless ensure that new customers see our billing information and pricing structure before they create their accounts. During the registration process, which is a mandatory process that all customers must complete before being charged, on the page called “Pricing and Payment Information Page”, all prospective customers will see the following text: "Your credit card is required by the USPS to set up your USPS postage account. Your credit card will not be charged unless you buy additional postage or Stamps.com products, or if you continue past the NO-RISK 4-week trial period. If you continue past the trial, Stamps.com service fees are only $17.95 per month, and you can cancel anytime. No long term contract is required.” 6) Welcome Email. Stamps.com follows-up all completed registrations immediately with a "Welcome Email" that repeats that the service fees will apply following the trial period unless a customer cancels during the trial. We also ask customers interested in our service to read the Service Agreement and the information contained in their Welcome Email. The Welcome Email is sent directly to the email address just provided to us by the new customer. Stamps.com has other features not offered on-line by the USPS, including the ability to print shipping labels for mail classes other than Pri
Consumer rebuttal: I'll accept the offer. I do however feel that if one has the ability to sign up online there should also the be option to cancel online. And, that is not an option you should look into allowing that. I also understand you want people to call in order to cancel so your CSR's to have the opportunity to try to convince otherwise but once a customer has decided they no longer are interested in or ever were interested in the service they are not very likely to remain a customer.
Final business response: Thank you for your message and for sharing your concerns, Phillip, about our cancellation options. We do prefer to cancel accounts over the phone, since this gives us the opportunity to review and consider customer feedback about our service. We will take your comments into serious consideration as we always want to do everything that we can to ensure our customers have a positive experience when working with Stamps.com. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to call us at 1-888-434-0055, or email us at resolutions@stamps.com and we will gladly assist you. Best Regards, Vince Yanez Customer Care Manager Stamps.com
8/2/2011
Complaint: 08/02/2011: I opted in mid 2005 for a 4 week trial on stamps.com. I used their service during the trial period for some photo stamps of my beloved dog who had died. The photo stamps were sent to me by USPS. I never printed any postage. Then I opted out and never used it again. I do not have their software nor any hardware. (Note: June 10, date above is an estimate) Their ad regarding a 4 week trial period is clearly deceptive advertising because after opting out they have continued to take $15.99 per month from my checking account for 6 years. I stopped their service at the end of the 4 week trial period but for 6 years they have deducted $15.99 from my business checking account at Key Bank in Colville WA. On 7/29/11 the accumulation of charges caused an overdraft. I never agreed to allow them to charge my checking account outside of the trial period. I did pay for the photo stamps and that is how they got my checking account number! See this website for others with same issues: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/online/stamps_com.html
Business response: Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. We have closed the Stamps.com account with username “Dog Patch” as of 8/2/11 to prevent further billing on the account, and in accordance with the conversation with our representative Erik W. Normally a customer is responsible for all service fees but we are happy to make an exception. We have issued a refund in the amount of $95.94 in the form of a check, representing the last 6 service fees, to the credit card on file. Please allow 4-6 weeks for processing and printing. The confirmation number is: 110803-001175. We apologize for any misunderstanding regarding the accounts. We show that two Stamps.com accounts were created at our website at different times and with different usernames. The first account, with username “Dog Patch,” was opened on April 4, 2000 and closed on August 2, 2011. A second account, with username “dogpatch2,” was opened on May 5, 2000 and closed on December 23, 2003. Our records do not indicate that we had received a request to cancel the account with username “Dog Patch.” We do have multiple systems in place to ensure that we have complete records of all emails, chats, letters, and calls. We appreciate your order for PhotoStamps and apologize for any misunderstanding regarding the two separate services we offer. While Stamps.com is a service fee-based software program that allows customers to print their own valid USPS postage, PhotoStamps is an online service that allows customers to purchase sheets of customized postage. PhotoStamps customers are not required to sign up for a Stamps.com account. We apologize for any misunderstandings regarding the monthly service fees associated with the Stamps.com service. We’d like to take this opportunity to provide a detailed walk-through of where we disclose our monthly service fee on our website, for your information. Every customer that registers for the Stamps.com monthly subscription service must register on the Stamps.com website. The vast majority of potential customers arrive directly from the main Stamps.com website landing / home page, and then has the option of immediately registering, or browsing for additional information. No matter what route a customer takes, the price of the Service is clearly communicated. The following places are the most prominent disclosures of the monthly fee: 1) Stamps.com Home Page. Before the potential customer proceeds to our registrations pages they will see an “Offer Details” link on the main Stamps.com home page. In the “Offer Details” link the monthly fee is clearly stated, “If you stay with Stamps.com past the trial period, you will be charged $15.99 a month for the Stamps.com service, you can cancel your services at any time.” 2) Learn More Page. The Learn More page is directly accessible from the main Stamps.com home page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the Learn More link from the Home page, a customer is directed to a web page that includes the same “Offer Details” link and information mentioned above. 3) FAQ Page. The FAQ page is directly accessible from the Learn More page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the FAQ link, a customer is directed to a web page that lists (22) frequently asked questions. The sixth listed FAQ is the following, "How much does it cost?" By clicking on this, the following information is provided, "$15.99/month – no hidden costs, cancel anytime." 4) Plans Page. The Plans page is directly accessible from the FAQ page and includes all pricing details for each plan and the various features offered per available plan. 5) Pricing and Payment Information Page. Even if customers do not visit the Offer Details link on the Home or Learn More pages, or review the pricing details offered on the FAQ, or Plan pages, we nevertheless ensure that new customers see our billing information and pricing structure before they create their accounts. During the registration process, which is a mandatory process that all customers must complete before being charged, on the page called “Pricing and Payment Information Page”, all prospective customers will see the following text: "Your credit card is required by the USPS to set up your USPS postage account. Your credit card will not be charged unless you buy additional postage or Stamps.com products, or if you continue past the NO-RISK 4-week trial period. If you continue past the trial, Stamps.com service fees are only $15.99 per month, and you can cancel anytime. No long term contract is required.” 6) Welcome Email. Stamps.com follows-up all completed registrations immediately with a "Welcome Email" that repeats that the service fees will apply following the trial period unless a custome
Consumer rebuttal: I do not accept this. Please request that all documents and records regarding me be provided by e-mail to you and please forward them to me. Please see attached....they have a track record of fraud and deception. Please confirm you'll request e-mail copies of their records. I believe their stated records are incorrect. I was SO poor in 2000 that I could not have opted for their monthly fee. I live in a small rural area and use my local post office. I did not sign up for an account. I only purchased photo stamps....the records will confirm this and no account was required per their statement below. I note too they do not state if their Internet pages have changed over time. please tell stamps.com to include the following along with all the records on Dog Patch and dogpatch2. All login records both accounts. All phone call logs for both accounts. All invoices for both accounts. All e-mail notices from them to both accounts. Date each of their multiple systems went into place. Per the statement below: "We do have multiple systems in place to ensure that we have complete records of all emails, chats, letters, and calls". Explain why financial information is required.
