If you use a postage meter

[Phil Thien]

If you or your company use a Postage Meter (typically Pitney Bowes), make certain you are getting the best rates available.

We have had a meter for about ten years. Never really watched the bills for it. We received an offer from Stamps.com which caused me to investigate what we were paying for our PB meter and what options were available.

The bottom line is, we were paying $48/month for a meter that new customers are offered for $18/month. I called them and they adjusted the price down to $13/month.

$25 pays for quite a bit of postage.

I find their pricing games troublesome, too. You can save all your MBA nonsense for discussion groups, but new customers should never receive a product for less than half what existing customers are paying. So I'm going to continue investigating other options.

[Joe Mioux]

Pitney Bowes pricing schemes are horrid.

A few months ago, I was up to $30 per month, for their small meter. It started out at $10. They reduced me to $13 then I complained and then they reduced to me $10, then I complained and now they have me at $5 per month.

Also, look out for your postage purchases. A few months ago I was being assessed $15 for a low purchase charge. They wanted me to buy $100 of postage at a time. I complained about that and now they don't charge the low purchase fee.

Joe

[Dennis Peacock]

Pitney Bowes pricing schemes are horrid.

A few months ago, I was up to $30 per month, for their small meter. It started out at $10. They reduced me to $13 then I complained and then they reduced to me $10, then I complained and now they have me at $5 per month.

Also, look out for your postage purchases. A few months ago I was being assessed $15 for a low purchase charge. They wanted me to buy $100 of postage at a time. I complained about that and now they don't charge the low purchase fee.

Joe

Man....that sounds exactly like the credit card companies...always looking for a way to charge a customer for just about anything. :mad:

One would figure that PB would have a stable pricing structure....especially for their existing customers. Guess not hugh? :rolleyes:

[Jim Becker]

Many times, service companies like this depend upon "you" to monitor your arrangements with them. They are not as likely to "mention" a better deal. Business owners (and anyone, for that matter) have a responsibility to in sure that they stay on top of costs and opportunities to reduce them. Nobody else is going to do it for you!

[Joe Mioux]

Many times, service companies like this depend upon "you" to monitor your arrangements with them. They are not as likely to "mention" a better deal. Business owners (and anyone, for that matter) have a responsibility to in sure that they stay on top of costs and opportunities to reduce them. Nobody else is going to do it for you!

Except they keep nudging the price up without giving notice. PB is my least favorite vendor because of their pricing schemes.

This reminds me, I think I need to threaten my current insurance co with a a change of companies.

[Brian Elfert]

If $100 in postage is too much to buy at one time, do you really need a postage meter? There are online options for postage these days that might serve just as well.

Postage meters are a racket. My small business owned the base unit, but the head unit with the postage in it had to be leased and I think it is/was a USPS rule that the part of a postage meter with the postage in cannot be sold to the end user.

Brian Elfert

[Joe Mioux]

If $100 in postage is too much to buy at one time, do you really need a postage meter? There are online options for postage these days that might serve just as well.

Postage meters are a racket. My small business owned the base unit, but the head unit with the postage in it had to be leased and I think it is/was a USPS rule that the part of a postage meter with the postage in cannot be sold to the end user.

Brian Elfert

No, I don't.

I don't use it for my monthly statements. For that I usually buy from the Stamped Envelope Division of the USPS. We send out about 400 statements every month. Which is equals what.........???? $175 per month?

The PB meter is just a convenience. At $5 per month I can keep it. We use it for extraneous postage and my dad likes to come over and steal postage from me for his bills. :rolleyes:

I buy $10-$20 of postage at a time. I think it is wrong for PB to tack on an extra $15, just because they think they can.

joe