Stamps.com ripoff I'd rather wait in line at the Post Office than subscribe to stamps.com Los Angeles California

I am an accounting manager for a small business based in Kansas City. After receiving a few mail solicitations for a free 30-day Stamps.com trial offer, I finally caved in when one of their sales reps called on the phone.

After a few weeks, I decided it wasn't all it was cracked up to be and I would go back to waiting in line at the post office to buy stamps. When I called a day early to cancel my service, after waiting on hold for 15 minutes, I was told my trial period had already ended and my company would be charged the $180 annual fee. I was provided with the email address for their customer service.

Handy little invention Email is. No need to paraphrase. I'll let my email do the talking:

Dear Stamps.com Customer Service,

On Tuesday, August 9th, 2005, I was contacted by a Stamps.com sales rep offering my company a free trial of the stamps.com service. I accepted the service and was told that my trial period ended 30 days from this date (on
September 8th) and that if I did not call within that time to cancel, my credit card would be billed for the annual service fee.

On August 10, Stamps.com mailed me a starter packet which I received on August 15. I called today (September 7th) to cancel my service and was told that my 29 day trial period had expired on September 5th and that I would be billed for a year's service fee. This implies that Stamps.com began my trial
period on Sunday, August 7, which was a day that I was not in the office and was clearly before the initial contact was made to begin the trial period.

This is a fradulent billing practice and my company will not pay for it. If Stamps.com has initiated any charge(s) to my account, please reverse the charge(s) in full immediately.

[Their reply]

Thank you for contacting Stamps.com.

We have carefully reviewed your account history and have found the service fee applied is in accordance with the Service Agreement to which you agreed.

Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate your credit request for the Pre-Paid Annual Lease Plan service fee. The fee is valid and not eligible for credit.

As communicated in the Service Agreement, the Annual Lease fee is not refundable and is applied to your account if it is not closed during your trial period. To insure that you had a sufficient opportunity to evaluate our service and decide if you wished to keep your account, we provided a trial period of one full month. Our records and documentation show that you did not call and close your account during your trial period.

We at Stamps.com make 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 during your multiple times during your registration process, in the Service agreement, and in the Welcome e-mail we sent you.

If you would like further details on the terms and Conditions of the Service Agreement of your Pre-Paid Plan, please visit the following link:

http://www.stamps.com/conditions/

Your account was OPENED on: 08/08/2005

Your trial period ENDED on: 09/05/2005

You CANCELLED your account on: 09/07/2005

We hope that you keep your account to utilize the services and features that Stamps.com offers. If we can be of any help in assisting you with our services, please let us know.

[My reply]

In your own words below, you claim that I signed up on August 8. You also claim that the trial period is for "ONE FULL MONTH." I have pasted the terms and conditions of your service from the link you provided me.

Terms and Conditions

1. PRICING AND PROMOTION

PRICING: Your service fee will be calculated based on the service plan that you select. Customers are responsible for the cost of the postage itself. A monthly billing cycle ends one month after you sign up. For example, if
you sign up on March 8 the first billing cycle ends April 7, and the second billing cycle begins on April 8. If you sign up on the 29th, 30th, or 31st the beginning of your second and future billing cycles will be on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively.

Based on this information (and the information provided to me verbally by the initial sales rep), the "one full month" ends on September 7 (not September 5) and I have cancelled my service within the agreed-upon free trial period. Therefore I should not be billed the fee.

I will expect a full refund for any charges imposed by Stamps.com.

[Their reply]

Thank you for contacting Stamps.com.

We equate one month to thirty days, so in this case, the trial would have ended on 9/06/2005. We apologize for any confusion.

Your account was closed on 09/07/2005, after the trial period had ended.

Unfortunately we cannot waive or credit the service fees on your account because all service fees are valid per the Stamps.com Terms & Conditions.

If we can be of any further assistance, please don't hesitate to let us know.

[My reply]

You CAN be of further assistance. Let's clear up the confusion:

The first paragraph of your terms and conditions page which I pasted earlier uses for an example a start date of March 8. March is a 31-day month. According to the same paragraph, it clearly states that end of the period is April 7. August is also a 31-day month and, coincidentally, you've stated my start date was August 8. Therefore, using the same logic, we conclude
that the end of the period in my situation is September 7. Therefore, I have closed my account within the free trial period.

This should clear up any confusion on your end.

Your apology is acceptable. I will expect a full refund for any and all charges imposed to my company by Stamps.com.

[Their reply]

Thank you for contacting Stamps.com.

We have thoroughly researched your account and have comprehensively communicated our policies as well as all possible courses of action available with regard to this issue. The absolute resolution to this matter has been reached and explained in detail in our previous correspondence. There are no further avenues of action available on our part with regard to this issue.

If you have any additional information regarding this matter that was not previously presented or if you have a different issue you would like us to address, please let us know so we may be of assistance.

[Are you sensing their frustration? Here's my reply]

No further research of my account or explanation of your company policy is necessary. I don't dispute your company's policies. On the contrary, your policies support my claim, as was clearly shown below.

If you charge me for this service or fail to reverse charges already made, you do so against your company's policy. This constitutes fradulent behavior on your part, which is a criminal offense.

I suggest an honest resolution to this matter by Stamps.com complying with it's posted terms and conditions through waiving or reversing this incorrect charge.

Your prompt cooperation is appreciated.

[Their reply]

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced.

We have investigated your issue thoroughly. After reviewing your account, we have decided to reverse the charges that have been made to
your account; we will release you from your Lease Contract and not hold you responsible for future service fees.

If we can be of any further assistance, please don't hesitate to let us know.


[Whew]


Needless to say, I didn't get much work done that day. Not worth the $5 worth of free postage I used.

My nickel's worth of free advice: Forget Stamps.com and just stick to doing it the old-fashioned way. To the business owners out there, I'd recommend using Pitney Bowes if you absolutely can't stand waiting in line, and only then if you do a large volume of mail. They've been in the business a lot longer.

And finally, to anyone who's been through the same thing I have: stick it out, don't give up, and do your homework. I was able to get my money back because I read their terms & conditions page on their website, found out it was on my side, AND I DIDN'T GIVE UP WHEN THEY CONTINUED TO REJECT MY REQUEST. All you folks who cancelled your free subscription on the 30th day and they still charged you - DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT. DO WHAT I DID AND SHOW THEM THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS FROM THEIR OWN WEBSITE (www.stamps.com/conditions). EMAIL THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE (resolutions@stamps.com) INSTEAD OF CALLING THEM ON THE PHONE SO THAT YOUR WHOLE CONVERSATION IS IN WRITING. THEY CAN'T DISPUTE THE DETAILS OF THE CONVERSATION LATER.

Good luck.

Sucker #31
Lenexa, Kansas
U.S.A.