Final business response: We appreciate your concerns, and apologize for any misunderstanding that occurred regarding registration. We would be happy to forward the Welcome Email that was sent to dogpatch@theofficenet.com on 4/5/2000 as well as the Welcome Email that was sent to dogpatch@theofficenet.com on May 5, 2000. Both emails confirm activation of the Stamps.com accounts in question. We hear your concerns and please be aware that we do show that the account with username “Dog Patch,” was fully activated and created on 4/5/2000. This indicates that the multi-step registration process had been fully completed, and that the customer’s electronic signature had been submitted (by clicking on the "I Agree" button) on the Credit Card Authentication and Terms page. Once a customer enters their contact information, and then their credit card information and agrees to the Terms of Use, the next screen they see is where they type in and create a username of their own choosing (e.g. “Dog Patch”). Once the registration process is complete, we do send all new customers a Welcome E-mail that confirms the activation of their accounts, which includes the username that they created.
7/7/2011
Complaint: 07/07/2011: On 6/30/11 my account was chraged 17.95 and an overdraft fee of 30.00 for this was chared to my account. I have never been a customer or did any business with stamps.Com i do not know how they were able to get my card information it wasn't from me. The only time i have ever used my account information was several months ago my computer needed a program to make another program work and took me online to a website that popped up, i decided to give this program a try since it only cost 14.99 an then all these other ads came poppin up afterward with my information already there and all were marked yes, not knowing if stamps.Com was one of them they may have gotten my information 3rd party this way. I did close out all the windows when this happen so i do not know what happen from there. I did have one problem with sensa and solve that one as they got my informaion from this event that day but refunded me. Then it was another problem from some movie company which that was solved my their manager, now stamps.Com but the supervisor did not want to give me anything back and did not have my proper name they had diana smith which is not me, how they were able to charge my account i do not know. The representative ask me for my name ..Address...And my card number with the bank rep from wells fargo on the phone they did not have my right name address or phone number nor did they have my email correct, fromn this they have harassed me 3 times calling me.
Business response: Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. We have closed the Stamps.com account as of 6/29/2011 to prevent further billing on the account. Your confirmation number is: 110712-001239. For customers who believe an account was set up by an unauthorized 3rd party, we recommend that they immediately notify their bank. Stamps.com will work with the financial institution to help our mutual customers and follow the necessary protocols related to the potential fraud. We see that you have already reported this to Wells Fargo on June 29, 2011, and as such Wells Fargo will be in contact with our Finance team to proceed with the investigation accordingly. We hope this resolves this inquiry in a satisfactory manner. However, if it does not, please don’t hesitate to contact us toll-free at 888-434-0055, Monday through Friday 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time.
Consumer rebuttal: No one has contact me at all my alternate number is 951 296 1141 i was charged a 30.00 overdraft fee for this transaction as well, due to the fact this account is my petty cash account for my business and i was also trying to pump gas for 25.00 and it would not got through 3 times...Due to this charge and my other charge afor lunh over drew the petty cash account which cost me an extra fee of 32.00 that day i really want this over with and soo as it is i will close my account and get a prepaid card this was a terrible experience. But so far no money has been credit to my account.
Final business response: We are sorry to hear that you encountered this experience, Shontella. On our end, we have closed this Stamps.com account in order to prevent further billing on your account. We are also sorry to hear that your bank has not followed up with you. Financial institutions have standard policies and procedures set in place to help their customers with these issues. Refunds are handled by the bank or financial institution, and we would recommend contacting them regarding any refunds for any Stamps.com fees.
6/14/2011
Complaint: 06/14/2011: I had problems from the start. The technical support was unhelpful and short with me and hung up on me. I called back again to customer service and closed the account. They said I would be refunded. I waited for the the refund and I was only credited for postage I bought. They charged me for the cheap looking plastic scales shipping. I offered to return it for refund they said not to, This scale is a cheap looking plastic scale, no weight reader on it. It only can be used with their program and in no way is it worth $50.00. I called them again to voice my complaint. They were not helpful and put the blame on me.
