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Stamps.com: Start thinking about user experience

I love Stamps.com.  I mail out a ton of books every week, and it really makes my life easier.  It’s one of those things that I could get for free, but I choose to pay for it.
But they have a really boneheaded idea of customer experience. Two examples.

1. Where is it?

Global Priority Mail is a standard postage choice that I use all the time.  They upgraded the software … and now it’s completely missing.  After wasting more than an hour looking for it, I finally called support.  Then got escalated to level 2 support.  Decent support, but … they finally told me that it was "removed for an unknown period of time, and they were working on it."

  • You can’t remove a basic feature without telling your customers.  It’s just gone.  I’m really pissed that you wasted my time.  At least put a note where the feature used to be, explaining that it’s being fixed. It’s rude.
  • You can’t offer half a solution. If I use you for postage, you have to solve ALL my postage needs. Printing some of my stamps isn’t good enough. If I need to go to the post office, I’m taking all my business there. Half a job doesn’t count.

2. Don’t treat me like a child.

I got a new printer and my envelopes were printing off center.  Totally standard HP printer. I tried every setting, read the manuals, surfed user groups – everything.  Finally, I call support.  THERE IS A TOP SECRET SETTING TO FIX THE PROBLEM.  Specifically, if I hit a certain link while holding the alt button then a checkbox appears that lets me fix the problem.  A 30-second fix.

What is wrong with you, Stamps.com? You wasted hours of my time and cost yourself $$ on a tech support call — because users can’t be trusted to see the secret button?  Some engineer convinced you that customers can’t be trusted with this setting. That’s demeaning, and a bad business decision. 

Stamps.com, you owe me $211.  $200 for 4 wasted hours, $11 for wasted envelopes and labels.

UPDATE:  Here’s the Stamps.com hidden fix: If your envelopes and labels are
misaligned try this.

(This is the fix they think we are too dumb to be allowed to
know about)

 
1. Fill in an address as if you’re going to print a label.

2. Click "Print Sample"

3. THE SECRET STEP: Hold Control and ALT while clicking "Configure"

4. You will see several check boxes. Try different combinations until your labels
print well.

HP 2600: Check L90 + Envelope Feeder

HP 3520: Check L90

HP 1150: Check Envelope Feeder


 

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