Problems with Stamps.Com

Founded in 2000, Stamps.com is a large California-based company, offering online stamps for those who hate waiting in line at the post office. You can create stamps on the company's program, print them out, and stroll into the post office and drop off your package. However, as of 2009, some customers are complaining.

Free Trial Charges

Stamps.com offers a four-week free trial. In this time, you get $25 in postage, a $50 digital scale, and $5 worth of supplies, all for free. Sounds great, especially the "free" part. However, when looking at Scam.com, many customers have been charged for this trial period, and onward, even after they have requested to cancel their subscription. Most of these customers have contacted Stamps.com both via email and phone, and neither approach has stopped their charges. However, in defense of Stamps.com, U.S. Better Business Bureau lists them as a rank "A" company, showing that while many customers have complained about this issue, it is the customer's fault for either not canceling the trial period correctly, or not following up with the company to ensure their subscription has been canceled.

Mac Users

To use Stamps.com, you must download its free program, with which you can create stamps, according to the company's website. If you are a PC user, this is fine, as the Stamps.com program will work for you. However, those of you with a Mac will be disappointed to find out that, as of September 2009, Stamps.com is not compatible with your system. To alleviate this issue though, Stamps.com says customers with a Windows emulator installed on their Mac have been able to use their service.

Hidden Fees

Stamps.com is upfront about its low $15.99 per month service fee. However, there are other fees that you will not be aware of until you join. The most prominent of which is paper. According to Epinions.com, Stamps.com requires a special paper, that only they supply, to be used when printing their stamps. It is rather costly, and may have high shipping charges depending on your location. Also, Stamps.com requires you to agree to a contract stating that you will not resell the paper, meaning they are the only supplier. In the Stamps.com FAQ though, while some postage stamps, such as those for envelopes, must be printed on their paper to be used correctly, the user can print out other labels like shipping labels on regular paper.

Refunds

Most businesses will refund you if a product came damaged, or in this case if there was something wrong with the stamp printed. Stamps.com is no exception, but there is a problem with their refund policy. Many of us have had printer problems now and then, where if you send a job to your printer it just says, "spooling" and may print out a blank sheet. If you happen to print a blank sheet, there is no proof the stamp was wrong. With no proof, comes no refund.

Service Fee

Stamps.com charges about $15.99 per month, on top of the cost of any stamps you create. You need to weigh that cost against the number of stamps you use. For a large business that ships out constantly, this fee is a trifle for the convenience. However, for most home users who mail out a few items a month, this price really adds up. For the latter, it would be best just to drive to the post office.
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http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=7763
http://www.epinions.com/content_178618470020
http://www.stamps.com/download/
http://www.la.bbb.org/Business-Report/Stampscom-13131095
http://www.stamps.com/support/features/shipping-label/faqs/