Business response: Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. Normally a customer is responsible for the shipping and handling charges on the promotional 5 lb. scale but we are happy to make an exception. As confirmed in the conversation that took place on June 13, 2011 with our supervisor Sara N., we have refunded the $9.99 charge in question. You are not required to send the promotional scale back to us. Your confirmation number is: 110615-002618. We are sorry to hear that about your dissatisfaction with our 5 lb. Digital Integrated Scale. Our 5 lb. Digital Integrated Scale is specifically designed to work with the Stamps.com software and is a great introductory product that allows you to evaluate our services during and after the trial period with an open Stamps.com account. For customers’ convenience, the integration of the scale allows the weight data to be automatically uploaded to the Stamps.com software. We do offer 10 lb., 25 lb, and 70 lb. scales that work as stand-alone scales that include a LCD display and function keys. Barbara, we hope this resolves this inquiry in a satisfactory manner. However, if it does not, please don’t hesitate to contact us toll-free at 888-434-0055, Monday through Friday 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time. Best Regards, Vince Yanez, Customer Care Manager Stamps.com
Consumer rebuttal: I did speak to Stamps.com on the date specified. I will not see my credit card account until next month and will not be able to confirm the credit until them. I will let you know when I have been credited. I appreciate a quick resolve to this matter. Thank you
Final business response: Thank you for your message and for sharing your concerns, Barbara. We have confirmed that the credit of $9.99 has been processed as of June 13, 2011 and if you have any further questions or concerns regarding this refund, please let us know. We will take your feedback into consideration as we always want to do everything that we can to ensure our customers have a positive experience when working with Stamps.com.
5/17/2011
Complaint: 05/17/2011: I tried to cancel my stamps.com account after they billed my credit card for over a year. They continue to bill me despite a call to cancel in Jan '11. The summary describes it all.
Business response: Dear James, Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. Normally a customer is responsible for all service fees until they request cancellation but we are happy to make an exception. As confirmed in the conversation with our supervisor Jim V., we have waived out your outstanding balance in full for $63.96, representing the last three cycles of service running from February 16, 2011 to May 15, 2011. Your account is closed as of May 16, 2011. Your confirmation number is: 110520-002058. Stamps.com is a licensed vendor of the USPS and is a software program that allows customers to print and create valid USPS postage. The monthly subscription service fee that Stamps.com charges is for access of the Stamps.com software, which allows customers to print postage from the comfort of their home or small office using just a PC and a printer. As such, the service fees are non-refundable, but we have made an exception in your case and issued a courtesy refund. Our records indicate that we first received a call on January 19, 2011, and Melissa L., our representative, transferred the call to our Supervisor Line as agreed upon during the call. Unfortunately, our records indicate that a conversation with a supervisor did not take place at that time, as the call was disconnected before a supervisor could respond to the issue in question. James, we hope this resolves this inquiry in a satisfactory manner. However, if it does not, please don’t hesitate to contact us toll-free at 888-434-0055, Monday through Friday 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time. Best Regards, Dawn Stevenson Director Customer Care
Consumer rebuttal: Yesterday, 24 May 2011 I received a letter from you. There was no "courtesy" refund included in it, but instead another bill.
Final business response: Thank you for your message and for sharing your concerns, James. As explained in the confirmation e-mail sent to you on 5/16/11, there is a processing time associated with removing outstanding bills, so you may receive another invoice. We apologize for any misunderstanding. However, you may disregard any new invoices that you may receive as we have waived your outstanding balance of $63.96 in full. Your confirmation number is: 110520-002058. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to call us at 1-888-434-0055, or email us at resolutions@stamps.com and we will gladly assist you. Best Regards, Dawn Stevenson Director Customer Care Stamps.com
4/28/2011
Complaint: 04/28/2011: I call to cancel to service. That i never used. An learned it was a lease..Which i didn't know. I never used it. This is setup, not to help the customer. I just want all my money back..They refused to refunded back. The customer rep...Said she couldn't cancel it...But she could lower the cost. Then when i stated i will contact her corporate office and complain to BBB she transfer me to Supervisor of Customer Celations her name is Sara id 6957 call @ 9:35a...Sara only said she refund me $35.00 only..But, never use the services.
Business response: Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. Normally a customer is responsible for all service fees until they request cancellation of their Monthly Lease Plan but we are happy to make an exception. As confirmed in your call with our supervisor Sara N., we have issued a refund for $35.98, representing two cycles of service, on April 27, 2011. We have also issued an additional refund for $35.98, representing two additional cycles of service, as of May 16, 2011. Your account is also closed. Your confirmation number is: 110429-003064. Stamps.com is a licensed vendor of the USPS and is a software program that allows customers to print and create valid USPS postage. The monthly subscription service fee that Stamps.com charges is for access of the Stamps.com software, which allows customers to print postage from the comfort of their home or small office using just a PC and a printer. Our service is a monthly subscription service so it’s not based on usage of the software, but rather on having access to using it. As such, the service fees are non-refundable, but we have made an exception in your case and issued a courtesy refund totaling $71.96. We apologize for any misunderstandings regarding the monthly service fees associated with the Stamps.com service. As communicated in the Service Agreement for Monthly Lease Plan, you must cancel your account within your 4-Week No-Risk Trial Period to avoid any service fees. After the completion of the Trial Period, you are on a Monthly Lease, which means that you are charged on a monthly basis for the contract time of one year. To ensure that our customers have a sufficient opportunity to evaluate our service and decide if they wished to keep the account, we provided a trial period of one full month. Our records and documentation show that we did not receive any calls requesting closure for this account during your trial period. Stamps.com makes every effort to clearly and explicitly communicate to each and every customer the terms and conditions of service to which they agree. We provide this information multiple times during your registration process over the phone, in the Service Agreement, and in the Welcome E-mail we sent you on 4/27/2010 to e-mail address meccaoexchange@yahoo.com. We have reviewed the sales call performed on 4/27/2010, the day that you registered for your Stamps.com account, and determined that the sales representative provided full and correct information regarding our fee and 4-Week No-Risk trial period. We have also determined that the sales representative verified that you would be signing up for a one-year commitment if you decided to continue past the 4-Week No-Risk Trial Period, and that the sales representative reiterated the terms of the trial, lease, and fees at the end of the call before the account was officially created. Marian, we hope this resolves this inquiry in a satisfactory manner. However, if it does not, please don’t hesitate to contact us toll-free at 888-434-0055, Monday through Friday 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time. Best Regards, Dawn Stevenson Director Customer Care Stamps.com
Consumer rebuttal: The trial period...For what. I didn't know of no such thing...This action for people like yourselves taking money out my account. I never used the account at all. But, u getting rich off me and others like me. For what. Companies always try to use they're running a special, they no...No one is paying attention to the little thing like messy company...I'm put online on ripoff.Com about this matter...Until I get attention a needed.
Final business response: Marian, thank you for your additional email. We appreciate your taking the time to follow-up. We hear your concerns, and as explained in our previous response, our fees are not based on usage and are based on having access to an active Stamps.com account. We do follow up registration with a Welcome Email that provides details on our 4-Week Trial Period and we have verified that all details regarding pricing and our trial were explained during the initial sales call. We offer customers a 4-Week No-Risk Trial so that they may use our service without charge during the first four weeks before incurring any responsibility to pay the usual service fee or be bound to an annual lease. Our records do not show that we received a request to close the account during the 4-Week Trial Period, and the first contacted we received occurred on April 27, 2011. Please rest assured that we will take your feedback into consideration as we always want to do everything that we can to ensure our customers have a positive experience when working with Stamps.com. Best regards, Dawn Stevenson Director Customer Care Stamps.com
9/1/2011
Complaint: 09/01/2011: Stamps.com practices deceitful sales procedures to lure victims into signing up for services as incentives in online surveys and does not openly disclose the fact that they have activated an account. There is no further communication after an account is alleged established other than the monthly charge on a credit card bill. Since the only confirmirmation of this new account is through one email, then there is no way of knowing the victim is aware of registering for a new account and that the victim is aware that they have signed up for this alleged service. Furthermore, the email does not state that there is a recurring monthly charge of $17.95 even if there is no usage.
Business response: Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. The Stamps.com question has been closed as of 8/29/11 and no further service fee charges will be incurred. The confirmation number is: 110902-003053. We show that a Stamps.com Pro Plan was fully activated at our site on 2/4/2010 by Micah Smith. This indicates that the multi-step registration process had been fully completed, and that your electronic signature had been submitted (by clicking on the "I Agree" button) on the Credit Card Authentication and Terms page. Once a customer enters their contact information, and then their credit card information and agrees to the Terms of Use, the next screen they see is where they type in and create a username of their own choosing. Pricing information is displayed prior to account registration and we apologize for any misunderstandings regarding the monthly service fees associated with the Stamps.com service. To create and fully activate a Stamps.com account, our multi-step registration process must take place at our website of www.stamps.com. Contact and billing information must be entered manually at our site in order for an account to be created. Stamps.com accounts cannot be created automatically or via a transfer of information from another site, like a survey site or a 3rd party vendor. We’d like to take this opportunity to provide a detailed walk-through of where we disclose our monthly service fee on our website, for your information. Every customer that registers for the Stamps.com monthly subscription service must register on the Stamps.com website. The vast majority of potential customers arrive directly from the main Stamps.com website landing / home page, and then has the option of immediately registering, or browsing for additional information. No matter what route a customer takes, the price of the Service is clearly communicated. The following places are the most prominent disclosures of the monthly fee: 1) Stamps.com Home Page. Before the potential customer proceeds to our registrations pages they will see an “Offer Details” link on the main Stamps.com home page. In the “Offer Details” link the monthly fee is clearly stated, “If you stay with Stamps.com past the trial period, you will be charged $17.95 a month for the Stamps.com service, you can cancel your services at any time.” 2) Learn More Page. The Learn More page is directly accessible from the main Stamps.com home page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the Learn More link from the Home page, a customer is directed to a web page that includes the same “Offer Details” link and information mentioned above. 3) FAQ Page. The FAQ page is directly accessible from the Learn More page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the FAQ link, a customer is directed to a web page that lists (22) frequently asked questions. The sixth listed FAQ is the following, "How much does it cost?" By clicking on this, the following information is provided, "$17.95/month – no hidden costs, cancel anytime." 4) Plans Page. The Plans page is directly accessible from the FAQ page and includes all pricing details for each plan and the various features offered per available plan. 5) Pricing and Payment Information Page. Even if customers do not visit the Offer Details link on the Home or Learn More pages, or review the pricing details offered on the FAQ, or Plan pages, we nevertheless ensure that new customers see our billing information and pricing structure before they create their accounts. During the registration process, which is a mandatory process that all customers must complete before being charged, on the page called “Pricing and Payment Information Page”, all prospective customers will see the following text: "Your credit card is required by the USPS to set up your USPS postage account. Your credit card will not be charged unless you buy additional postage or Stamps.com products, or if you continue past the NO-RISK 4-week trial period. If you continue past the trial, Stamps.com service fees are only $17.95 per month, and you can cancel anytime. No long term contract is required.” 6) Welcome Email. Stamps.com follows-up all completed registrations immediately with a "Welcome Email" that repeats that the service fees will apply following the trial period unless a customer cancels during the trial. We also ask customers interested in our service to read the Service Agreement and the information contained in their Welcome Email. The Welcome Email is sent directly to the email address just provided to us by the new customer. Stamps.com is a licensed vendor of the USPS and is a software program that allows customers to print and create valid USPS postage. The monthly subscription se
Consumer rebuttal: It is my position that my son never accessed the Stamps.com Home Page, so it would be extremely difficult to access any of the links described to learn about these ridiculous charges while offering no services. It is my belief that my son accessed some type of survey in which Stamps.com was affiliated. Through this process, then Stamps.com siphoned off my son’s name, email address, home address, and credit card information to establish this account. Upon this alleged enrollment, Stamps.com sent the confirmation on the following page. I find it curious that Stamps.com does not detail a recurring charge in this email, nor do they communicate this charge will be made regardless of usage. In my opinion, they made no attempt to explain this agreement and attempted to deceive my son into this agreement. Furthermore, Stamps.com has no way to confirm my son ever received this communication, which he still says he did not see. Then, Stamps.com initiated no other communication with us even though they were aware they we never accessed any service from their website. Lastly, Stamps.com made the offer to waive 6 months of past charges if we agreed not to file a complaint with the reason as
Final business response: Thank you for your message and for sharing your concerns, Bart. The only manner or method in which a Stamps.com account can be created is by visiting the Stamps.com website (www.stamps.com) directly and manually inputting contact and financial information via our multi-step, multi-page registration process. There is no way for us to receive this information by any other means and Stamps.com accounts cannot be created via a transfer or siphoning of information from another site, like a survey site or a 3rd party vendor. Detailed and specific pricing information is provided during this registration process. We do show that the account was fully activated and created on 2/4/2010. This indicates that the multi-step registration process had been fully completed, and that your electronic signature had been submitted (by clicking on the "I Agree" button) on the Credit Card Authentication and Terms page. Once a customer enters their contact information, and then their credit card information and agrees to the Terms of Use, the next screen they see is where they type in log-in information. Once the registration process is complete, we do send all new customers a Welcome E-mail that c
8/25/2011
Complaint: 08/25/2011: Through an combined advertisement in order to gain an Anti Virus program for free, I signed up for stamps.com's 4 week trial version. I couldn't get through unless I gave my credit card number. This was in 2009 October. I got a welcome email from stamps.com and nothing else until 18 months later about not capable of charging the credit card. 2011 June I found out that I am still paying $17.95. Being an IT engineer I buy many services online and pay for them on a monthly bases. Stamps.com's behavior for charging for an unused is clearly not ethical. Company stats that the trial will turn into subscription after 4 weeks. DON'T FORGET to cancel if you don't want it. All this can be fine. Many company works the same way. I did a research on stamps.com, I read many complaints and many praises about stamps.com on their own blog, on their twitter account, on other complaining sites like measuredup.com. Finding that the complaint are real, but the praises are artificially made up (i.e. the 5 start comments here: http://www.google.com/products/seller?zmi=stamps.com&sa=X&ei=ATdUTp_RLYj40gGkorWvAg&ved=0CAUQwQY), they all sound the same. Reading the complaints finding that many people actually DO FORGET and have real unanswered issues with stamps.com. Is this suspicious or no? I talked to customer service. Their response is a canned answer with very little relating content. What do you think?
Business response: Dear Istvan, Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. Normally a customer is responsible for all service fees but we are happy to make an exception. As confirmed in the e-mail sent on August 22, 2011, we have closed the Stamps.com account in question, issued a refund for $71.80 and waived the outstanding balance of $35.90 on the account, and as confirmed in the conversation with our supervisor Glenn C. on 8/24/11, we have issued an additional refund of $53.85 to the credit card. A total credit of $125.65 has been refunded to the credit card on file. The confirmation number is: 110825-003148. Stamps.com is a licensed vendor of the USPS and is a software program that allows customers to print and create valid USPS postage. The monthly subscription service fee that Stamps.com charges is for access of the Stamps.com software, which allows customers to print postage from the comfort of their home or small office using just a PC and a printer. Our service is a monthly subscription service so it’s not based on usage of the software, but rather on having access to using it. As such, the service fees are nonrefundable, but we have made an exception in this case and issued a courtesy refund totaling $125.65. We apologize for any misunderstandings regarding the No-Risk trial associated with the Stamps.com service. We’d like to take this opportunity to provide a detailed walk-through of where we disclose our 4-Week No-Risk Trial on our website, for your information. Every customer that registers for the Stamps.com monthly subscription service must register on the Stamps.com website. The vast majority of potential customers arrive directly from the main Stamps.com website landing / home page, and then has the option of immediately registering, or browsing for additional information. No matter what route a customer takes, the No-Risk Trial Period is clearly communicated. The following places are the most prominent disclosures of the No-Risk Trial: 1) FAQ Page. The FAQ page is directly accessible from the Learn More page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the FAQ link, a customer is directed to a web page that lists (22) frequently asked questions. The fourth listed FAQ is the following, "How does the No-Risk Trial work?" By clicking on this, the following information is provided, "New customers are eligible for our 4 Week No-Risk Trial. Simply cancel before the trial period ends and you will not be charged. If you like the service, do nothing and your account continues automatically.” 2) Pricing and Payment Information Page. Even if customers do not visit the No-Risk Trial details offered on the FAQs, we nevertheless ensure that new customers see our trial period structure before they create their accounts. During the registration process, which is a mandatory process that all customers must complete before being charged, on the page called “Pricing and Payment Information Page”, all prospective customers will see the following text: "Why do you need my credit card information? Your credit card is required by the USPS to set up your USPS postage account. Your credit card will not be charged unless you buy additional postage or Stamps.com products, or if you continue past the NO-RISK 4-week trial period (only $17.95 per month).” 3) Our Offer Details link on the aforementioned Pricing and Payment Information Page states: “NO-RISK Trial (4 Weeks) There are no upfront costs to try Stamps.com. Simply sign up and evaluate the service. Cancel anytime during the first 4 weeks and you will not be charged any service fees! If you continue past the trial, you will be charged service fees for the first month.” 4) Welcome Email. Stamps.com follows-up all completed registrations immediately with a "Welcome Email" that repeats the details of our No-Risk Trial. The Welcome Email states: “If you like Stamps.com and wish to continue the service, you do not need to do anything. Your service will continue uninterrupted and fees for the first month will apply. If you decide that Stamps.com is not right for you, cancel your account before your 4-Week Trial ends and you will not be charged any service fees.” We have over 400,000 satisfied customers and the testimonials seen on various sites is posted by our customers who find that the monthly fee provides a good value for users who need to print postage from their home or office, whether it is for a law office or corporation or a home-based business. We do have a wide variety of customers who enjoy the experience of not having to rely on expensive postage meters. Our fee gives them the ability to access all of the services of the Post Office 24/7. Istvan, we hope this resolves this inquiry in a satisfactory manner. However, if it does not, please don’t hesitate to contact us toll-fr
Consumer rebuttal: here is what stamps.com does (the definition of scam for a .gov site) "A scam is a dishonest attempt to trap you into parting with your money. A 'scammer' may make a personal approach, with an offer too good to be true. (4 week trial) Someone may email you, phone, text-message or post an offer (advertisements everywhere) that they press you to take up. They can often use persuasive techniques (use Ani-Virus product for free, just sign up for stamps.com's trap, i mean 4-week trial) that can be hard to resist." stamps.com is still taking $234 from me please keep the templates, i don't care about your company when you don't care about your customer who actually never been your customer
Final business response: Thank you for your message and for sharing your concerns, Istvan. We show that full membership was activated at our website via the multi-step registration process on 10/14/2009. During the process of registration, we do present fee and Trial Period information. Our billing structure is also explained before we ask for a credit card. Stamps.com follows up immediately with a Welcome E-mail that reiterates this process. We also ask customers interested in our service to read the Service Agreement and the information contained in their Welcome E-mail. We do apologize if there was a misunderstanding with regard to our policies. We will take your feedback into consideration as we always want to do everything that we can to ensure our customers have a positive experience when working with Stamps.com. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to call us at 1-888-434-0055, or email us at resolutions@stamps.com and we will gladly assist you.
8/2/2011
Complaint: 08/02/2011: I have never had an account with stamps.com. I get a Past due bill stating my credit card can't be billed because account is closed. I called them and explained that this wasn't my account and tried to get information like what was charged? Where was it mailed? Etc. They refused to tell me and said that I owe that amount. They said charges incurred in Jan. that was it. They gave me the last 4 digits of a card that I don't have. Please help me resolve MY NOW "COLLECTIONS NOTICE " from them on an account or service that I never had.
Business response: Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. Unfortunately we were unable to locate your account with the information provided. Please reply with the Account Number or username that appears on the invoice that you received. Once we have this information, we'll be glad to address this issue and answer any further questions you may have. Alternatively, you may e-mail us at resolutions@stamps.com or call us at 1-888-434-0055 with this information. Best Regards, Vince Yanez, Customer Care Manager Stamps.com
Consumer rebuttal: User Name on Collections Notice- kenjones4444 Invoice Number- 4528964-001 Past Due Fees $89.75 I submit again that I've never had an account with Stamps.com or authorized anyone else to use or get an account with them. Please Remove my information from your collections Dept., Ensure any and all accounts with my name and address are closed and all account balances in your billing system that are attached to me in error are cleared, closed and brought to zero balance. Please quit harassing me with collections notices that do not pertain to me for services never rendered or received.
Final business response: Dear Ken, Thank you for verifying this information. We have located this account, which we show was activated at our site on 1/21/2011. In accordance with the call handled by our representative Jessica K. on 6/29/11, we have closed the account in question. The confirmation number is: 110629-003701. Please disregard the invoice that was sent. We have waived out the outstanding charges for this account. Thank you for your patience as this information is updated in the billing system. For customers who believe an account was set up by an unauthorized 3rd party, we do recommend that they immediately notify their bank. We see that this issue has already been reported to the credit card company in question, and as such the credit card company will be in contact with our Finance team to proceed with the investigation accordingly. Financial institutions have standard policies and procedures set in place to help their customers with these issues. Refunds are handled by the bank or financial institution. On our end, Stamps.com closes these accounts to prevent further billing.
6/21/2011
Complaint: 06/21/2011: In December 2010 I investigated buying stamps online through Stamps.com. I worked through the enrollment process but when I got to the point where I was required to download software I abandoned my application. My company does not allow the download of outside software without prior authorization. Even though I did not set myself up for the service by downloading the software, I began to receive monthly charges of $ 15.99 on my credit card. Unfortunately I did not notice this monthly charge until my June credit card bill and have paid a total of $ 95.94 to Stamps.com without receiving any product or service. In talking to the company they told me there is a notice that gives four weeks FREE service before they begin the monthly fee and that I had to cancel the free membership within that four week period to avoid the monthly fee. I NEVER SAW SUCH A NOTICE. If it appeared then it was certainly not obvious or clear. I would not have been interested in paying a $ 15.99 monthly fee for periodically buying stamps online. I think the whole thing is extremely deceptive at best, or a complete scam at worst. They agreed to give me a refund for 3 months but I would like a complete refund for the entire 6 months.
Business response: Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. Normally a customer is responsible for all service fees but we are happy to make an exception. As confirmed in the conversation with our supervisor Victor C. on 6/17/11, we have refunded your credit card for $47.97, representing three service fees that were charged. The Stamps.com account in question has been closed as of June 17, 2011. Your confirmation number is: 110617-002756. Stamps.com is a licensed vendor of the USPS and is a software program that allows customers to print and create valid USPS postage. The monthly subscription service fee that Stamps.com charges is for access of the Stamps.com software, which allows customers to print postage from the comfort of their home or small office using just a PC and a printer. Our service is a monthly subscription service so it’s not based on usage of the software, but rather on having access to using it. As such, the service fees are nonrefundable, but we have made an exception in your case and issued a courtesy refund totaling $47.97 on June 17, 2011. We apologize for any misunderstandings regarding the monthly service fees associated with the Stamps.com service. We’d like to take this opportunity to provide a detailed walk-through of where we disclose our monthly service fee on our website, for your information. Every customer that registers for the Stamps.com monthly subscription service must register on the Stamps.com website. The vast majority of potential customers arrive directly from the main Stamps.com website landing / home page, and then has the option of immediately registering, or browsing for additional information. No matter what route a customer takes, the price of the Service is clearly communicated. The following places are the most prominent disclosures of the monthly fee: 1) Stamps.com Home Page. Before the potential customer proceeds to our registrations pages they will see an “Offer Details” link on the main Stamps.com home page. In the “Offer Details” link the monthly fee is clearly stated, “If you stay with Stamps.com past the trial period, you will be charged $15.99 a month for the Stamps.com service, you can cancel your services at any time.” 2) Learn More Page. The Learn More page is directly accessible from the main Stamps.com home page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the Learn More link from the Home page, a customer is directed to a web page that includes the same “Offer Details” link and information mentioned above. 3) FAQ Page. The FAQ page is directly accessible from the Learn More page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the FAQ link, a customer is directed to a web page that lists (22) frequently asked questions. The sixth listed FAQ is the following, "How much does it cost?" By clicking on this, the following information is provided, "$15.99/month – no hidden costs, cancel anytime." 4) Plans Page. The Plans page is directly accessible from the FAQ page and includes all pricing details for each plan and the various features offered per available plan. 5) Pricing and Payment Information Page. Even if customers do not visit the Offer Details link on the Home or Learn More pages, or review the pricing details offered on the FAQ, or Plan pages, we nevertheless ensure that new customers see our billing information and pricing structure before they create their accounts. During the registration process, which is a mandatory process that all customers must complete before being charged, on the page called “Pricing and Payment Information Page”, all prospective customers will see the following text: "Your credit card is required by the USPS to set up your USPS postage account. Your credit card will not be charged unless you buy additional postage or Stamps.com products, or if you continue past the NO-RISK 4-week trial period. If you continue past the trial, Stamps.com service fees are only $15.99 per month, and you can cancel anytime. No long term contract is required.” 6) Welcome Email. Stamps.com follows-up all completed registrations immediately with a "Welcome Email" that repeats that the service fees will apply following the trial period unless a customer cancels during the trial. We also ask customers interested in our service to read the Service Agreement and the information contained in their Welcome Email. The Welcome Email is sent directly to the email address just provided to us by the new customer. Robert, we hope this resolves this inquiry in a satisfactory manner. However, if it does not, please don’t hesitate to contact us toll-free at 888-434-0055, Monday through Friday 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time. Best Regards, Vince Yanez, Customer Care Manager Stamps.com
Consumer rebuttal: My original complaint stands. In the company's own words "the monthly subscription is not based on use of the software but having access to it." Since I did not download the software, I did not have access to it. For a wider view of how Stamps.com is viewed by its customers, Google "Stamps.com Scam Complaints."
Final business response: Thank you for your message and for sharing your concerns, Robert. We will take your feedback into consideration as we always want to do everything that we can to ensure our customers have a positive experience when working with Stamps.com. The fees that were charged were for the Stamps.com account we show was fully activated on 12/7/2010, not for the software itself. Billing is dependent on whether an account was fully activated rather than on whether the software was downloaded. We apologize for the misunderstanding.
6/1/2011
Complaint: 06/01/2011: First off, the advertisement and sign up process does not make it clear that the service has a subscription fee, and that you're signing up for a trial period. The advertising suggest you're simply registering for an account on the site. It isn't until after registration that I got an email detailing the terms and that I had to cancel or be charged a fee. I proceed to log into the website to cancel. I can't find a FAQ/instructions on how to cancel. I had to google "stamps.com cancel" in order to get the page that describes the cancellation process. It is completely hidden. So what does the page say? You can't even cancel online or through email due to "security reasons". You have to call their customer reps to cancel. I call the following week to cancel. The sales person tells me the account has been cancelled; I didn't think much of it. A month later, I get billed for $15.99. I call again to complain and say that I had cancelled a month ago. They ask for the confirm number from the previous call, and I said I never received one. So apparently the first rep never cancelled my account. The current rep kept pressuring me to keep the account, and was reluctant to cancel it for me until I got incredibly vulgar with her. This time, I made sure to get a confirm number from them. When I requested for a refund of the previous transaction because I feel it was a "mistake" on their end for not cancelling my account the first time I called, they told me I was out of luck.
Business response: Dear Kwok,Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. Normally a customer is responsible for all service fees but we are happy to make an exception. We have issued a full refund for the $15.99 fee associated with the April 16, 2011 to May 15, 2011 Billing Cycle. Your confirmation number is: 110602-002602. Our records indicate that the account was charged because it was open past the 4-Week Trial Period. The 4-Week No-Risk Trial Period ended on the Stamps.com account in question on May 15, 2011. We first received a call on June 1, 2011. Stamps.com is a licensed vendor of the USPS and is a software program that allows customers to print and create valid USPS postage. The monthly subscription service fee that Stamps.com charges is for access of the Stamps.com software, which allows customers to print postage from the comfort of their home or small office using just a PC and a printer. Our service is a monthly subscription service so it’s not based on usage of the software, but rather on having access to using it. As such, the service fees are nonrefundable, but we have issued a courtesy refund of $15.99. We apologize for any misunderstandings regarding the monthly service fees associated with the Stamps.com service. We’d like to take this opportunity to provide a detailed walk-through of where we disclose our monthly service fee on our website, for your information. Every customer that registers for the Stamps.com monthly subscription service must register on the Stamps.com website. The vast majority of potential customers arrive directly from the main Stamps.com website landing / home page, and then has the option of immediately registering, or browsing for additional information. No matter what route a customer takes, the price of the Service is clearly communicated. The following places are the most prominent disclosures of the monthly fee: 1) Stamps.com Home Page. Before the potential customer proceeds to our registrations pages they will see an “Offer Details” link on the main Stamps.com home page. In the “Offer Details” link the monthly fee is clearly stated, “If you stay with Stamps.com past the trial period, you will be charged $15.99 a month for the Stamps.com service, you can cancel your services at any time.” 2) Learn More Page. The Learn More page is directly accessible from the main Stamps.com home page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the Learn More link from the Home page, a customer is directed to a web page that includes the same “Offer Details” link and information mentioned above. 3) FAQ Page. The FAQ page is directly accessible from the Learn More page and is accessible to any potential customer prior to Service registration. By clicking on the FAQ link, a customer is directed to a web page that lists (22) frequently asked questions. The sixth listed FAQ is the following, "How much does it cost?" By clicking on this, the following information is provided, "$15.99/month – no hidden costs, cancel anytime." 4) Plans Page. The Plans page is directly accessible from the FAQ page and includes all pricing details for each plan and the various features offered per available plan. 5) Pricing and Payment Information Page. Even if customers do not visit the Offer Details link on the Home or Learn More pages, or review the pricing details offered on the FAQ, or Plan pages, we nevertheless ensure that new customers see our billing information and pricing structure before they create their accounts. During the registration process, which is a mandatory process that all customers must complete before being charged, on the page called “Pricing and Payment Information Page”, all prospective customers will see the following text: "Your credit card is required by the USPS to set up your USPS postage account. Your credit card will not be charged unless you buy additional postage or Stamps.com products, or if you continue past the NO-RISK 4-week trial period. If you continue past the trial, Stamps.com service fees are only $15.99 per month, and you can cancel anytime. No long term contract is required.” 6) Welcome Email. Stamps.com follows-up all completed registrations immediately with a "Welcome Email" that repeats that the service fees will apply following the trial period unless a customer cancels during the trial. We also ask customers interested in our service to read the Service Agreement and the information contained in their Welcome Email. The Welcome Email is sent directly to the email address just provided to us by the new customer. Kwok, we hope this resolves this inquiry in a satisfactory manner. However, if it does not, please don’t hesitate to contact us toll-free at 888-434-0055, Monday through Friday 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time. Best Regards, Daw
Consumer rebuttal: Satisfied with the proposed resolution to refund the $15.99 charge for the period of April 16 to May 15, 2011.
Final business response: Thank you for your message and for sharing your concerns, Kwok. We have processed the refund in question to the credit card on file ending in 4011 and if you have any additional questions, please feel free to call us at 1-888-434-0055, or email us at resolutions@stamps.com and we will gladly assist you. Best Regards, Vince Yanez Customer Care Manager Stamps.com
5/12/2011
Complaint: 05/12/2011: I could not log into my stamps.com account.. I would try to use the forgot password service, as the password is REQUIRED in order to touch any of your funds loaded onto your stamps.com account. The program would claim "we will send you an email with a new temporary password. That is BOGUS. go ahead. Set up a stamps.com account. See what happens when you need customer support. They ignore your requests in order to milk the monthly dues out of their customers, while providing as little service as allowed by the BBB(in accordance with their BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU Accredidation!) in order to sustain profitability in their subpar and unreliable "postal network".
Business response: Dear Robert, Thank you for your inquiry. We appreciate and consider your feedback and take our customers’ concerns very seriously. Normally a customer is responsible for all service fees until they request cancellation but we have made an exception for you and waived your outstanding balance of $47.97 and closed your account. Your confirmation number is: 110513-001012. We apologize that you have the impression that you cannot cancel your Stamps.com account and that you had difficulties with your username and password. We show that you had created two accounts with us. Per your conversation with our supervisor Cecilia C. on 9/24/2010, we had closed your account with username “cybrbob12” and waived out the outstanding balance of 111.93. Your account with username “bobbyellen” remained open per your request. When this call was dropped, our records indicate that Cecilia attempted to call you back and reached your voicemail. Our records indicate that Cecilia left a voicemail message for you and our direct Supervisor Line in case you had any further questions regarding your open account and its username and password. We apologize for any misunderstanding. We have checked our records and show that the last time you contacted us was by phone on 11/11/2010, in which you spoke to our representative Michael about your username (“bobbyellen”). We do not show that you requested cancellation of the “bobbyellen” during this call. We do not show that we had received any form of contact since that time. Robert, we hope this resolves this inquiry in a satisfactory manner. However, if it does not, please don’t hesitate to contact us toll-free at 888-434-0055, Monday through Friday 6 AM to 6 PM Pacific Time. Best Regards, Dawn Stevenson Director Customer Care Stamps.com
Consumer rebuttal: I accept your waiving of the fees. I will no longer need your services, and request you put my phone number on your Federally Mandated DNC,or DO-NOT-CALL list. I would like to also be removed from any mailings/mailing lists sent to my physicial address. I would also like to be removed from email correspondence, or offers/alerts that your company may send out. Thank you.
Final business response: Thank you for your message and for sharing your concerns, Robert. We have performed a “global opt-out” for your contact information today, meaning that your contact information will be added to our voluntary Do Not Call list and our Do Not Mail list, and your e-mail will be unsubscribed from our system. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to call us at 1-888-434-0055, or email us at resolutions@stamps.com and we will gladly assist you. Best Regards, Dawn Stevenson Director Customer Care Stamps.com